My kit - whats it all for???

EdinburghGary

EdinburghGary

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Gary
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Hi Guys,

Joined last week and posted a few of the shots I have taken (the post: http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=41774)

Anyway I thought I would post my kit, as I haven't a clue what it's all for and when to use what. I just went a bit crazy and bought lots.

- Nikon D200 + Grip + Extra Battery
- Manfrotto Tripod 322RC2
- Epson p-5000 storage thingy
- 16gb + 4gb CF memory cards
- Nikon SB-600 external flash (never ever used, don't know when to)
- Sigma 180mm APO Macro DG HSM D doubled with Sigma APO Tele Converter 1.4x EX DG
- Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70 - 300mm 1:4.5 - 5.6 VR ED IF
- Nikon DX AF-S NIKKOR 18-70mm DX SWM ED IF Aspherical
- Sigma 10-20mm DC HSM ex
- Hoya PRO1 Circular PL (makes the sky nicer, although hard to justify its price tag looking back)

I just read the numbers from all the bits and not sure what they mean. I want to be good at the following shots:

- Dramatic Landscapes
- Very close macro with ultra detail
- Portraits (both white and back plan backgrounds)
- Table Top (white background)
- Table Top (black background)

Would also like to expirent with the CGI look a like shots (some people say its called HDR).

What else should I get? Seeing as its xmas! One thing I want to be able to do and I cant, is manually choose the shutter speed!

Gary.
 
Hi Gary,

The good news is that you can choose the shutter speed of the camera. I have no idea how your camera works but it'll be on the exposure modes, wherever they are.

As for what should you get next?

..... shooting!

There is no substitute for just doing it and that's the best way to learn. You have a really good selection of kit and used well, will give great results in all the areas that you want to shoot.

So get taking and if you want to, stick the results up here with any questions you might have. :)
 
Well you can certainly choose the shutter speed with a Nikon D200!

I can hardly believe you have all this kit and dont know how to use it!!! :eek:

Its best to get a camera and learn it before all the other stuff comes along.

You say you want to be "good at" various things.....its not equipment that makes that........its practise, skill, a good eye..........good landscapes for instance can be got by a good photographer whether he has a £1,000 camera or a box brownie.

Forget the equipment for a while (and you certainly dont need any more for xmas!!!) and start to get familiar with your camera. Learn it inside out.... all dslr's let you choose the shutter speed......have you read the manual?? :D
 
Firstly, good choice on the Nikon!

Secondly, why buy all this gear if you have no idea how to use it all!?? :bonk: :wacky:

I would reccomend using the manual also, you dont have to read it all in one day, go through it section by section with camera in hand.

To adjust the shutter speed, either twist the control nob on the top to S and move the rotary switch just below the shutter button or stick the nob to M and do the same, bear in mind in M mode you will need to adjust the apature too, so best to leave it in S mode for now!

Good luck!
 
dizzledazzle said:
in M mode you will need to adjust the apature too
Click to expand...

Only one of my lenses (the macro) has a ring for changing the apature (and it only works on one bloody setting, the F flashes at me if I change it, and it wont shoot).

All the other lenses don't have a ring, don't understand why that would be.

G.
 
dizzledazzle said:
To adjust the shutter speed, either twist the control nob on the top to S and move the rotary switch just below the shutter button
Click to expand...



Also, yup, it has been in S Mode from day one. Didn't realise turning the ring did anything without another button pressed at same time.

Ta,

Gary.
 
WOW!! :nuts:

All that gear and no idea as they say :eek::shrug:

We all started out not knowing too much in our hobbies and i for one can definately say that the step up from a point n shoot to a "proper" camera was a little daunting to say the least ......... yes i agree that sometimes the manuals might as well be written in Taiwanise (if you look near the back the usually are too LOL)

Why not try looking at a few books on the subject? ;) ...... i have 3 or 4 now on various areas of photography but the 2 most beneficial to me have been ..................

Wait for it .........................

Digital SLR photography for dummies and Photoshop CS2 for dummies :LOL:

Now i know that some may groan inwardly at the mention of the "for dummies" book series but it has to be said that they break everything down into bite size chunks of clearly understandable information and have been a real godsend to me (y)

Of course as others have already stated though your best bet for now is to actually get out there and have a play with the camera and some of the equipment as nothing beats the hands on approach.

Good luck with your new hobby ......... it only gets better (y)
 
Jolly good.

CPL is one of the best filters - not only does it make the sky bluer, but it can alter reflections with helps with water and shiny objects. Its the only filter that can't be replicated in photoshop.
 
EdinburghGary said:
Only one of my lenses (the macro) has a ring for changing the apature (and it only works on one bloody setting, the F flashes at me if I change it, and it wont shoot).

All the other lenses don't have a ring, don't understand why that would be.

G.
Click to expand...

With your D200, it will adjust the Apature "in camera" so you do not need to adjust it on the lens, you would normally leave it on the highest setting. for changing the apature in S or M mode you use the rotary switch on the rear of the camera where your right thumb would rest..

(y)
 
How much gear. WOW do we have a lottery winner amongst us. LOL Talk about in at the deep end.:eek:
 
Gary, Andy Rouse does a good book for beginners, I have it and used it a lot when first starting last year.. Linkety link . Now I ain`t no expert, but what i found helpful was getting out there, shooting the same shots using different settings, comparing the results , learning from mistakes, reading and asking questions of people more clued up than I on photography(just about the whole world back then).

The D200 is complicated if you delve too deep into it, I have recently upgraded from a 70s to 200 and cannot envisage ever being proficient enough to use all its functions..........:)

Get out there and practice and learn,good luck......(y)
 
A good guide for beginners, I've not been through it all yet , another book I bought from Amazon titled "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson for 15 quid. I found very easy to understand as a beginner. I'm sure others here will recommend the book.
 
Truly, all the gear and no idea.

Looking at your photos, you know exactly what you're doing. They're fan-f***ing-tastic!

I'm ever so jealous, truly a natural.

I reckon you just wanted to show off how much kit you have :p

- Nikon D200 + Grip + Extra Battery this is the body of the camera, the main of it, but you know that already
- Manfrotto Tripod 322RC2 Manfrotto tripods are one of the best makes of tripod you can buy
- Epson p-5000 storage thingy This is effectively an mp4 player, but designed with 'togs in mind.
- 16gb + 4gb CF memory cards Memory cards... nuff said.
- Nikon SB-600 external flash (never ever used, don't know when to) Basically, use it instead of the in-built flash. Give the shot more oomph. You'll use that in the portraits you intend on doing.
- Sigma 180mm APO Macro DG HSM D doubled with Sigma APO Tele Converter 1.4x EX DG The lens is a lens, read up about aperture and focal length on wikipedia. As far as the teleconverter goes, multiply the focal length by 1.4 and there we go.
- Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70 - 300mm 1:4.5 - 5.6 VR ED IF
- Nikon DX AF-S NIKKOR 18-70mm DX SWM ED IF Aspherical
- Sigma 10-20mm DC HSM ex
- Hoya PRO1 Circular PL (makes the sky nicer, although hard to justify its price tag looking back)

As I said, I reckon you knew most of that already, and you were just showing off. ;)
 
Surely this is a wind up?! You've seriously spent several grand and stuff you don't know what an earth you are doing with it? But looking at the pics it looks like you do.

I'm confused ...
 
Plugus Maximus said:
Surely this is a wind up?! You've seriously spent several grand and stuff you don't know what an earth you are doing with it? But looking at the pics it looks like you do.

I'm confused ...
Click to expand...


My thoughts too? Either way, those are some cracking pics in the other thread and I wish I could say I had the same gear!
 
I've been thinking the same since this thread was started, no offence meant EG.
 
I have to admit, that looking at the pictures I thought this was a wind up. But perhaps edin..gary has a natural eye, and just needs to know the technical side, which can be taught, but not the other way round.
I'd just get a simple book, Andy Rouse as mentioned is a very good start. Or just read a bit of the manual at a time.
 
I don't mean to sound hostile, but I mean, the more and more I look at this thread, and I look at your photos, the more I think that you're messing everyone around.
Your photos have even got borders, professional looking borders, and a complete newbie wouldn't even have begun to take anywhere NEAR as advanced photos as you're taking. Sorry, not buying it.
 
Okay heres the deal, and I swear to god I am not winding anyone up. This is the second time this has happened :), I joined a Lotus forum when I had L plates on a brand new Elise R and everyone thought it was a wind up too!!

First of all I make a good living in my job, director of a finance company, and it pays well as the business is at the moment doing great. Therefore the financial aspects of buying the camera really wasn't an issue for me.

I bought the camera and all the kit 2 weeks before I got married (married 11/08/07). I farted around with it for half a day, hopeless. It was my first real camera, all I had ever owned before was a Sony Cybershot P10 which got nicked 4 years ago. I was taking crap pictures with that too.

After I got married, I decided to take the camera and ALL equipment to Gran Canaria on my honeymoon, and whilst I hadn't read any instruction manuals (I very rarely do), I did expirement all day long every day, for seven hole days. Drove my wife insane!!!

I came home really proud of my photos, most are crap, but I like them none the less. Lots of blue skies and lovely sanddune shots for example.

I then got bored of the camera again as work bit hard, too much to do and too little time.

The next time I used the camera was around the time I took the Arthur Seat shot (link: http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/7012/arthursseataz7.jpg). I had gone out very very early to try and get a sunrise from the Royal Observatory on Blackford Hill. Being the **** that I am, the view was in the wrong direction (towards fife!!!). So I gave up and drove to work via Arthurs Seat. At this point the sky was a lovely blue and the line of the hill was black as hell. I decided to park the car and try and get a picture of the hill and sky. I hit the button, the camera took an age to finish, and mid shot cars went past. I liked the result and took loads more. When I got to the office I was amazed at the picture I had taken (linked above), and I got instantly hooked. It was as if something said to me "There are loads and loads of pics like that" and I felt compelled to take them. Problem is, since that shot, most have been crap but I am determined to learn.

The reason I bought all the kit, I could afford to, and when in Jessops I told the guy I wanted to take all different types of photos and to provide me with everything I needed. I made sure that I left no lenses out as I am a compulsive git, and would have just gone back to buy the lens I had left out.

For the record, I do design web sites, and I feel I have a good eye. As far as camera's go though, all I know is how to operate the "take picture" button.
 
foodpoison said:
I don't mean to sound hostile, but I mean, the more and more I look at this thread, and I look at your photos, the more I think that you're messing everyone around.
Your photos have even got borders, professional looking borders, and a complete newbie wouldn't even have begun to take anywhere NEAR as advanced photos as you're taking. Sorry, not buying it.
Click to expand...


Glad you like the borders :), used a number of web sites I have designed and I think they look great on photos too.

I can post a receipt of a book I bought this evening from Borders!! Nikon D200 Digital Field Guide by David D Busch. £13.99 reduced in sale.
 
Plugus Maximus said:
Surely this is a wind up?! You've seriously spent several grand and stuff you don't know what an earth you are doing with it? But looking at the pics it looks like you do.

I'm confused ...
Click to expand...

Well all I can say is i'm flattered and lucky to have been in the right place at the right time. I really dont know anything about taking photos though, I am learning but none of it makes a huge amount of sense. For example I know nothing about any of these terms which are all over the place:

Aperture
ISO
White Balance
F stop
Exposure (all I think is it makes the photo darker or paler)

I dont know how to increase or change my shutter speed, I dont know how to take landscapes and keep everything in focus, I havent a clue!!!
 
foodpoison said:
Truly, all the gear and no idea.

Looking at your photos, you know exactly what you're doing. They're fan-f***ing-tastic!

I'm ever so jealous, truly a natural.

I reckon you just wanted to show off how much kit you have :p

- Nikon D200 + Grip + Extra Battery this is the body of the camera, the main of it, but you know that already
- Manfrotto Tripod 322RC2 Manfrotto tripods are one of the best makes of tripod you can buy
- Epson p-5000 storage thingy This is effectively an mp4 player, but designed with 'togs in mind.
- 16gb + 4gb CF memory cards Memory cards... nuff said.
- Nikon SB-600 external flash (never ever used, don't know when to) Basically, use it instead of the in-built flash. Give the shot more oomph. You'll use that in the portraits you intend on doing.
- Sigma 180mm APO Macro DG HSM D doubled with Sigma APO Tele Converter 1.4x EX DG The lens is a lens, read up about aperture and focal length on wikipedia. As far as the teleconverter goes, multiply the focal length by 1.4 and there we go.
- Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70 - 300mm 1:4.5 - 5.6 VR ED IF
- Nikon DX AF-S NIKKOR 18-70mm DX SWM ED IF Aspherical
- Sigma 10-20mm DC HSM ex
- Hoya PRO1 Circular PL (makes the sky nicer, although hard to justify its price tag looking back)

As I said, I reckon you knew most of that already, and you were just showing off. ;)
Click to expand...

Sorry just in and reading this thread backwards. There are hunreds and thousands of products a lot more expensive than the stuff I have, and a lot of pro's on here who probably earn a killing in this game! I posted my kit as I want to learn how to use it all. For example, the macro lens and 1.4 thing. It only started to work after someone here told me to lock the ring on the lens and use the camera. Before I did that I got a flashing F most of the time. I am not making this stuff up, I am a complete and uttur noob!
 
Envy is a terrible thing guys, lets be honest the photos apart from the whisky bottle are not spectacular (no offence EdinburghGarry) . Perhaps he just has a flair for spotting a good shot or creating one. The Arthurs Seat photo is only about 2 miles from where I live and it would be a very easy shot to set up, beginners luck maybe with the shot.

As for getting all the gear in one go , something a lot of us would like to do but cannot afford to is no reason to question why he bought it all in one go. I'm sure most guys here if their honest and they could afford it would buy all the gear at once.

Why assume that he's messing everyone up cos he can put a border round a photo. I still take many (mostly) crap photos using cheaper gear cos I could'nt afford what I'd like, but I could put borders round a picture long before I could afford to buy or work a decent camera.

Season of goodwill etc
 
Maybe you could treat yourself to some courses in the areas you would like to improve. It would probably be best to at least get familiar with the controls of your d200 first though.(y)
 
If i was you i'd be asking for a spot of nice weather a pen and a bit of paper for xmas.

Then with said pen and paper take camera out into nice weather find something you wanna take pics of and have a play. Write down what you did what worked what didnt. You clearly have an eye for a good photo just not the understanding of how to get it.

Whn i first got my underwater housing and camera i spent days taking pictures of a stuffed toy changing settings to see what happened. When i get a DSLR i will do the same.
 
frank said:
Envy is a terrible thing guys, lets be honest the photos apart from the whisky bottle are not spectacular (no offence EdinburghGarry) .
Click to expand...


Cheers ;) I will go put the "extra large pillow" back in the airing cupboard now!!!

I prefer my A.Seat shot to the Whiskey, but my eye is hardly trained.

G.
 
ben g said:
Maybe you could treat yourself to some courses in the areas you would like to improve. It would probably be best to at least get familiar with the controls of your d200 first though.(y)
Click to expand...

Sounds like a good idea, but involved bloody reading.....arghhhh I hate manuals!!!! :)

G.
 
EdinburghGary said:
Aperture
ISO
White Balance
F stop
Exposure (all I think is it makes the photo darker or paler)

I dont know how to increase or change my shutter speed, I dont know how to take landscapes and keep everything in focus, I havent a clue!!!
Click to expand...

Aperture: This is a strange one, and it is basically the one that has the f/ before the number.
Basically, if the number is low, the lens will let more light into it, allowing you to take photos in darker conditions without having to suffer shutter speed and use flash. The lower the number, the smaller the depth of field. The higher the number, the less light, but the bigger the depth of field. This is a good photo to describe it, the top having a big F/ number and the bottom having a small F/ number.
depth-of-field-pro-3-1.jpg


ISO: This is the sensitivity to light. Basically, the lower the number, the less sensitive to light your camera is, but the more detail it will retain. The higher the number, the more sensitive the camera is to light, but the picture will often have a lot of noise. The one on the left is taken at ISO 100, whereas the one on the right is taken at ISO 3200 (the shutter speeds and aperture has been changed to keep the light meter happy)
iso-1.jpg


White Balance: This is the process of removing unrealistic colour casts from your pictures. Basically, what you see in real life is white, will be replicated as white on the camera, as long as the white balance is right. You can set white balance yourself, but I put it on automatic :p
587_1.jpg


f/stop: I do believe that this is to do with aperture. Correct me if I'm wrong :p

Exposure: Its just like film. If not enough light is on the film, the photo will appear dark. If too much light is on the film, the photo will appear too bright. Getting just the right exposure is down to knowing what settings to use at the right time (its down to constant use :p) or using the inbuilt light meter. Read yer manual :p

Shutter Speed: This is basically how fast the shutter opens. 1/250 means the shutter will open for 1/250th of a second. 5'' means the shutter will open for 5 seconds. This basically allows less/more light into the camera. To reduce camera shake, you want to use a shutter speed equivilent to the focal length at the current time. If you're using your Sigma 10-20mm wide open, a shutter speed of 1/10 should stop camera shake being a problem, but if you're using your Nikkor 70-300mm at 300mm, you'll want a much higher shutter speed, somewhere between 1/250 or higher.

Keeping EVERYTHING in focus uses a low aperture - a high f/stop. But focusing, you either use manual focus or auto focus. Depending on what you're shooting really.

Hope that clears it up for you (y)
 
All the gear, no idea

Sort of like those bankers that turn up at the Nurburgring with a Porsche GT3 RS with full roll cage and then sit in the car park all day because if they took it on track they'd smash it on the first corner :thumbsdown:
 
Ross said:
All the gear, no idea

Sort of like those bankers that turn up at the Nurburgring with a Porsche GT3 RS with full roll cage and then sit in the car park all day because if they took it on track they'd smash it on the first corner :thumbsdown:
Click to expand...

But, I am out trying everything there is to try with the Camera and enjoying it (y) I am not sitting watching the camera gather dust (which is what you are implying, why?).

Oh...and for the record, I tracked a brand new Elise about a week after passing my test. No crashes, just lots of fun.

Gary.
 
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