getting into digital photography....

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Ian Mc
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Re: getting into digital photography....

Post by Ian Mc »

This is all interesting stuff.
Perhaps you might think about getting your old Canon out and use it as a learning tool. Identify what it is about photos that appeal to you, and try and re create in some way.
Learn the basics with the equipment you already have. This might lead you in a direction you hadn't previously considered - eg portraits - which in turn may influence the choice of equipment to progress to.

Keep us informed
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Re: getting into digital photography....

Post by missF »

Ian Mc wrote:This is all interesting stuff.
Perhaps you might think about getting your old Canon out and use it as a learning tool. Identify what it is about photos that appeal to you, and try and re create in some way.
Learn the basics with the equipment you already have. This might lead you in a direction you hadn't previously considered - eg portraits - which in turn may influence the choice of equipment to progress to.

Keep us informed
i agree - it's a brilliantly informative thread :thumbup:
and i think you're right - the old canon is sitting beside me on the table right now, and i'm staring at it wondering if (a) i can learn enough technically to capture what i see in a good photo, and (b) if i can get out the flat and spend enough time in the world to take some photos! :lol:

time will tell...... i'll get back to you! :D
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Re: getting into digital photography....

Post by jkbarnes »

missF wrote:is this enough to do some learning on, or is it so old now that it's been totally superseded??
In terms of mastering composition and subject matter, it’s definitely enough to learn on! Whether or not it’s enough to learn and master the more technical side of things depends on its settings. An ideal camera for learning would allow for some level of control over the exposure - aperture priority, shutter priority, or full manual.

But you don’t have to have that. Your camera might have preset image modes like portrait, or action, or night shooting. If so, read up in the manual about these settings and explore them. Compare the same scene shot using the different modes and pay attention to how they differ. As you come to understand those modes and how the work, you can use them to manipulate exposure to get the images you want.

In other words, there’s no reason to rush out and buy a new camera. Buy a new camera when you know exactly what you need in a new camera, and more importantly, WHY you need that.
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Re: getting into digital photography....

Post by jkbarnes »

missF wrote:
Ian Mc wrote:This is all interesting stuff.
Perhaps you might think about getting your old Canon out and use it as a learning tool. Identify what it is about photos that appeal to you, and try and re create in some way.
Learn the basics with the equipment you already have. This might lead you in a direction you hadn't previously considered - eg portraits - which in turn may influence the choice of equipment to progress to.

Keep us informed
i agree - it's a brilliantly informative thread :thumbup:
and i think you're right - the old canon is sitting beside me on the table right now, and i'm staring at it wondering if (a) i can learn enough technically to capture what i see in a good photo, and (b) if i can get out the flat and spend enough time in the world to take some photos! :lol:

time will tell...... i'll get back to you! :D
Right now I’d approach taking photos in terms of simply trying to fully understand your camera and how it works. Don’t be discouraged if the images leave you feeling a bit flat. Shoot, critique, adjust, and move forward. You’ll see progress for sure.
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Re: getting into digital photography....

Post by missF »

jkbarnes wrote: In terms of mastering composition and subject matter, it’s definitely enough to learn on! Whether or not it’s enough to learn and master the more technical side of things depends on its settings. An ideal camera for learning would allow for some level of control over the exposure - aperture priority, shutter priority, or full manual.
as far as i recall you can have full manual, full auto, and stuff in between (like setting shutter speed and letting the camera do the rest)... i haveen't a clue how to do that on this camera mind! i'm a bit daunted by the size of the instruction manual! :lol:
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Re: getting into digital photography....

Post by jkbarnes »

missF wrote:
jkbarnes wrote: In terms of mastering composition and subject matter, it’s definitely enough to learn on! Whether or not it’s enough to learn and master the more technical side of things depends on its settings. An ideal camera for learning would allow for some level of control over the exposure - aperture priority, shutter priority, or full manual.
as far as i recall you can have full manual, full auto, and stuff in between (like setting shutter speed and letting the camera do the rest)... i haveen't a clue how to do that on this camera mind! i'm a bit daunted by the size of the instruction manual! :lol:
What’s nice is that the fundamentals of exposure (and by extension what the various exposure settings do) aren’t that complex. A quick search on the internet will lead you to plenty of articles that lay out the basics. It’s takes just a moment to learn but a lifetime to master! But that’s the fun part.
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Re: getting into digital photography....

Post by smegwina »

What an interesting thread.

I say get out there with your existing Canon and start snapping away.


You will very quickly see what works, what doesn't, what you like and what you don't like.

Learn the basics and then build your own experience. At this moment in time, the equipment is not the weakest link, you are. (Please do not be offended, that is in no way meant as a criticism.)

As you grow in experience, you will learn what floats your boat and what gives you your very own Meg Ryan moment.

When you have that experience, you will then get the equipment that works for you.

Think of your watch journey. When you arrived in this madhouse, you started out and felt your way around. As you and your tastes matured and evolved, you have built your collection around you, and it is a ticky extension of yourself.

Did you worry about the camera when you were taking the wonderful photos in your photo journal of your Antarctic posting? Bet ya didn't!

Make the photos tell the story about you and then get the camera that helps you tell that story.

Piccy poetry, that's what you need. :)

Best of luck.

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Re: getting into digital photography....

Post by NotEnoughWrists »

Might be worth looking for a local camera club.
Most of them are pretty cheap to join (usually about £25 per year), it will probably mean you have to go out every week or two to attend, you'll have a load of people in to the same thing with a range of expertise and a wider range of cameras you should be able to get your hands on to decide what will suit you best if/when you want to upgrade from a point and shoot and most run informal sort of 'competitions' on frequent basis, where you're given and task or subject to shoot and focus on...plus a chance to constructively discuss with everyone what you've shot and how to improve.
Don't be intimidated by only having a basic point n shoot- i recently watched a film about the early career of David Bailey and how he revolutionised fashion photography by shooting hand held on a compact.

The only reason i've not joined one of my local groups is that they seem to be most active when my job is in the middle of silly season- i barely see my house some weeks!
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Re: getting into digital photography....

Post by Thermexman »

Black & white is fun! As is the Fuji X100S as recommended by Reggie.

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Re: getting into digital photography....

Post by jkbarnes »

NotEnoughWrists wrote:Might be worth looking for a local camera club.
Most of them are pretty cheap to join (usually about £25 per year), it will probably mean you have to go out every week or two to attend, you'll have a load of people in to the same thing with a range of expertise and a wider range of cameras you should be able to get your hands on to decide what will suit you best if/when you want to upgrade from a point and shoot and most run informal sort of 'competitions' on frequent basis, where you're given and task or subject to shoot and focus on...plus a chance to constructively discuss with everyone what you've shot and how to improve.
Don't be intimidated by only having a basic point n shoot- i recently watched a film about the early career of David Bailey and how he revolutionised fashion photography by shooting hand held on a compact.

The only reason i've not joined one of my local groups is that they seem to be most active when my job is in the middle of silly season- i barely see my house some weeks!
That’s an excellent idea! That might even be the best single piece of advice to take away from this entire thread.
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Re: getting into digital photography....

Post by gwells »

missF wrote:
downer wrote:^^^ I think it's absolutely enough to get you started. The logic of the camera (and those numbers) is the same regardless of the camera. Of course, newer cameras have larger 'numbers' but learning the principles doesn't require big numbers.

How much manual control does the camera have? In other words, can you define the shutter speed, aperture etc?
as far as i remember you can can have full manual control, or partial (so you set the shutter speed for example, and the camera does the rest), or you can use it as a point and shoot... i never really did get to grips with this camera, and always used it on auto setting......
this is more than enough control to start with. learn a mix of manual control and shooting with either aperture priority or shutter priority and learn why and when those two ways of controlling your exposure are important. shutter speed priority is easy to understand, the faster it is, the quicker the exposure and more you can freeze the action. aperture is a little more difficult if you don't know it, but it controls the amount of light let in and, essentially, the depth of field in your photo. the smaller the number, the more light you let in and the shallower the focal range is. shallow depth of field can create wonderful photographs. so play around and see what kind of images you can capture with different combinations off shutter speed/aperture. there are a range for every photo that will get you the right exposure, but you'll get very different pictures based on which combination you choose.
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getting into digital photography....

Post by gaf1958 »

Having owned full systems in film and digital in both Canon and Nikon, I decided that it was all too big and heavy to carry around and went micro four thirds. I was very happy with it, as the weight saving was considerable, and the quality was close enough for my needs. Still have multiple lenses though, to need my requirements.

Last year I went one step further and bought an all in one, but went with a relatively large 1” sensor and a fabulous all in one lens. The results have been surprisingly good, the 1” sensor is smaller than the micro 4/3 sensor, which was in turn smaller than the 35mm sensor size on my Canon, but the results are very impressive. As is the lens. It covers the (35mm equivalent) range from 24mm (with an f2.4 aperture) to 600mm while retaining a large f4 maximum aperture even at the long end...

What’d I get? A Sony RX10iii. I specifically bought that as a camera to take on safari in Africa. It’s dustproofed, water resistant, well built and has a superb Zeiss lens. I can recommend it highly.

Image

If however, you’re after after something quite a bit cheaper, but with almost the same features, then the RX10ii is a great option. It basically has less telephoto reach (24-200mm), but has a constant f2.8 maximum aperture through the entire zoom range. I needed the long lens for my purposes, but really, in most instances you don’t need it. Mind you, it’s been nice... but not necessary.

Image

The RX10iii has basically usurped my micro 4/3 system and is the go to camera these days.
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Re: getting into digital photography....

Post by copemanphoto »

NotEnoughWrists wrote:Might be worth looking for a local camera club.
Most of them are pretty cheap to join (usually about £25 per year), it will probably mean you have to go out every week or two to attend, you'll have a load of people in to the same thing with a range of expertise and a wider range of cameras you should be able to get your hands on to decide what will suit you best if/when you want to upgrade from a point and shoot and most run informal sort of 'competitions' on frequent basis, where you're given and task or subject to shoot and focus on...plus a chance to constructively discuss with everyone what you've shot and how to improve.
Don't be intimidated by only having a basic point n shoot- i recently watched a film about the early career of David Bailey and how he revolutionised fashion photography by shooting hand held on a compact.

The only reason i've not joined one of my local groups is that they seem to be most active when my job is in the middle of silly season- i barely see my house some weeks!
This is an excellent idea! Combine this with a beginners course on photography at a local community college which can teach you the basic tech stuff and help you understand the relationship between shutter speeds and aperture.
From that foundation you can incorporate shallow depth of field to isolate your subject in portraits or use large depth of field to capture scenics and landscapes with everything in focus or use higher shutter speeds to capture fast action.
Reading anything by Bob Krist or any photographer from National Geographic will improve your photography immensely as will looking at a lot of great photos to see how the shooter used light to their advantage to add drama or reveal texture or capture an emotion or expression.
As was mentioned previously, the camera you have will be fine, it will be up to you to develop your eye to recognize good opportunities and it will be you that goes out in the golden hour at dawn and just before sunset to capture those incredible images like you see in National Geographic or travel magazines.
I started with my first camera in 1986, a course on the basics and the camera club and it served me well. It started for me as way to get better photos of my kids and it developed into a hobby and then became my profession.
It is a great hobby one that I get to enjoy when I travel and I think you may find this hobby can take you to the most amazing destinations as well.

Good luck, it is a great journey.

Cheers, Mike.
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Re: getting into digital photography....

Post by jkbarnes »

copemanphoto wrote:Reading anything by Bob Krist or any photographer from National Geographic will improve your photography immensely...
Nice to see someone else mentioning Bob Krist! I had the pleasure of hearing him speak at the National Geographic headquarters here in Washington, DC once. He was fantastic!
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Re: getting into digital photography....

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

@Thermexman

Stunning images, Steve!
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