# Darn you all



## aliclarke86 (27 Oct 2013)

OK so I have been *cough* forced *cough* to buy a camera! Yep its all of your fault! 

I am an absolute beginner when it comes to photography and have been looking for a while. I was looking at higher end point And shoot but in the end, from what I have read, came to the conclusion it would be a bad idea and I wouldn't get what I want from it in the long run.

I have ordered a canon eos 1100d. A beginner camera for a beginner . I am going to be asking a lot of questions so if anyone has any tips get them out now or point me to where I should be looking for answers!! 

This is my best work to date 








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## George Farmer (27 Oct 2013)

Put it in manual mode (M on the dial) and learn to use it properly. 

Learn about aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and how they all relate. 

Learn about composition.


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## aliclarke86 (28 Oct 2013)

Thanks George. 

This camera purchase fell through. The chap selling decided not to upgrade so I am back to looking. 

Would buying an older model body be a terrible idea then spend money on lenses?

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## krazypara3165 (28 Oct 2013)

As george says get it into manual. The next person I see with a DSLR set on auto will be getting a slap. I started off with an olympus e420 and a few lenses. Good bit of kit and dirt cheap when I bought it. The down side was when I upgraded to nikon I had to replace all the lenses. Your best bet would be to start off with a low end nikon say a d3100 if you can pick one up cheap or a low end canon as then kf you decide to upgrade you will only need to change the body.


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## oldbloke (28 Oct 2013)

What's your budget?


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## George Farmer (29 Oct 2013)

aliclarke86 said:


> Thanks George.
> 
> This camera purchase fell through. The chap selling decided not to upgrade so I am back to looking.
> 
> ...


Nothing wrong with used bodies (or lenses).


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## RolyMo (29 Oct 2013)

Switching manual is like been thrown in at the deep end. If that is the best learning style for you great. You might want to get a book or use the internet (include YouTube )that explains what is actually going on as you change the aperture, shutter speed and ISO settings. 

I was going to suggest swapping George's order of the composition and manual mode around so that you learn composition in auto mode first. That way you are free from worrying about settings and are able to concentrate on what is going on around, looking for the story your photo is going tell and framing the shot correctly. But ultimately you are going to have to switch manual and think about settings whilst composing a shot. So not sure it makes a difference.  

It's all about the light. 
R


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## aliclarke86 (29 Oct 2013)

Thanks all for replies. Oldbloke, I'm not really sure of my budget. I would like to keep it as low as possible without spoilinnng my chances of taking good shots. (I know that's down to the user in the end but I hope you know what I mean)

Its a confusing world where you can pay between 300 and 3000 for a camera as but as an amateur the descriptions seem almost the same 

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## RolyMo (29 Oct 2013)

aliclarke86 True. It takes a lot of work if you are really getting into the nuances of the cameras. However. You cannot go wrong with a Canon or Nikon either. When I chose my first DSLR 10 years ago I preferred Canon's colour representations over Nikon's but they were slight. Not sure what they are like now. I have seen a friends pro Nikon camera that he uses at work and the menu layouts seem really cool.

If this is your first foray into DSLR then the Canon 1100d you mentioned is a great choice. 

But it is all down to what you are wanting to do and budget. Landscape, portrait, kids, sports, fishtanks? These may dictate the lens you need as well.

Some of the guys on the forum have the more expensive cameras that do HD video such as the Canon 5d MkII and pro's often use these for filming stuff that you see on TV or corporate films etc. Be under no illusion though, these bigger camera's are heavier and you have to think about "am I going to take it out with me all the time" and lug around kit too versus something that is more lightweight.

Go down to PC World, tell the sales johnny to f'off and just take some time, pick up a camera, does it feel comfortable in your hands, etc (I am not saying you buy it from there)? I used to use DPreview a lot, as they do some really great comparisons of cameras. 

Start with what you can afford, learn your craft and camera. You will know when you have reached the camera's limits and at that point it is time to sell that one in favour of a model that is going to suit your needs in your next phase of your photography life.

Good luck
R


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## krazypara3165 (29 Oct 2013)

here is my two cents. if you want to compare several cameras spec wise these are the things that I would look out for......

cost!

ISO rating, the higher the better. (in brief ISO allows you to take pictures in dark rooms without using flash)

Focus points, the more the better for obvious reasons

Shutter speed, (the faster it is the easier it is to photograph moving objects)

Focus motor, does the camera have a built in focus motor? (if it does the lenses can be cheaper)

and battery life once again for obvious reasons.

there are many more factors to take into account (listed below) but the top ones do it for me.

Mega pixels. (the more you have the larger you can print off your photos)
articulated screen (can take pictures from awkward angles)
weight and ergonomics (easy to handle)
video mode (do you want to take videos)

that is a list of the basics but if you want to compare a few cameras with each other snapsport is a cracking website to do so.

Oh, and if you do decide to go ahead there is a company called 'going digital' that do beginner courses for around 60 quid for a days lesson. I did one a few years back and could really recommend it!


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## aliclarke86 (29 Oct 2013)

OK thanks guys. I think I will cool my jets a bit do a little digging before running out and buying the first thing I see and look into some learning 

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## pepedopolous (29 Oct 2013)

This (US) page has buyers info on cameras, lenses etc...  Cameras on The Wirecutter


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## Samuran (29 Oct 2013)

Hey
My only addition to this would be if you are looking at DSLR then I've found that the lenses are more important than the body (and normally more expensive).
Cheers


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## wijnands (29 Oct 2013)

I know Nikon, not Canon so I can only recommend on that.  I'd expect to see some really good deals on the D3200 since it's successor is out now but the D3200 is still an awfully good camera. Stick an 18-105 lens on it and you'll have a good quality combo that will handle 95% of most people's photography needs. If you're anywhere near some decent brick and mortar shops then have a look and see if anything has been traded in. A low mileage D3100 isn't to be ignored either as goes for a 550D if the price is right.


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## aliclarke86 (30 Oct 2013)

Thanks wijnands unfortunately all photography stores have closed around my town and well it seems pretty much every where.... the internet seems to kill small businesses..

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