Photography.

[drahkon]

Sorry, this isn't a bump with amazing pictures I'm going to abuse this thread for some questions.

 

@dan\-likes\-trees are possible the go-to guys for photography here (sorry if there are others that I forgot to mention).

 

I'm interested in getting interested in photography. Yeah, sounds a bit weird but I'm looking for a new hobby and why not get some information about photography. I love this thread, I love looking at pictures and I think I may end up loving taking pictures myself.

 

Sooo...where do I begin? I probably shouldn't just spent 300€ on a camera and go out to take pictures...

However, if I do get a camera eventually I'd like to have a camera with best value-for-money and not start with a 50€ digital camera...

 

Should I get a book? Some kind of introduction to photography? But without any means to try out what's written that would also be a waste of money.

 

HELP.

[Goafer]

To be honest, it really doesn't matter what camera you start out with. I started out with a camera phone, then upgraded to a cheap Kodak digital camera before moving on to "proper" cameras. If I were to recommend a camera to newcomers, I'd probably say an entry level Canon or Nikon DSLR would be a good place to start. That way, if you decide to upgrade to a better camera, a lot of the lenses will carry over, saving you some money initially (until you upgrade lenses at least. You should always upgrade lenses eventually as they're probably more important than the actual camera). A DSLR will also allow you to play around with manual/semi auto modes when you get a bit more advanced.

 

If you're not ready to spend money on a DSLR, just use whatever camera you can get your hands on. You can still learn framing, timing, lighting and other things through that until you're ready to get a bit more advanced.

 

Digital Photography Review is a great place to find camera reviews if you decide to spend a bit of money.

 

If you're trying to keep costs down, you could always go second hand. Or even pick up a cheap film camera. My Olympus OM10 was about £30 and I enjoy using it as much as my fancy DSLR. Film and developing would obviously be costs to consider though if you went the film route.

 

If you're not sure about a book, blogs and news sites are a great place to learn new things. I'd recommend Petapixel and Fstoppers. Or just find a type of photography you want to do and ask around how to get the photos you want or look for tutorials on YouTube etc.

 

If there's anything specific you want to learn, feel free to ask on here. I'll do my best to answer or find a relevant tutorial/resources.

Edited May 21, 2015 by Goafer

[drahkon]

If I were to recommend a camera to newcomers, I'd probably say an entry level Canon or Nikon DSLR would be a good place to start.

 

It's tempting to get a DSLR (Canon 1200D is supposed to be a nice entry level camera). I have a bit of money to spare...but I'm not sure whether I should begin by paying this much (350€ for the 1200D)

 

You mentioned your Olympus OM10. Looking around ebay there are offers around 30€. This sounds like something I'd rather invest in to figure out whether I'll enjoy photography or not.

But, as you've said: Film and developing are something to consider.

 

A polaroid camera would be awesome, but my god they are expensive...polaroid films, too.

 

 

Several reviews bombarded me with technical terms I have no idea about Do you know any good "basic guide" for the technology of digital cameras/lenses/etc?

[Goafer]

You mentioned your Olympus OM10. Looking around ebay there are offers around 30€. This sounds like something I'd rather invest in to figure out whether I'll enjoy photography or not.

But, as you've said: Film and developing are something to consider.

 

A polaroid camera would be awesome, but my god they are expensive...polaroid films, too.

 

I would definitely avoid Polaroid. You really only have 2 options to get hold of the film: Old stock, which is often expired and not the most reliable, or The Impossible Project, which is a bit experimental as they're still figuring out the best way to make the stuff.

 

If you want to go down the film route, 35mm film is your best bet. The film itself is cheap and still sold in some supermarkets and pound shops (I get mine from Poundland and Morrisons). Processing is the main expense, but it's not horrendous. That said, digital photos are free, so film will always be relatively expensive.

 

Film is great to play around with, but it's impractical to learn with due to the expense and impracticality of only being able to shoot 24 shots per roll of film and having to wait to see the results. I think you'll progress faster with digital, although I suppose film would make you think more about each photo you take.

 

 

Several reviews bombarded me with technical terms I have no idea about Do you know any good "basic guide" for the technology of digital cameras/lenses/etc?

 

I'd just skip to the end of the review and read the summary unless you're looking for something specific. The score bars are pretty much all you'll need for a first camera. Just look for cameras in your price range on Amazon or wherever, then check the reviews to see which one gets the best score.

 

I'd prioritise the 2 image quality scores over everything else. Low light/high ISO is another one to consider if you plan on taking photos in darker situations, but I wouldn't expect miracles from cheaper cameras.

 

Megapixels is always a buzz word that camera manufacturers seem to brag about, but I'd ignore it in favour of image quality. Megapixels only effects how big you can print or how much you can crop before losing image quality. If you frame a photo properly when you take it, cropping won't be an issue and 10mp is fine for prints up to 16x12 inches (possibly more depending on the photo), which is bigger than you'll need for the average photo.

 

High optical zoom seems to be the new "in thing" as well, but again I'd ignore it. Whilst it's great to be able to see things in the next county, the chances for you to use it will be few and far between. To put things into perspective, I have 2 lenses, one doesn't zoom at all (prime lens) and one has the equivalent of roughly 4x optical zoom.

 

 

The short version:

Find a camera you like the look of.

Check the review summary, prioritising image quality (whilst obviously looking out for major faults).

Ignore gimmicks such as high megapixel/optical zoom.

Profit*

 

I imagine you'll be happy with whichever camera you pick. Most cameras are great nowadays. If you see a camera you like the look of, feel free to ask me (or anyone on here) and I'll try to break the reviews down into the basics and how it'll effect you.

 

 

A couple of questions:

 

What do you want to take photos of?

Do you have a camera phone? If so, which phone?

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Not guaranteed.

[drahkon]

First of all: Thank you very much for you help

 

Film is great to play around with, but it's impractical to learn with due to the expense and impracticality of only being able to shoot 24 shots per roll of film and having to wait to see the results.

 

Yeah, I've been thinking and realized this myself, too. Think I'll go for a DSLR.

 

Canon EOS 1200D is currently my favourite. Reduced to 349€ and comes with a lens.

 

Read some reviews and it's supposed to be a good entry-level DSLR. Your thoughts on this? Won't have a lot of money to invest in a second lense, though. And I have not a clue about what to look for in lenses, which kind of lense is useful for which kinds of photos, and so on.

 

A couple of questions:

 

What do you want to take photos of?

Do you have a camera phone? If so, which phone?

 

Everything I can get my hands - or rather eyes - on, basically

Landscape, plants, animals, cars, buildings, people, streets...etc

 

I have a Samsung Galaxy S2.

 

Took a walk through a forest yesterday. Just went for it and took some photos. I had no idea what I'm doing

Edited May 23, 2015 by drahkon

[Goafer]

First of all: Thank you very much for you help

 

No worries. If it means more posts in the Photography Thread, then it's worth it!

 

 

 

Yeah, I've been thinking and realized this myself, too. Think I'll go for a DSLR.

 

Canon EOS 1200D is currently my favourite. Reduced to 349€ and comes with a lens.

 

Read some reviews and it's supposed to be a good entry-level DSLR. Your thoughts on this? Won't have a lot of money to invest in a second lense, though. And I have not a clue about what to look for in lenses, which kind of lense is useful for which kinds of photos, and so on.

 

I think it would be a good place to start. I've never used one personally, but they seem to be a very popular choice as a first DSLR, especially in America, where they're sold as the Rebel T5.

 

I assume it'll come with the 18-55mm lens? Short version: 18-55mm will be a close to medium lens. You won't get a huge amount of zoom, but it will be good for portraits/parties/indoors etc or anything where you don't need a huge amount of zoom or can get close to what you're photographing. I'd say it was a good lens to start with.

 

Long version: 50mm is considered to be about the same amount of zoom as normal eyesight. Unfortunately, the mm system is based around a full frame camera, so 50mm on a smaller sensor (ie cheaper) camera isn't actually 50mm. To get the actual mm of a lens on a certain camera, you times the mm by the camera's crop factor (1.6 in the case of the 1200D). So the 18-55mm lens the 1200D comes with is actually more like 29-88mm. Zoomed right out, you'll be quite wide and may get a little bit of fisheye effect. Not as extreme as the linked image, but maybe a little bit. It can be used to good effect though, so it's not a bad thing. Fully zoomed in, you might be able to get some good closeups of people in the same room as you etc.

 

 

 

Everything I can get my hands - or rather eyes - on, basically

Landscape, plants, animals, cars, buildings, people, streets...etc

 

I have a Samsung Galaxy S2.

 

Took a walk through a forest yesterday. Just went for it and took some photos. I had no idea what I'm doing

 

The S2 seems to have a good camera from what I can tell. If you're unsure about spending the money, you could always stick with your phone for a bit until you're more sure. I personally hate using phones as I don't like the controls and lack of physical buttons, so I can understand if you do want to make the jump to a "real" camera.

 

 

 

 

I've been looking for a good site with tips for beginners, but I can't find one that's great, so I'll write my own based on some tips I've found that seem important.

 

1. Shoot to RAW files if you can, but don't worry too much

RAW files offer far more flexibility than JPGs when it comes to editing. If you took the perfect photo to begin with, it won't matter, but a RAW file can be edited a lot more than a JPG if you want to make drastic changes in Photoshop or whatever.

 

RAW files can be huge though when compared to JPG, so it may be impractical to shoot RAW if you have a small memory card or hard drive to store photos on. We shoot to JPGs at work for this very reason.

 

Avoid clipped highlights

Clipped highlights are where certain parts of the image are as bright as they can be and go pure white. There's no recovering from it, so those parts of the image are basically blank. It can be used to good effect occasionally, but as a rule it's best to avoid it unless you want a certain effect.

 

Some cameras have a Highlight Alert function, that will make clipped areas of the image flash when viewing them on the camera. This is a really handy feature and I never turn mine off.

 

Learn about the effects of different shutter speeds and apertures

The best analogy I've heard for shutter speed and aperture is comparing them to filling up a cup from a tap. Imagine the water is light and you need to fill a cup up to a certain level to get a well exposed photo. The shutter speed is how long you leave the tap on for and the aperture is how much you turn on the tap/the speed the water is coming out of the lens.

 

You could turn the tap on very slightly (narrow aperture) and leave the tap on for longer (long shutter speed) or you could do the opposite. Which one you go for depends on what type of photo you're taking. Each setting has a different effect on your photo.

 

A wide aperture gives a shallow depth of field (so anything behind or in front of the subject becomes blurry) whereas a narrow aperture makes sure that more things are in focus. Both have their advantages. For example, you'd want everything in a landscape photo to be in focus, so you'd pick a narrow aperture. If you were taking a portrait, you might want a shallow depth of field to blur the background and make your subject stand out more.

 

Shutter speed is more self explanatory. The longer the shutter speed, the more likely you are to get blurry photos. Blur can be used to good effect though, like in motorsport photos (shameless self promotion). Water also looks better with a bit of blur, as it emphasises the motion of the water. Basically, blur is great for showing movement, but make sure there is something in focus otherwise it's just a blurry photo.

 

Turn off the focusing beep

There really is no reason to keep it on. If you're trying to take a candid photo of someone and they hear a beep, they'll know your taking a photo and probably turn to face you, ruining the photo. Plus the beep is just annoying to everyone.

 

Keep an eye on backgrounds

Backgrounds are just as important as the subject, sometimes more important. If you can't guarantee a good background (for example at a wedding or event), try going for a shallow depth of field (see aperture above) to blur the background and hide the details.

 

Lighting

Lighting is easily the most important part of photography. Learning studio setups is a lesson in itself, so I won't go into the details, but even shooting outdoors requires some thought. Photos in the shade are almost always better than ones in direct sunlight. Cloudy days are brilliant for photography as it give a much more even light. Different times of day also dramatically alter your images.

 

When shooting indoors, try different lighting setups. Flashes attached to the camera tend to give a very flat and boring light, with some really ugly shadows behind your subject. Try shining torches or lamps at the subject from different angles to get different results. Shine the torch or cloth through some fabric or tracing paper etc to soften the light a bit to avoid harsh shadows.

 

Have a search on the internet for lighting advice. There are thousands of different ways to do it and everyone is different.

 

Don't just take one photo of something

Try different angles, zooms etc. If you're taking a photo of a person, try your camera's burst mode to make sure you get the best expression and avoid any blinks.

 

Learn the rule of thirds, even if you don't always stick to it

Rule of thirds, learn it.

 

Learn to take a photo quickly

For events, things are always changing and you'll need to act quickly to capture great moments. You can learn to predict when people are going to laugh etc, but it'll be much easier if you can act quickly when it does happen.

 

It's not just important for events though. Even staged photos like group photos or portraits should be done quickly. No one enjoys smiling for the camera for ages, and the first few seconds of posing will always be the best.

 

Learn Photoshop

Photoshop seems to get a bad reputation as the thing that sets impossible standards for models etc, but you'd be hard pressed to find a great photo that hasn't been Photoshopped.

 

I'm not talking slimming people down and giving them perfect skin. Even the slightest alterations to contrast, colour balance and saturation can make an average image really great.

 

Follow a blog

Find a good blog and follow it for tips and tricks. I've been into photography for about 10 years now and I still learn new things from blogs.

[drahkon]

I assume it'll come with the 18-55mm lens?

 

It does.

 

Short version: 18-55mm will be a close to medium lens.

 

I see. Here's another question

 

If somewhere down the line I'd like to get a lens for long shots, shots of distant objects, etc I'd have to look for something like up to 200mm, right?

Having a close to medium lens + a lens for long shots would eventually be the right thing to do or is there some kind of lens that covers every distance?

 

I personally hate using phones as I don't like the controls and lack of physical buttons, so I can understand if you do want to make the jump to a "real" camera.

 

Yeah, I have the same issues while taking pictures with my camera phone.

 

I'll visit a zoo with my girlfriend on Monday and she will bring her camera (no idea what kind of camera, but it's something similar to a DSLR) and I'll just try it out and take lots and lots of photos.

[Retro_Link]

Not sure what I last posted in here, but here's a few of my favs I've taken over the last few months:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Goron_3]

Those pictures from Donnington are great

[drahkon]

The camera has arrived : peace:

 

Took some photos just to give it a go and try out some of the pre-settings (man, there's some serious terminology at work; need to learn the settings like vocabulary).

 

This has been a good purchase. Will go on vacation next week and try to take some nice pictures (well, at least some nice pictures for a noob )

 

Some random shots:

 

 

 

 

(yes, there's a lot of dust...)

 

 

Can't wait to learn the most important aspects of lighting, focus, framing, etc to properly shoot photos with thought behind them. : peace:

[Retro_Link]

Someday I'm gonna have to learn all of what my camera does too :p

 

Glad you're happy with it!

[Goafer]

 

 

[bob]

Owl. .

[MadDog]

How you getting on @drahkon?

 

I'm thinking about buying my first camera so will be interesting to hear some thoughts from a fellow noobie.

[drahkon]

How you getting on @drahkon?

 

I'm thinking about buying my first camera so will be interesting to hear some thoughts from a fellow noobie.

 

With exams coming up there hasn't been a lot of freetime to really dive into photography, yet.

 

However, I've been on vacation with my girlfriend and took some (400 ) photos during one of her parties. It was a lot of fun. Taking photos of both scenery on vacation (beach, lighthouse, etc) and people at the party.

 

Have been trying out some settings (mainly the exposure triangle) which resulted in some bad pictures But I'm slowly getting the hang of it.

 

 

I'd say it was worth getting the camera (entry level DSLR) : peace:

[drahkon]

Went to the Zoo. Tried out various camera settings which made 90% of the photos crap

 

Some turned out OK, though:

 

 

 

 

(look at his face. LOOK AT IT. Cute as hell :p)

 

 

[Goafer]

Went to the Scirocco owners club meet, which was at RAF Cosford Museum:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dan-likes-trees]

Ahh totally missed this whole thread chain. You've made a solid choice with the canon Drahkon, hope you're enjoying it. Once you've played around for a while you can work out what kind of photography you're into and look into another lens. For example I have a couple of fixed focal length lenses which are a bit unweildy but give amazing aperture (1.7 and 1.8). Basically means the subject will be pin sharp and the background super blurred + lovely bokeh.

 

Had a whiz though Goafer's beginner advice. It is spot on! Especially about watching out for clipped highlights and turning off the infernal focus beep! Shooting in raw rather than jpg was a huge change for me, big improvement - look at lightroom if you get seriously into it, it's fun, easy, a great tool, but a bit steep (unless you get it via.. er.. other means).

 

 

 

[Cube]

I got a new camera, it's a decent compact one. I'm still learning the settings, but @Goafer told me to post in here, so here is some of my initial tinkering

 

Random object in my garden:

 

Rhyl, max optical zoom. Not the clearest of days.

 

Wind turbines

 

View from my road (once again, not the clearest of days)

 

Close-up of River

 

This looks pretty poor, but considering it's the highest digital zoom and that I don't have a steady hand, I think it's not too bad (it's an off-shore oil platform, around 29km from me)

 

Another day, again mist ruins it

 

Same place, different angle

 

Further down the road (@Jimbob correctly said that a storm was brewing based on this image)

 

Close-up of one of my Star Trek models, with flash (incidentally, this camera has shown that my models are covered with tiny bits of cat hairs you can't see with the naked eye, they just don't show up as clearly on this one)

 

My two cats. Luna doesn't send the white balance crazy with this (like it does on my phone)

[Sméagol]

[..]

This looks pretty poor, but considering it's the highest digital zoom and that I don't have a steady hand, I think it's not too bad (it's an off-shore oil platform, around 29km from me)

[..]

Get a gorillapod, and learn how to use the timer function.. This'll let you photograph anything in the dark that doesn't move. But you can also check how far you can crank up the iso before the picture deteriorates too much.

[Jimbob]

@Cube, i didn't see a storm on that image. Just that there was a storm in the South, and it was heading north. Nice pictures btw.

[Cube]

There was an air show a few miles from me, so I tried to get some photos

 

[Mr-Paul]

Just got my first prime lens - a 35mm f/1.8 Nikon DX. Any tips how to get the best out of it? Feel like I need to get an idea of getting the right ISO when using this lens...

[Goafer]

Just got my first prime lens - a 35mm f/1.8 Nikon DX. Any tips how to get the best out of it? Feel like I need to get an idea of getting the right ISO when using this lens...

 

I do love me a good prime lens.

 

Getting the best ISO should be no different from any other lens. I almost always use aperture priority mode, so if the shutter speed is below 1/160, make the ISO higher. If the shutter speed is flashing (meaning it can't go quick enough), make the ISO lower.

 

That's just a vague way to not fuck up your photos. Ideally, you want to set the ISO as low as possible, so set it at whatever ISO gets you a shutter speed of around 1/250 IMO, unless you need a faster shutter speed for action shots etc.

 

As a general guide, I'd say ISO 50-100 for a bright, sunny day, ISO 400 for overcast days, ISO 800 for indoors (depending on lighting) and ISO 1600 for dark venues (maybe higher depending on how good your cameras noise reduction is).

[Mr-Paul]

I do love me a good prime lens.

 

Getting the best ISO should be no different from any other lens. I almost always use aperture priority mode, so if the shutter speed is below 1/160, make the ISO higher. If the shutter speed is flashing (meaning it can't go quick enough), make the ISO lower.

 

That's just a vague way to not fuck up your photos. Ideally, you want to set the ISO as low as possible, so set it at whatever ISO gets you a shutter speed of around 1/250 IMO, unless you need a faster shutter speed for action shots etc.

 

As a general guide, I'd say ISO 50-100 for a bright, sunny day, ISO 400 for overcast days, ISO 800 for indoors (depending on lighting) and ISO 1600 for dark venues (maybe higher depending on how good your cameras noise reduction is).

 

Just the man I was hoping to hear from. Thank you

 

I did write a big long reply but my internet crashed and I lost it and haven't got the time to type it out again, but just letting it be known your help is much appreciated