tc

If you want to understand the manual settings better, check out "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson.

Using the Aperture Priority (Av) or Shutter speed priority (Tv) settings are a great way to enhance your images (by specifying the depth of field or blur you want) and taking advantage of all the sophisticated electronics to ensure you get a proper exposure.

seven_dollars

Also if you want to take it a step further check out http://strobist.blogspot.com i would call it the yotatech of the photo lighing industry. Pro photographers have actually sent this guy hate mail for giving away the industries secrets. Check it out when you get a chance.

Also here are a few of my shots my smugmug wont allow me to link them so here are a few i have posted elsewhere. I find people easier than landscapes and i love lowlight conditions.

Shot on my 5D MkI 1/125, f/1.2, ISO 1250 @85mm on 85L


Shot on a (friends) 1D MkIII 1/60, f/1.2, ISO 800 @85mm on 85L


Shot on a (friends) 1D MkIII and dont have the meradata anymores so not sure on settings.

toylocost

Wowoweewoo. I love how sharp those are. And I hate that I have to throw down 2 whole paychecks to get my hands on a camera like that. And thats just the camera, nothing else.

I love to see more if you can get em up here.

RMP8080

My picture

nosfanatic2006

iTrader: (1)

I use a Nikon D40 and usually leave it on P mode. I have lots more but I never uploaded them anywhere

awareness

I like to take a lot of photos when I travel and when I go to shows, but typically only use a small point and shoot. I also go to a lot of shows and lately my photography seems more focussed on live music. Here's some that were already on my photobucket account.

WARNING: Way too many photos. Sorry.


Apr2006 - Eagles of Death Metal @ Coachella Festival, Indio CA


Aug2006 - Jesse Hughes, Eagles of Death Metal @ Endfest, Auburn WA


Mar2007 - Troy Sanders, Mastodon @ El Corazon, Seattle WA


Jun2007 - Amon Tobin @ Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver BC


Oct2007 - Wata, Boris @ Nightlight Lounge, Belingham, WA


Oct2007 - Takeishi, Boris @ Nightlight Lounge, Belingham WA


Oct2007 - Nick Oliveri, Mondo Generator @ Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver BC


Oct2007 - Brent Hinds, Mastodon @ Vegoose Festival, Las Vegas NV


Oct2007 - Daft Punk @ Vegoose Festival, Las Vegas NV


Mar2008 - Justice @ Showbox SODO, Seattle WA


Jul2008 - Takeshi, Boris @ Richards on Richards, Vancouver BC


Aug2008 - Radiohead @ Thunderbird Stadium, Vancouver BC


Oct2008 - Blind Melon @ Plaza Club, Vancouver BC


Nov2008 - Jesse Hughes, Eagles of Death Metal @ Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver BC


Mar2009 - Zakk Wylde, Black Label Society @ Commdore Ballroom, Vancouver BC


Apr2009 - Brent Hinds, Mastodon @ Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver BC


May2009 - Dave Navarro, Jane's Addiction @ Sasquatch Festival, George WA


Jul2009 - Jesse Hughes, Eagles of Death Metal @ Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver BC


Aug2009 - Alison Mosshart, Dead Weather @ Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver BC

wyorunner

iTrader: (1)

I currently shoot a D300, if you can afford one buy the D300s, you get dual memory card slots, and that fancy video mode from the d90.

As everybody has stated nikon may be leading the curve in SLRs but that really is besides the point. You can take an old 35 mm and shoot great photos. A camera is just another toy until you know its functions fully. Which is also ever changing as cameras come out. Something no one has mentioned, is that the manual, yes the paper book, on your camera should be your best friend. It has every function and button of a camera covered in extreme detail.

Ive been shooting since i was about 11, and im still not very good, and dont have any pictures to prove that. theyre all on the other computer.

seven_dollars

Yeah, my 5d i got off craigslitst for like 1150 used off a pro. Buy used if you can, the worst that can happen is usually the shutter will break which is an unfortunate $200-300 but can be better than spending the full retail on it. If your a true pro than it might be important to buy new but not until you make the money to pay for the price.

And the 85 f/1.2 lens is amazing when it comes to sharpness but it costs $1800. Thankfully i just borrow my friends. If you want sharp invest in glass, bodies change too often, hold no value and effect image quality less than the lens in my opinion.

algranger

Well i just got my first DSLR Canon Rebel XTI

I got it nearly new for $300 which is what i sold my old point and shoot Olympus for so i came out good on this deal. Only down side is it has no manual. I already got it a 30mbps 8 gig card

It's got one lens, an 18-55mm... lower end from what i can tell.

Anyways i have no idea what i'm getting into, i'm ready to move up to DSLR but its uncharted territory.

Any links or tips would be a great help.

What lenses would you guys reccommend for what reasons/purposes?

Edit: Typo

Truckfiend

Congrats on the new camera man! Canon rebels Rock!

I just found this thread and can not wait to get off work so I can post a few of my own.

algranger

Lol late shifts suck been there

Once i get a little better on this Rebel i'll be postin up a few more

Oh and a lot of you are saying "too many pics sorry" -dont worry about it thats the whole point of this thread post all you want

Truckfiend

Late shift does suck but it's work. Been on it for a month now and I'm here till 230am!.. but I spend most of my time reading on Yotatech.

algranger

Here are a few i took tonight just testing around with the camera, I love it so far and i'm sure once i learn how to use it it will grow on me more and more.

I already want a few lenses lol this is going to be expensive

algranger

Definitely. You can have good jobs or s****y jobs but whatever brings home the money works just fine. Homebuilding is slowing down for me so i'm doing odds and ends handyman jobs and what not

Not bad get on yt while you work.. where you workin that you can do that?

Truckfiend

I'm an aerospace inspector/machinist but work is slow and they still have me here 50 hours a week. Lots of time to research the new toyota project.

seven_dollars

Warning you kind of got me on a role so i apologize if its lengthy also i did my best to write this in order for someone with very little photo knowledge could read it. So don't feel patronized i am just doing my best to be as clear as possible without knowing what you know about the subject. And if you click on the lenses names they will take you to the amazon page.

Go out and buy yourself a 50mm f/1.8 its cheap ($99) and it is one of best lenses to learn on. It is going to give you the sharpest images for your money. and if you end up really liking it you can go and buy either the sigma 50 f/1.4 or the canon f/1.4 and get a sharper faster lens for $300-500 and you can also get a 50mm f/1.2 which is crazy at like $1550.

Keep in mind with lenses you pay for what you get but that first lens is almost the exception to that rule.

If you stick to primes (non zoom) than you will get better at staging shots and using you feet to Zoom and understanding what different focal lengths can do for you.

To better recommend a lens it would be best to know what you want to shoot with your camera.

Also if you like the 18-55 the best lens i think you can get for your rebel is a 17-55 F/2.8 I have a friends who has owned most of the canon lenses and this is one of his favorites but it is almost four times what you paid for the camera.

Keep in mind the lenses hold their value and the camera bodies do not. Some of them even appreciate. I bought a 35mm F/1.4 for like 1100 new years ago now the are 1400 new and i can easily sell mine for 1200.

Let me know how much you want to spend and what type of shooting you want to do and i can better suggest a lens.

As far as tips i will start with 3

1. Learn to shoot in Av (aperture priority) this gives you more control over your camera and what the depth of field (how much is in focus) will look like
2. Shoot a lot of different pictures of different things in different environments to learn your style and camera. Bring your camera with you everywhere until the people you know are surprised that you do not have it with you when you do choose to leave it at home.
3. Lastly look at photographs. You can learn so much by looking at mags and photography books at your local book store. Look at the photograph and see where the lighting is coming from guess what lens length (mm) they used what aperture what speed if they used artificial lighting the angles and so on.

algranger

Thank you. Thats exactly what i'm looking for

I love shooting macros and landscape or large scenery pics

I can see the 18-55 has it's place it doesnt do well at either of those.

tc

BS. It depends on what kind of shot you're going for. If you want to control the depth of field, you need to use Av. If you want to control blur or sharpness, you should use Tv (shutter speed priority). I will definitely agree to use these settings and let the sophisticated electronics work for you instead of full manual and trying to figure it all out on the fly, or just putting it in "Auto" or "P" and letting the camera make these creative decisions for you.

Pick up a copy of "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson.

I will agree with this. Don't be concerned about the "keep" ratio. In the old days of film, it got costly REALLY quick, but that's not the case any more. Digital "film" is free to develop - tak advantage of it!

I kinda agree with this one and kinda disagree. Composition is very subjective and personal. I think the upside of this is it will help you determine better what you like, and maybe what other people like, but at the end of the day, it's about what you think about how the picture represents the actual scene and what you're trying to get across. If there's only a certain amount of time, better to be TAKING photographs than looking at other people's.

The biggest recommedation I would add is to not get too tied up in post-processing. Once again, much better to be out taking photos than sitting in front of a computer "fixing" them. Yes, Photoshop is becoming an increasingly valuable tool in the photographer's toolbox, but learn to get it as close as possible "in camera" and minimize the processing.

seven_dollars

If you really like macro the 100mm f/2.8 macro (550 new 450ish used) is said to be a great lens. people use it as a portrait lens as well but it is really sharp and has a decent price for its quality. And once again if you fall in love they have a brand new L version that is just coming out and is of course twice as much but probably really nice too.

As far as landscape you will want a wider lens so a 24-70 F/2.8 L (1250) is great or even the 17-40mm F/4 L (700 new 550-600 used) both are great lenses but can get expensive.

So if i were you i would buy that 50mm it see if you like prime lenses (fixed focal Length non zoom) and learn to shoot on that. Nobody ever buys that lens and is disappointed it is too cheap to have huge expectations and is a great way to get used to a prime lens and you will be able to get a lot of photos in low light conditions do to its low F-Stop or Apperature F/1.8.

Also if you want a zoom there are lenses that come in kits for the xxD and xD series lenses that will be easy to find used and cheaper because of how many are on the market. The new 5D MkII comes with a 24-205 F/4 with Image Stabilization and you can find those for like 800 in my area really easy and they are great lenses but not the best for some of the people because of the higher F/4 apperature settings. Not sure what comes on the xxD series kits but i am sure it is cheaper than the other lenses in its class due to its commonality.

In conclusion buy the 50mm and learn to use your camera better and then you should know what you like. Or find a higher end zoom lens. Then get yourself some nice pristine (expensive) L series glass.

Good luck

Oh and another tip for good measure.

When you photograph something get in the way and be almost offencive. Do not be afraid of offending people when you are shooting pictures. More often then not people will never say anything and you will get the shot you really want and if need be appologize. It is better to offend the few and please the many with a great photograph. So if your not getting caught by security for going places you shouldnt and you not making viewers frustrated because of your momentary disruption of their view than your not trying hard enough.

seven_dollars

So did you just BS me, then pretty much agree with everything i said only adding a bit of information that I mostly agree with and just did not go to the extent of writing. So just to clarify that that BS stands for Bull S***.