Newbie needing help! :-)

JTC83

Hi all,
Hoping you could give me a little bit of advice. I'm a complete newbie when it comes both to these forums and to photography. Have had a point-and-shoot for a number of years that gets pulled out for nights out, holidays, the usual. Everytime I do, I'm reminded how much satisfaction I get from taking a photo that I like, or when someone else comments that a photo I've taken is good.
So now I've decided that I'd like to look into photography a bit more, and am hoping to take a course in it, although it's most likely September before another one starts in Galway as far as I can see. What I'm wondering is this, do I need a more advanced camera for starting off, or will either of my current cameras (Nikon Coolpix 5200 and Canon Digital Ixus 870is) suffice?
Like I say, I'm a complete newbie to all of this, have read back over pretty much this entire board to try and get to grips with some of the terms used, so I'd really appreciate any help you guys could give me.

Thanks,
JTC

hussey

Personally I would think that a course would be a bit wasted on a point & shoot
as you can only do so much with them,

course where you learn about composition etc, might be worth while, but to get max benefits you'd need to have an SLR

(in my opinion)

Rb

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AnCatDubh

Hiya JTC and welcome to this humble abode on the interweb

Yeah, I kinda agree with hussey and rb here. You will get most value from having an SLR on your hip for this one. Nothing wrong as such with P&S's but just they will be limited to what their intention is/was i.e. to point and shoot.

The control of shutter speed, aperture, ISO, etc.. is essentially what you will expect to be learning as part of your course (along with composition, lighting, etc.) and while many P&S's will let you alter the settings, my experience is that you only start to *really* notice the significant effect of it with better camera equipment - this by the way is no comment of the P&S's that you have as i've no experience of those but more a general comment based on my own experiences of bridge type cameras before I switched to DSLR.

If you have a little to spend or hope to before the course, then for not a lot you will pick something up secondhand like what rb linked to which will get you in the game as it were.

Good luck with it.

CabanSail

If you are getting good shots with a P&S then it would seem that you may have a eye for composition. The fact that you enjoy taking photographs is really the most important thing & it really doesn't matter a hoot if anyone else likes your stuff as long as you do at the end of the day.

I would urge you to start off by learning about composition & how you can affect that by use of a camera. This will give you an understanding of what you want out of a camera when you go to part with some hard earned cash.

A camera which allows you to have control will be essential. This does not mean you need to spend a lot of money. If you are sure that you are going to progress in Photography then a DSLR would be a good choice. The entry level models are very affordable now. You may also look at some of the Bridge Cameras as they offer control & great value as well.

Try not to get too caught up in the gear as an end in itself. Instead work from the image back & seek out what you need to capture that for your own needs & pleasure.

You will get a lot of support here & many people will give you good advice (a few will also throw in some dodgy advice too!) You may also look into which camera clubs are near you & go along as a visitor. It can be a great way to learn as well.

Good luck & welcome.

JTC83

Thank you all so much for your replies, I really appreciate it. Unfortunately, it'll be a while before I can afford any sort of new equipment, but I really appreciate your effort to find some options for me, very kind of you to go to that trouble, thank you.
Caban sail, I think you're right about needing to just learn more about composition. I've started playing around with that and with the different functions my cameras do have more and more, like the macro function, just experimenting really and trying to get the most out of what I do have.
Is there somewhere in specific I can learn more about composition, or anything else that will improve my photos with the cameras I have until I can afford to buy a DSLR camera (hopefully over the summer months)?

Thank you all so much for your help.
JTC

CabanSail

You are welcome to post a few up here & we can do a C&C (Comment & Critisism) on them. People will be honest but constructive.

The local Camera Club is also a good place to learn.

There are also websites & books that will give you an idea of what the "Rules of Composition" are all about. Good to learn about them & know when to break them as well.

A good imagination is more important than a good camera.