Advice for a beginner (and I do mean BEGINNER)

[Gunny79]

Hi,

I have a FUJIFILM FinePix s5800. I have no idea about shutter speed and aperture setting and how they affect my pictures.

I guess I would like to know if my camera is good enough for a beginner?

 

[avilamillar]

Hi, im a beginner too and i recommend you to read the book understanding exposure by Bryan Peterson, it helped me a lot!

also you can start by reading this thread: http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...rum-photo-gallery/123160-tutorial-thread.html

 

[Gunny79]

Thank you. I do have a bit of spare time these days so I think I will take up your suggestion.

I just need to know if I can achieve good looking pics with the camera I have and does it have enough fuctionality that I may learn a lot using it.

 

[avilamillar]

i think you will be able to achieve very good pics with that camera, i had a sony h50 and after reading that book i improved my pics.

 

[DScience]

Depends what you mean by 'good looking'. I've produced some good looking photos with my iPhone...

 

[shortpballer]

Honestly the best thing you can do for your self if you enjoy taking pictures is go out there and play around with your camera. Start in auto mode. Then start using modes like aperture priority or shutter speed priority to get a hang of it. Post pictures on here and get some helpful critiques on your pictures and ask technical questions and you will figure it out in no time. Again start by reading that link posted above it will be helpful for all the technical stuff.

 

[KmH]

Good pictures are made by the photographer, not the camera. The camera is just a tool.

 

[Cely]

I started to learn photography in manual mode, and still today it is all I shoot in.

Doing so helped me learn exposure pretty quickly.

 

[Tiberius47]

Have a read of the tutorials in my signature. THey'll give you a grasp of the basics. But the most important thing is to get out there and do it. Reading about it is nowhere near as important as first hand experience.

 

[Jeffro]

But reading is a hell of a start if he does not even know what the words mean!

Like another person said IT IS NOT THE CAMERA. if you learn you can take great pictures with almost any camera. It is all about the photographer.... Now once you learn and can handle that camera to the best it can be you might want more to be able to do more but you can still learn the basics before spending the cash!

 

[Samanax]

I have a FUJIFILM FinePix s5800. I have no idea about shutter speed and aperture setting and how they affect my pictures.

I guess I would like to know if my camera is good enough for a beginner?

Yes, that camera is good enough for a beginner.

I just need to know if I can achieve good looking pics with the camera I have

Yes.

and does it have enough fuctionality that I may learn a lot using it.

That's a bridge camera and has more functionality than a regular P&S camera. You'll learn a lot using it but eventually if you find yourself sticking with photography you may want to upgrade to a DSLR in the future.

 

[cosminmarin]

hey, welcome in the photography world then. But get a serious cam. This doesn't mean expensive. If you have a low budged buy a SH cam. Try a nikon d40. its the cheapest DSLR and its WORTHED.
www.photopassion.ro

 

[snowdog]

Hi there, it's not the camera that make great pictures, it's the skilled photographer behind it. However at this moment your camera probably knows a bit more about aperture and shutter speed than you do. Before moving into SLR territory I would suggest you do some serious reading about the basics of photography (light, exposure, aperture, shutter speed, iso, color, composition etc) instead of relying on the camera doing the job for you.

Vogue Studio - fotografie de studio, moda si evenimente

 

[SrBiscuit]

hey, welcome in the photography world then. But get a serious cam. This doesn't mean expensive. If you have a low budged buy a SH cam. Try a nikon d40. its the cheapest DSLR and its WORTHED.
www.photopassion.ro

sorry, but this is not good advice.
remember it's not the camera that makes good pictures. if you have the eye for it, and the drive to soak up as much as you can about photography, then i think you will do just fine with the bridge camera.
shoot...shoot...and then shoot some more. read up. take it all in. then go shoot again.

 

[Thru_These_Eyes]

Have a read of the tutorials in my signature. THey'll give you a grasp of the basics. But the most important thing is to get out there and do it. Reading about it is nowhere near as important as first hand experience.

I just started to read your manuals....very cool...but I have a question...

"A small aperture doesn't let much light in (which is good for when it's bright), and a wide open aperture lets in lots of light, which is good for when it is dim."

Shouldn't this be the opposite? The smaller the fstop the more light that is let in? And vice versa? This stuff is so confusing.