First picture from the D50

[MrJ]

Over two years ago I discovered what an SLR camera was. Since then I have been desperate to get my hands on one but haven't been able to because of money.

Guess what I got my greedy little hands around this morning? I'm so excited!

This isn't much, but it's shot in manual mode and I'm so excited about what I'll be able to do once I get better. This is straight from the camera, CC would be great.

 

[boogschd]

poor ducky ...

`grats on your new toy

 

[stsinner]

I love my D50

Have a blast!!

 

[MrJ]

Thanks!

 

[stsinner]

Thanks!

Look, man, when the D50 came out, it was $1599.. It was an expensive camera... That doesn't mean it's state of the art now, but it once was.. It's really the lens that matters, and if you want to blow your mind, hang a great lens on the front of that D50, and you'll have breathtaking pictures... The CPU is current, the sensor is 6.1Mp, and the rendering is crisp... It's a great camera, and all you need to add is lenses.. I bought a 70-300 Sigma lens for $79 and won two awards with a picture I took with it, so just live it up... You have a great body, now take great pictures...

 

[dcclark]

Looks good. I like that he's looking into the frame. Maybe a little levels/curves would remove the bit of greyness I see, but otherwise cool!

Question: although it clearly worked out well, why did you shoot in manual mode? Did you have a specific reason, just learning, or what? I find that I usually stay in P or A modes (sometimes S if I need a specific effect), which allow me the flexibility I need while taking care of details I don't want to think about when I'm composing.

 

[MrJ]

Thanks stsinner, I have the two kit lenses at the moment so I'll see how it goes from here!

Thanks dcclark, true, can't go past some simple PP work! I think I've been slightly coerced by what I've read on forums but really, I'd like to harness everything about this great camera! If I learn in manual hopefully I'll learn the most I can before I find my niche.

ETA: Here's a pic of my (over exposed I'm thinking) dog:

 

[dcclark]

Hm, hard to tell without a histogram, but yeah I do think that some of the fur is blown out. Very cute though.

I have to say though: shooting only in manual mode is not harnessing the power of your camera -- because you're not letting the camera do anything for you! Harnessing the power of your camera is using a mode where the camera gets to be smart as well -- choosing the correct aperture, shutter, etc. for you, while you get to focus on the important things (composition! color! story!) I am always really confused at the desire to go straight to manual mode -- you can use it in certain circumstances when your camera doesn't want to do what you want (such as long nighttime exposures), or when learning, but it's not a magical mode that makes all images better. In fact, in a wide range of "normal" circumstances, the camera is MUCH smarter about exposure than you, unless you have something unusual in mind.