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I've researched many point and shoots for weeks, and my anxiety level was beginning to grow as black Friday weekend (and cyber Monday) approached. So many deals, so little time! I've been waiting to purchase a nice camera for months now. I kept thinking that I'd be able to find a normal point and shoot digital camera that could perform the way I wanted. Every time I researched which brand/camera to buy, I was constantly led back to the glorious DSLR section of Amazon. I've drooled over these cameras at best buy for years, and I've spent hours researching point and shoots trying to find something that would imitate the performance of a DSLR.
Damnit, I just wanted to focus in on something and have the background all blurry and what not! So - I bit the bullet this morning - and I purchased a DSLR during one of Amazon's lightening deals!
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/uViqo.gif)
Canon EOS Rebel T2i
Okay, awesome. Except... I know very little about how to use this camera. I'm terrified of words like ISO, aperture, macro, and shutter speed. We're not talking video game terms here, which is why I'm completely clueless.
I feel pretty silly, but I'm considering taking a college intro photography class to learn how to use my DSLR (I'm a business major, and I really don't want to waste the credit hours on a class I don't need though). I hope I didn't make a poor (expensive) decision trying to jump into using one of these cameras with no prior experience.
If you have a DSLR, how did you learn how to use it? Do you recommend I take the class, or is it simple enough that I can teach my self via google?
I should have taken photography in high school when it was the "cool" thing to do lol. I was one of those crazy "theatre girls" instead. O.o
Any tips/suggestions will be greatly appreciated, thanks!
 
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Hong Kong9154 Posts
Biggest tip I could give you is to go out and actually use your camera. I learned how to use my camera by going out to MLG Anaheim with a 30+ year old manual focus prime lens attached to my camera. I shot hundreds of pictures. Manual mode, focus, and fixed focal length taught me a lot about composition and exposure. If you have a similar opportunity, I highly recommend going out somewhere and doing something similar.
I suspect going to a class couldn't hurt either, though.
On November 29 2011 13:58 Porcelain wrote:
Damnit, I just wanted to focus in on something and have the background all blurry and what not!
You're going to want to get a fast lens (f/2.8 or wider) in order to get good, razor-thin, depth of field.
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You want to learn? Buy a 50mm 1.8 ASAP. For what it is, it is ridiculously cheap and provides that razor-thin depth of field. Having that razor-thin depth of field available is great for learning, and the lens being a prime lens(a lens without zoom) forces you to use your feet which teaches composition.
Set that dial on your camera to "Av" which is Aperture priority mode and experiment. And use those feet. When you take a picture, take it, then experiment. Don't take your picture and put the camera down. Go closer, try a different angle, more or less depth of field, etc.
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the quality of your pics depends more on the lens than the camera. if you wan't to get the blurred background look (bokeh) on a budget, i recommend the 50mm 1/4. the ultimate bokeh lens is either the 50mm 1.2 L or the 85mm 1.2 L *drooool*
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I really like some of the advice in this thread so far. I would say that a college course would definately be useful. My highschool class required a manual camera so you could learn all the adjustments on a camera. Its a good way to become familiar with aperature, shutter speed etc. You learn when you should shoot wide open or closed and when you need a fast or slow shutter speed. You also learn neat tricks about how to use lighting and shadowing to your advantage. I actually considered going to take a more advanced course to learn even more tricks. The think that is much different now is that when you shoot with SLR you cannot abuse the developing method to change the exposure when you develop. This means that in order to change some effects you would need to photoshop it, so remember this for certain pictures they are either taken with different filters/lenes or are photoshopped.
I would agree with everyone else and go out and use your camera. See what changing all the settings does and maybe watch a youtube video or two on what settings do what. Get really familiar with your camera and then decide if you want to take a class or not.
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Spend time with that kit lens before you make any decisions about lenses. It will give you an idea about what sort of images you like, which can advise your lens purchases. Shoot a lot, pick your best images, and check the EXIF data. If you're finding most of your photos are with the lens at 18mm, considering picking something wider and vice versa.
The f/1.4 or f/1.8 look is neat sometimes, but gets dull fast - believe me. I have more issues with short depth of field than I know what to do with. On top of that, for (relatively) still subjects, image stabilization solves your shutter speed issues anyway.
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I learned everything by going to manual mode, going online and learning what aperture, shutter speed, and ISO meant and how they interrelate, and then going out to take pictures everyday for almost a month straight.
I don't think a college class is entirely necessary - the use of the camera isn't rocket science, and taking pictures is a subjective thing. As long as you understand how aperture determines depth of field, how shutter speed introduce and remove motion blur (as well as affect camera shake), and how ISO increases your light sensitivity at the trade-off of noise, you can start taking pictures with various settings to get the hang of it. Also understand that your camera lens will have a sweet spot for sharpness, and you should try to find out what that sweet spot is (people will say, a camera lens is sharpest after stopping down the aperture two or three stops).
Did your camera come with a lens?
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Don't bother with manual mode, to be honest. Your camera has a light meter for a reason, and cameras have had meters for 50 years for a reason. Let it do its job (same goes for using autofocus), you just focus on the image. Use aperture priority if you want to feel adventurous, or get a feeling of creative control, or whatever.
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Hong Kong9154 Posts
Also when it comes time to upload and share your pictures, make sure to do a bit of curating. Only show your good shots to other people, if possible.
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On November 29 2011 14:06 itsjustatank wrote:Biggest tip I could give you is to go out and actually use your camera. I learned how to use my camera by going out to MLG Anaheim with a 30+ year old manual focus prime lens attached to my camera. I shot hundreds of pictures. Manual mode, focus, and fixed focal length taught me a lot about composition and exposure. If you have a similar opportunity, I highly recommend going out somewhere and doing something similar. I suspect going to a class couldn't hurt either, though. Show nested quote +On November 29 2011 13:58 Porcelain wrote:
Damnit, I just wanted to focus in on something and have the background all blurry and what not!
You're going to want to get a fast lens (f/2.8 or wider) in order to get good, razor-thin, depth of field.
Yeah, that's what I'm looking for! This depth of field business is starting to make more sense. My camera will be here in 2 days, and I plan to go crazy taking pictures! It seems that's how most people figure out what they're doing... O.o
On November 29 2011 14:43 TimmyMac wrote:
Spend time with that kit lens before you make any decisions about lenses. It will give you an idea about what sort of images you like, which can advise your lens purchases. Shoot a lot, pick your best images, and check the EXIF data. If you're finding most of your photos are with the lens at 18mm, considering picking something wider and vice versa.
The f/1.4 or f/1.8 look is neat sometimes, but gets dull fast - believe me. I have more issues with short depth of field than I know what to do with. On top of that, for (relatively) still subjects, image stabilization solves your shutter speed issues anyway.
Good point! I almost bought the f/1.4 on a whim after reading reviews on amazon. Seems fun, but I can see how that would get old.
On November 29 2011 14:46 JinDesu wrote:
I learned everything by going to manual mode, going online and learning what aperture, shutter speed, and ISO meant and how they interrelate, and then going out to take pictures everyday for almost a month straight.
I don't think a college class is entirely necessary - the use of the camera isn't rocket science, and taking pictures is a subjective thing. As long as you understand how aperture determines depth of field, how shutter speed introduce and remove motion blur (as well as affect camera shake), and how ISO increases your light sensitivity at the trade-off of noise, you can start taking pictures with various settings to get the hang of it. Also understand that your camera lens will have a sweet spot for sharpness, and you should try to find out what that sweet spot is (people will say, a camera lens is sharpest after stopping down the aperture two or three stops).
Did your camera come with a lens?
Yeah, the standard 18-55mm.
I really need to do some reading on the terms you mentioned, it all sounds so foreign still! Although, I'm starting to grasp a lot more of these concepts as I read through reviews on different lenses. I can't believe how expensive one lens can be. It's crazy!
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I don't know why you feel so overwhelmed. You will get used to such terms relatively quickly. They are easy to look up and considering it is digital photography you don't have as much second guessing.
ISO - you adjust according to the amount of light. If you want to get into professional photography, sure it's important to know when to adjust the ISO, but it's main purpose for run of the mill photography is very dark settings (+), but you also have flash to help as well.
Shutter speed is for sequencing and moving objects.
Macros likewise.
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On November 29 2011 14:46 JinDesu wrote:
I learned everything by going to manual mode, going online and learning what aperture, shutter speed, and ISO meant and how they interrelate, and then going out to take pictures everyday for almost a month straight.
I don't think a college class is entirely necessary - the use of the camera isn't rocket science, and taking pictures is a subjective thing. As long as you understand how aperture determines depth of field, how shutter speed introduce and remove motion blur (as well as affect camera shake), and how ISO increases your light sensitivity at the trade-off of noise, you can start taking pictures with various settings to get the hang of it. Also understand that your camera lens will have a sweet spot for sharpness, and you should try to find out what that sweet spot is (people will say, a camera lens is sharpest after stopping down the aperture two or three stops).
Did your camera come with a lens?
This is where it's at. Classes are great, but a reasonably intelligent person should be able to figure out camera basics with some research and a little practice. It's especially nice since your camera is digital. You'll get instant feedback, unlike those of us who learned on film. There's nothing worse than getting all excited to develop your first roll, only to discover you failed miserably. It's really not as intimidating as you think.
I'd also like to note that you picked a really solid starter camera. I used a very similar Canon for my school paper and yearbook back in high school. You've made a reliable purchase.
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On November 29 2011 15:24 Porcelain wrote:Show nested quote +On November 29 2011 14:43 TimmyMac wrote:
Spend time with that kit lens before you make any decisions about lenses. It will give you an idea about what sort of images you like, which can advise your lens purchases. Shoot a lot, pick your best images, and check the EXIF data. If you're finding most of your photos are with the lens at 18mm, considering picking something wider and vice versa.
The f/1.4 or f/1.8 look is neat sometimes, but gets dull fast - believe me. I have more issues with short depth of field than I know what to do with. On top of that, for (relatively) still subjects, image stabilization solves your shutter speed issues anyway. Good point! I almost bought the f/1.4 on a whim after reading reviews on amazon. Seems fun, but I can see how that would get old.
The reason I recommend the 50mm 1.8 is not because you absolutely must use razor-thin depth of field, but because it is the cheapest prime lens by far. To me, a DSLR with a kit lens feels like a computer without internet. I might as well use my cell phone(to be a bit harsh).
A prime lens gives you good optical quality for less, and it both forces and enables learning so incredibly much better than a kit lens. If you are ready to spend more than the cost of the 50mm 1.8, by all means, buy a 50mm 1.4 or a 35mm 2.0(a bit more flexible than 50mm). But whatever you do, don't stick with that kit lens for too long. It's just such a waste, both of the camera and - more importantly - your time.
If you do stick with the kit lens for a while at least try to sometimes use your feet instead of the zoom ring on the lens. Oh, and image stabilization will only do so much. It's nothing like a prime lens at all. It's nice, but it's not magic.
One last thing, the earlier you start using RAW format the less you will have to regret not using it.  Would write more, but have to get to work. When this thread dies, if you still have questions(technical or otherwise) don't hesitate to shoot me a PM. If I didn't enjoy answering questions from confused photography students I wouldn't have tried to make a living of it. 
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It sounded like there's a camera named after the Oreo commercials.
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my girlfriend has that exact same camera (she has a small photography business here in columbus)
i'm sure she'd be happy to give you some pointers and shit, PM me if you want her contact info
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Say goodbye to your money if you start to get into it. Glass is not cheap  .
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United States24676 Posts
Woah I was just thinking about making a similar blog. I mentioned to my cousin on thanksgiving that I was interested in photography and he decided to lend me his Nikon D70s. I'm going to learn how all of the settings interrelate through a combination of experimentation and google, too XD
The lens from what I can tell is an 18-70mm.
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i got the exact same camera as my first dslr last year. imo it's a pretty friendly camera and not hard to adjust the settings and find out what they mean. just invest a couple of hours and google some guides about what aperture/iso/shutterspeed is / how to set them to get the sort of shot you want
also as for learning to actually take nice pictures look up 'rule of thirds' and maybe post some photos u take here for feedback. when i got my camera that's what i did and i got a lot of really helpful replies, so check the comments on my blog if you're interested
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Don't disregard the kit-lens - it's not bad for what it is, a cheap lens to play with. Use it for at least 1000 shots and then take a look at all your pictures to get a sense of what you should get next. If you shoot a lot more landscape and architecture, you might want to invest into a better wide angle lens. If you tend more towards people portraiture, you might want a dedicated 50mm, 85mm, or 135mm prime. If you tend more towards shooting wildlife, you might want a longer fast zoom. However, without trying to use the kit lens, you won't really know what you actually tend towards.
Also, try not to "pixel peep", which is to zoom into your picture 400% and see if the picture is sharp. Your kit lens isn't the best lens, but for web-size shots (800x600, facebook is 740x480 or something like that), etc, the kit lens is plenty good enough as far as sharpness goes.
Despite what some people say, the camera's automatic modes aren't "smart". Even going for AV/TV/SV modes, you should know what they do first - that's why learning from manual is better than learning from any of the other modes. Try to always set your exposure to whatever subject you actually want your audience to see. Learn about focus and recompose (google this).
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I started with reading books. This was a good book for some of the more technical stuff:
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Photographs-Camera/dp/0817439390/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322579418&sr=8-1
After that, it's all composition. I'm still trying to work on that.
Nearly everyone I know that got into DSLRs has ended up going back to the smaller cameras and only bring out the DSLRs for big events. I take the DSLR only when traveling and prefer my cell phone Galaxy S camera for anything else.
The lessons I've learned were usually the result of taking lots of pictures, reviewing them and seeing what's wrong while referencing books and other photos, and trying new things out. Trying new angles, new settings, etc. And take lots of pictures of the same thing; a lot of people just tend to take one photo and then move on; constantly readjust your settings, where you stand, your perspective, etc. when you're learning.
IMO the kit lens is fine. The best way to learn how focal length really works is to shoot in one focal length. I used the 50mm 1.8 for an entire trip and after viewing lots of the pictures I can tell when it would've been better to use something else, and when it would've been the best choice. Don't be one of those noobs who stands in one place and just randomly zooms and unzooms; set your focal length first and then walk around to recompose. And don't get obsessed with glass if you don't know how to use it or what you're getting into... the streets are littered with unused L lenses or L lenses used for poor shots because people don't know how to compose.
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EPT
