wanted any hints, tips and general advise

kevykat

kevykat

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162
Name
kevin
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Hey all, new to this forum so hello to all
Just to upgrade to a DSLR and aint got much of a clue of what im gettin myself into.
So far what i have bought, starting with the cam is a Sony Alpha 290 with 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 kit lens with UV filter. I have also bought a Tamron 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 XR DI II with Hoya UV filter and a Jessops 360 AFDS flashgun
On quite a tight budget and just starting out so not trying to go too OTT.
Can anyone recommend anything else i should get,i got the case, lcd cover, spare batt, but not sure what else i should get?
Any any advise on Photography in general? Ive been readin the Photography Bible book for the basics and taking a bit in.
 
Hi what type of photography are you interested in?
This will help as to which direction you go, macro, wildlife, landscapes etc one of the best things I have bought lately was a decent tripod, some form of post processing software but just get out and start snapping
 
On the software. There is a lot of free stuff around.

Have a look at Photoscape, GIMP, Silkypix.

Dave
 
ive got 1 8gb mem card so far.
ye will def look into software
at the moment im interested in takin pics of anything. abit vague, but i go to alot of gigs, on holidays so scenery, nature and animal shots as well as pics of people. can you advise me on this
I do also have a tripod aswell

thanks all
 
Hi Kevin :wave: and welcome to the wonderful world of DSLR photography - you'll never be the same again :D

No-one else has said this yet, so I will - get out there and take lots of pictures. Make a note of the settings you used and try different settings for the same shot then check out the effect that changing those settings has on the result.

To get the most out of your photography and equipment you need to understand the relationship between ISO, aperture and shutter speed and how they interact with each other. You can do this by experimentation or by reading any of several good books on the subject plus experimentation.

Whatever else you do ... enjoy taking photographs :thumbs:
 
kevykat said:
ive got 1 8gb mem card so far.
ye will def look into software
at the moment im interested in takin pics of anything. abit vague, but i go to alot of gigs, on holidays so scenery, nature and animal shots as well as pics of people. can you advise me on this
I do also have a tripod aswell

thanks all
Click to expand...

Get a second memory card for a start. The only thing worse than losing pictures by one dying is missing out on taking other pictures as you don't have another with you.

Doesn't really need to be as big though, so you can save a bit of money.
 
thanks again guys. im offshore at the moment so i plan on gettin out there and filling my memory card when im home
ive got another thread with just a few shots of my pets. was just muckin about at home really, just trying out my cam. im no pro, i thought i captured some good shots. would appreciate any tips and comments

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=251751
 
For a newcomer Kev, that is a heck of a lot to be getting on with. Glad you've got a decent flash - not many people go for that until they've got every lens under the sun and it really does open up completely new areas of photography, as well as helping you get the most out of regular picture taking situations.

For the future (but not now, seriously) you might want a super wide angle around 10-20mm range, something for macro (maybe a lens, maybe a close-up accessory) and perhaps a low f/number lens like a 50mm f/1.8 for low light photography (gigs?) and shallow depth of field effects.

Meanwhile, remember that it is supposed to be about taking pictures rather than collecting gadgets (though that's fun too ;) ) even though you will inevitably end up with a large pile of kit, most of which you will probably hardly ever use :lol:

As for being off-shore right now, if that's on a rig or something then that's a fantastic place, and people, to take pictures!
 
thanks very much for that. im going to a music fest in October so may have to get me a low f number lens.
I wish i took my camera with me offshore now, although u need permits to take pics offshore also some rigs don't allow it at all, but there been Porbeagle sharks swimming all over the place here and im in the north sea off Aberdeen so its pretty uncommon.
can you recommend what lens i should get and where cheapest? Its a Sony A290 i have. I think im pretty open to makes of lenses for this cam, tamron, minolta etc.

:thumbs::thumbs::thumbs:
 
Kevin

Get a small notebook (writing one not laptop ). Then when you have a idea for a possible photo make a note of it. Then when you have time, or wondering what to do next, you have a list of subjects.
 
Chappers said:
Kevin

Get a small notebook (writing one not laptop ). Then when you have a idea for a possible photo make a note of it. Then when you have time, or wondering what to do next, you have a list of subjects.
Click to expand...

nice one, wouldnt of thought of that. Thanks very much

:thumbs::thumbs:
 
kevykat said:
thanks very much for that. im going to a music fest in October so may have to get me a low f number lens.
I wish i took my camera with me offshore now, although u need permits to take pics offshore also some rigs don't allow it at all, but there been Porbeagle sharks swimming all over the place here and im in the north sea off Aberdeen so its pretty uncommon.
can you recommend what lens i should get and where cheapest? Its a Sony A290 i have. I think im pretty open to makes of lenses for this cam, tamron, minolta etc.

:thumbs::thumbs::thumbs:
Click to expand...

I seem to remember saying that you have quite enough kit for now ;)

But if you want a low f/number lens for gigs, and I mean more like small pub bands where you can get close rather than big concerts, then a 50mm f/1.8 is probably ideal. You'll need some practise to get the most from it though. They are great for portraits generally, where the focal length is good on a crop format camera and the very shallow depth of field you get at f/1.8 is (sometimes) an effective technique.

These lenses are known as nifty-fifties, for what they do and the amazingly low cost. They are a 'heritage' design, made by the million for older film cameras, and although they are generally quite cheaply constructed they work very well. Most manufacturers make something similar, and the Sony version (based on a Minolta design) is about £140 - most other low f/number lenses cost at least double this http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy...8_1281822911_e417b3b9d5b7fc7d039b2d44f9ae1a4e

If you fancy a bity of close-up, the Raynox DCR-250 (or 150) supplementary close up lens will work well on this lens, for around 30 quid on Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/RAYNOX-RADCR-0250-Raynox-DCR-250/dp/B000A1SZ2Y It may not be the last word in macro optics, but it's unbeatable value. Tke a look at some images I prepared earlier ;) http://www.flickr.com/groups/raynoxdcr250/
 
HoppyUK said:
I seem to remember saying that you have quite enough kit for now ;)

But if you want a low f/number lens for gigs, and I mean more like small pub bands where you can get close rather than big concerts, then a 50mm f/1.8 is probably ideal. You'll need some practise to get the most from it though. They are great for portraits generally, where the focal length is good on a crop format camera and the very shallow depth of field you get at f/1.8 is (sometimes) an effective technique.

These lenses are known as nifty-fifties, for what they do and the amazingly low cost. They are a 'heritage' design, made by the million for older film cameras, and although they are generally quite cheaply constructed they work very well. Most manufacturers make something similar, and the Sony version (based on a Minolta design) is about £140 - most other low f/number lenses cost at least double this http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy...8_1281822911_e417b3b9d5b7fc7d039b2d44f9ae1a4e

If you fancy a bity of close-up, the Raynox DCR-250 (or 150) supplementary close up lens will work well on this lens, for around 30 quid on Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/RAYNOX-RADCR-0250-Raynox-DCR-250/dp/B000A1SZ2Y It may not be the last word in macro optics, but it's unbeatable value. Tke a look at some images I prepared earlier ;) http://www.flickr.com/groups/raynoxdcr250/
Click to expand...

Cheers for all that info. the band im goin to see is a group called hayseed dixie, became friends with them over the years so will get alot of close up shots on and off stage so hopefully this lens will come in a treat

just read into the raynox and a few reviews mentioned something about adaptor tube. Whats that all about and will i need it?
thanks
kev
 
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kevykat said:
Cheers for all that info. the band im goin to see is a group called hayseed dixie, became friends with them over the years so will get alot of close up shots on and off stage so hopefully this lens will come in a treat

just read into the raynox and a few reviews mentioned something about adaptor tube. Whats that all about and will i need it?
thanks
kev
Click to expand...

Nifty-50 sounds perfect :thumbs:

The Raynox is basically a strong supplementary close up lens. They are sometimes called close up filters, incorrectly because they don't filter anything, as they attach to the filter thread on the front of the lens.

The DCR-250 is +8 diopters, which will get you very close indeed. The 150 version is +4.8 dipoters which is still pretty strong and is better if you prefer flowers to bugs and beetles. They are both optical triplets - three glass elements stuck together - which give better correction than the more common a singlets or doublets.

The Raynox comes with a handly little spring-loaded clip-on adapter which will fit most lenses, or you can buy a step-up ring for a fiver which converts it to any size you like.

It's just such a bargain. Not the last word in macro photography, but honestly quite good enough for the kind of regular stuff most people do. If it was made by Canon, it would cost £150! Just don't expect it to do critcal flat copy work like stamps or coins.
 
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