Newbie Advice

[ssj4]

To but it bluntly, I am a newbie, and I mean NEWBIE:o, and have only taken snapshots

As I was out riding my motorcycle, enjoying the view, I thought wouldn't it be nice to capture some of this - especially since I've always been rather artistic (pencil drawings, photoshop). Anyhow, I decided on the 300D due to the rave reviews (as far as a 'prosumer' camera goes) and it is shipping today:)

The only thing I ordered with the camera is a Ritek 52x 1GB CF card, as I don't want to buy uneeded accessories. Therefore, I am asking for a little advice. For instance:



A case to carry the camera on my back, while riding
Any must have filters or lenses (I got the kit with the Canon EF-S lense)
A good book for a fast learning amature
Any tips
Thanks in advance,
J.

[Steve Mitchell]

Hi ssj4. Welcome to Dphoto, and congratulations on your new Rebel. Do you have any experience with an SLR film camera? If not, don't worry...everyone started at the same place you did. Feel free to ask questions here...even the basic ones. There are a lot of knowledgable photographers here who would be happy to help you. Before attempting to answer your other questions, first a few for you. What type of photography are you most interested in? ie: landscapes, portraits, sports, etc? And secondly, how committed do you think you are?
To but it bluntly, I am a newbie, and I mean NEWBIE:o, and have only taken snapshots

As I was out riding my motorcycle, enjoying the view, I thought wouldn't it be nice to capture some of this - especially since I've always been rather artistic (pencil drawings, photoshop). Anyhow, I decided on the 300D due to the rave reviews (as far as a 'prosumer' camera goes) and it is shipping today:)

The only thing I ordered with the camera is a Ritek 52x 1GB CF card, as I don't want to buy uneeded accessories. Therefore, I am asking for a little advice. For instance:




A case to carry the camera on my back, while riding
Any must have filters or lenses (I got the kit with the Canon EF-S lense)
A good book for a fast learning amature
Any tips
Thanks in advance,
J.

[rjgleason]

To but it bluntly, I am a newbie, and I mean NEWBIE:o, and have only taken snapshots

As I was out riding my motorcycle, enjoying the view, I thought wouldn't it be nice to capture some of this - especially since I've always been rather artistic (pencil drawings, photoshop). Anyhow, I decided on the 300D due to the rave reviews (as far as a 'prosumer' camera goes) and it is shipping today:)

The only thing I ordered with the camera is a Ritek 52x 1GB CF card, as I don't want to buy uneeded accessories. Therefore, I am asking for a little advice. For instance:


A case to carry the camera on my back, while riding
Any must have filters or lenses (I got the kit with the Canon EF-S lense)
A good book for a fast learning amature
Any tips
Thanks in advance,
J.
Welcome J. to Dphoto. And good luck with your Rebel!! We have quite a few Rebel owners here so you should get the responses you might need regarding the camera and its useage. Of course, for questions related to photography, ask away. The folks here are helpful and as our webmaster says, "we all started from the same place."

As for some of your requested advice.

I would expect that a small back pack for bikeriding might be good for you. Check out this site: There are quite a few here: http://www.lowepro.com/pages/byStyle/backpack.htm

For some good books, I find browsing around a Barnes and Noble helps me choose one that I can preview and check out if it addresses my level of experience. (I have ordered some that are way over my head and are now collecting dust, that is, until I get to another level.)

You may want also to consider what type editing program you will use. You mentioned photoshop and there are so many books, again at various skill levels.

Good luck.

[gparr]

Welcome ssj4. You'll like it here. Plenty of help for the asking. I'm a 300D owner and couldn't be happier with the camera. I'm confident you'll like your new camera.
Gary

[Anders Östberg]

Hi J, and welcome!

I also take my camera on my bike occasionally. For safety and comfort reasons I try to never use a backpack when riding though. You can get seriously hurt if you crash and have a hard object like the camera between your back and the road. The backpack straps can also get caught in something and hurt your back or arms. The best solution I think is a tank bag (or saddle bag depending on motorcycle type), possibly with a custom made foam insert to lessen vibrations. I just use a small camera bag that I place inside the tank bag. Apart from safety it is also quicker to get at the camera if you see something beside the road, I've given up on backpacks in general as it's a bit cumbersome to get the camera or lenses out of it.

Sorry if that helps confuse your plan. :p

[hnordberg]

Any must have filters or lenses (I got the kit with the Canon EF-S lense)
A good book for a fast learning amature
Any tips
Thanks in advance,
J. Welcome to the forum!

I recommend getting the lens hood (about $20) for the 18-55 lens, along with a multicoated UV filter for protection.


Start with just this lens and when/if you feel you need a different lens (wider, longer, faster, macro) you will be in a better position to choose the next one.


Another accessory I would get is a more powerful flash.


Cheers!
- Henrik

[ssj4]

Thanks, those backpacks were just what I was looking for (that is until the poster below reminded me of the dangers of riding with a hard object strapped to my back) lol.

[ssj4]

Welcome to the forum!

I recommend getting the lens hood (about $20) for the 18-55 lens, along with a multicoated UV filter for protection.


Start with just this lens and when/if you feel you need a different lens (wider, longer, faster, macro) you will be in a better position to choose the next one.


Another accessory I would get is a more powerful flash.


Cheers!
- Henrik
Hmm, I must need to get used to this forums formatting, so let me respond to everyone at once: Thanks for all of the advice so far, it's all useful and has already raised some interesting considerations (like backpack versus motorcycle bag), sticking with what I have until I feel I need something better, etc.

BTW What does a camera need UV filter protection for? does it get sunburn? Just kidding, I assume it's to help protect the lens, but does it improve image quality (CMOS is affected by UV light or something?)

I've also used a circular polarizer for my GL2 Video Camera, and that improves color contrasts (IMO), especially on bright days (I assume this might be good to get as well)

Type of shots im interested in (at least for now):


Clear subject, fuzzy backgriound (portrait?)
close ups (I've got a bunch of orchids and other plants I want to capture during bloom)
Landscapes
I understand that the 'Glass' makes all the difference in the world, I wan't to get as crystal clear of image as possible. Some of my other considerations so far are:


good lenses

have good resale (if I give up on photography)
can be used with other cameras (if I join the elite crowd and buy pro stuff)
cost big bucks
Can one rent lenses to try out?

I'm a newbie

learn camera before spending big $$$$
practice

Anyway, perhaps I should take some pictures, 'mess' with it for a while and then ask for some more advice.

[dbevis]

Anyway, perhaps I should take some pictures, 'mess' with it for a while and then ask for some more advice.Can't go wrong with that :)

The "UV" filter: I wonder if they really DO block UV to any significant degree. I guess so, but mainly they are optically-clear glass that's relatively inexpensive so if something whacks the lens , the cheap filter is sacrificed not the lens. I much prefer having a lens hood on at all times. Who's to say that something able to break the UV filter won't have enough momentum to carry through (or fire glass shards) to the lens anyway?

Lenses: Canon's lenses generally hold on to their value for a long time, some or the elite ones have even increased in value (like: I could probably sell my 200/1.8 for $1000 more than I paid for it, given on the crazy eBay bidding frenzy for this lens). The EF mount should be with us for a very long time, probably not so the EF-S (only useful for the 300D at this time).

Don

[terpcurt]

Welcome to Photography and DPhoto.............. this is the place to learn a bunch......... Like the webmaster says " we all started at the same place"

You mentioned something about resale if you decide to give up on photography....... I wouldnt worrya bout that.. I would worry about spending too much money on things that you want/need/desire...... with digital SLR photography, the learning curve is much quicker because of the instant feedback you can get (some people call it chimping, I call it feedback) ;)

Hoods and UV filters on the lens are invaluable for protection... I use both on most of my lenses....... just some of them do not have hoods ( That I know of)

Have fun......... and enjoy the Drebel

[hnordberg]

I've also used a circular polarizer for my GL2 Video Camera, and that improves color contrasts (IMO), especially on bright days (I assume this might be good to get as well)

Type of shots im interested in (at least for now):




Clear subject, fuzzy backgriound (portrait?)
close ups (I've got a bunch of orchids and other plants I want to capture during bloom)
Landscapes
To get a clear subject and fuzzy background you need to use a large aperture. It is also good to get a tripod, if sharpness is important as you say. So think about adding a tripod or monopod.
A circular polarizer (multicoated) is also useful for the same reason as you used it on the camcorder.
Like others have said Canon glass keeps its value well. Especially L glass (Canon's Pro series lenses). But if you are a newbie, then it is better to wait until you know what you want (since this depends heavily on what you shoot and what you want to achieve, other people can at most inspire you to spend money, but not give advice that fits like a glove).

[ssj4]

To get a clear subject and fuzzy background you need to use a large aperture. It is also good to get a tripod, if sharpness is important as you say. So think about adding a tripod or monopod.
A circular polarizer (multicoated) is also useful for the same reason as you used it on the camcorder.
Like others have said Canon glass keeps its value well. Especially L glass (Canon's Pro series lenses). But if you are a newbie, then it is better to wait until you know what you want (since this depends heavily on what you shoot and what you want to achieve, other people can at most inspire you to spend money, but not give advice that fits like a glove). Ok this might be a dumb question, but from what I've read so far, the aperture is the f value, i.e.f/4-5.6 - with the lower the value = bigger aperture (i.e. more light) but the lenses also come with a mm rating like 55-200mm (i guess that's the zoom), and I have seen sites that recommend zoom for the 'portrait' effect. Is zoom important as well, or just the aperture.

PS - I just looked at some lens prices for the type of pictures I wan't to take :eek:



Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM $492
Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM $425.60
Doh!

Anyway, I got the recomendations from the following site, if anyones interested - they seem to have a Digital Rebel tutorial
http://www.photoworkshop.com/canon/

[lecter]

Zooms sometimes give an interesting effect because you are further away and the DOF is reduced in length, therefore making a nice bokeh in the background. This happens a lot with very large lenses even at F8 and above. Steve's DOF calculator on the site shows this when you mess about with it.

enjoy.



Click me 4 the DOF Calculator (http://www.dphoto.us/forum/index.php?section=depthoffield)

[hnordberg]

Ok this might be a dumb question, but from what I've read so far, the aperture is the f value, i.e.f/4-5.6 - with the lower the value = bigger aperture (i.e. more light) but the lenses also come with a mm rating like 55-200mm (i guess that's the zoom), and I have seen sites that recommend zoom for the 'portrait' effect. Is zoom important as well, or just the aperture. You are correct about large aperture being the same as small f-stop number. The "zoom" you mention is called focal length. There are both extreme wide angle (e.g., 16-35mm) and telefocus (70-200mm, 100-400mm, etc.) zooms.

PS - I just looked at some lens prices for the type of pictures I wan't to take :eek:






Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM $492
Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM $425.60
Doh! That macro lens is one of the best. It makes it easier to achieve great magnification, but it is possible to take macro shots with other lenses too, even the one you already own (when it arrives). You can add extension tubes or lenses that you attach as filters. That is a cheaper option than the 100/2.8 USM (USM means Ultra Sonic Motor and means autofocus is fast and quiet). IS stands for Image Stabilization and lets you shoot at slower speeds while hand holding the camera (it doesn't help you if your subject moves, however).
To learn more about macro photography, check out the book Closeups in Nature by John Shaw.
But, yeah, lenses are expensive.

[terpcurt]

When I first bought my 10D, I also purchased the 75-300 that your looking at.... it has a nice reach and works out pretty well..... my wife has it on her 10D now........

I also had the 28-70 too....

Then I purchased a 80-200/2.8L

Then purchased a 24-70/2.8L

Yes I have been bitten by the L glass bug

Both of those lenses will do you good to learn on........

Take care and enough

[ssj4]

500 bucks for a learner's lens, I thought I would at least get a GIA certification of IF and a color of D.:)

It's on the FEDEX Truck for deilivery!

[ssj4]

Theeeeeeeeeeere Heeeeere!

[Anders Östberg]

Congrats!

What lens(es) did you get?

[ssj4]

just the lens that came with the kit EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6, will probably order a macro on monday, unless I can find one locally for a similar to online price.

[Anders Östberg]

http://www.dphoto.us/forum/images/icons/icon14.gif Have fun!, and show us some pictures!

[gparr]

Congratulations on the new camera. I'm confident you'll like it. Looking forward to your images.
Gary

[ssj4]

But here is my very first pic with the rebel

[gparr]

Nice shot but might I suggest the following:
--Less clutter around the subject so as not to distract the eye
--A vertical composition to better follow the lines of the object
--Not centering the object so as to add a more dynamic element to the image
--Shallower depth-of-field to make the subject stand out more
--Drink the caffeinated version. It's much better.
See attached example.
Gary

OK, I'll admit, it's Friday afternoon, I'm tired and don't want to work anymore. The camera was sitting by my desk, and I couldn't resist. Remember to eat, sleep, and drink plenty of fluids during your first weekend with the new camera.
gp

[ssj4]

Nice shot but might I suggest the following:
--Less clutter around the subject so as not to distract the eye
--A vertical composition to better follow the lines of the object
--Not centering the object so as to add a more dynamic element to the image
--Shallower depth-of-field to make the subject stand out more
--Drink the caffeinated version. It's much better.
See attached example.
Gary

OK, I'll admit, it's Friday afternoon, I'm tired and don't want to work anymore. The camera was sitting by my desk, and I couldn't resist. Remember to eat, sleep, and drink plenty of fluids during your first weekend with the new camera.
gp
LOL, here are some quick ones I took after I got home

[Chris]

Hoods and filters definitely. I dropped my 16-35mm L from chest height onto the sidewalk and it rolled out into traffic. Aside from deep scratches in the hood and a ding on the body, there is not a thing wrong with it.