Getting into photography

[RiK]

Depending on what you're going to be doing, don't rule out a GOOD creative compact. I keep being amazed by my Panasonic LX7 and the SLR is mostly gathering dust (literally, that's what annoys me with it, sensor dust is a pain)

Absolutely.

The only real limitation of a compact is with the tiny optical focal length you can't really achieve any significant tight depth of field effects but other than that I'm a firm believer that the best camera is the one in your hand.

I've got my big SLR for my 'serious' photography, but I've still taken some cracking shots with a compact.

[(o)(o)]

Depending on what you're going to be doing, don't rule out a GOOD creative compact. I keep being amazed by my Panasonic LX7 and the SLR is mostly gathering dust (literally, that's what annoys me with it, sensor dust is a pain)

Absolutely.

The only real limitation of a compact is with the tiny optical focal length you can't really achieve any significant tight depth of field effects but other than that I'm a firm believer that the best camera is the one in your hand.

Right, although if you have another more suitable camera close by, you can always put that one in your hand instead.

Another thing with the SLR is the sensors are usually larger eg:



The LX7 is just a snidge larger than the 2nd smallest box. APS-C is entry level SLR.

Bigger sensor = more sensitive to light. If you want to shoot fast or in low light it helps A LOT.

[venusian]

Saw this on HUKD and thought of you (lot). Refurb Nikon D3000 with lens and 8GB card, £159, delivered.

http://www.cameraworld.co.uk/new-equipm ... -6-vr.html

[Truder]

Saw this on HUKD and thought of you (lot). Refurb Nikon D3000 with lens and 8GB card, £159, delivered.

http://www.cameraworld.co.uk/new-equipm ... -6-vr.html

Only went and ordered it. Thanks for the heads up!

[(o)(o)]

Nice one.

Just in time it's now sold out.

Got the same kit lens. It's great! I'm thinking the next lens to get is the Nikon 55-200MM F/4-5.6 AF-S VR DX.

It's got the ED element, takes brilliant macro shots, can shoot 1/30th at 200mm with VR and it's £100!!



Question : Do people use clear glass filters on their lenses for protection?

[Cloudane]

I use a simple UV filter for protection, but definitely do it - I shattered mine (no idea how) and I guess it would've been the rather valuable lens broken if the filter hadn't sacrificed itself.

[(o)(o)]

One per lens I presume ?

This would seem to be a decent choice for the standard Nikon lens.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B002L72ANK

[RiK]

Yes, absolutely. *Always* use a protector filter..

It's a lot less painful to scratch/break a £50 filter than the front element of a £500 lens!

No need for a uv really on a modern digital camera as they are uv coated on the sensor. A clear glass protector is fine..

[(o)(o)]

Thanks for the advice!

Trying to find a clear one at that price.

[RiK]

I'd avoid the cheapie Kood ones you often see on ebay, likewise the bottom-end Kenko ones. They seem to scratch way too easily. The box they came in was usually better than the filter!

IMHO the Hoya Pro-1 is really the minimum acceptable standard.

i.e. Hoya 52mm Pro-1 Digital Protector Screw-in Filter

I use the Hoya 'HD' protectors which are excellent. I have them on all my lenses.
Hoya 77mm HD Digital Protector Screw-in Filter

[RiK]

The only other filter which should be in everyone's bag is a circular polariser which is really an asset for landscape shots to bring out the definition in the clouds etc. They're also really useful for killing unanted reflections in water etc.

Check this blog post I did a couple of years ago with a very simple before / after comparison image:
http://www.richardolpinphotography.co.uk/2012/01/use-circular-polariser/

[Truder]

Today (well, yesterday now) had a an excellent day out to the York Air Museum and subsequently York and as such I took the opportunity to get some use out of this camera and I am astounded, had so much fun taken not only snaps which actually surprised me how good this camera is at doing but also when manually taking a shot too . It makes me wonder why I haven't gone out with the camera until now... Although feeling safe with it is one thing that hinders me.... Don't like the idea of walking around Bradford with that camera in my hand.

Anyway, I thought I'd share with you some prime examples of photos that I'm really chuffed with how they turned out, no post-processing applied at all (because I don't know how ) and find out what you chaps think? (Please understand though that I'm a complete beginner and while I do understand how the camera operates and such, I have limited experience of taking photos).











I really like how intimidating the Tornado GR1 looks in this but I am a little disappointed of the lack of contrast between the sky and the canopy of the fighter.



The side of York Minster, the building looks so overbearing, omnipresent and even foreboding, my disappointment in this one is that I didn't have enough room to be able to get the whole building in the shot so in this case, the lens limitation.



This one astounded me how it turned out, I was just messing about with focusing on a close up object, in this case a fence post.



Finally a photo of my friend enjoying a mocha, a fantastic photo, calm, content and pleasant with the colour tones perfectly natural, really is a moment frozen in time

Overall I really enjoy this camera, it might be old by today's standards but for me it's brilliant and certainly a gateway to explore photography.

[RiK]

I really like how intimidating the Tornado GR1 looks in this but I am a little disappointed of the lack of contrast between the sky and the canopy of the fighter.

What's happened is your camera has taken it's most important metering info from the black of the nose cone smack bang in the middle of the frame and upped the exposure to retain the detail there, so the rest of the scene, especially the bright sky will be a little over-exposed as a result.

For situations like this (which you'll learn to recognise with experience) there's a function called 'exposure compensation' which lets you override the cameras exposure calculation with an adjustment up or down. Look for a little button with a +/- symbol on it. You can't miss it, it's right next to the shutter release.



The fact they put it there is a pretty big clue how useful it'll be as you progress in your photography :-)

[RiK]

The only other filter which should be in everyone's bag is a circular polariser which is really an asset for landscape shots to bring out the definition in the clouds etc. They're also really useful for killing unanted reflections in water etc.

I did a couple of quick snaps this morning which show a better example:
http://www.richardolpinphotography.co.u ... e-without/

Note, other than the crop and adding the copyright text, these images are both straight out of camera. The only difference between the two was the use of the polariser.

[adam]

do people still use filters then? i suppose they must... just looked at lce, only practical filters on sale, no sign of more whacky ones http://www.lcegroup.co.uk/New/Celestron ... _3624.html