I want to get into photography....

[Guysmiley]

I have been having fun with my little Canon Powershot Elph for a while now. it is just very limited in the pictures it can take.

I want to get a Digital SLR. I don't even know where to start.

What is the right camere for me? Brands?? (Nikkon, Canon, Pentax....)

I just know that I want to learn about all the aspects of shooting with a camera like this and what all the different types of lenses are and there uses.

Any insight would be very appreciated.

[RONDAL]

Re: I want to get into photography....

Don't be suckered into the Canon v. Nikon debate and which is better. For entry level DSLR's and even into the pro models its all about personal preference.

Totally depends what your budget is, but you are likely looking at:

Nikon D40, D60, D70, D80, D90
Canon XS, XSi, XT, XTi

Some of the models I listed are current, some are discontinued, but can be found for CHEAP on craigslist.

The first thing to find out is which fits best in your hands. Forget the brand on the side, and which fits best and which menu's are easiest for you to navigate. Personally speaking I have bigger hands, and I found the Canon's too small to hold and navigate. You might find the opposite.

Second its good to know what you plan to be shooting. If you're starting out its the "i dont know yt" and thats fine. But if you were looking at shooting action sports or wildlife photograpy out in the wilderness there are things like frames per second, and weatherproofing that would come into play.

I would head down to "The Camera Store" on 11th Ave and 8th St. downtown and go talk t he guys there. The people are futureshp and the like dont have a clue abou cameras aside from whats in the brochures. These guys can tell you all the in's and out and you can hold the different models.

Once you have i narrowed down to what body(s) you may be looking at start checking out craigslist and the like for some used ones.

You will quickly find out that the expensive part of cameras isn't in fact the bodies, its the lenses. So it really doesn't matter what body you have if it does what you need it to do. Fast glass is almost always more important as it will allow you to shoot in low light and all those kinds of things.

[popp]

Re: I want to get into photography....

Nikon D40x or D90 are good "cheaper" DSLR's........ and take amazing pictures

[RONDAL]

Re: I want to get into photography....

also in terms of learning how to photograph things, you will want to check out the book "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson.

It explains Aperture, ISO and Shutterspeed, and how the 3 interact to produce a picture. Once you understand what each of them are, what they do, and how the affect a picture, you will have far more confidence to turn that knob on the top of the camera out of AUTO and into the settings you need it to, to get the shot you want.

A MUST read for people just starting out.

[onepointeightdub]

Re: I want to get into photography....

Id rather get into shooting videos now after watching a couple vimeo videos... But photography is definitely interamaresting.

[RONDAL]

Re: I want to get into photography....

the nikon D90 and the Canon 5d Mk2 both have HD video capabilities along with the ability to switch lenses.

for those that think DSLRs cant do video.......
http://vincentlaforet.smugmug.com/ga...77930419_dgxvY

[stefan]

Re: I want to get into photography....

Yeah, nikon/canon are both great. You'll find the one you like, and you'll stick with it. I went Nikon entry level; D40. I found some great online guides, including one that went through every feature of my camera in detail. I've learned a lot, but am still pretty happy with my "cheapy" DSLR. I now understand it's limitations , but for 90% of what I shoot, it's not an issue. I'm sure one day I will upgrade.

Again, as Rondal is saying, glass is key. My cheap d40 with a 2000$ 70-200 lens (not mine....) takes amazing pictures IMO. I was aware that getting a body and your choice lens was probably a better alternative to a kit lens, but I'd say this only applies if you already know about lenses. I wouldn't have known what to pick, and the kit lens was really not that bad, and a great learning tool. I have since tried about 5 other lenses, and bought one more. I now have the 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 kit and a 35mm F1.8. My next lens would be a zoom like the 18-200mm that I think Rondal has. It covers a great range, with not a lot of shortcomings other than price. To many lenses can be a pain as you expose your camera and lens to various contaminants at every switch, and you have to pack 'em...

If you do get one, make the effort to learn the manual/semi-manual settings. P, S, A, and M on Nikon. Little different on a Canon, but same function. You miss out on most of the ability of an SLR when all you use is "AUTO". My buddy does this, and it kinda drives me nuts....

[RONDAL]

Re: I want to get into photography....

i second the getting the lens you want rather than the kit lens (18-55mm). the kit lens works for those point and shoot type moments, but you get sick of it really quick as its focal range (zoom) sucks, and its really not super sharp. That said, the kit lens is great to learn with. They can be had for under $150, and are great for learning to shoot stuff around the house, garden and streets with.

the 18-200mm is a $700 lens, but it will shoot everything from up close to far away.

Lots of people really like the 55-200mm VR lens from nikon as well. i had it and the kit lens and recently upgraded to the 18-200mm so i didn't need 2 lenses. But they both work great.

[stefan]

Re: I want to get into photography....

To aid in shopping, the "mm" range is zoom. It is not directly comparable between brands. The body of the camera has an offset that acts as a multiplier to the "mm" of the lens. I posted this in another thread:

"
Just FYI... Not that critical:
consumer level canon and nikon bodies use a little different lens multiplier, just based on the construction of the body, so the lenses are not directly comparable.
typical canon = 1.6x
typical nikon = 1.5x

ie: a nikon 18-55 = 27-82.5 with 1:1 ratio (like a film camera)
the same lens on a canon would give you 28.8-88 at 1:1. (don't think they make the exact same for canon - just example)

So basically, if lens length is equal, you will get a little better wide angle on a nikon and a little more zoom on a canon.

17mm on a canon is close to 18mm on nikon. If you have a canon and a nikon, both lenses at 18mm, the nikon will see more. I've tried this.

If you go to the more professional bodies, this multiplier changes. Both companies make 1:1 bodies now I believe.

Not critical, but useful if comparing lenses
"

18mm is a pretty standard wide view on a kit lens. You can go a bit wider, and then you go in to fisheye type lenses.

The F value of a lens is essentially how much light it lets in to the camera, or how much the aperture is able to open. Lower F value is more light, or a "faster" lens. More light allows for faster shutter, so good for anything moving. You will notice zoom lenses have higher F values than prime lenses. Generally, the extensive mechanics of a zoom lens don't allow for a large aperture opening. More expensive zooms make up for this, but they get physically large to let light in (think paparazzi).

Also, if there is a range to the F value of the lens, is is because the more you zoom in on something, the less light you let in. My F3.5-5.6 kit lens is F3.5 at 18mm and F5.6 at 55mm.

That was lengthy.. hope it is at least helpful!!

[RONDAL]

Re: I want to get into photography....

the f-stop also controls the depth of field (DOF).

a smaller F-stop ie. f1.8 will allow a very shallow depth of field
ex.



where as if you go to the other end of the spectrum F22+ you get the following;



all lenses are capable of doing the F22 settings. the "fast" glass or the "pro" glass as some call it are able to do the smaller aperture (f-stop) values. For example a 55-200mm F3.5-5 costs $300 and at the 200mm aperture is only able ot do F5.0.
Whereas a pro nikkor (nikon) lens 200m F2.0 is $5000 but does F2 at 200mm.

Why would you want this?
A) its quicker, think of the aperture value like your eye. The smaller the value the wider your eye. At the small value it only has to be open a fraction of a second to let enough light in to properly expose the picture. A larger aperture value doesn't open as wide and requires longer. You get camera shake, motion blur etc.
B) you can't control the depth of field as much. You can't blur the background and have your subject stand out. everything is the same focus....makes for boring images.



all of this however is in the book understanding exposure, and goes through it all in great length.

[Guysmiley]

Re: I want to get into photography....

I am definatley going to start with that book. I want to do lots of research and get a good understanding of everything before I purchase a set up. I do plan on spending a couple thousand to get the right lenses and such to do it right.

Thanks for all of the info guys!!!!! It is a great start for me to understand this stuff. I will keep you posted on what I end up doing.

[RONDAL]

Re: I want to get into photography....

i wouldn't go dropping everything at once ($ wise). Get a decent body and lens, play around see what more you want after that.

I thought all I wanted was lenses, but turns out right now I'm loving flash photography and the whole strobist thing. Its crazy what you can do with those little lights and remote triggers. And dammit they are addictive. www.strobist.com

[MusicalGenius]

Re: I want to get into photography....

http://digital-photography-school.com

Book reviews, tips and tricks, camera information, post production information, and an entire swath of other goodies. Lessons, links to other good sites are also abound on there. If you want to go the inexpensive beginner route also make sure to check out http://www.diyphotography.net/ for some helpful tricks and devices you can make on the cheap.

This is a short list of some books I find quite helpful in a variety of areas as well as approximate prices. All pricing is from Indigo/Chapters.

- Michael Freeman's Top Digital Photography Tips by Michael Freeman $20 - $33
- Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera by Bryan Peterson $22 - 34
- The Complete Guide to Night & Low Light Digital Photography by Tony Worobiec $30
- Mastering High Dynamic Range Photography by Michael Freeman $20 - $33
- The Photographers Eye by Michael Freeman $35
- The Complete Guide to Light & Lighting in Digital Photography by Michael Freeman $22 - $33
- The Art of Available Light by Judy Host $99 (only available from software-cinema.com)
- Closeup Shooting: A Guide to Closeup, Tabletop and Macro Photography by Cyril Harnischmacher $20 - $30
- Complete Digital Photography by Ben Long (5th Edition available September 8th, 2009) $55
- The Perfect Portrait Guide, How to Photograph People by Michael Buselle $26
- Understanding Shutter Speed: Creative Action and Low-Light Photography Beyond 1/125 Second by Bryan Peterson $21 - 33
- The Digital Photography Book by Scott Kelby (Volume 3) $30
- The Digital Photography Book Boxed Set by Scott Kelby (Volume 1 & 2) $49

[stefan]

Re: I want to get into photography....

was going to mention, memory cards make a difference for some things too. If you want to be able to use the multiple frames per second feature of your camera, get a fast memory card. My d40 shoots close to 3 frames/sec and with a cheap card (2gb for 9$) I can shoot about 4-5 frames before the camera's buffer is used up and the memory card can't keep up at which point it drops to about 1 frame per second. Would likely never get the max frames per second with a faster camera. With an expensive card (2gb for 14$), I can shoot a long time with no lag. Don't know how long, but playing, I just took 20+. I only ever use this feature if I am shooting pictures of my dog and trying to catch her in mid air cathing a frisbee or something, but for the extra 5$, the nicer card is worth it. Pics will also upload to your computer faster with a faster card.

Most shooting doesnt need a fast card though. Don't blow a pile on an over priced card from a camera store. Memory Express or simmilar has them cheap. Like I said, my high speed 2GB SD card was 14$. I don't usually leave more than 150-200 pics on my camera, so 2GB is plenty for me.

[RONDAL]

Re: I want to get into photography....

personally i rock an 8GB and 16GB card. i bought the 16GB for tokyo and needed it. I went to a track day 3 months ago and chewed through an 8, 4, and two 2GB's in 7 hours.
when you start shooting things like sports you start shooting EVERYTHING. you cant remake a situation or a play, so its better to have stuff to delete, than miss the moment.