Point me in the direction of the real basics

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SIRUSKEY

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CRAIG
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Hi all

I have purchased myself a dlsr (not received yet) but have no idea how to use it. I have never held one in my hand before and have no idea how to use it. Could someone point me in the direction of the real basics. I have been reading the threads but a lot seem to require some basic knowledge.

Cheers
Craig
 
Welcome to TP Craig.
What camera have you bought? If there is someone on here with the same camera they may be able to give you better advice.
 
Thanks for the replies I will start having a look. I have bought a Canon 300d. Seems in good nick and was in my budget as a starter camera.
 
Before getting dragged into the shutter speed, aperture and ISO bits, firstly just familiarise your self with the camera itself.

Put it on auto (green box setting), then get used to holding it securely in your hand, pressing the shutter button by squeezing (rather than jabbing), get used to holding your spare hand under the lens, not over the top.

Get used to holding it really steady, seeing the image come into focus when pressing the shutter halfway down before clicking it all the way to take the shot.

After that put it into aperture priority and, using some kind of tutorial, have a look at how aperture works and how it affects shutter speed. After getting a handle on that, see what the ISO does.

Once you've got a basic understanding of these 3 things it's time to go out and take photos... The rest will come given some reading, time and practise!

Any questions though, most people are happy to help.
 
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Digital_Clarity said:
Before getting dragged into the shutter speed, aperture and ISO bits, firstly just familiarise your self with the camera itself.

Put it on auto (green box setting), then get used to holding it securely in your hand, pressing the shutter button by squeezing (rather than jabbing), get used to holding your spare hand under the lens, not over the top.

Get used to holding it really steady, seeing the image come into focus when pressing the shutter halfway down before clicking it all the way to take the shot.

After that put it into aperture priority and, using some kind of tutorial, have a look at how aperture works and how it affects shutter speed. After getting a handle on that, see what the ISO does.

Once you've got a basic understanding of these 3 things it's time to go out and take photos... The rest will come given some reading, time and practise!

Any questions though, most people are happy to help.
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Seems good advice. Thanks :thumbs:
 
The beauty with a digital camera is you can practice as much as you like with different settings and it costs you nothing, The only way to learne is get out and take photos.

That is some good advice from digital clarity to get you started, and how the camera feels. So do that read as much as you can on here, use the search facility if there is something specific you want to ask as there is loads and loads of advice to be had on here.

spike
 
Read the posts now. Think im getting the idea. Should have the camera on Wednesday.
 
Start with Auto, take lots of pics!

Stick with this forum, learn what does what, take more pics.

I didn't have a clue what aperture was, or what effect the shutter speed would have till I read the threads on the forum.

Stick with us and you won't go wrong!

Welcome btw!:wave:
 
Doddy1974 said:
Start with Auto, take lots of pics!

Stick with this forum, learn what does what, take more pics.

I didn't have a clue what aperture was, or what effect the shutter speed would have till I read the threads on the forum.

Stick with us and you won't go wrong!

Welcome btw!:wave:
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Cheers :thankyou:
 
I would suggest staying away from auto. Perhaps use P at most, and learn how to override settings and how that affect the image.

Instead dive in at the deep end, go for manual mode, or one of the priority modes straight away. Experiment and learn from the result.

Also learn your camera fully. Know what kind of setting you can customise and how that affect the image. Know where all the buttons are and what they do so that you can change settings without taking your eye from the viewfinder.

Also, shoot RAW straight away, and expect the image look a bit dull on your computer screen compared to camera LCD. Perfect opportunity to also learn some basic post-processing.

It might sound like a lot of work, but within a week it should all be second nature.

Good luck. :)
 
CaptainPenguin said:
If you say where you are in the country there would probably be a local TP member happy to meet up and go through the use of the camera with you
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Saddleworth... However two of the lads at work are well into photography so I have a tutor :thumbs:
 
I have so far taken a few hundred pictures of the dog. Starting to get used to it now.
 
The link you posted is a table tripod, no good for anything really. Any tripod will fit your camera. Look for the likes of redsnapper, manfrotto, giottos, velbon, slik.
Any of those manufactures will have something to suit your budget.
 
Yes and no. It's still cheap and cheerful. It won't be very sturdy and will probably break within a few weeks.I'd be looking to spend more like £50-£100 on a first tripod. Sounds a lot but you need to trust it to hold your camera and lens securely, even in high wind. Go look at the redsnapper website. You can get a super sturdy tripod and head for under £100. TP members get 10% off too.
 
Welcome bud, you will be ok, its all very daunting to start with but you will soon pick up the basics, then its all down hill from there LOL
 
Borrow a copy of "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson. Your library should have this and many other useful books available.
 
SIRUSKEY said:
The Mrs wont be home until 4pm and I have the credit card lol.

I can afford £50 if Im going to be getting a quality item. Is this about the best for the money? :bonk:
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Ordered , thanks for the help. :thumbs:

Craig
 
No worries, sorry I didnt reply to the other post, didnt see it!
 
Welcome. Even with my limited experience, I have really seen how a tripod can help.
 
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