Quote Originally Posted by firstgensir View Post
so i have a d40 and i have had it for about two years or so and its amzing. for the most part i dont use alot of the slections.i dont really manually change setting i guess.i use it mostly on auto focus and slection.i have read up on how to use different apature setting to get different affects but it seem like if i use the manual setting i get crap pictures cause i get one then move then i have to go back to auto to start getting good pics.i know it is easer to use when moving reather than like a photo shoot when you have control of what your shooting.i guess i am asking is it common for most to use the auto or have i just not figured out how to use the different settings enough to manualy set them?

one other quick question is shooting in darker settings i get alot of grain i kno the iso has alot to do with it.im still using the built in flash, would getting a different flash help.suggestions?

thanks or the help if any i really enjoy photography and just want to lean what ever i can.
I recommend following A.A's advice and watching how the shutter speed reacts as you change your aperture settings. You will find that they are (very generally) inversely related, that is, as you raise f-stops (your aperture setting), your shutter speed will decrease.

To your other question, the higher the iso, the more grain. If you are shooting with a D40 in the dark, you will almost always need to be using a tripod (with the iso setting set as low as possible).

I would not recommend buying any additional flashes or equipment until you completely understand why you need said equipment.