my 1st dslr

carplates

just bought my 1st dslr, canon 500d, all tips welcome, very much interested in sports photography, and some tips on little things i should add to my camera, ie flash, hoods etc, go easy i'm only new to this game, thanks in advance

Wylie Luke

I have mine about 2 months and I love it! Stick it straight into manual and keep clicking til you get it right (IMHO) i stuck a Canon 50mm f1.8 on it and I have to say its way better than the kit lens and well worth the little extra

kelly1

carplates wrote: »

just bought my 1st dslr, canon 500d, all tips welcome, very much interested in sports photography, and some tips on little things i should add to my camera, ie flash, hoods etc, go easy i'm only new to this game, thanks in advance

The first thing I got for mine was a screen protector. If you're into sports, you'd better start saving! 1000+ for a decent lens.

shamrock55

was thinking of getting the 500d myself too or the nikon d3100 are the lenses you get with them ok to start off with or would you want to get bigger lenses straight away

kelly1

shamrock55 wrote: »

was thinking of getting the 500d myself too or the nikon d3100 are the lenses you get with them ok to start off with or would you want to get bigger lenses straight away

Depends on what you want to do. The focal length range of the kit lens is ideal for general purpose use. But as you gain experience you'll start to see the limitation of the kit lens. Generally the image quality can be a bit lacking in terms of sharpness, contrast and saturation. Very often you're stuck with f/5.6 which isn't very useful in low light or where you're trying to get shallow depth of field.

shamrock55

well as im only starting off id just like to be able to take nice pics of the family or portraits and some scenic landscape type photoes would would basic 18-55mm lense do the job

mawk

starting off the kit lens does great. 6-12 months from now youll probably see the shortcomings but you can ignore them for a long time after that even. the most basic modern dslr and kit lens has an awful lot of room to grow in to.
My recommendation is to switch it to manual mode and press every button a few times. there are an awful lot of them. thats the difference with a slr.

Also, really understand the relationship of apperture, shutter speed, iso and white balance. google will give you a lot. later on, composition becomes all important, but for the very beginning, learn how photos work so you can get the ones you want sooner

dont rush to getting more gear, it doesnt help much. learn some post processing and then try not to do it much.

--
mawk's top tips for starting out.

(dont change lenses in dusty places!)

center15

Great ebook here for starters and pros. Killer Tips for Getting the Most out of Your Canon Camera

condra

Personally, I say get the Canon 50/1.8 ASAP. They go for only around 65-70 second-hand on adverts.ie so you've no excuse not to get one if you've spent a couple of quid on a good modern camera like the 500d.

I have a 450d. I use it almost exclusively with the 50/1.8. My brother has the 500d and 18-55 kit lens. That lens is pretty handy for nice wide landscapes with the 18mm focal length, but the "Nifty Fifty" is sharp and fast. Great in low light, ideal focal length for portraits and objects, and when you want to blur out the background. (and I don't mind zooming with my feet)

Some examples of shots taken with the 50/1.8
http://www.pixel-peeper.com/lenses/?lens=16

hbr

shamrock55 wrote: »

well as im only starting off id just like to be able to take nice pics of the family or portraits and some scenic landscape type photoes would would basic 18-55mm lense do the job

Short answer: Yes.

The newer IS versions of the Canon 18-55mm are quite good.
http://pix.ie/corkpix/1658017
http://pix.ie/corkpix/1671266
http://pix.ie/corkpix/1650412
http://pix.ie/corkpix/1651405

Canon 500D and 18-55 IS lens.

dinneenp

Go on a photowalk (look at , look here or in the Photography Expeditions section (one in Limerick and Cork coming up) where you can talk to people, ask questions.

Have a look if there's a local photo course on somewhere. There's some good books out there too (search for book in google or this forum)

Freddie59

Get Understanding Exposure You'll never look back. Learn how to use M mode as soon as you can. That book will help.

hbr

Freddie59 wrote: »

Get Understanding Exposure You'll never look back. Learn how to use M mode as soon as you can. That book will help.

A lot of the stuff in the book is also covered on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/user/ppsop2009

shamrock55

thanks for the great tips guys still undecided between the nikon d3100 or the cannon 500d what would you recommend and also would it be a good idea do you think to maybe do an online course in digital photography i would have to do online as any day or evening courses are too far away thanks again guys;)

Buckz

Short tip on the firt question- shoot more, buy less. You should get used to working around the limitations of your kit, as every kit has its limitations.As for doing a course- I think you will learn more from a joining a club or reading a few books from the library- much cheaper and you will quickly find out what you Don't know and what sort of course would help. Beginners courses are just that- wasting a lot of time showing people where the buttons are on their camera- "On a canon it's this, on a nikon do that on a pentax it's here- anyone have a sony" after hearing that a dozen times on a course you have paid for you may get the urge to scream "Read the F@&#+!G manual...One course that might be of interest is the DSLR skills course in practical photography - look at photoanswers.co.uk you can get issues of the magazine that cover the course for £15 (delivered to Ireland) that's a third off what you would pay in a shop. The course itself will be basic enough, but it will cover a lot, and you'll pick up loads more from the magazines.