Im so excited!

BrandonDouglas said:
I'd say auto is absolutely fine for parties. You cant waste your time tinkering with settings because you'll most likley miss that moment you were trying to capture.

If it's just point and shoot, capturing moments, I see no fault in using auto.
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Yep totally agree with that, you can also use "P" Mode (program mode) because then you also have some control over some settings IE, flash compensation and exposure compensation

BrandonDouglas said:
use one of the manual settings whenever you intend on doing a serious photograph
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Yes for most photography shoot manual
 
To be honest, if I am going out to a party to have fun and maybe get a couple of record shots then I would take P&S with me not a DSLR as I would be too busy being worried about damage/loss/or some random drunk pillock..but if I am going out and I am going to be serious about taking photo's then I'll take the DSLR, but I will not be drinking and I will be there to take photo, not really for the social aspect, but I should say I'll have a great time either way :thumbs:

and as I'm going to be taking it seriously I will stick with the manual settings be that Av, Tv or M, I am not wanting to sound elitist about this because I started out using the Auto modes and I think that this was the worst thing I have done from a photography stand point as it slowed my photographic learning curve right down, so now I recommend to anyone buying a DSLR now that they start with manual modes as they will learn about their camera so much quicker.

Matt
MWHCVT
 
Yes, I agree, I wouldn't take it if I was going to a big night out, was thinking more house parties or family gatherings. I want to take some nice shots of my little boy also, and don't want to get too hung up on settings etc at first. I will def have a go in manual when it arrives though and try different settings and modes.
 
I'm also quite new to the whole DSLR game and bought a second hand 1000d I've done a lot of reading about the correct way to take pictures, I've also experimented and taken lots of photos. Lots of them are rubbish but some are not. Probably not that much better than the compact I bought it to replace but then its got a lot more potential.

I'd recommend not getting to caught up on the technical side and just try lots of things. Dont worry about using full auto when you need to capture a scene - I've done this a lot with our baby as he doesn't tend to wait for me to mess with settings!

As it happens it got nicked and I've replaced with a current model which has HD Video so now have twice as much to learn :)
 
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Actually you can take and save pictures without a memory card by tethering. The only issue then is you are limited to the length of the USB cable to your pc.

Should be software on the Canon CD to handle this or you can use adobe lightroom and probably a whole host of other bits of software.
 
Get yourself a 50mm F1.8, for less than a hundred pounds it's a fantastic lens. All the best.
 
Bet you cant wait for the post to arrive today!!
I was the same waiting for my first DSLR.

In fact, Im the same today as I know a lens is being delivered today :D
 
nano said:
Actually you can take and save pictures without a memory card by tethering. The only issue then is you are limited to the length of the USB cable to your pc.

Should be software on the Canon CD to handle this or you can use adobe lightroom and probably a whole host of other bits of software.
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LOL yes you can save them that way,
 
This may sound a little daft but as I've been learning how to use my dslr properly I have had it mainly in Av mode with single point of focus and off of auto for the white balance. After taking the pic however I have found it useful to switch it to the relevant basic mode and taking the picture again... just to see if what I'm doing is better/worse than what the camera does when it is in control. If the camera has produced what appears to be a better image then I try altering my settings in Av and trying again. This I feel helps me trying to understand what twiddling the nobs is actually doing whilst out and about.
 
gazfy said:
This may sound a little daft but as I've been learning how to use my dslr properly I have had it mainly in Av mode with single point of focus and off of auto for the white balance. After taking the pic however I have found it useful to switch it to the relevant basic mode and taking the picture again... just to see if what I'm doing is better/worse than what the camera does when it is in control. If the camera has produced what appears to be a better image then I try altering my settings in Av and trying again. This I feel helps me trying to understand what twiddling the nobs is actually doing whilst out and about.
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That's a good approach when you're learning and even when you've been doing it for a while :thumbs:
 
I started with the 400D as my first SLR, it produced images that i found fantastic (some are still up on my walls) and enjoyed using it. I came into some money and have upgraded since then.

I bet you will be snapping away in no time and hope to see your efforts on here. Post them there are some people that give great feedback to help you along if you are struggeling. Photography is addictive and expensive, you have been warned! :p
 
Looks like everyone started of with the 400D. Canon must have used a different marketing strategy when they released the 400D compared to the 300D/350D :)
 
I'm the same. Started with a 400d and must admit had little interest in photography beforehand but was gaining because my now wife liked taking pics. I decided to go for something good and it lasted me a good 2 years and I sold it for about £30 less than I paid.

It was a great camera and I love some of the images I gto with it. As mentioned though, it's an expensive addiciton. I started in manual and took ages to learn all the functions but feel it benefitted me more this way. Didn't ever use auto. Just didn't see the point in it on a camera like this.
 
ziggy©;3709459 said:
Looks like everyone started of with the 400D. Canon must have used a different marketing strategy when they released the 400D compared to the 300D/350D :)
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I think the price points came down a bit, and they weren't as clunky by that stage either.

300D kit was £1000 new and a big premium over the bridge cameras at about £500 (Sony F828) and was a bit slower and less featureful, i think the 400D kit when it came out was more in the £650 area and was quick on the menus and controls, so no real compromise over a bridge cam.
 
Thanks all! I was working today but it's at the post office waiting for me!!!

My sandisc card has arrived too so I'll be sorted for Monday when I'm going to Warrington show, I will take some pics and put them up - they will probably be awful but I've got to start somewhere!
 
gazfy said:
This may sound a little daft but as I've been learning how to use my dslr properly I have had it mainly in Av mode with single point of focus and off of auto for the white balance. After taking the pic however I have found it useful to switch it to the relevant basic mode and taking the picture again... just to see if what I'm doing is better/worse than what the camera does when it is in control. If the camera has produced what appears to be a better image then I try altering my settings in Av and trying again. This I feel helps me trying to understand what twiddling the nobs is actually doing whilst out and about.
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Good idea I'm going to do that too!
 
nano said:
I think the price points came down a bit, and they weren't as clunky by that stage either.

300D kit was £1000 new and a big premium over the bridge cameras at about £500 (Sony F828) and was a bit slower and less featureful, i think the 400D kit when it came out was more in the £650 area and was quick on the menus and controls, so no real compromise over a bridge cam.
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Yes that makes sense.
 
Pointblank said:
Get yourself a 50mm F1.8, for less than a hundred pounds it's a fantastic lens. All the best.
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What would this let me do? I will look into this thanks :-)
 
Right well, I've got it! I'm really pleased with it, no idea of the shutter count or anything, but it all seems to be working well!

I've taken a few shots today and done some in manual and some in auto (sorry!) I must admit the auto ones are miles better as expected! I've done some in macro auto mode too and they look ok.

A few things have cropped up, firstly any manual pics would not show on my computer so I installed the Canon RAW codec and can see them now but it still seems to not want to upload them to Flickr - I probably need to convert them or something? Not sure how.

I haven't quite got my head around what ISO/Shutter Speed/Aperture I need for what yet (but there's time!).

I'm going to head to the library this afternoon for some books!

Here are my first shots...

Be gentle with me!

My cat Murphy...


IMG_0116 by daizylindsay, on Flickr

My little boy William...


IMG_0061 by daizylindsay, on Flickr

A close up in Macro mode of Williams toy...


IMG_0029 by daizylindsay, on Flickr

And William touching some mint...


IMG_0079 by daizylindsay, on Flickr

Obviously there are on Auto, as I cant get the manual ones on Yet!

What do you all think?
 
Pretty good.
Some tips on Aperture/shutterspeed/ISO (Don't know how much you already know so excuse me if I say something you're aware of)

Aperture - The size of the lens opening (The cameras equivilant of a humans iris) It's measured by the 'f numbers' on your lens (e.g. f2.8 - f11) The bigger the 'f' number the smaller the opening. With a smaller F number (larger opening) you get a better DOF and the background blurs out a bit. For things like Landscapes you'll want a smaller aperture (F number) to get more things in focus.

ISO - How sensitive the image sensor is to light. The higher the ISO the more sensitive the camera is to light. But ofcourse you get more intereference and noise in your image.

Shutter speed- How long the shutter is open, collecting light (measured in seconds). With a longer shutter speed you can make some very interesting effects (Blurring light/motion).
Good to use when wanting to capture motion in your picture, car lights on a road etc.
Use quick SS when wanting to 'freeze' your subject. In fast paced sports etc.

When changing Aperture and shutter speed, you need to make sure you do it right.
If you've got a large f number, and a fast shutter speed. Then ofcourse no light or not enough light will get in and you'll have a black image. Same for the opposite ofcourse. Small f number pluss longer SS = white image.

So you need a good balance, obviously you can change them to an extent to get the right effect you want. Auto mode may get confused if you're taking a picture of a really bright sky but a not very well lit object.
Try your best to keep the camera on ISO 100.

A good idea for an image, which I've wanted to do. Is take a picture of the London Eye (at night) on your longest shutter speed possible, I reckon you'd get a pretty cool effect from the movement :)

Hope you learned something new

Edit: Just realised I wrote nose instead of noise :s
 
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Thanks Brandon, some good info there! Yes I have been reading up on stuff but TBH I forget whats what when the cameras in my hands! I guess I just need to play about a lot! Have you got your SLR yet?
 
daizylindsay said:
Thanks Brandon, some good info there! Yes I have been reading up on stuff but TBH I forget whats what when the cameras in my hands! I guess I just need to play about a lot! Have you got your SLR yet?
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Unfortunately I've got to wait until November 6th, my birthday ! :(
Gives me plenty of time to contemplate on what I want though ;)
I may decide differently to what I have now so ... we'll see what happens ..
 
Thanks Dave thats really good! I'm sure it will all click on day! (pardon the pun!)
 
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