SLR NEWBIEEE

[N10k]

Right so after buying £50 cameras over the past 5 years i have bought a brand new Nikon SLR D40. now just 2 questions

Where do i start with programing it?

ANY tips? starter websites, info on how to shoot a good photo

There is a stupid amount buttons, letters which all swivel and flash on the screen.
I have taken a few pictures but want to know a bit more about its potential.


Thanks!

Edited by N10k on Tuesday 4th November 17:08

[GetCarter]

Either RTFM or just get out there and see what happens.

IMHO most decent photograpers worked it out as they went along.

None I know learnt it from another's book.

Good luck!

Steve

[DIW35]

Can't help with programming it - that's what the manual's for.

As for using it, get out there and take photos.

When you feel that you have a problem that you can't get round, come back and ask a more specific question, possibly with examples of your photos, and you will probably get a more considered and halpful response.

I don't think people on here are being unfriendly, but the questions you ask are just too wide ranging for a proper response.

[rustyspit]

http://www.nikondigitutor.com/eng/d40/index.shtml

[andy-xr]

You've got scene modes which alter the shutter speeds, aperture and a few other things such as ISO, so portraits, night shots, landscapes etc and those are the pretty pictures on the top of the rotary dial are already preset and will change as you point the lens at different coloured stuff. You've also got Auto and auto without flash. After that is A, P, S (these are relatively safe to mess about with) and M, which will take a photo, probably for about 15 seconds and you'll wonder why it went wrong.

Start with Auto, move onto the pictures and when you understand why it brings the flash on, and then why it makes a mess of a picture go onto A, S and P

M is just witchcraft

[bramley]

1) Take lots of pics
2) Work out why some of them didn't work
3) Buy a basic photography book to understand what some of the cameras settings do
4) Go back to the instruction manual to work out how to action some of the things you've read
5) Goto 1

[Simpo Two]

andy-xr said:

You've got scene modes which alter the shutter speeds, aperture and a few other things such as ISO, so portraits, night shots, landscapes etc and those are the pretty pictures on the top of the rotary dial are already preset and will change as you point the lens at different coloured stuff.

As you've moved from POS to DSLR we presume (hope) you want to dump Mickey Mouse modes and get to grips with the basics! (If not, take it back now) Letting the camera tell you what it thinks you want is a great way to learn nothing.

bramley said:

1) Take lots of pics
2) Work out why some of them didn't work
3) Buy a basic photography book to understand what some of the cameras settings do
4) Go back to the instruction manual to work out how to action some of the things you've read
5) Goto 1

I'd suggest:
3) Buy a basic photography book to understand what some of the cameras settings do
4) Go back to the instruction manual to work out how to action some of the things you've read
1) Take lots of pics
2) Work out why some of them didn't work
Back to (1) etc

Righty-dokey, here we go. Find, learn and understand the following:

1) Shutter speed and effects thereof
2) Aperture and effects thereof
3) Focal length
4) Composition

That's about it. You can't write sentences if you don't know the alphabet

[Furyous]

As a relative noob myself, I would say Simpo has hit the nail on the head.

I read Michael Langstones Basic photography, then read the manual several times, took shedloads of pics on different settings, and then checked all the exifs.

Also, try to look at every exif on pics you see here, as once you can interpret these, it will help you understand how a certain image was captured.

At least, it works for me.

[andy-xr]

Simpo Two said:

andy-xr said:

You've got scene modes which alter the shutter speeds, aperture and a few other things such as ISO, so portraits, night shots, landscapes etc and those are the pretty pictures on the top of the rotary dial are already preset and will change as you point the lens at different coloured stuff.

As you've moved from POS to DSLR we presume (hope) you want to dump Mickey Mouse modes and get to grips with the basics! (If not, take it back now) Letting the camera tell you what it thinks you want is a great way to learn nothing.

I think thats very presumptious given the price point (they're under £250 now) and push towards easy to use features of the D40.

I'm not saying you're wrong as so far in the thread we dont know what the OP is thinking of using the camera for, but the likes of Jessops and Currys are punting these out to people who come in asking for a good camera, better than they've ever had before to take on their once in a lifetime trip to Australia, for example.

A demonstration of the camera in shop would usually be in one of the scene modes, either because the sales person doesnt know really what they're doing/doesnt want to cock it up or they want to show the customer (who's never used one before) how easy it is to use.

[Simpo Two]

andy-xr said:

Simpo Two said:

andy-xr said:

You've got scene modes which alter the shutter speeds, aperture and a few other things such as ISO, so portraits, night shots, landscapes etc and those are the pretty pictures on the top of the rotary dial are already preset and will change as you point the lens at different coloured stuff.

As you've moved from POS to DSLR we presume (hope) you want to dump Mickey Mouse modes and get to grips with the basics! (If not, take it back now) Letting the camera tell you what it thinks you want is a great way to learn nothing.

I think thats very presumptious given the price point (they're under £250 now) and push towards easy to use features of the D40. I'm not saying you're wrong as so far in the thread we dont know what the OP is thinking of using the camera for

Well, I presumed, perhaps wrongly, that he wished to learn about photography and generally advance himself. The only reason I can think of for buying something you don't understand is so that you can learn to understand it and generally progress - very commendable. If he's simply going to use it as a POS then I maintain there's little point in having a DSLR. If he just wanted the pose value then he wouldn't have asked the original question.

Where is he anyway?

[CarMac]

Simpo Two said:

Where is he anyway?

Head in the manual or out taking pictures?

[beano500]

Simpo Two said:

If he's simply going to use it as a POS then I maintain there's little point in having a DSLR. If he just wanted the pose value then he wouldn't have asked the original question.

Indeed, I think there is a danger, not from this OP I suspect, that people are being conned into the more-affordable level dSLRs when they clearly don't need the features, the hassle and the disadvantages. What we now call "Point and Shoot" have incredibly good optics and firmware, better features, all designed to make the process better and painless, and overall less problems. Additionally, they are truly "point, shoot and take away great images" which is not what you get with a dSLR.

However, if camera manufacturers convince more people to buy dSLRs it will overall bring the cost of the full range of dSLRs down along with the improving technology - so I suppose I shouldn't complain when I benefit....

[N10k]

TROOPS im back

Right, after playing with it for a few hours and re-reading the manual again im slowly getting to grips with it.
I have always been keen to learn about photography so that's why i bought a digital SLR. If i want a camera to click and shoot i would have bought a compact camera.

I have taken a few pictures which i will post over the weekend of a few bits and see what people think or any tips for improving..
Really enjoying it at the moment and the best advice was to take lots of pictures....

Photo editing, what software are people using to edit photos?

I have a few more questions which i hope to find the answers in the manual, if i dont il be back soon!

[hill79]

If you're looking to spend money you could do much worse than Photoshop and Lightroom

If you're after something free, GIMP and Picassa

For my part, I'd say don't get too strung out on the technical side of photography, its about being creative with what you understand about your equipment and developing an eye for a good photo - as you learn you'll open up more options for greater creativity.

[N10k]

hill79 said:

If you're looking to spend money you could do much worse than Photoshop and Lightroom

If you're after something free, GIMP and Picassa

For my part, I'd say don't get too strung out on the technical side of photography, its about being creative with what you understand about your equipment and developing an eye for a good photo - as you learn you'll open up more options for greater creativity.

Thanks everyone for the tips

[Simpo Two]

N10k said:

Right, after playing with it for a few hours and re-reading the manual again im slowly getting to grips with it. I have always been keen to learn about photography so that's why i bought a digital SLR. If i want a camera to click and shoot i would have bought a compact camera.

Attaboy!

As for processing, I'd suggest you stick to JPG for now until you feel comfortable with the camera controls and start getting decent results. Although RAW is technically better and more versatile, there are much more important things for you to learn about just at present.

[bramley]

Simpo is correct again!

Ignore RAW for now (well, I ignore RAW full stop).

[Simpo Two]

bramley said:

Simpo is correct again!

You know that bit on Al Murray's Happy Hour when he presses the button and a cash register sounds...

[LongQ]

Might be worth considering something like this for a rapid intro.

http://www.photo-i.co.uk/DVD/Nikon/Nikon%20D40X.ht...