DSLR ?'s

[ajholt7]

I ordered my wife a DSLR, but niether one of us have any experience with one. Can someone give me some advice or point me to a website with good info for beginners. I figure that my wife will probably use it in auto mode, but I would like to learn more.

[Domsz06]

G-money has one, and I think ragboy would be a good person to talk to.

Doesn't Matt have one too??

[Domsz06]

Oh yeah talk to thtrog, he got one about a year ago....

[TeamAllen]

What camera did you get?

[Carter13]

Good luck with the new camera. What camera did you get? We own the Canon 50d. I really enjoy using the camera, but it does have a big learning curve.

The best site I have found for canon cameras is http://photography-on-the.net/forum/

Another good site is http://www.dpreview.com/

Here is a couple shots I took this summer.
Good luck.
IMG_1300_1.jpg

[raythompson]

Depends what you want to photograph. The only time that you really need to be concerned is when you get into tricky lighting situations that the camera cannot handle. Auto mode on cameras is really quite good these days.

When you want to start dealing with changing depth of field, stopping fast action or other such difficulties then you need to move beyond auto mode.

photo.net is another good resource. Just be aware that when you ask ignorant questions (and all of us were ignorant at one time and that is cureable with knowledge) some clod will try and act superior and rip you apart. Ignore such people.

One tip I will give you. When photographing people keep the sun behind or off to the side of the persons. Use your flash. In fact, anytime you are photographing people use the flash and let the camera figure out the exposure with the camera set on auto.

[ajholt7]

I bought the Canon Rebel XS

[dogbert]

I'll second the recommendation for the Canon Rebel. I have an Xti that's 5 years old and we use it all the time. It takes awesome pics.

[thtrog]

take a look at this site for some free online tips
http://digital-photography-school.com/

[River Runner]

Try Ken Rockwells site. http://www.kenrockwell.com/

He is a Nikon guy mostly but also gives reviews of other cameras, and advise on how to use your camera. His writing style sometimes puts some people off.(Many Pros dislike him). But for a beginner its a good place to start. Then branch out once you get a good feel for whats going on.

[ImaPigDog]

Ken Rockwell has some good information on his site. However, most of his information is not very objective. Much of his information is based solely on his experiences and are his opinion (much like forum posts ).

AJ - If you don't mind doing some good 'ol fashion book reading, I would recommend the following book by Bryan Peterson:
Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera

It is relatively inexpensive, well-written, & easy to read. As the title states, this book gives you a good background on how to understand the exposure that you want to achieve in your photos. The first chapter by itself is worth it as it focuses on understanding what the author refers to as the "photographic triangle," the relationship between between the ISO Settings, Shutter Speed & Aperture. Once you understand this and practice, you will feel comfortable operating any D-SLR in manual mode.

I think I still have some exercises from a "Intro to Photography" class that can walk you through some basics. PM me if you are interested and I will dig them up and email them to you.

IMHO - The key is to learn to operate the camera outside of the Automatic mode. That doesn't mean that you should never use the automatic mode. There are times when it may be necessary. In fact, I store my camera in that mode as there are many times that I need to grab my camera and "take a shot" of something that my kids are doing where I would not otherwise have the time to "make the shot" by concerning myself with proper composition, lighting, etc. By learning to use it in manual mode, you will reach a comfort level and understand when it is best to operate the camera in automatic, manual, shutter-priority, aperture-priority, etc.

[ajholt7]

Thanks guys for all the info. I am excited to get it and try it out. I have to remember that it is a gift for my wife.

[G-MONEY]

I have the Nikon D60 with the 18-55mm and 55-200mm, I got the package form costco last year it cane with 2 dvd's on how to use it.

Make sure you get a lens filter......

Let me look for the thread about it.

[G-MONEY]

http://tigeowners.com/forum/showthre...ight=Nikon+d60

This is it. page 4 is where I started to SK about the DSLR's

[chpthril]

I have the Nikon D60 with the 18-55mm and 55-200mm, I got the package form costco last year it cane with 2 dvd's on how to use it.

Make sure you get a lens filter......

Let me look for the thread about it.

After that thread, I went out and got a Forum Filter for my laptop