Help with Photography

[39478]

NT:

I'm looking to get going into photography. It's something always enjoyed doing and I'm wanting to be more involved with it and develop my talent.I'm wondering if some of you photography buffs could hook me up with some information.
Unfortunately, I'm not the most well educated about what kind of cameras are of the best quality and which ones I should be looking into.

Also, if there are any books or websites that could really teach me from the basics to the more advanced about the techniques, lighting, and other aspects ofphotography, those would be great to have.

Any and all help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[SVNTI]

First we need to know your budget. How much are you willing to spend on gear.

Check out these websites to get you started and learn some of the basics of photography.

http://digital-photography-school.com/
http://www.cameralabs.com/
http://www.popphoto.com/
http://www.dpreview.com/

 

[sigmakidownz]

You can start looking through here for some hints/tips/guides from other fellow NTers. Official Photography Thread
But as for a camera, I recommend you purchase a D40 kit as a starter.

 

[39478]

As far as my budget...

I'd like to keep it around $500-$600 for the camera.

But then again, I don't really know what I need to get started.

 

[SVNTI]

Originally Posted by dr funk 13

As far as my budget...

I'd like to keep it around $500-$600 for the camera.

But then again, I don't really know what I need to get started.

You need a body and a lens. For your budget I suggest you look at the Nikon D3000 or the Canon Rebel XS.

 

[39478]

Originally Posted by SaNTi0321

Originally Posted by dr funk 13

As far as my budget...

I'd like to keep it around $500-$600 for the camera.

But then again, I don't really know what I need to get started.

You need a body and a lens. For your budget I suggest you look at the Nikon D3000 or the Canon Rebel XS.

So I could pick up a Canon for $400ish. Any easy way to explain lenses?

 

[sigmakidownz]

Lenses attach to the body, but some body need certain size fitments to work.

 

[39478]

Originally Posted by sigmakidownz

Lenses attach to the body, but some body need certain size fitments to work.

Yeah, this is the kind of stuff I'm thinking I should buy a book for to have resource I can continually look at and learn from.

 

[czur1127]

yo can we keep this thread moving..

 

[ogmikey]

If you still have college electives left to take, just take a photography course. That helped me the most from a technical aspect.

 

[sigmakidownz]

But really though if you want to learn more about cameras & lenses you should check out those links Santi provided.

 

[rap sizzle]

pickup a DSLR kit (meaning a camera body with a packaged lens). The next step would be to google "introduction to digital photography". Everythingthat you need to know about digital photography can be found online. Once you have your camera kit and have read the basics, apply it. Play around with thesetting and you'll notice what the controls do and how they affect an image's exposure. I didn't know squat about photography when I picked up myfirst DSLR. In fact I didn't even bother reading about the basics. I just went out, took shots, played with the setting and learned from my mistakes.

There is a BIG Photography thread floating around in the previous pages so direct your questions there.

 

[forgot about jae]

You're looking at brands like sony nikon canon pentax olympus and samsung ..for your big DSLR names

I'm one of the handful of sony users on here and consider myself a good photographer...I like sony because of a few reasons:
-A: The lenses from minolta's old AF maxxum system are compatible and if you are gonna buy lenses in the future you save money VS the other brands in alotof cases.
-B: The cameras have a built in wireless trigger..What that means is if I have an external flash and wanna take it off my camera and place it close to awall/ceiling/mirror/etc surface to reflect off of, I can set that flash off when I take the picture with my camera. Most other brands, I THINK, would make youbuy an additional wireless system which is more $$$
-C: Most importantly, I like the feel of the camera in my hands. The operating system is fast and convenient and I'm used to switching modes when I needto. I'm usually in A or M mode, and the camera has knobs for that. It has a EV/FV compensation button close the release button so in case I have to makequick adjustments I can without having to take the camera off my face.

I have a sony a700 with a HVFL42am flash unit and a few lenses. Here's some random recent stuff I shot