Newbie

[wolfhazel]

Hey!
I'm new to all of this. I love playing around on the familys' digital camera, then recently I thought I could get into photography more seriously.
I was wondering what advice you could give me. If there is anything I should know, what to read, what sort of camera I should save up for as my first camera.
Just everything I should know to start with. It would be much apreciated.
Wolfhazel xxx

 

[Big Mike]

Welcome to the forum.

A lot of people think that the best 'first' camera to get would be an old, manual focus film camera. Something like a Canon AE-1 or Pentax K etc. The idea is that you don't get confused by all the bells & whistles that newer cameras have. You have to think about what you are doing so it forces you to learn how to control the camera.

On the other hand, with a digital camera, you have instant feedback which can be a very useful learning tool. Ideally, a digital SLR will allow you the freedom to learn and expand your kit as your knowledge grows. However, Digital SLR cameras are very expensive to buy. The Nikon D70 or Canon Rebel XT would be good choices for starters.

Maybe you want to start with film but move up to digital later. Then I suggest a newer film SLR that is compatible with a good digital system. Canon or Nikon are best but there are others like Pentax, Minolta etc.

There are lots & lots of books and resources that will help you learn the science/art of photography. Check out your local library. Once you have read some of the basics, you can ask specific questions here at the forum and get great answers.

Good luck

 

[wolfhazel]

Thanks! I shall do some reading and research and then I'm sure you'll see more of me

 

[Wirral Bagpuss]

Hello !!
I popped the question myself recently and decided to go for the Nikon D70 !! So far i am having a wonderful time with it !!! I got some holidays comming up and will be using that to have some serious Nikon time !!!!

 

[lazarus219]

welcome to the forum and photography i guess,

like was said before an old manual camera would be great, but if you want to stick digital try the fuji S5500- great for learning and has a loit of features for a low price

www.dcviews.co.uk - have a look at the tutorials on that, itll teach you the basics. Try going to a library and getting John Hedgecoes new manual of photography. it covers EVERYTHING in all formats and will teach you alot. I picked it up after i'd already learnt ALOT of tech stuff over the internet but still managed to learn alot, it is probly worth buying- im re-reading it at the moment and picking up lots of little thnigs i missed the first time

Get out and shoot- youll love it!
lazarus219,

 

[OOID]

A piece of advice that I would give is picking one brand of camera and sticking to it. Canon, Nikon, Olympus , and Minolta are all great choices. Great pictures can be taken with all. The reason for sticking to one brand thous is pretty simple: Lenses and Accesories. As you get better and deeper into photography you will realize that you may need to expand your arsenal and if you jump from brand to brand it will end up costing you much more than it has to. For example, If you buy any canon EOS camera and then buy any one of their EF lenses that means that if you upgrade to any other canon body those lenses that you invested in will work with it. This is advice that I was given and I am just passing it on. Also, try taking a begining photography class at your local comunity college. This will teach you the basic principals of photography and get you aquainted with the development and printing process. Good Luck.

 

[hobbes28]

Welcome to the forum! Another great site for researching cameras is www.dpreview.com They do reviews of most all cameras that come out and are non biased and very informative.