First DSLR - Please help me learn how to use it

Re: First DSLR - Please help me learn how to use it

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

Re: First DSLR - Please help me learn how to use it

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

Just kidding.

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

Re: First DSLR - Please help me learn how to use it

"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

Re: First DSLR - Please help me learn how to use it

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.

Re: First DSLR - Please help me learn how to use it

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

Re: First DSLR - Please help me learn how to use it

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.

Re: First DSLR - Please help me learn how to use it

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_

Re: First DSLR - Please help me learn how to use it

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.

Re: First DSLR - Please help me learn how to use it

Carlo,

Yes, for indoor photos without flash you will need a faster (i.e. larger aperture) lens than you have. That means at least f/2.8 or faster. I own the 50mm f/1.8 -- it's not a bad lens image-quality-wise, but it's poorly constructed (plastic mount). Of course, for $80 you cannot expect much. I never use it anymore, since it needs to be stopped down to f/2.8 for the best image quality, and I now have the 17-55mm f/2.8 IS lens, which is very good wide open.

The 50mm f/1.4 is better-built, but about the same image quality as the f/1.8. Another option would be the 85mm f1/8. It's supposed to be an excellent lens, and is very affordable. This one is on my wish list for indoor portraits.

One other word of advice -- if you plan to shoot indoors without flash, learn to shoot in RAW format. Canon's auto white balance function does not work well on these types of shots. My indoor non-flash photos always look too orange using auto white balance, and the tungsten setting is too blue. This was the case both with my old Rebel XT and my 40D. So, your options will be either setting a custom white balance or fixing it in post processing.

RAW is not difficult to PP using Canon's Digital Photo Professional software, which is included with your camera. There is an online tutorial here for version 3.2. Version 3.3 is now out, but it operates the same as ver 3.2, so the tutorial should still be fine.

Re: First DSLR - Please help me learn how to use it

I like shooting concerts and the 50mm 1.8 has been great for that. I'm thinking of getting the the 85mm 1.8 for a little more reach, but it's hard to beat the price per quality of the 50mm.

Re: First DSLR - Please help me learn how to use it

Thanks for the links

As for Rockwell, he does tick off a lot of so called serious shutters, but always reinforces the thought that gear is not the goal. I do like his not so serious approach to reviewing DX lenses. The new Tonika 11-16mm could be my answer for indoor shots of furniture. His lens correction tips for the wides are very useful.

Re: First DSLR - Please help me learn how to use it

Uh, oh. You've been bitten by the lens bug, Carlo! I foresee many expensive purchases in your future.

Personally, I'd go with the 17-55 over the 24-70 because 24mm is really not wide enough for a 1.6x crop sensor. My original walk around lens was a Sigma 17-70mm, and I really do not miss the 55-70mm range.

Re: First DSLR - Please help me learn how to use it

I don't see a difference between Safari and Firefox, at least on my computer.

Re: First DSLR - Please help me learn how to use it

Carlo,

Since you're hooked on the 50 f/1.4 now, you might wanna consider the 28 f/1.8 too for something wider. You don't necessarily need to spend the $$$ on an f/2.8 widezoom, especially one that's APS crop. And if you do get the 28 f/1.8 (or similar), you could consider adding the 17-40L f/4 or the like for a less expensive, non-crop widezoom instead -- or you might even consider one of the various cropped superwide zooms too.

Personally, if I'm gonna spend big $$$ on glass, I'd much prefer to do it on full 35mm lenses, not APS cropped ones, unless it's something much needed at either the superwide end or the long tele end. For the more regular focal length ranges, I think it usually makes more sense to stick w/ non-cropped lenses unless you're quite certain you won't want to upgrade to a fullframe (or even 1.3x crop) body in the forseeable future...

_Man_

Re: First DSLR - Please help me learn how to use it

I've taken a different approach to lenses than Man suggests. I like the 1.6x crop factor, since it allows me to get more reach with less focal length for wildlife shots. I do not foresee a move by me to a full frame sensor for many years, so I decided that the crop sensor-only EF-S lenses made sense for me if the focal length made sense. Therefore, I own two such lenses -- the 10-22mm super-wide zoom and the 17-55 f/2.8 IS. I figure that I can always sell these lenses later if my needs change and I do switch to full frame. Both are highly regarded lenses.

Primes may be the answer for you, though, Carlo, as Man suggests. If a lot of your photography will be indoor non-flash, primes are your only option if you need something faster than f/2.8. Primes have some advantages over zooms (smaller, lighter, faster, sometimes better image quality) and some disadvantages (more lens changes, focal gaps, no IS on wider focal lengths). Zooms are getting better in the image quality area, but they will always be bigger, heavier and slower.

Re: First DSLR - Please help me learn how to use it

Yeah, I can see a difference there. I do have my monitor calibrated, which may be the reason for my seeing no (or a less dramatic) difference on my end.

Re: First DSLR - Please help me learn how to use it

Sorry to sound like a broken record, but, here is another thread wanting to learn about photography which has become about nothing but hardware.

Do you guys see where my frustration comes from?

Aside from that, I'm glad to see Carlo has discovered the importance of quality optics. I know a lot of digital "Pros" who still haven't figured that one out.

Re: First DSLR - Please help me learn how to use it

John, I understand your frustration, but I don't think anyone is saying that hardware makes the photograph. Given the type of website we're on, I think it's only natural that things move towards hardware. As appreciative as I am that HTF has a photography section, I don't really consider it a place to learn about the aesthetic aspects of photography. Frankly, I don't know if I would expect that kind of thing from any mass, online forum.

Re: First DSLR - Please help me learn how to use it

John,

Believe me. I do understand where you're coming from, but I don't think we're *all* offering hardware suggestions just for the sake of talking hardware (and measurebating).

There are indeed pros and cons to going different routes say pro level quality zooms vs primes for instance. And the choice to go which way (or invest in multiple routes and then choose the right gear for the right application) is all part of the process me thinks. Yeah, one can certainly do a whole lot w/ any given piece of gear (and one certainly doesn't always need the best for the learning process itself), but it's good to understand how all the different aspects work together anyway and then have what works best for whatever task at one's disposal as one finds feasible.

Yes, it's not the tools that make the (good) photograph, but let's not overcompensate by suggesting there should be no talk about the tools either (and I'm sure that's not what you really meant to suggest). Certainly, since most of us are just amateurs (w/ an amateur's limited budget) not looking to do this professionally, it'd be good to give some careful considerations to what are the most suitable (and reasonably affordable) gear for what we wish to do for the forseeable future -- and that's probably also true to a good extent even if one is doing it professionally unless one happens to have a very big, virtually unlimited budget.

RE: the comment about understanding what the camera does "automatically", yes, I totally agree there. And I also find that I often only allow the camera to be as automatic as the situation requires and not become overly reliant on it. For instance, even though most folks don't bother to think about stuff like the Sunny f/16 rule anymore, I do try to keep such things in mind -- and occasionally go back to refresh myself on such -- as they do come in handy from time to time even though I do also regularly use features like Nikon's Auto ISO mode (even in the camera's so-called Manual "metering" mode). I agree it's best to understand and realize that whatever gears and features are just tools, and we need to use them as such. And sometimes, we might find interesting "new" ways to use them that we never thought possible (or useful) before in part because of tech advances and in part because we just weren't openminded enough before.

Carlo,

Despite all the gear talk, yeah, I think you should do just fine w/ that decent startup kit. Spend the time and effort to make the most of it before jumping into new gear, especially if it involves an actual upgrade. Yes, it's often too easy to keep lusting after the latest and greatest. And personally, I've been thinking about getting some new glass for quite a while now, but at the end of the day, I do find that the need to upgrade (or expand) just hasn't been compelling enough for my "needs". I did finally get a great new bag to replace the broken old one though (as I wrote in another recent thread). And I'm sure I'll revisit the idea of getting new glass or whatever else when something comes up again.

Cheers!

_Man_

Re: First DSLR - Please help me learn how to use it

Well said, Man. I didn't mean to imply that gear was more important than understanding basic photographic principles or learning proper techniques. However, on the limited budgets of us amateur photographers, it is important to understand the pros and cons of different lenses before jumping in with our wallets.

Like Man, I've been lusting after some new glass, but what I currently own will suffice for what I'll be shooting over the next many months. I hope to work on my skills in capturing wildlife in motion over this summer. We'll be traveling to Maine this summer, and I'm looking forward to getting some decent whale photos and also hope to get some Peregrine falcon shots if I'm lucky. Now I just need to figure out how to convince my wife to get up early enough to get some sunrise shots in Acadia NP.

Re: First DSLR - Please help me learn how to use it

The only link I put up there that is even half about gear is Rockhead, the first link in particular is all about technique and fundamentals =p

For the record, my favorite 'technique' author is Scott Kelby. Anything by him is pretty much gold.

Re: First DSLR - Please help me learn how to use it

I guess what I don't understand is the endless "lusting" after gear. Yes, I have a lot of photo gear, but a big part of that is because I have three separate systems, only one of which is digital. Did I ever mention that my DSLR is a Fuji S1? That stinking thing is 7 or 8 years old. So, I have the S1, a Tokina 20-35 2.8, a Nikon 35-70 2.8, a Nikon Micro 70-180 (GREAT lens that is no longer made and one of 2 pieces of gear I think are truly exceptional) and a Tamron 200-400.

I should point out that I don't do volume work (like weddings) and I treat my gear like it is solid platinum, so it lasts. My point is, the 35-70 and 70-180 cover 95% of my needs as a pro, so why do amateurs need so much more? I admit, a fixed, fast lens can come in handy.

I find it ironic that I work as a pro, yet I'm considerably less concerned with the gadgets. As long as they produce quality results, they're just hammers and nails.