[Carlo Medina]

After years of APS cameras, I finally took the plunge and invested in a beginner DSLR rig:

Canon XSi (Digital Rebel 450)
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f4-5.6 IS
Canon EF-S 55-250mm f4-5.6 IS

Got out of the store for about $1200 + tax. Not too bad, but there goes my "economic stimulus package". Just call me the model consumer. Your welcome, American economy!

Problem is, there's about a million things I can do with this thing which I couldn't with the APSs I've owned, and every time I try to do web research, I either get topics way too advanced, or beginner stuff that's too simplistic.

Can anyone recommend resources for those who understand how a basic DSLR camera works (i.e. I don't need to know that holding the button half-way down starts to auto-focus things) but starts to go down the road of advanced shooting while still taking the time to explain *why* and *how* certain things work (like the relationships between shutter speed, aperture, ISO and how to decide when to do what)?

Thanks in advance!

[Sam Posten]

I sure can!

Ben's Newbie Guide to Digital SLR Photography - Canon Digital Photography Forums
Scott Kelby's lighting gear recommendations - Canon Digital Photography Forums
FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY 101 – A BEGINNER’S GUIDE - Canon Digital Photography Forums
planet neil - tangents » flash photography techniques
Strobist
Nikon Field Flash Digital Guide photography by Thom Hogan (Nikon focused but lots of general DSLR info)

Also, and this is dangerous for me to link, but you can read Ken Rockhead, er Ken Rockwell. He has a LOT of good info but a lot of the things he writes are intended to tick off a lot of so called experts. So take anything he says with a huge grain of salt.
How to Do Anything Photographic

Sam

[Cameron Yee]

See, there's this thing called the Zone System...

Just kidding.

This might be a good place to start: Digital Photography Tips for Beginners

[Marianne]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carlo Medina

the relationships between shutter speed, aperture, ISO and how to decide when to do what

"Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson would be a good place to start.

Amazon.com: Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition): Bryan Peterson: Books

[Scott Merryfield]

I'll second Marianne's recommendation on "Understanding Exposure". I just loaned my copy to the person who bought my Canon Rebel XT.

This link is an excellent in-depth description of how Canon's flash system works. It will explain the difference between primary flash and fill flash, and which shooting modes use each.

Once you get comfortable with the camera, the first additional accessory I'd recommend would be an external flash. If you do much indoor shooting, this will be a major step up over the built-in flash.

[Carlo Medina]

You guys rock! I should soon go from "That Dude Who Has a Camera that's Way Too Good For Him, Look He Doesn't Even Know How To Use It" to "Okay, he looks like he is more advanced than a point-and-shooter" in no time!

Please keep the resources coming!

[Scott Merryfield]

Once you understand aperture and it's relationship to depth of field (DoF), this online depth of field calculator may be of interest.

[JohnRice]

Carlo, the main thing to understand (you won't believe it until, or if, you truly learn photography) is that 95% of photography is the same regardless of the sensor. In other words regardless of if it is film or digital. I personally would stay away from online forums to learn about photography. They are great for arguments over the minutae of hardware. Find a copy of Kodak's Joy of Photography for a good, solid understanding of the universal principles of photography. There is very little difference between shooting a 35mm SLR and a DSLR. The equivalent focal lengths are just a bit different, dynamic range is significantly more limited and depth of field is greater by default, so selective focus is more challenging.

Also, as soon as you start thinking "I'll just fix it on the computer" you're screwed. Garbage in, garbage out. The computer is great for fine tuning, but you can't "fix" anything.

[Man-Fai Wong]

Carlo,

I didn't read through all the various suggestions -- most/all are no doubt good/useful. Maybe I'll add some more later too.

But I do want to say that I generally agree w/ John that digital is really not all that different from film. Yeah, there are some finer points that are different, but pretty much all the principles work the same though digital postprocessing is more w/in reach for us mortals than film processing. But yeah, that too is more limited than people tend to assume. There is no free lunch.

The one big advantage of digital though is it allows you to shoot w/out worrying about film costs and such and thus allows you to experiment more and have a better chance at overcoming poor odds in difficult situations for certain kinds of shooting. Also, since digital bodies are generally more advanced on the tech side beyond the sensor itself than old film bodies, you do get some better auto-type capabilities than the old film bodies, which helps for certain kinds of shooting as well -- but again, that's got very little to do w/ digital vs film per se (unless the film mechanism itself comes into play, which it can for stuff like shooting speed, eg. beyond say 3 fps).

Anyhoo, enjoy your new gear and go make some fine photos...

Cheers!

_Man_

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnRice

Carlo, the main thing to understand (you won't believe it until, or if, you truly learn photography) is that 95% of photography is the same regardless of the sensor. In other words regardless of if it is film or digital. I personally would stay away from online forums to learn about photography. They are great for arguments over the minutae of hardware. Find a copy of Kodak's Joy of Photography for a good, solid understanding of the universal principles of photography. There is very little difference between shooting a 35mm SLR and a DSLR. The equivalent focal lengths are just a bit different, dynamic range is significantly more limited and depth of field is greater by default, so selective focus is more challenging.

Also, as soon as you start thinking "I'll just fix it on the computer" you're screwed. Garbage in, garbage out. The computer is great for fine tuning, but you can't "fix" anything.

[JohnRice]

My point is, the principles are the same. Speed is not a factor in understanding the fundamentals. Also, it is always best to understand what a camera is doing automatically, rather than just pushing a button.