hello =D

C

Cadence

Guest
hi. newcomer here. I got sick of looking for the photography club in my school(don't think there i any really), so here i am.

Anyone here willing to teach me about cameras and functions from scratch, and basically the whole concept of photography(i'm happy to learn slowly) - because i don't know ANYTHING except for the fact that cameras takes pictures - that would be great.

The only camera i have is a Pantex Optio S50 - i don't actually know whether it's a good/bad camera, but it's quite confusing/annoying with all the functions(because i don't really know when to use them and what "pixels recorded" do and stuff like that - plus i hate the fact that it takes like a full second before i could move my hand after pressing the shutter button(? - dont know what it's called) because my hand is quite shaky and lots of my pictures always turnes out blurry because of this...i have to stop breathing sometimes just to get a clear picture. this post is getting pretty long...

my question - should i get a new camera? I'm a beginner and though i keep hearing(from all the camera reviews i've read) that its not the camera, its the photographer - THERE HAS GOT TO BE A CHEAP BASIC CAMERA FOR PEOPLE WHO KNOWS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. I'd also like to know what i should look for in a camera and why i should look for them =D

I was thinking of a SONY A100. but i wouldn't want to waste that much money just starting out. any suggestions(with provided reasons thanks) will be very much apreciated.
 
Hello Cadence and welcome aboard. I'm going to leave aside the question of whether you should change your camera for now, it's an important decision, and at this stage you don't need to be in a rush.

What's left is still one hell of a question you asked. :D Have a good look around our tutorials section where you'll find the answers to a lot of your questions. This isn't a cop out, but get a good book which explains the photographic basics, sit down quietly and thoroughly digest it. You might be surprised what your local library has to offer. ;)

To give you the crash course you're seeking, would need a post the equivalent of a book to answer it. :)

Have a look around the board, a lot of the answers you seek are here. Don't be afraid to ask any specific questions you like.

If you live local to a board member you can get together with, a lot of the stuff which is bugging you can be easily explained in a couple of hours with a camera to hand. (y)
 
I'm going to move this post to The Welcome section Cadence where you'll probably get a lot more responses. :)
 
Hello and :welcome: to TP Forums Cadence ... (y) ... and wowsa what an entry ... not sure anyone has ever asked so much on any single post let alone their first ... :D

CT is about right ... something like this may well get you started ... ignore the title they are pretty good books for starters and reference ... ;)

Digital Cameras & Photography

HTH ... :D



:p
 
:welcome:

Hello and Welcome to TPF :wave:
 
Hi Cadence :wave:

I would suggest sticking with the camera you have for now. Get used to all the functions it has and try using it on manual settings before spending a lot of money. (unless you have lots of money)

Once you have a better understanding of how to take photos without using the auto modes you may then want to move up to a dslr.

Don't expect to be taking great photos straight away ... Even the pro's don't always get it spot on every time.

Good luck.

:canon:
 
Hello and welcome Cadence. :welcome:

This site is used by about the friendliest bunch of people on the 'net with a huge range of photographic experience, styles and techniques on tap. I've learned masses since I've been on here and I hope you find it as useful as I have!!
 
Hello :)

That camera does not look too bad. Usually you can cut out the delay you are annoyed with by pressing the shutter half way down as you compose the shot. That makes the camera do the slow stuff like getting things in focus. When you press the shutter button fully the shot is more or less instant.
 
Hello and :welcome: to TPF.

I think there has already been some good advice above and the only thing I can add is don't be affraid to post your shots on the forum for review, its the best way to get feedback on what you have done and what you can do to make things better. Also sometimes people tend to be more critical of their own work, and it may not be as bad as you think.

Look forward to seeing some of you work.

Lee
 
Hi Cadence and welcome to TP. I have gone from a film SLR to Compact Digital to recently a Digital SLR.

It took me months to even scratch the surface of how to use the Film SLR, a few weeks to get to grips with the Compact.

Although some of what i have learned can be taken over to using the digital SLR i am finding that it's actually quite different and the settings i used on the film camera don't always come out looking the same on the Digital.

Practice practice practice is the best advice i can give you, take photos of various subjects at different times of the day using different settings on the camera.

I also read loads of books and look on websites for information and inspiration.

You come across as being really keen and this is half the battle, keep it up and don't lose heart, it's all a bit confusing at the start but once you get to grips with it all it's great.

I also find this website useful

http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/category/uncategorized/
 
Hiya :wave: and welcome to the club!

As a beginner myself, I have found reading books and magazines a huge help, as well as asking here.......there is no such thing as a daft question! Also, I would advise sticking with the camera you have for now, but getting to know it better. Make sure you read the manual carefully, with the camera in your hand and practise taking shots at different settings, so you understand the effect of changing things.

When you feel more confident with your camera, you will relax more (and thus shake less) and may find it suits your needs for now. Hope this helps. ;)
 
whoa. Thank you all so much for the books, websites, advice and everything =D
I'll get right to it i think - funny how i didn't even think about checking out the library for books. haha =S
But thanks again, this helped A LOT.
 
Hi Cadence and welcome.

There isn't really much i can add to this. When i bought my first D-SLR I bought a few books on-line, but found they were aimed at not only absolute beginners from Mars, but also people that gave the bluntest tool in the box some thing to feel smug about. Moral of this story: take CT's advice and look in a library to find a writing style you're comfortable with. Then, if you want to buy a book that will make a long term companion, you'll know which authors to look for.

Good luck and look forward to seeing the results of your work (y)
 
welcome Cadence
 
Welcome Cadence. The best advice I can give is keep asking questions, read up on the subject as already suggested, and above all practise - keep trying different approaches and assessing the results.
 
:agree: what they all said
(y) welcome (y)
 
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