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photography n00b.

L

Leright

2[H]4U
Joined
May 24, 2002
Messages
2,604
Hey guys, I am looking into getting into digital photography but I am a complete n00b and am completely lost. I currently have no equipment, other than a el-cheapo kodak camera which I am definitely gonig to replace. I need a new photo printer and camera and I have around $800-1000 to spend on equipment. I want a good camera for a beginner, but I don't want it dumbed down as far as features go. I want something that a seasoned pro would be happy with, but something I can handle.

I plan on learning the ins and outs of all of the technical aspects, so I will need good instruction. Are there any online articles you can recommend that will take me through all of the basics and advanced details or photography? If there aren't any good articles, could you point me toward a good book I could pick up?

Thanks a lot.
 
That would be nice to get, but I have 800-1000 for both the camera AND the printer...and I don't want to skimp on the printer.
 
and what are the benefits of an SLR? Actually, what IS an SLR camera? how is it different from an ordinary camera?

haha, I am a huge n00b. The first thing I am going to do is buy a nice book on this stuff to read.
 
BTW, I need to get this camera at circuit city because of a gift card I have, so online deals are off. I can get the drebel for $899 + 100 dollar rebate, so $799 after rebate...Then I could put the other 200 in a good photo printer?

I dunno....the printer can wait.

I am going to do a hell of a lot of research before dropping a grand on a camera though. My parents are going to think I am fucking nuts, since this is my first foray in photography...
 
Where to start explaining what a SLR is, what a P&S is, and how messed up Digital Photography in general is... :)


I'll begin with film cameras:

SLR - Single Lens Reflex. These cameras have a single lens, and feature a mirror that lets you see through the lens when you look into the viewfinder. When you take the picture, the mirror flips out of the way, and then the film can see exactly what you saw through the lens. Most SLR cameras have Interchangeable Lenses. You can invest in glass (lenses) to meet your demands (wide-angle, telephoto, etc.).

P&S - Point and Shoot (Aka: PoS): These cameras have a lens that you never get to see through. The viewfinder usually has its own lens, and it doesn't always line up with the lens the film uses. This leads to Parallax Error, which basically means that what you see isn't what the film sees. These cameras are usually fully automatic, leaving you with nothing to do but to point and shoot. Not to mention they have cheap lenses, and you live with what you get since you can't interchange it for a better lens; you'd have to buy a whole new camera.


Overall these cameras all bend/focus light to the exact same film. A SLR will do better in low-light without a flash because you can buy big honking lenses that are designed to let a lot of light in. A P&S has a tiny lens that you can't change. A SLR will also let you buy Macro (Super close-up) lenses to use, which isn't really do-able on a P&S. Also, you can usually get an External Flash for a SLR, whereas the P&S is limited to its tiny onboard flash.


Onwards to Digital Cameras:

When you move to digital, they no longer used the same "film". Digital uses CMOS/CCD sensors. And here, there is a huge difference between SLR and P&S when it comes to the quality (size) of these sensors. Most of the above points for film cameras remains true with digital.


Sensors:

Basically, a SLR has a huge sensor (close to 35mm film size) that is good at gathering a lot of light. A P&S has a tiny sensor (smaller than your pinkey nail) that isn't as good at getting light, so it has to have its output amplified to get enough light for a picture. The more you have to amplify the output, the noisier (crappier) your picture gets. (In film this would be grain, and would be entirely up to the film you bought)

There is, however, an interesting side-effect of using a tiny sensor. It lets manufactuers use extra small (focal-length) lenses! There is a side effect to these smaller lenses - more things are "in focus" because the Depth of Field Increases! Not to mention the camera can be made much smaller.

The trade-off is that with a tiny sensor (and cheap lens), you won't take as nice pictures at night without a big flash. You can't get a big flash because it is a point & shoot camera. So basically unless it is daylight, your pictures will be plagued with unattractive noise. But when there is enough light to avoid the noise issue, you get the benefit of having nearly everything in focus. Most people think that a sign of a quality camera is having everything in focus.

Personally I don't like having the background in focus, and due to optics, having a larger SLR sensor makes it much easier for me to make the background a creamy blur. Not to mention I can shoot at night and indoors with my big (fast) lens, and I even have an fair-sized flash if I need it. Of course, it wasn't cheap to buy the SLR camera, the big lens, and the flash; and there's still a lot of equipment I wish I had... :( :D


When you want to learn photography and learn the optics behind it, you're only going to be able to do that with a SLR (film or Digital). You won't learn it as well with a P&S (film or Digital). It (definately) costs more, but once you get into it and are comfortable with photography, you will have more creative opportunity with an SLR. Not to mention it is sort of an investment, because you're paying for (more or less) professional equipment. Also, when a new camera comes out from your favorite company, chances are your lens collection will work with it. :)
 
BTW, my parents were pretty supprised when I told them I wanted to spend $1200 on camera equipment. (Digital Rebel Kit + 85mm f/1.8 lens) Well, they knew I was going to do it because I was abusing our Digital P&S every day of the week (for the past 6 months), not to mention the old film SLR that I ate up (it unfortunately did not survive :eek: ). I happen to see a chance at a (slow) return on this investment. But I'm still expecting to spend another $800 on glass before I feel comfortable going commercial. Right now I've been at every basketball game I can be at, talking to newspaper photographers, and spreading my website URL around.

I have plans for a pricing structure (Tentatively $10 4x6, $10 5x7, $15 8x10 - don't want to be cheap and devalue the market or too expensive and not make a sale) but I haven't made a sale yet because I'm not selling yet. I still need to talk to the AD at my school (where I'm a yearbook photographer), but I apparently have a go-ahead at another (tiny) school I cover (where I am a volunteer yearbook photographer).
 
Tim_axe said:
BTW, my parents were pretty supprised when I told them I wanted to spend $1200 on camera equipment. (Digital Rebel Kit + 85mm f/1.8 lens) Well, they knew I was going to do it because I was abusing our Digital P&S every day of the week (for the past 6 months), not to mention the old film SLR that I ate up (it unfortunately did not survive :eek: ). I happen to see a chance at a (slow) return on this investment. But I'm still expecting to spend another $800 on glass before I feel comfortable going commercial. Right now I've been at every basketball game I can be at, talking to newspaper photographers, and spreading my website URL around.

I have plans for a pricing structure (Tentatively $10 4x6, $10 5x7, $15 8x10 - don't want to be cheap and devalue the market or too expensive and not make a sale) but I haven't made a sale yet because I'm not selling yet. I still need to talk to the AD at my school (where I'm a yearbook photographer), but I apparently have a go-ahead at another (tiny) school I cover (where I am a volunteer yearbook photographer).
Click to expand...
well as for your parents... I suggest you get a job and work it all off. Thats what ive been doing... but I havnt finished paying it all off.. but its been more than worth it :):blink blink:: <3 @ flecom)
 
Well, I had a job ~3 years ago for 2 years (unemployed last summer) and thus have/had the money to buy it - it was all money out of my pocket. Parents weren't involved other than me putting my $$$ into their account so I could use the credit cards and order online/phone :p

I just don't like the fact that my bank account has $1,200 less than it did 2 months ago with college right around the corner. I'm pretty sure I'll go into debt for college, but I'm wondering how much impact the $600-$1000 for a 70-200mm lens will have on that (I'll still have enough to cover my first year w/ scholarships and possibly the 3rd semester - but after that... :( ). I'm not really looking forward to that, although I'm thinking it would be worth it for some faster/longer glass... :D
 
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