Understaning SLR cameras and lenses

[Sheiky]

Oh the thing is: if you buy 2-3 lenses at the start, you might be getting yourself selling them after a month or two, when you see the possibilities of lenses.


I've seen a lot of people buying a kit with 18-55 and 55-250 without a single clue how to use them properly and wanting to sell them because they want thing that other people have.


Looking at good photographers and seeing what they use and buy the same gear with the idea that your pictures will be as good as theirs. And they won't be! They probably will not be even close so ending up with expensive gear without knowing what to do with it.


In other words: you don't buy a minivan if your single, just because your neighbours bought it and think it's great []

[neuroanatomist]

And I can help her determine what will be good for her within her budget!

That's really a key point, as well as assessing her shooting needs and allowing for future growth, as well as her technical skills. Dollar for dollar, money spent on lenses will provide greater improvements to image quality than money spent on a body. For example, for ~$1900 one could get 7D with the 28-135mm kit lens, or a T2i with the EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 lens. The latter combination would provide better image quality (within that shorter focal length range).


One recommendation I'd consider if she'll be shooting indoors is an external Speedlite flash - a 430EX II or 580EX II will make a huge difference in the quality of flash photos!

[DavidEccleston]

have found this site to be very helpful in understanding all the shooting modes in a DSLR.


http://web.canon.jp/imaging/enjoydslr/index.html

Welcome to the forum Hadwick. I skimmed the first two sections, and that does seem like a good link to explain the basics. A verythorough tour of a DSLR.

[TucsonTRD]

I pretty much agree with everyone's points. Especially if you go with Canon, you can't really go wrong. So just purchasing something based on a budget won't be a bad decision. I am brand new to the DSLR world (just bought mine in the end of November) and made my purchased based on online reviews and my budget. I knew NOTHING about photography outside of point-and-shoot before purchasing and receiving my 50D. I read the manual a couple times, and got a good book specific to the 50D that also has great info about the basics and have self-taught myself.


I don't think it is necessary to learn the basics or fundamentals of photography before purchasing a DSLR. It is just important to know your budget and find the best camera option that works for your budget.


Braden

[neuroanatomist]

I don't think it is necessary to learn the basics or fundamentals of photography before purchasing a DSLR.

That's something many of us debate. [:P] But, there's definitely reason that all Canon dSLRs except the 1-series bodies have the green square mode. With that, you can take advantage of many of the camera's features without knowing the underlying concepts (admittedly, you're sacrificing control of those features). That's also the rationale behind the CA mode on newer bodies (including the higher-end 5D2 and 7D) - for example, regarding the Background: Blurred <--> Sharp slider, Canon's own press release states, "This is depth-of-field control, but without requiring an understanding of apertures."

[Flaming]

Having read all the entries here I think they might have something with the xxxD camera idea, but then again the simplicity of the camera to me was not that big a deal when I jumped into DSLR's. (I like challenges and will play with things till I understand them.) So that might not be a problem for you either. Besides the xxD does have that auto mode for the first time users who might be lost. It will work fine at first I am sure.


Also I was reading the entries and I remembered something that might be really good for someone that is jumping into the DSLR area; if you get a prime (50mm f/1.8 or the like) you will learn to compose shots in a very different way than you do when you have large ranges of zoom to play with (that is any zoom at all really). I don't know how much photography she has done before, but getting a prime makes you think about every composition since you cannot change the zoom. I have not used primes as much as I would like (I own none right now), but when I have used them they have been a huge amount of fun and a great experience. Deffinently check that out. Just a thought especially if you want quality lenses to start building off of for the future set (although when my brother got his first prime it was hard to peal him away from it even though it was a 150mm because it just has so much better IQ than his zoom. :P)


Samuel