Getting into photography - how to start, what to get?

La Passione

Pigeon
Jewish
Beirut said:
Thoughts on the canon SL2 for a total beginner?

For various reasons I prefer to buy new so used isn't an option.

Great beginner DSLR from what I can tell. I was thinking of getting the t7i, which is a couple hundred more. But if you're on a strict budget I don't see how you can go wrong

 

mundele

Sparrow
What you need and what you spend depends on your goals: nature, portrait, animals, safari, sports ..?

I currently use a Nikon D3300 and an 18-300 mm 3.5 - 5.6 as an allround lens. I do a lot of safari and birding and it's 'just' enough to take some pics and also for my travels and city trips. I recently purchased a 50 mm 1.4 and a soft box to start with portrait photography as a side project. I would like to buy a 400 - 500 mm lens for birding here in my garden or when goin on safari, but it's a bit pricey.
 

TheUsual

Sparrow
ShotgunUppercuts said:
Anyone shoot film?

What editing programs do you guys use?

I shot about 10 rolls of 120 film on various medium format cameras last year. I used Lightroom and Photoshop to edit them as I would my digitals. I'm thinking about learning to develop my own film this year as it gets really expensive paying people to develop and scan it for you.
 
I need to get my hands on a flatbed scanner. Started getting my film developed so in the meantime i could build a lightbox to get some on my phone.

Havent shot much since i got my cameras again but when I move i should have plenty to work with.pikes peak hillclimb is in june so i look forward to getting some shots there.
 

sterling_archer

Hummingbird
Guys, how to take picture of lightning bolt and stars?

For stars, I thought of this:
F 2.8 + low focal length such as 25 mm + tripod + ISO 800 (highest without noise) + shutter speed exceeding 10 seconds (need to experiment a little)

For lightning, I though of this:
F 2.8 + 25 mm + tripod + ISO 800, but I am not sure of shutter. Do I use burst drive mode with fast shutter? But lighting is always in low light conditions so I am not sure how much light would I get in exposure.
 

CaptainChardonnay

Ostrich
Gold Member
Not too sure about the lightening but you basically have it with the stars. You will need to be somewhere remote for the best results. Also having a remote shutter button or setting a timer would be best so that you don't shake the camera at all.

The longer your exposure, the more the stars will drag into lines like this:

yUxkbj9.jpg


For lightning you would probably need to bump up ISO. The thing with night photography is that sometimes you need to up the ISO.
 

sterling_archer

Hummingbird
I don't have remote shutter but I installed panasonic image app on phone which allows me to remotely control camera. I just focus stand back and click on my phone to take picture. I will experiment with ISO, but I still must do research on lightning bolts.

Btw, today is the full month since I bought the camera and I must say it is absolutely amazing how much one can learn starting from zero in that period. Of course I am miles away from being a serious photographer but it definitely pays off to take pictures almost every day, read literature and watch videos by experienced photographers. Even met some people by accident who gave me helpful advice.
 

Beirut

Pelican
I got the SL2 with the 85 and 50 mm Prime lenses along with the kit lens which probably wasnt the smartest choices but i wanna focus on taking pics of people and not nature for now.

Obviously i have no idea what im doing but the camera is light as fuck and so far easy to use.


I got a course from Udemy but the guy has the thickets indian accent ever. Also got the Northrup whatever his name is book. Is there a standard renowned step by step resource (maybe the two i mentioned?) to get started instead of randomly looking up various topics?
 

Beirut

Pelican
la passione said:

Sorry if she's annoying, lots of good tips in here for self-portraits, especially the focus trick (I think selfies are one thing we can trust women's advice on :wink: ).

Edit: Sorry, I tried to time-stamp it- the focus tip starts at 5:43 in the video

That was great. Is there some drawback or inaccuracies using this?

Cause all the other videos suggest complicated techniques for self focusing yet this screechy bitch has a great simple solution. Women and selfies, as you said...
 
Getting a computer next week so i can start editing my pictures.

For now im trying to learn how to take pictures at nighg without using a flash . Want to try a long exposure shot tonight to experiment with my camera .
 

Penta Sahi

Kingfisher
sterling_archer said:
Guys, just ordered Zomei 52 mm ND filter for my camera from Ebay. 12$. ND2-400.

Did I pay for shit or is that a good price for having fun with blurring effects?

Variable ND filters are generally shit, since when turning to adjust the ND it can lead to weird color banding or color blobs/tints in the photos. I imagine there are some higher end variable NDs that actually work quite well, but they're probably pricey (certainly not $12). Anyways, don't feel bad, $12 is nothing, and it'll be probably fun to play around with.

If you want to play around with ND filters the most efficient set would be to get either a ND 3-6-9 or ND 2-4-8 pack from Amazon, a decent set with good reviews should be somewhere between $30-$50. With these 3 filters you should have any and all combinations covered because you can stack the filters (indeed, you can just get a ND 3-6 duo and stack them to make an ND 9 if needed. All bases covered). As you find out which ND filters work best for the type of photos you want to take you can then invest in the high end good stuff (think close to $100+ for a single filter).

Also get the largest filter diameter you need, and get step down rings to adapt them to your smaller lenses.
 

sterling_archer

Hummingbird
I think even if it is probably shit, it would be fun to experiment with my camera. Not sure if you saw on previous pages but I bought bridge camera, so a non interchangable lens system. Doesn't really make sense to invest into high end filters with that camera as this camera is something to learn photography.
It would last me years of practice until I buy pro camera, which will of course have suitable expensive accessories such as proper filters, much sturdier tripod, flash and so on.
 
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