Beginner Ordered a Nikon D3300 instead of D5300

Damo88

Damo88

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hi guys

I made the plunge and ordered a Nikon d3300 instead of the d5300.

Reason being is im going to invest in a lens which has been advised, Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR f/35mm 1.8g lens to go along with the standard 18mm/55mm lens.

The flip screen and wifi almost swayed me but i wont be really using it for video purposes, just for taking some nice scenery shots, car shots, pet shots etc

Any advise with the new camera when it arrives etc?
 
Buying this lens with the camera is the same price for buying the D5300 on its own.
 
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35mm is a very nice prime camera, set it to one of the non auto modes and start taking pictures, post on the forum and people can help.

You may also find watching a few YouTube vids about the camera and photography in general may help to get you going.
 
sep9001 said:
35mm is a very nice prime camera, set it to one of the non auto modes and start taking pictures, post on the forum and people can help.

You may also find watching a few YouTube vids about the camera and photography in general may help to get you going.
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Arrr brill, yer youtube has helped alot, im just trying to understand the "1.8" of the len etc i understand the 35mm mind
 
Damo88 said:
hi guys

I made the plunge and ordered a Nikon d3300 instead of the d5300.

Reason being is im going to invest in a lens which has been advised, Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR f/35mm 1.8g lens to go along with the standard 18mm/55mm lens.

The flip screen and wifi almost swayed me but i wont be really using it for video purposes, just for taking some nice scenery shots, car shots, pet shots etc

Any advise with the new camera when it arrives etc?
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That is the combination that I have got. I have gotten some very nice photos with the 35mm, but there are times when the kit lens has been more preferential. The kit lens can produce some reasonably good images. I did have the Nikon AF-S 55-200MM f/4-5.6G, and this lens produces some great photos. I have no idea why I sold it, as I now want another one. They are not that expensive either.

If I was starting off now, I would have gone for the Nikon AF-S 55-200MM f/4-5.6G, instead of a 35mm prime. As I said, I have no idea why I sold it, probably a short of cash week :).
 
Damo88 said:
Arrr brill, yer youtube has helped alot, im just trying to understand the "1.8" of the len etc i understand the 35mm mind
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With the lens aperture open to f/1.8 you can shoot faster, as the lens lets more light in. Also with a wider aperture, you can create effects, such as background out of focus. Although opening the lens wide, does not always create a nice looking image.
 
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What do you intend to do with the photos? Storage, backups, straight out of the camera JPEGs or RAW (raw files need software to process and edit them). Exporting to FB, instagram need resizing for optimum quality.
 
Mintchocs said:
What do you intend to do with the photos? Storage, backups, straight out of the camera JPEGs or RAW (raw files need software to process and edit them). Exporting to FB, instagram need resizing for optimum quality.
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I intend on putting them on facebook instagram etc, but photo wise id like to have a play around with them see what best qaulity i can get, when you say Raw files need editing how do i go about that?

Thanks for the tips guys im really looking forward to getting it now :)
 
Damo88 said:
I intend on putting them on facebook instagram etc, but photo wise id like to have a play around with them see what best qaulity i can get, when you say Raw files need editing how do i go about that?

Thanks for the tips guys im really looking forward to getting it now :)
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Your new camera will come with a RAW file converter on a CD, or you can convert the RAW files in camera.
 
jonbeeza said:
Your new camera will come with a RAW file converter on a CD, or you can convert the RAW files in camera.
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Thats brill, im really looking forward to it, im hoping the camera will teach me alot, ive got some good locations around me so picture practising opportunities are great.
 
The key to using a camera is understanding exposure, if you understand exposure then all questions about settings and stuff become largely irrelevant because you will know the answers yourself.

This is a good explanation here: http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/camera-exposure.htm

Have a look at their other tutorials too, some of them are excellent and some less so but all will teach you something useful :)

The next thing is to learn about composition, there are some good rules of thumb it is worth knowing about (rule of thirds, for example). They are not hard and fast rules but knowing them will also teach you when it might be good to break them.

The final thing (or maybe it's the first) is to realise that photography is about light, crap light = crap photos, but this will become apparent when you know how to use your camera, got good composition yet the photos are still not how you would like them.
 
Damo88 said:
Thats brill, im really looking forward to it, im hoping the camera will teach me alot, ive got some good locations around me so picture practising opportunities are great.
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The important thing is, get out and have fun with it. So long as you enjoy it, and don't let it be a chore, it becomes easier to learn. It is amazing when it all comes together, you will wonder what all the fuss and worry was about ;).
 
A great choice of camera and lens. I have a D3200 as well as a couple of high end full frame cameras but it still gets a great deal of use and produces excellent images. The 35mm will not disappoint either and is an excellent choice to get you moving around and actively looking for interesting compositions.
If you don't have editing software as yet try Affinity Photo which not only has a built in RAW convertor but excellent editing features that rival Photoshop AND it's currently on sale for £29.99.
 
jonbeeza said:
I have tried leaving the 35mm on my D3300, for out and about stuff. But for some reason, I prefer the kit lens. For me, kit lens set at 24mm or 55mm feels better.
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Easier certainly. One of the benefits of using a prime, of any focal length, is that it challenges you to 'see' better and seek out your images rather than a simple zoom in/out. The main benefit of the 35mm f1.8 though is that its perfectly sharp enough wide open, and utilising that limited DoF makes you think more and be more creative too as you can use that limited DoF to 'tell' people where you want them to look within your image, whereas a 24mm that's around f4 wide open is going to still give a large DoF and be more tricky to direct the viewer's attention

That said - shoot whatever the Hell you like if it works for you :)

Dave
 
Thanks so much guys for ur support im greatful, ill learn for sure ive just got to keep studying things at a time and put the practise to work :)
 
I've now got a D7200 but my partner has my old D3300, I still nick it off her from time to time, its so small and light and with the 35mm it takes cracking shots. Just takes a little longer to dial in the settings.
 
i have a 35f18 lens albeit on a different camera and i just love it the quality of the photos you can achieve are excellent!
 
Hello, I'm new here, too. Slippery slope the entry level Nikons, my wife started with a D3100, then got a D5300 last, year, cracking little camera, her birthday 3 weeks ago she got the full frame D750 she's loved every one of them

Especially the 35mm f1.8, it really is a cracking lens, although she's thinking she may have to get the 50mm 1.8 for it
 
Coatsy79 said:
Hello, I'm new here, too. Slippery slope the entry level Nikons, my wife started with a D3100, then got a D5300 last, year, cracking little camera, her birthday 3 weeks ago she got the full frame D750 she's loved every one of them

Especially the 35mm f1.8, it really is a cracking lens, although she's thinking she may have to get the 50mm 1.8 for it
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I use both on a D750 and they're great. Just wish they weren't so graunchy when focussing manually.
 
I had the d3300 before my current camera and loved it paired with the 35mm. I fact I think 90% of my photos where taken with that combo. It's a great camera, watch lots of YouTube videos on not just photography but your camera model and you'll be off before you know it. The most important thing is to use it though, I used mine just about every day.

Enjoy
 
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