Cheat Cards

sarahjawanda

I am as "beginner" as they come to the Nikon D3200. Do I require any level of knowledge in order to use the cheat cards, or are they pretty straightforward in showing me how to operate my new camera?

bruto

They look to be pretty complete and they don't cost much. You can get a good preview if you look to the right of this forum space, where you will see several images scrolling sideways. Click your mouse on that space, or on the blue link above it, and you will be taken to a page in which you can see a sample of what they look like. There's enough of at least one or two cards in the illustrations that you can get a good idea of how the information is presented, though since the cards are being sold, you'll have to buy them to see the back side. You can also go to the "Tips and Tricks" section here, and if you go to the D3200 section you will get a free tutorial on portrait shooting which is quite thorough.

The camera can be pretty intimidating, but the basics are not that hard to learn. Make sure you read the instructions well, and that you open and install on your computer the PDF file that comes on the CD with the camera. This is the full instruction manual, more complete and also easier to reference than the printed one.

There are many ways to make a picture, but the cheat cards should provide a reliable set of settings for the various situations you're likely to encounter, and a good jumping off place for new situations or new ideas. Remember that this is a digital camera, and it's really easy to delete bad photos. The more you try, the more you'll learn.

Moose

Hey @sarahjawanda - As @bruto mentioned, these cheat cards were created for absolute beginners. The idea behind them is to take the guesswork out of choosing which settings to use. In a nutshell, you're getting a sneak peak at the settings I would use for any given situation. There's also a quick reference cheat card that walks you through step-by-step how to adjust the ISO, Aperture, etc... As always, you can post to the forum or email me if you ever get stuck with a certain scenario. All the best!