First camera choice

[Hedge]

Hello,I’ve just joined the forum and am awaiting the arrival of my Nikon coolpix b500 camera,when it arrives I’d like to learn how to photograph wildlife and landscape,what do people think of my choice of camera as a starting point?The reason I chose the b 500 is because I thought it wouldn’t be technical to get going with!! Any thoughts or advice appreciated.

 

[welshwizard645]

Hi Stephen, welcome. The camera is a starting point as you have said and judging by the specs it is very limited, Very automated, but not a bad thing and I can't comment on the optics. A good thing about simplicity is that you can use AA batteries!

From what I can see you will have very little control over the output of the camera (no RAWS?) so that will be a hindrance if you want to control your image in software. Doesn't look like you can control aperture or shutter speed either, but the images on the shockingly poor Nikon site gives me the impression that there are pictures modes where landscape prioritises aperture for depth of field while sport prioritises shutter speed.

I'd say go out and try and take the photos and see how you get on, if you are not sure about your images on how they turn out share them with us and I am sure one helpful member will be able to guide you.

 

[Goldthirst]

Welcome.

The Nikon coolpix b500 looks like a good camera to get you started. It has a 40x zoom so gives you a lot better options than a phone camera. Try out the various functions on it to see how you get on.

 

[andrewc]

Hello

Its a good starter camera although may struggle with moving wildlife - but will be sufficient to whet your appetite and see if you enjoy it and can then make the decision to pursue photography in greater detail, or are content to just take better photos than a phone will permit.

 

[snerkler]

Welcome to the forum. With regards to your camera it's OK as a starting point although I dare say if you get a taste for photography you'll soon be wanting to upgrade. The reason that I say that is the B500 is a bridge camera which is ultimately a compact camera with a long zoom, therefore image quality is on par with a compact camera and/or modern mobile phone. Also, autofocus will likely struggle with wildlife as already mentioned.

All that being said, you should still be able to get really nice pictures with the B500 and it is something with which you can learn the really important things like composition, lighting etc.

 

[Hedge]

Hi Stephen, welcome. The camera is a starting point as you have said and judging by the specs it is very limited, Very automated, but not a bad thing and I can't comment on the optics. A good thing about simplicity is that you can use AA batteries!

From what I can see you will have very little control over the output of the camera (no RAWS?) so that will be a hindrance if you want to control your image in software. Doesn't look like you can control aperture or shutter speed either, but the images on the shockingly poor Nikon site gives me the impression that there are pictures modes where landscape prioritises aperture for depth of field while sport prioritises shutter speed.

I'd say go out and try and take the photos and see how you get on, if you are not sure about your images on how they turn out share them with us and I am sure one helpful member will be able to guide you.

Hi Stephen, welcome. The camera is a starting point as you have said and judging by the specs it is very limited, Very automated, but not a bad thing and I can't comment on the optics. A good thing about simplicity is that you can use AA batteries!

From what I can see you will have very little control over the output of the camera (no RAWS?) so that will be a hindrance if you want to control your image in software. Doesn't look like you can control aperture or shutter speed either, but the images on the shockingly poor Nikon site gives me the impression that there are pictures modes where landscape prioritises aperture for depth of field while sport prioritises shutter speed.

I'd say go out and try and take the photos and see how you get on, if you are not sure about your images on how they turn out share them with us and I am sure one helpful member will be able to guide you.

Welcome to the forum. With regards to your camera it's OK as a starting point although I dare say if you get a taste for photography you'll soon be wanting to upgrade. The reason that I say that is the B500 is a bridge camera which is ultimately a compact camera with a long zoom, therefore image quality is on par with a compact camera and/or modern mobile phone. Also, autofocus will likely struggle with wildlife as already mentioned.

All that being said, you should still be able to get really nice pictures with the B500 and it is something with which you can learn the really important things like composition, lighting etc.

Thankyou for the replysI’m realising before the camera has even arrived that it’s very limited,but I’ll take the positives out of what it has to offer,because after all I’m limited myself with no knowledge on photography whatsoever,so understanding now that the photo quality will be limited,I’ll take the positives that snerkler said and make a start in learning about lighting and composition until the fun runs out with it and I look to upgrade,I’m looking foreward to the journey and I’ll post some pictures when I’ve had a go with it if I think they’re a reasonable first effort

 

[Box Brownie]

Thankyou for the replysI’m realising before the camera has even arrived that it’s very limited,but I’ll take the positives out of what it has to offer,because after all I’m limited myself with no knowledge on photography whatsoever,so understanding now that the photo quality will be limited,I’ll take the positives that snerkler said and make a start in learning about lighting and composition until the fun runs out with it and I look to upgrade,I’m looking foreward to the journey and I’ll post some pictures when I’ve had a go with it if I think they’re a reasonable first effort

Hi Stephen and welcome to TP

I won't repeat what the others have said but would offer my 2p's worth

The B500 camera as I understand it has 'modes' i.e. Nikon's decision of prescribed settings to suit the chosen scenario.....but when you look at the pictures on your computer in your chosen software ~ I have not checked but does Nikon offer any image handling software ~ you should be able to see the Shutter Speed and Aperture and ISO. These 3 quotients constitute the "exposure triangle". ....sorry for the jargon but you will need to start somewhere

Seeing those details of any particular photograph will be part of your lifelong learning curve.

So, do enjoy the journey and take lots of pictures and remember there is no such thing as a daft question!

Therefore, ask away and do share your pictures for constructive criticism and all being well other TPers will be able to help you become the best photographer you can be.......whatever camera you have

All the best with the journey

PS IMO as a novice, sharing your pictures early is a good step as it should (potentially?) avoid the pitfall of self analysis and frustration.

 

[Hedge]

Thanks for the reply Brownie,I’m not sure wether Nikon have any software available,I never thought about it until you just mentioned it I’ll have a look.when the camera gets here I’ll post some pics from my first go out with it…I’ve had a look and Nikon do offer software,it’s called NX studio 1 ,so I’ll delve into that and have a look at the format,thanks for that I appreciate it.

 

[Box Brownie]

Thanks for the reply Brownie,I’m not sure wether Nikon have any software available,I never thought about it until you just mentioned it I’ll have a look.when the camera gets here I’ll post some pics from my first go out with it…I’ve had a look and Nikon do offer software,it’s called NX studio 1 ,so I’ll delve into that and have a look at the format,thanks for that I appreciate it.

You are indeed right from your research that NX Studio is available plus in case you found it elsewhere the full manual is here as well to download.

Nikon | Download center | COOLPIX B500

I will look forward to hearing how you get on with your new camera

 

[Hedge]

Thanks for that Brownie,I’ve downloaded it,I bought a copy of it off eBay when I bought my camera,still waiting for that in the post.I wish I’d have found the forum before I’d bought a thing.

 

[Box Brownie]

Thanks for that Brownie,I’ve downloaded it,I bought a copy of it off eBay when I bought my camera,still waiting for that in the post.I wish I’d have found the forum before I’d bought a thing.

As you may appreciate (if you have looked at the 'Beginners' sub-forum) there are plenty of new members who start here asking "which camera should I buy...." and the replies, all helpful can be confusing/conflicting to a novice.

Therefore IMO the fact that you have looked & considered what you wish to do/buy is not a bad way to start. Yes, you will be learning and appreciating the limits of the camera.......but learning by doing is good!

I first used my dad's box camera when I was about 5 years old and I am still learning.......though the technology has been both beneficial and more complex in equal measure

 

[Hedge]

Yes I did go on and read a few of the posts,but as you said,in my opinion,although very helpful,it kind of boggled my mind with so many different opinions on things as a beginner know nothing about,so as you just said in your last post to me,I’m just gonna go out there,enjoy it,take some pictures,post them on the forum and use that as my platform to progress,correct me if I’m wrong but sometimes at first when we start a new project,we can get bogged down with too much information to early that’s not really relevant for the stage that we are at

 

[snerkler]

Yes I did go on and read a few of the posts,but as you said,in my opinion,although very helpful,it kind of boggled my mind with so many different opinions on things as a beginner know nothing about,so as you just said in your last post to me,I’m just gonna go out there,enjoy it,take some pictures,post them on the forum and use that as my platform to progress,correct me if I’m wrong but sometimes at first when we start a new project,we can get bogged down with too much information to early that’s not really relevant for the stage that we are at

You can certainly get bogged down, there's a lot of stuff to know, a lot of equipment out there, and you will find that people all have their own bias and preferences.

In an ideal world we would all know what we want and want we are likely to want in the future and buy accordingly to avoid buying and selling and losing money, but in the real world it doesn't work like that. Plus many of of suffer from GAS too

I can whole-heartedly recommend buying the book "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson, has loads of great info on some of the fundamentals of photography and you can really see your photography improve. It doesn't have to be the latest edition, just make sure it's one for digital cameras. Can be found cheap used.

 

[Tysonator]

Welcome to the forum and we are all here to be as helpful as we can for you.

I would like to mention the best camera you have is the one you have with you !
You will need to learn how to use the camera and work with is pros & cons this will help you become a better photographer in the medium to long run.
Join a local camera club is always good call and watch plenty of YouTube videos on how to use your camera.

Enjoy

T

 

[Hedge]

I agree snerkler,I must avoid overload lol,Thanks for the tip on the book I’ll go have a look now

 

[Hedge]

Welcome to the forum and we are all here to be as helpful as we can for you.

I would like to mention the best camera you have is the one you have with you !
You will need to learn how to use the camera and work with is pros & cons this will help you become a better photographer in the medium to long run.
Join a local camera club is always good call and watch plenty of YouTube videos on how to use your camera.

Enjoy

Thanks for the reply Tyson,I’m looking foreward to starting,camera should arrive anytime now,I’ve been watching YouTube videos,as you say they are a good source of information,I’ve not really thought about joining a camera club,im sure if it’s for me or not,I’ll have a look what’s about local and ponder on it

 

[Hedge]

Welcome to the forum and we are all here to be as helpful as we can for you.

I would like to mention the best camera you have is the one you have with you !
You will need to learn how to use the camera and work with is pros & cons this will help you become a better photographer in the medium to long run.
Join a local camera club is always good call and watch plenty of YouTube videos on how to use your camera.

Enjoy

T

You can certainly get bogged down, there's a lot of stuff to know, a lot of equipment out there, and you will find that people all have their own bias and preferences.

In an ideal world we would all know what we want and want we are likely to want in the future and buy accordingly to avoid buying and selling and losing money, but in the real world it doesn't work like that. Plus many of of suffer from GAS too

I can whole-heartedly recommend buying the book "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson, has loads of great info on some of the fundamentals of photography and you can really see your photography improve. It doesn't have to be the latest edition, just make sure it's one for digital cameras. Can be found cheap used.

Ive just bought the book thanks for the advice,what is GAS??lol

 

[Box Brownie]

Ive just bought the book thanks for the advice,what is GAS??lol

Gear Acquisition Syndrome it can be a slippery slope

 

[Hedge]

Gear Acquisition Syndrome it can be a slippery slope

I’m beginning tounderstand that already …are my imojis showing up on my posts,they’re not showing my end?

 

[snerkler]

I’m beginning tounderstand that already …are my imojis showing up on my posts,they’re not showing my end?

I’m not seeing them. Are you using the ones from this site from the tool bar above where you type?

 

[Hedge]

Ive been using the ones on my phone as I type,I’ll suss it out,thanks bud

 

[Hedge]

got it

 

[Ed Sutton]

Welcome to the forum and photography!

At first don't get too technical. Most of the time it's not required to know much - not something most people here would like to admit.

When starting out it's too easy to get talked in to having complete control of what the camera does and end up getting confused. I have a friend who is particualrly prone to getting frustrated with his photography because he won't let the camera help him out.

The most common technical fault I see in photos from non-enthusiasts is blurry photos. The main thing to avoid that is to keep an eye on is your shutter speed, which should be as short as possible to avoid camera movement - especially important when photographing wildlife with the lens at it's longer focal lengths.

my only other advice is to enjoy yourself.

Have fun with your camera!

 

[Hedge]

Welcome to the forum and photography!

At first don't get too technical. Most of the time it's not required to know much - not something most people here would like to admit.

When starting out it's too easy to get talked in to having complete control of what the camera does and end up getting confused. I have a friend who is particualrly prone to getting frustrated with his photography because he won't let the camera help him out.

The most common technical fault I see in photos from non-enthusiasts is blurry photos. The main thing to avoid that is to keep an eye on is your shutter speed, which should be as short as possible to avoid camera movement - especially important when photographing wildlife with the lens at it's longer focal lengths.

my only other advice is to enjoy yourself.

Have fun with your camera!

Thanks Ed
My camera came today,so off I went still in my workgear when I got in to the nature reserve close to my home,my tripod hasn’t come yet so I was photographing by propping myself as best I could to keep steady,I was reading last night about the rule of thirds,and leading lines,I took what I’d read in the memory bank to the reserve with me and tried to incorporate what I’d read and apply it to the pictures I took,I’m trying to pair my camera with my phone with bluetooth to upload some pics for all to look and hopefully give me some advice,but I’ve hit a stumbling block and will go again at it when I get in from work tom,and hopefully put my first efforts on to see. Lol

 

[snerkler]

Thanks Ed
My camera came today,so off I went still in my workgear when I got in to the nature reserve close to my home,my tripod hasn’t come yet so I was photographing by propping myself as best I could to keep steady,I was reading last night about the rule of thirds,and leading lines,I took what I’d read in the memory bank to the reserve with me and tried to incorporate what I’d read and apply it to the pictures I took,I’m trying to pair my camera with my phone with bluetooth to upload some pics for all to look and hopefully give me some advice,but I’ve hit a stumbling block and will go again at it when I get in from work tom,and hopefully put my first efforts on to see. Lol

Look forward to seeing them. If you're struggling to get the photos uploaded there's always the option of transferring your photos to a computer and then uploading to a photo hosting website and posting them from there onto here. I use Flickr but it's now limited to 1000 photos and if you want to upload more you have to pay £59.99/year I believe there are some free hosting sites though, maybe other members can recommend some.

And just to muddy the water further, when you get to grips with using your camera you'll probably want to start using editing software, this can really make your photos 'sing'. The free Nikon one is OK to start with but it's a bit 'clunky'. My go to software is Adobe Lightroom but adobe's gone subscription based now which is extremely annoying, and expensive, although it does give you access to the full range of adobe products You can still buy standalone software which is just a one off cost, I believe Capture One, Affinity, DXO, Luminar etc are all just a one off cost.

 

[Sangoma]

Look forward to seeing them. If you're struggling to get the photos uploaded there's always the option of transferring your photos to a computer and then uploading to a photo hosting website and posting them from there onto here. I use Flickr but it's now limited to 1000 photos and if you want to upload more you have to pay £59.99/year I believe there are some free hosting sites though, maybe other members can recommend some.

And just to muddy the water further, when you get to grips with using your camera you'll probably want to start using editing software, this can really make your photos 'sing'. The free Nikon one is OK to start with but it's a bit 'clunky'. My go to software is Adobe Lightroom but adobe's gone subscription based now which is extremely annoying, and expensive, although it does give you access to the full range of adobe products You can still buy standalone software which is just a one off cost, I believe Capture One, Affinity, DXO, Luminar etc are all just a one off cost.

Affinity is what I have changed to, it is very good.
Also some free ones, for starting off IrfanView is very quick and easy for the basics (adjusting colours, contrast, gamma, saturation, rotating, cropping and resizing etc) and there is Darktable and Gimp for the more complex operations.
I changed to Affinity as it does everything in one place quite easily, and it is (was) less than £50, was £27 when I bought it a couple of months ago. Worth every penny

 

[the black fox]

One thing I have noticed is your awaiting the arrival of a tripod .. that definetly should not be needed with your current camera unless doing long exposures …. Don’t waste your money buying things that you think you will need.. ask here before every possible purchase ..
And do please note we all use different gear on here so every question will receive a variety of answers ,some correct some misleading ,and some long winded and over technical .

 

[realspeed]

Stephen welcome to the forum
first of all go out and enjoy taking photos. No matter what others may say, I maintain that of you like the photos you then your happy, if others like them its a bonus. there is so much to learn so take it step by step and you will quickly find where you go wrong and not make the same error again. The only tips i will give on landscapes is have something to act as a stop on the right hand side of the photo be it a bush/tree building. and something in tghe forground to add depth. keep; below the trees block any thing more on the right and the rocks in the foreground add depth to the photo. level horizon is something else to watch out for





Hope this is of some help to get you started

 

[Craikeybaby]

Generally though, now that you have a camera you have got a starting point, and as you go you will find what is limiting you with the kit you have. Maybe you want to take photos of things further away, or the camera is too bulky, or you want to print bigger for example.

 

[skullfunkerry]

When I first moved from a compact camera to one with all the settings, I hadn't got *a clue* what I was doing. After loads of messing around (and changing cameras because I thought that would fix the problem) I have an idea of what the settings do now.

The main thing to begin with as loads of others have said is to get out there and take some pictures, and most importantly, enjoy yourself! As for things like lighting and composition, they are definitely good to know about - but sometimes there'll be a shot which is too light, or too dark, or crooked, or has the subject in the "wrong" place, and you'll love it anyway - which at the end of the day is what it's all about. Welcome aboard

 

[Hedge]

Thanks for all of your reply’s,I’ll delve into them later and reply,I haven’t got a laptop I’ve given it to my son not long ago because I rarely used it,how ironic that is, but the way I’m trying to get round it is to download Nikon SnapBridge to my phone which is an iPhone de 2020 and pair phone and camera via Bluetooth and upload photos from there, but I can’t get the bloody thing to pair up it’s frying my head,I’m not the most technical lad in the world but I’m about beat with it,I need help lol,bear with me on the messages I would normally use emojis but they seem to have vanished off my app

 

[snerkler]

Thanks for all of your reply’s,I’ll delve into them later and reply,I haven’t got a laptop I’ve given it to my son not long ago because I rarely used it,how ironic that is, but the way I’m trying to get round it is to download Nikon SnapBridge to my phone which is an iPhone de 2020 and pair phone and camera via Bluetooth and upload photos from there, but I can’t get the bloody thing to pair up it’s frying my head,I’m not the most technical lad in the world but I’m about beat with it,I need help lol,bear with me on the messages I would normally use emojis but they seem to have vanished off my app

I don't shoot with Nikon anymore but when I did snapbridge was about as useful as a chocolate fireguard. It may have improved since then though .

Emojis can be found here

 

[Hedge]

Thanks Snerkler bud

 

[sphexx]

I don't shoot with Nikon anymore but when I did snapbridge was about as useful as a chocolate fireguard. It may have improved since then though .

Emojis can be found here
View attachment 361385

For me (iPhone/iPad iOS 15) they’re not, but only from the 3 dots:

 

[snerkler]

For me (iPhone/iPad iOS 15) they’re not, but only from the 3 dots:

View attachment 361388

 

[Hedge]

I’ve just discovered the sd card reader to upload my photos from camera to phone ive just ordered one,I’ve deleted SnapBridge snerkler I’ll read all of the posts I’ve got more thoroughly and choose another one

 

[Hedge]

Look forward to seeing them. If you're struggling to get the photos uploaded there's always the option of transferring your photos to a computer and then uploading to a photo hosting website and posting them from there onto here. I use Flickr but it's now limited to 1000 photos and if you want to upload more you have to pay £59.99/year I believe there are some free hosting sites though, maybe other members can recommend some.

And just to muddy the water further, when you get to grips with using your camera you'll probably want to start using editing software, this can really make your photos 'sing'. The free Nikon one is OK to start with but it's a bit 'clunky'. My go to software is Adobe Lightroom but adobe's gone subscription based now which is extremely annoying, and expensive, although it does give you access to the full range of adobe products You can still buy standalone software which is just a one off cost, I believe Capture One, Affinity, DXO, Luminar etc are all just a one off cost.

I’ve given my Laptop to my son as I was never using it so I’ll have to buy another at some point,I’ve ordered a memory card lead that you plug your memory card into and it uploads them onto your phone,that’ll do for me I think, it’s easy,and I like easy.I think I’ll use Flickr for editing until I’ve reached my 1000 uploads,that will buy me time to have a look at the options available starting with looking at the numerous options yourself and the other members have kindly posted on here,

 

[snerkler]

I’ve given my Laptop to my son as I was never using it so I’ll have to buy another at some point,I’ve ordered a memory card lead that you plug your memory card into and it uploads them onto your phone,that’ll do for me I think, it’s easy,and I like easy.I think I’ll use Flickr for editing until I’ve reached my 1000 uploads,that will buy me time to have a look at the options available starting with looking at the numerous options yourself and the other members have kindly posted on here,

Just to clarify Flickr is a hosting site not an editing site (although I believe there may be a couple of basic editing tools)

 

[Hedge]

[ICODE][/ICODE][ICODE][/ICODE]When I first moved from a compact camera to one with all the settings, I hadn't got *a clue* what I was doing. After loads of messing around (and changing cameras because I thought that would fix the problem) I have an idea of what the settings do now.

The main thing to begin with as loads of others have said is to get out there and take some pictures, and most importantly, enjoy yourself! As for things like lighting and composition, they are definitely good to know about - but sometimes there'll be a shot which is too light, or too dark, or crooked, or has the subject in the "wrong" place, and you'll love it anyway - which at the end of the day is what it's all about. Welcome aboard

Thanks for your post skullfunkery

I’m going out for a walk around our local nature reserve again shortly,i don’t really care if photographs don’t turn out good,I think it will ad to the pleasure you get from the one or two that your happy with,it’s all good fun

 

[Hedge]

Generally though, now that you have a camera you have got a starting point, and as you go you will find what is limiting you with the kit you have. Maybe you want to take photos of things further away, or the camera is too bulky, or you want to print bigger for example.

Thanks for the post craikey
Generally though, now that you have a camera you have got a starting point, and as you go you will find what is limiting you with the kit you have. Maybe you want to take photos of things further away, or the camera is too bulky, or you want to print bigger for example.