# Best Settings for my Camera



## JRE313

I am new to HDR, I have a new Canon T3 Rebel. What are my best settings for HDR besides AEB and shooting in RAW mode??


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## 480sparky

I'm not familiar with Canon, but I'd say everything in Manual.  Manual focus and manual exposure mostly.  AEB may work, but I have found it better to bracket manually as not all the dynamic range of a given scene can be captured in jut 3 frames.


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## BuS_RiDeR

JRE313 said:


> I am new to HDR, I have a new Canon T3 Rebel. What are my best settings for HDR besides AEB and shooting in RAW mode??



(M)anual mode. Use AEB and set the bracketing as far apart as the camera allows... One properly exposed, one under exposed, one over exposed... then let the software help you with the rest...

Check this Adorama video out... It will help you get started.


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## willis_927

I don't do alot of HDR, but I would also say that when you are in Manual, and are changing your exposures, try to just raise or lower you shutter speed because if you adjust your aperature you may be changing your DOF as well, so certain parts of each photo may or may not be in focus.


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## mistermonday

JRE313 said:


> I am new to HDR, I have a new Canon T3 Rebel. What are my best settings for HDR besides AEB and shooting in RAW mode??


I am not familiar with that camera so I will make some general suggestions:
- If you have sufficient light in the scene for your autofocus to function, then there is nothing wrong with using automatic mode.
- Set the camera to Aperature Preferred and lock in an aperature that will give you the amount of depth of field that you would like. If you want everything in the scene to be sharply focused, select f11 or higher.
- Turn OFF auto ISO (if you camera has it) and lock the ISO to its lowest setting (usually 100 or 200).
- Use of a tripod is highly recommended.
Regards, Murray


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## SituationNormal

I have the same Rebel T3, but have no idea what the ideal settings for it are. I just started playing with HDR this week. I just play until I find a setting that I like, and go with it for a few. But then again I'm just now learning how to manipulate a camera.

The one thing that I would add to mistermonday is to turn the autofocus off when you are ready to take the shot(s). Set your focus prior to taking the picture with the autofocus on, but switch it to manual before shooting it. I haven't seen it happen yet, but I imagine that the focus could shift in autofocus on between the three shots.


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## ann

The trouble with ideal settings is that they  need to be based on the lighting conditions, so it is difficult to be specific about the values.

Others have given you some tips about being in aperture mode, manual focusing and i would add mirror lockup and remote firing if you have that available with that camera body.


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## Bynx

There is no such thing as ideal camera settings -- is there? If there are please let me know them. I keep changing my settings to match the lighting conditions Im shooting. What a waste of time that was when there are ideal camera settings.


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## GRbenji

Can make use of hyperfocusing if you have both foreground and background subjects that you want to be sharp.


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## Derrel

I have always like ISO 400 at f/6.3 at 1/200 second...it's one of my favorite settings! 

;-)wink,wink;-)


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## Bynx

Hey thanks Darrel. Ive used those settings a couple times before. I didnt realize it was the ideal settings. Now I know.
Nudge, nudge, wink, wink. I know what you mean.


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## 480sparky

My favorite setting is mounted in landscape orientation on top of my tripod, aimed toward a beautiful landscape scene.


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## Bynx

Oh I always shoot portrait when doing landscapes. Then none of the tops get cut off.


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## jake337

I have a question to add.  i'm wondering about some settings too when bracketing. 

I usually have high Iso Noise reduction and Active D-Lighting set to low.  Do these setting have any effect when shooting RAW?  And if they do what do you usually set these at when bracketing expousres?


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## 480sparky

jake337 said:


> I have a question to add.  i'm wondering about some settings too when bracketing.
> 
> I usually have high Iso Noise reduction and Active D-Lighting set to low.  Do these setting have any effect when shooting RAW?  And if they do what do you usually set these at when bracketing expousres?



Depends on the shutter speed, and the scene you're shooting.  If you shoot at reasonably fast shutter speeds, NR won't come into play.  And ADL is only used when the firmware detects blown-out highlights.


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## jake337

480sparky said:


> jake337 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I have a question to add. i'm wondering about some settings too when bracketing.
> 
> I usually have high Iso Noise reduction and Active D-Lighting set to low. Do these setting have any effect when shooting RAW? And if they do what do you usually set these at when bracketing expousres?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Depends on the shutter speed, and the scene you're shooting. If you shoot at reasonably fast shutter speeds, NR won't come into play. And ADL is only used when the firmware detects blown-out highlights.
Click to expand...


Thanks, do you know if they still come into play when shooting RAW?


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## 480sparky

I don't think so, although the settings are recorded in the exif data and can be applied in Capture NX2.


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## jake337

480sparky said:


> I don't think so, although the settings are recorded in the exif data and can be applied in Capture NX2.



Thanks.


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## KmH

jake337 said:


> 480sparky said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> jake337 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I have a question to add. i'm wondering about some settings too when bracketing.
> 
> I usually have high Iso Noise reduction and Active D-Lighting set to low. Do these setting have any effect when shooting RAW? And if they do what do you usually set these at when bracketing expousres?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Depends on the shutter speed, and the scene you're shooting. If you shoot at reasonably fast shutter speeds, NR won't come into play. And ADL is only used when the firmware detects blown-out highlights.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Thanks, do you know if they still come into play when shooting RAW?
Click to expand...

The NR and D-Lighting only show up on the JPEG embedded in the Raw file.

Raw is Raw.


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## jake337

KmH said:


> jake337 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 480sparky said:
> 
> 
> 
> Depends on the shutter speed, and the scene you're shooting. If you shoot at reasonably fast shutter speeds, NR won't come into play. And ADL is only used when the firmware detects blown-out highlights.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks, do you know if they still come into play when shooting RAW?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> The NR and D-Lighting only show up on the JPEG embedded in the Raw file.
> 
> Raw is Raw.
Click to expand...


Thanks, that is what I thought but just wasn't sure about those two settings.


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