Joining the brethren
Discussion
Hi all,
Long time lurker on this area of PH, but never had the kit to get involved.
However....
I have just purchased a Canon Eos 300d, currently has the kit lens (18-55)
I'm looking for advice really with regard to shooting with an SLR - I'm a complete newbie when it comes to things like exposure settings, white balance etc, I've heard the terms, but have no clue what they do or mean.
Over to you......
Long time lurker on this area of PH, but never had the kit to get involved.
However....
I have just purchased a Canon Eos 300d, currently has the kit lens (18-55)
I'm looking for advice really with regard to shooting with an SLR - I'm a complete newbie when it comes to things like exposure settings, white balance etc, I've heard the terms, but have no clue what they do or mean.
Over to you......
The missus and I kinda learned the hard way and looked things up, bought books and lots of trial and error.
I then did a course - www.experience-seminars.co.uk/ - which I wish I'd done earlier, as it helped cement so many things together...
I then did a course - www.experience-seminars.co.uk/ - which I wish I'd done earlier, as it helped cement so many things together...
Del is asking questions which have been asked many many times before. 5 minutes with the search function would bring up a sea of information, answering all his current questions.
On top of that, there's no substitute for having a play with the camera, and discovering things for yourself.
On top of that, there's no substitute for having a play with the camera, and discovering things for yourself.
My top tips include..
Leave it in full auto mode for a good while, so you won't have to think about white balance, depth of field or any of that stuff. This also takes the pressure off reading the bloody manual.
To be honest I keep my camera in full auto mode (until I need it otherwise), as when one suddenly sees a pic, there is nothing worse than having to fart about getting all the settings right, for the photo is by then often gone forever.
Also full auto is SO good these days that the results will often be excellent. (especially in good light)
Lastly it'll free you up to concetrate on framing - sun position - times of day and subject matter... which IMHO will take you 90% of the way to some good pics.
It's gotta be fun - don't get bogged down in the techie stuff - pick it up as you go along. When you decide you want stuff in the background to be out of focus to make the foreground stick out (or something similar)... that's when to read the manual!
As I say, all IMHO
Steve
Leave it in full auto mode for a good while, so you won't have to think about white balance, depth of field or any of that stuff. This also takes the pressure off reading the bloody manual.
To be honest I keep my camera in full auto mode (until I need it otherwise), as when one suddenly sees a pic, there is nothing worse than having to fart about getting all the settings right, for the photo is by then often gone forever.
Also full auto is SO good these days that the results will often be excellent. (especially in good light)
Lastly it'll free you up to concetrate on framing - sun position - times of day and subject matter... which IMHO will take you 90% of the way to some good pics.
It's gotta be fun - don't get bogged down in the techie stuff - pick it up as you go along. When you decide you want stuff in the background to be out of focus to make the foreground stick out (or something similar)... that's when to read the manual!
As I say, all IMHO
Steve
Edited by GetCarter on Monday 16th October 13:38
Podie said:
k50 del said:
To add to the thread, I've also just managed to pick up a Canon 80-200 USM lens for £32 to add to my kit as well.
Blimey... where was that from?
I assume from the reaction that that's not a bad price then? (that includes £4 for postage as well)
It was courtesy of E-bay
k50 del said:
Podie said:
k50 del said:
To add to the thread, I've also just managed to pick up a Canon 80-200 USM lens for £32 to add to my kit as well.
Blimey... where was that from?
I assume from the reaction that that's not a bad price then? (that includes £4 for postage as well)
It was courtesy of E-bay
I didn't know you could get any lens that cheaply... then again, I have a healthy dislike for eBay...
Edited by Podie on Monday 16th October 15:37
Podie said:
k50 del said:
Podie said:
k50 del said:
To add to the thread, I've also just managed to pick up a Canon 80-200 USM lens for £32 to add to my kit as well.
Blimey... where was that from?
I assume from the reaction that that's not a bad price then? (that includes £4 for postage as well)
It was courtesy of E-bay
I didn't know you could get any lens that cheaply... then again, I have a healthy dislike for eBay...
Edited by Podie on Monday 16th October 15:37
Christ, I had to do some serious bartering to get a 28-300 at a reasonable price out in the US - still didn't walk away that much better off...did get some nice filters though...but resisted the charms of a battery grip...
TonyHetherington said:
Was it a canon lens, the 80-200? I have a 28-200 at the moment and want to split it between a 17-85 and an 80-200 type lens, both with USM.
Yep, it's a genuine Canon lens, apparently a little of the text has worn off, but the lens still works fine.
I didn't want to spend a fortune on digi SLR kit, but a decent (relatively) long lens was a must.
I think the skills you need to learn depend a lot on your typical photography. I like landscapes so the effect of different wide angle lenses, using depth of field, how slow a shutterspeed I can use and still get shots pin sharp, and use of filters and light to get good saturation and the effects I wanted were vital. Getting the exposure right, shooting moving objects, and using long zooms or flash were things I worried about later!
DSLR's are great because you can just shoot loads of stuff and see what it looks like. In the old days that cost you a lot, and without the RAW files having a record of the lens/shutter speed/aperture/ISO etc used, you had to make notes. Now, if you want to know what moving water looks like at 1/2 second, and then say 1/15th, 1/60th, 1/250-th and 1/500th, you just reel them off and look on the PC later! This makes for much quicker learning.
It's tricky to say because it depends on your photography, but technically I'd get a grip of what the different exposure modes on your camera do, and the effects of different shutter speeds/aperture settings on your shots. Artistically start to try and work out why you like the pictures you do, both your own and other people's. Is it because the photographer is kneeling down for landscape shots, and including some foreground? Are they applying the rule of thirds? Are they focusing in on the subject matter and ignoring clutter around the edge? We all like different stuff, try and work out why you like what you like, and not just think "nice pic". Then try it yourself!
DSLR's are great because you can just shoot loads of stuff and see what it looks like. In the old days that cost you a lot, and without the RAW files having a record of the lens/shutter speed/aperture/ISO etc used, you had to make notes. Now, if you want to know what moving water looks like at 1/2 second, and then say 1/15th, 1/60th, 1/250-th and 1/500th, you just reel them off and look on the PC later! This makes for much quicker learning.
It's tricky to say because it depends on your photography, but technically I'd get a grip of what the different exposure modes on your camera do, and the effects of different shutter speeds/aperture settings on your shots. Artistically start to try and work out why you like the pictures you do, both your own and other people's. Is it because the photographer is kneeling down for landscape shots, and including some foreground? Are they applying the rule of thirds? Are they focusing in on the subject matter and ignoring clutter around the edge? We all like different stuff, try and work out why you like what you like, and not just think "nice pic". Then try it yourself!
Gassing Station | Photography & Video | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff