Beginner Just got gifted a canon eos 6d

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Ostravaofboletaria

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What do you think is the best way of learning to use the camera to it's full potential. I have watched a few tutorials but still feel I'm missing something.
 
ecoleman said:
Do you need to learn how to use THIS camera or do you need to learn how to use A camera?
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What he said?

Are you a photographer who’s just got an upgrade you need to learn to use?

Or are you someone who’s been gifted a camera that means you want to learn to take pictures.

BTW If it’s the first, the 6d is a very ‘simple’ camera, I’d go as far as to say, all you need to know is that the centre focus point is more or less all you have, but it’s brilliant.
 
Wow.

That's a big area to cover if you're a complete novice (i.e. never used a DSLR before).

But here are some questions I'd ask:

What else were you gifted? i.e. Which lens is it paired with? this may have an impact on your ability to take the pictures you want if it's not the right lens for the job. Which brings me to...
Were you interested in photography at all before? And what sort of photos are you interested in being able to take? (and don't just say good ones! ;-)) Do you like street photography? Landscapes? People? Sports?
Do you have any hobbies you could capture or would want to capture? Airshows? Sports? Motorsports? Portraits? Events?
Do you want to be able to leave in auto mode and just concentrate on composition or do you want to learn how to use it in full manual mode?
 
To be fair when I started my first instinct was to turn auto off on everything which was just a stupid idea. Have all the safety aids on to start and gradually turn them off one by one to learn what they do.
 
The basics start at ASA , Shutter speed , Depth of field ( Aperture )
Did the camera come with a memory card , good battery , Charger ,Lens etc ?
 
Hiya. Everything has been covered above really. As Phil says you couldn't have been gifted a better camera to start with. I have owned mine since 2014 and still use it to this day. I'll be gutted when it gives in.
Enjoy. ...

Gaz
 
Ostravaofboletaria said:
What do you think is the best way of learning to use the camera to it's full potential. I have watched a few tutorials but still feel I'm missing something.
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As others have said, the Mike Browne videos are excellent.
But I thought it might be helpful to revisit this question.

The cameras potential is that it is capable of taking superb photographs. A camera is a tool, and whilst it might not be ‘the best’ for wildlife or sports, it’s better than 99% of cameras used before the year 2000. ergo it’s good enough to have captured all the great photos of the 20th century.

So that brings us to what you’re capable of? Non photographers often believe that it’s ‘the camera that takes the picture’. You’ll quickly learn that’s not true. I’ve got a few old cameras that haven’t taken a single picture in the last 3 years. :D

How good a photographer you become is all down to how much effort you put in. Whether it’s getting up at 3am and driving 50 miles to capture a beautiful landscape. Sitting in a hide for hours to capture wildlife, or just learning how to ‘see’ the world in potential photos.

The good news is; it’s never been easier, there’s so much instruction and inspiration out there. The bad news is that it still takes effort to put it into practice.

For now; shoot everything, study everything, but also think about what you really want to photograph, it’ll be something you already have a passion for. And that’s what you’ll probably end up obsessed with.

Or you’ll be like the other 80% of camera owners and never become ‘obsessed’, and that’s perfectly fine too.
 
+1 for the David Busch 6D Book, it really gave me an insight into what the camera was capable of..... even if I'm not!
Superb camera for budget night photography when paired with something like the Samyang 14mm 2.8, so you may want to look into that as well.
 
Thnx for all the help guys
Kell said:
Wow.

That's a big area to cover if you're a complete novice (i.e. never used a DSLR before).

But here are some questions I'd ask:

What else were you gifted? i.e. Which lens is it paired with? this may have an impact on your ability to take the pictures you want if it's not the right lens for the job. Which brings me to...
Were you interested in photography at all before? And what sort of photos are you interested in being able to take? (and don't just say good ones! ;-)) Do you like street photography? Landscapes? People? Sports?
Do you have any hobbies you could capture or would want to capture? Airshows? Sports? Motorsports? Portraits? Events?
Do you want to be able to leave in auto mode and just concentrate on composition or do you want to learn how to use it in full manual mode?
Click to expand...
First of all I was gifted two lenses
Samyang 1.5 24mm
Canon 50 mm lens

I wish to get into event photography as I like to help out local institutions in my area who need a camera guy.

I want to use the camera to it's full capacity learn everything I can basically
 
Ah; the old conscious competence.

For the OP; if you want a better explanation of ‘trying to run before you can walk’ here’s the brief learning cycle:
en.m.wikipedia.org

Four stages of competence - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org en.m.wikipedia.org

You appear to be in the ‘you don’t know what you don’t know’ phase, also known as ‘unconscious incompetence’.

if I said I’d just been gifted some pans so I was thinking I’d open a restaurant, would you ask me what kind of pans? Or whether I had any idea how to cook?
 
Phil V said:
Ah; the old conscious competence.

For the OP; if you want a better explanation of ‘trying to run before you can walk’ here’s the brief learning cycle:
en.m.wikipedia.org

Four stages of competence - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org en.m.wikipedia.org

You appear to be in the ‘you don’t know what you don’t know’ phase, also known as ‘unconscious incompetence’.

if I said I’d just been gifted some pans so I was thinking I’d open a restaurant, would you ask me what kind of pans? Or whether I had any idea how to cook?
Click to expand...
I really do wanna get into it. Even before I was gifted I had a passion. For example I would analyse media like movies see the shots they are doing and what effect it creates
 
Ostravaofboletaria said:
I really do wanna get into it. Even before I was gifted I had a passion. For example I would analyse media like movies see the shots they are doing and what effect it creates
Click to expand...
Excellent!
I'm not suggesting here that you don't or won't get into it, but I am highlighting that you may be at a point where you have no idea how much you don't know.

So long as you realise that there is so much to learn, and that practice makes perfect; you'll do fine. Like I said in a different post, it's never been easier to learn. I've known people go from 0 to successful business in a year - but that takes a gargantuan effort, and that takes a realisation that you need a gargantuan effort.
 
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