Whats a Dslr ??

[AmcKidd]

Hi All ! new to photography in general, have always used a "point and Shoot" camera in the past, last week i got a deal on a Nikon 5100 with the kit lens, with just over 1700 actuations (is that a good thing ?) and now its on ! i have NEVER been so confused- from batteries, to lenses, grips, ETC ETC ETC...... i will probably be banned for asking the most basic questions, (What in gods name is a f/1:1.8 ? )

i need to get sort of up to speed in a month or so, as i have been invited to tour an Abandoned Titan I missile base thats been closed and sealed since the 70's- no,none- ZERO light down there- cold, damp and stinky- but i cant WAIT!

 

[robbins.photo]

Hi All ! new to photography in general, have always used a "point and Shoot" camera in the past, last week i got a deal on a Nikon 5100 with the kit lens, with just over 1700 actuations (is that a good thing ?) and now its on ! i have NEVER been so confused- from batteries, to lenses, grips, ETC ETC ETC...... i will probably be banned for asking the most basic questions, (What in gods name is a f/1:1.8 ? )

i need to get sort of up to speed in a month or so, as i have been invited to tour an Abandoned Titan I missile base thats been closed and sealed since the 70's- no,none- ZERO light down there- cold, damp and stinky- but i cant WAIT!

1,700 actuations is a pretty low shutter count, so yes that's a good thing. Means it hasn't seen a lot of use. DSLR stands for Digital Single Lens Reflex.

As to your F/1:1.8 - F actually means "F-stop" and in this case it's refering to aperture. Aperture is the opening on the lens that allows light to pass through it into the camera. The lower the Fstop number, the wider the opening on the lens and thus the more light it allows. Probably a good place to start reading about Aperture and how it affects your pictures:

Aperture and Shutter Speed Explained :: FaceTheLight.com

My best advice is to read a few articles like that one, don't worry to much about the batteries/grips/hooha and just get out there and take some pictures. Read the article, test it out for yourself, then repeat. The rest of the stuff will come with time, for now just focus on the basics. Aperture, shutter speed, ISO.

 

[AmcKidd]

Thank You! the reason i asked about the F/1:1.8 is i read somewhere its far better than the "kit" lens on my Camera for Low/no light conditions- i WILL have flash, flash lights and spot lights down there, but the Launchers are near impossible to light up- i will read up on the link you gave me, Thank You

i need to start a thread in the newbies section as to what lens fits this camera, if i need to change for this trip

 

[pgriz]

Actually, DSLR stands for "Deep Secret Lucre Transfer", which is a non-fatal but expensive virus. Symptoms include an itchy index finger, a squinty eye and the need to buy shiny new things that "help you achieve your dreams". Next thing you're be talking to your uncomprehending spouse about exposure triangles, DOF, the quality of the light, and white balances. And your wallet will get thinner and thinner. A rather nasty form of this virus makes one want to make watermarks and toss out references to how Annie Leibovitz's work informs your own. And if you get the OCF version of the virus, then... prepare to mortgage your first born.

:mrgreen:

 

[robbins.photo]

Thank You! the reason i asked about the F/1:1.8 is i read somewhere its far better than the "kit" lens on my Camera for Low/no light conditions- i WILL have flash, flash lights and spot lights down there, but the Launchers are near impossible to light up- i will read up on the link you gave me, Thank You

i need to start a thread in the newbies section as to what lens fits this camera, if i need to change for this trip

The larger aperture is definately good for lower light conditions.. nothing will really do much for you in a no-light condition other than a light source of some sort or maybe IR, but of course IR depends on heat and underground, well lets just say that in this particular environment you probably won't have a lot of differences in thermal so most likely IR would not be of much benefit.

 

[ratssass]

there is alot of stuff in the "Beginners" tab that might help.The top 3 stickies provide alot of answers.Try to learn the exposure triangle.It will help you with low light conditions,as in bumping up your ISO,slower shutter speed,using a higher aperture.!:1/8 is good for low light but the trade off is a narrower DOF.Learn those basics,and it will open up a world of possibilities.Learn acronyms like TTL.Above all,enjoy!!
And BTW........welcome aboard.

 

[robbins.photo]

Actually, DSLR stands for "Deep Secret Lucre Transfer", which is a non-fatal but expensive virus. Symptoms include an itchy index finger, a squinty eye and the need to buy shiny new things that "help you achieve your dreams". Next thing you're be talking to your uncomprehending spouse about exposure triangles, DOF, the quality of the light, and white balances. And your wallet will get thinner and thinner. A rather nasty form of this virus makes one want to make watermarks and toss out references to how Annie Leibovitz's work informs your own. And if you get the OCF version of the virus, then... prepare to mortgage your first born.

:mrgreen:

Wait.. itchy finger, squinty eye... I've heard of this. Don't they call that Popeye's Disease? ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh.. lol

 

[IceCanAm]

Welcome to the site.

 

[texkam]

Learn to shoot in manual mode first. Understanding how a camera/exposure works will help you to understand the whys behind using auto settings. Remember, exposure involves tradeoffs. Adjusting a setting for one thing always impacts another. Understanding this will help make you a technically sound photographer.

 

[robbins.photo]

Learn to shoot in manual mode first. Understanding how a camera/exposure works will help you to understand the whys behind using auto settings. Remember, exposure involves tradeoffs. Adjusting a setting for one thing always impacts another. Understanding this will help make you a technically sound photographer.

Yes, it will make you a good photographer - but it will also make it so people avoid you at parties. "Ahh.. geez, is he talking about that ISO crap, again?" Lol

 

[The_Traveler]

i need to start a thread in the newbies section as to what lens fits this camera, if i need to change for this trip

No, you don't.

What you do need to do is a bit of reading on how cameras and lenses fit together and work.
Do web searches and treat the Internet as your friend.

Asking simple individual questions is absolutely, totally the wrong way to acquire a broad base of knowledge because you don't know what you don't know and thus can't ask questions.
It works for 3 year olds who want to know simple things but it won't work for you because we, collectively, aren't your mommy and we don't want to spoon feed you with all the thousands of facts you need to know.

There are lists of tutorials in the beginner's forum. Photography Beginners' Forum
Start there.
Read them, then, if you don't understand what you read, ask a question.

Be proactive.

 

[The_Traveler]

There are downsides to learning only through asking questions here:

1) Many issues are quite complicated and require explanations of facts that are already easily available elsewhere.
2) Many issues are actually non-factual and thus answers will differ and you won't have the knowledge to know which answer is right for you
3) The more knowledgeable members will likely get tired of answering streams of questions (whose factual answers are easily found elsewhere) and eventually won't respond, thus you could well wind up getting responses from less experienced people anxious to show of their newly acquired, and perhaps less complete, second hand knowledge.

So, treat the forum like a wise old counselor.

Learn basic facts and when you need some clarification or opinion, then pose a question.
Thousands of books and millions of Internet pages are there, filled with facts.
Save your interactions here for interpretation or opinion - and you will be smarter and better respected.

 

[wbarthur]

welcome

 

[texkam]

^ ^ For a moment I thought Charlie was back.

Well said on the power of the internet search.


BTW OP, welcome to the forum.

 

[minicoop1985]

Learn to shoot in manual mode first. Understanding how a camera/exposure works will help you to understand the whys behind using auto settings. Remember, exposure involves tradeoffs. Adjusting a setting for one thing always impacts another. Understanding this will help make you a technically sound photographer.

Yes, it will make you a good photographer - but it will also make it so people avoid you at parties. "Ahh.. geez, is he talking about that ISO crap, again?" Lol

I used to have friends once. Then I discovered Manual Mode and have never been happier. And more lonely...

Welcome to the club! 1700 is quite low-from what I recall, Nikon shutters are generally rated to somewhere around 150,000 actuations, and that's just the manufacturer rating. They can last muuuuch longer too. I'm incredibly jealous about your mission to the missile silo-but I would HIGHLY recommend investing in a good flash/diffuser and a tri/monopod for those low light situations.