Beginner New Here, looking to buy a new camera

Hardy used the camera but I'm quite excited. I will have to get some advice to speed up the learning process. I've tried a few test shots in less than ideal conditions with basic auto settings. Defo going to be looking for a 18-135 lens. I have no idea what I am doing but the 50mm, although good seems a bit limited for the kind of general use I had in mind. I also suspect 70-300 vc might struggle at some locations, might be wrong, it works well at the range I have tired but I suspect I will require a bit more distance but we will see.

I have seen good shots from all this kit which tells me I need to learn about using it properly. I've spend less than 20 mins with the camera so far.
I will be venturing out with a friend who is more knowledgeable in a few weeks time. Hope to start getting some pics that I can share and ask for constructive feedback.
 
you may find for the 70-300 best image quality is when stepped down a stop or to to around f/8- f/11 though you'll need plenty of light ( or get yourself a tripod ( more money i know ). i use a benro tripod with ball head. its ok but not the best by far, but got it for the size ( small enough to hook onto side of camera bag but big enough to hold my camera and lens ( as long as i dont use the extension. Also have a much bigger heavier redsnapper but ive had numerous issues with it and dont use it now as found it unreliable ( leg fell off, bolt sheared off !!)
would also recommend to get off Auto settings as quick as possible. would suggest using Aperture priority and play around with that ( also manual ISO to maintain some level of continuity.)

take a few shots across the aperture range and pay attention to the shutter speed its setting for you ( rule of thumb is shutter speed equal to or faster than lens length ( bear in mind its aps-c so lens length is 1.6 x focal equiv 0
ok so in simple terms on your 70-300 the equiv focal length is around 480mm. so to handhold you realistically want to be shooting 1/480th sec or faster. below that things can start to get a bit wobbly hence where tripod comes into play.
your 10-18 handheld around 1/30th sec Built has IS so you can go lower ( probably down to about 1/8th sec or even 1/4 sec hand held.
your 50mm prime your looking at around 1/60th sec hand held and above.
so if you cant get to those speeds on your settings ( say iSO 100, then just bring the ISO up a level and test again.
my view is shooting digital costs nothing so you can rattle off as many shots as you like for playing around and getting used to the settings ( far easier than back in the days of film when you had to get it right pretty early on it ends up costing the earth! )
as for other camera settings.. well thats to learn and play with. i generally shoot spot metering and occasionally evaluative ) and pretty much always use centre point af focus) . picture style i keep on standard as i can make any adjustments i need post processing and ALWAYS ALWAYS shoot RAW.
WB ( white balance ) you can leave on auto though i do sometimes play around with that when out and about though again its something easily adjusted in post processing.

other than that just get out there , take shots enjoy and put up some samples.!
 
Mr Green said:
I have seen good shots from all this kit which tells me I need to learn about using it properly. I've spend less than 20 mins with the camera so far.
I will be venturing out with a friend who is more knowledgeable in a few weeks time. Hope to start getting some pics that I can share and ask for constructive feedback.
Click to expand...

Certainly learn the kit, but one thing that you may not have noticed when looking through other peoples shots is what post processing is done. My shots thought okay become much better after a couple of minutes in lightroom, many people will say get it right in camera and that is the first step - then make it better ;-)
 
JohnN said:
Certainly learn the kit, but one thing that you may not have noticed when looking through other peoples shots is what post processing is done. My shots thought okay become much better after a couple of minutes in lightroom, many people will say get it right in camera and that is the first step - then make it better ;-)
Click to expand...

also remember less is more . ive gone from using a whole ton of post processing ( photomatix, lr, then adobe cc with ACR, nik efex and topaz labs ) trying to turn a dows ear into a silk purse or making a complete dogs dinner of a perfectly good straight out of camera shot.
if anything i think learning PP is far harder than learning how to use a camera and take a half decent shot. so if you can get into practice of keeping the post processing to a minimum it will see you in good stead later. sure theres nothing wrong with a little minor adjustments to WB, exposure, and tonal contrasts and a little bit of cropping, but the biggest mistake i see is when people start to create eye bleeding psuedo HDR to cover up rubbish shots ( and yes ive been there done that! )
in regard to HDR i think this humourous but truthful article sums it up
http://digital-photography-school.com/10-steps-every-hdr-photographer-goes-through/

and this too! ( fun but true lol )

b2feF.png
 
lol, that is so very true

I think I must be about half way - I own a tripod, several in fact but don't use them and a bit of a gear whore, but I think my pics are pretty good - worryingly I think that puts me just before the drop to "Dammit, I suck" :confused:

Guess I'd better start thinking about techniques!
 
Ok I used auto mode :( I manually focused then used auto before I took the pics, this was to test the lens / camera works and see what it could do.
I am happy that it all works as it should and have a better understanding. Remember I've only really used a a cheap camera a limited number of times and mainly for work this is a whole new world.
I know I need to work with aperture, Iso and shutter speed... some of the pics on here by you guys are amazing

Here are my first ever - Auto test pics.I know it's not a measure of skill, but I hope it at least shows the ability to point it in the right direction? I wanted to get interesting angles but I was limited on position. https://www.flickr.com/gp/131930446@N06/65w1d5
 
An excellent start, theres nothing wrong with using Auto, it's there for a a reason. As you take more pictures you will then understand what the settings are being used by the camera and if you like the results they can be a starting point when you feel ready to try aperture, shutter or manual modes.

With the boy photo, have a good look around the background and see if there are objects which would be better not in the picture, as in this case, the headroom barrier to the left. It's little things like these which can help a photo, the composition.
 
If I can put another lens into the mix - I have used the Canon 28-135mm IS USM lens for a few years and even though I have 2 "l" lenses I would still not be without it really.

Of course I have a FF 1Ds MkII so I get a wider angle than a crop lens but for all round use I've found it excellent whether on my 1Ds or the 450D crop I had before.

And you can usually find a good one on here going cheaply (£150+).
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welcome to the world of DSLR. nice start and nice sharp shots in the main ( the roaring lion being the only one with some larger issues ( the vignette and focusing ) but overall a great start to whats hopefully a long and happy journey with your new kit
 
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