DSLR photography

[DurkaDurka]

Anyone here into DSLR photography?

I recently purchased a Canon Rebel XSI and am just learning the ropes so far, going from a point and shoot to DSLR is quite the transition. Learning what ISO, aperture, exposure etc mean and how they effect photos.

So far I have a XSI body, a 15-50mm lens, fixed 50mm lens, tripod and a 30 day copy of Adobe Lightroom for processing.

Living in downtown Toronto I am fortunate to have lots of cool things to photograph, the Toronto Docks afford an excellent view of Toronto's skyline, which I have taken a couple 30 second exposure shots at night. See below.

Toronto Harbour on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Toronto Skyline on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Next, I plan to learn how to do some HDR photos and take some shots in Kensington Market & the Distillery complex.

Anyone have any trick, tips, suggestions, photos they would like to share?

 

[countryboy]

Anyone here into DSLR photography?

I recently purchased a Canon Rebel XSI and am just learning the ropes so far, going from a point and shoot to DSLR is quite the transition. Learning what ISO, aperture, exposure etc mean and how they effect photos.

So far I have a XSI body, a 15-50mm lens, fixed 50mm lens, tripod and a 30 day copy of Adobe Lightroom for processing.

Living in downtown Toronto I am fortunate to have lots of cool things to photograph, the Toronto Docks afford an excellent view of Toronto's skyline, which I have taken a couple 30 second exposure shots at night. See below.

Next, I plan to learn how to do some HDR photos and take some shots in Kensington Market & the Distillery complex.

Anyone have any trick, tips, suggestions, photos they would like to share?

Hey DD, you're going to love that camera! It's a beauty. I used to be into "conventional" (film) photography and still have a bunch of old cameras. But, I bought a Pentax K100D DSLR a couple of years ago because I had a bunch of old K-mount lenses that fit this model. Turned out to be a great decision.

It's not as fancy as your camera but it offer what I need...control of all that manual stuff. I'm able to do the stuff I used to do with film, and that was always frustrating before the DSLR cameras came long (point and shoot only were the first digital offerings).

If you can ever lay your hands on an old easy-to-read book called "Adventures in Existing Light Photography" by Kodak, grab it! It was the very best "how-to" book I've ever seen...simple, short and sweet, but covered all the basics that you're asking about. I had an old copy kicking around but sent it to my daughter who recently moved to downtown Toronto (coincidence!) with her brand new Nikon DSLR. She said the book really helped her understand the basics and she's doing all kinds of great stuff now.

I guess the basic 2 things to know are the size of the lens hole (aperture) and exposure speed (how long the lens is open)...if you crank the aperture down to a low number, you limit the length of the exposure field (depth of field) if you're not focused out to infinity. It's a cool way to "fuzz out" the backgrounds when you want to highlight a specific object at close range. But, there is lots more to discover...if you can find a simple guide (like the book above) on this stuff, it'll really open up the opportunities...maybe try a photo shop to see what they might have.

Good luck!

 

[DurkaDurka]

Hi Country, I'm liking the Camera so far, it's an entry level model but is more then enough for me so far. It has a bunch of preset modes like portrait, landscape, night portrait etc etc, I've been avoiding those though and having been using the manual setting mostly.

I might take a look at the library and see if they have that book you mentioned. So far, i've mostly been referencing the Canon tutorials and various online material. I'm lucky I guess that I have I have some knowledgeable friends, who have helped me somewhat. Mostly though, they warn me about how expensive my new hobby will be.... looking at wide angle lenses, I see what they mean.

I think I'm going to try and photograph Toronto City Hall tonight, they have an outdoor ramp thing that overlooks the skating rink-courtyard, it looks to be a decent spot for taking pictures.

 

[countryboy]

Hi Country, I'm liking the Camera so far, it's an entry level model but is more then enough for me so far. It has a bunch of preset modes like portrait, landscape, night portrait etc etc, I've been avoiding those though and having been using the manual setting mostly.

I might take a look at the library and see if they have that book you mentioned. So far, i've mostly been referencing the Canon tutorials and various online material. I'm lucky I guess that I have I have some knowledgeable friends, who have helped me somewhat. Mostly though, they warn me about how expensive my new hobby will be.... looking at wide angle lenses, I see what they mean.

I think I'm going to try and photograph Toronto City Hall tonight, they have an outdoor ramp thing that overlooks the skating rink-courtyard, it looks to be a decent spot for taking pictures.

That would be a nice shot of City Hall. I still have a nice 16 x 20 shot of the CN Tower with a purple sky at sunset that I took years ago when I lived in a high-rise condo near Square One in Mississauga. A 200mm lens with a tripod, plus a lot of fiddling with exposures changed the color of the sky to a really cool shade of purple. Mind you, that was film and it was always a guessing game, not to mention expensive. With digital it's just great...you can experiment for free!

I think you're wise to keep on with the manual settings until you figure out how this stuff works. The preset modes are pretty handy for "quick shots" but I'm still fiddling around them myself, after almost 2 years.

Hope you can find a simple/good guide at the library!

 

[cdn_bc_ca]

You took some nice pics.

A friend of mine is a camera buff.... he's got a 20D and participates in a local photography club. One thing he's always on about is the fact that "real" photographers shoot in RAW format (as opposed to JPG). So, if you want to be taken seriously when in a conversation with photo buffs, you must shoot in RAW.

Oh, and depending on how far your photography hobby takes you, you could be looking at spending thousands of dollars getting good lenses for different types of photography.

When I want to check out the latest in photo equipment, I usually go here:

http://www.dpreview.com

They also have a section that teaches you the basics of photography and what all the terminology means. The forums are interesting in that it is separated by camera type so you can look over the posts relating to your camera... such as problems, firmware updates, etc.

 

[countryboy]

You took some nice pics.

A friend of mine is a camera buff.... he's got a 20D and participates in a local photography club. One thing he's always on about is the fact that "real" photographers shoot in RAW format (as opposed to JPG). So, if you want to be taken seriously when in a conversation with photo buffs, you must shoot in RAW.

Oh, and depending on how far your photography hobby takes you, you could be looking at spending thousands of dollars getting good lenses for different types of photography.

When I want to check out the latest in photo equipment, I usually go here:

http://www.dpreview.com

They also have a section that teaches you the basics of photography and what all the terminology means. The forums are interesting in that it is separated by camera type so you can look over the posts relating to your camera... such as problems, firmware updates, etc.

Good point on the RAW format...the serious ones do prefer it. It can eat up memory space like crazy though...just something to be aware of and prepared for. It one is going to print stuff, for sure RAW is best. JPG is OK for computer screens and internet use/websites though.

Also good point on the forums...I learned a lot about my camera just in a few minutes on the forums.

 

[TenPenny]

I picked up a Nikon D40X last year; I must admit, I miss the days of my Olympus OM2s. I still have it and some lovely lenses (including a really fast 300mm). As time permits, I hope to get a nice fast 250 or 300mm for the Nikon, but the lenses sure aren't cheap.

 

[DurkaDurka]

You took some nice pics.

A friend of mine is a camera buff.... he's got a 20D and participates in a local photography club. One thing he's always on about is the fact that "real" photographers shoot in RAW format (as opposed to JPG). So, if you want to be taken seriously when in a conversation with photo buffs, you must shoot in RAW.

Oh, and depending on how far your photography hobby takes you, you could be looking at spending thousands of dollars getting good lenses for different types of photography.

When I want to check out the latest in photo equipment, I usually go here:

http://www.dpreview.com

They also have a section that teaches you the basics of photography and what all the terminology means. The forums are interesting in that it is separated by camera type so you can look over the posts relating to your camera... such as problems, firmware updates, etc.

I have been shooting in raw so far, then exporting to jpeg after correcting colour balance etc in lightroom.

I'm well aware of the potential costs of this sort of hobby, a friend of mine told me he's spent close to 10 grand in the past 2-3 years 8O. Next lens I plan to get is a zoom, cheaper ones in the $300-$400 range.

Thanks for the link to dpreview, I'll check that one out later tonight.

 

[cdn_bc_ca]

Have you thought about the printer you're going to buy? (If you haven't got one already... that is).

 

[DurkaDurka]

Have you thought about the printer you're going to buy? (If you haven't got one already... that is).

My girlfriend has a colour laser printer, I guess I can use that if need be. If I have some nice ones I want printed I'll probably run over to Black's.

 

[TenPenny]

I have a Canon MP620, which does a nice job on pictures.

If you ever decide to get a photobook printed, be careful where you go: Black's claims the right to own and reproduce your pictures if you use their publishing services.

 

[DurkaDurka]

Here's one I took while having a smoke in front of my place
http://www.flickr.com/photos/45952349@N06/4308052214/

 

[DurkaDurka]

I have a Canon MP620, which does a nice job on pictures.

If you ever decide to get a photobook printed, be careful where you go: Black's claims the right to own and reproduce your pictures if you use their publishing services.

Ouch, I'll probably pass on that then.

Is the Canon printer reliable? I have bad luck with ink jets it seems.

 

[El Barto]

Durka , do like i did or do , learn one aspect of it and practice it.

 

[Dexter Sinister]

I picked up a Nikon D40X last year; I must admit, I miss the days of my Olympus OM2s. I still have it and some lovely lenses (including a really fast 300mm). As time permits, I hope to get a nice fast 250 or 300mm for the Nikon, but the lenses sure aren't cheap.

Boy that strikes a chord. I have a Canon AE-1 and a nice set of lenses that served me well for 30 years. Then suddenly it seemed there was almost no place to buy film and even fewer places to get development done reliably, and all that hardware was suddenly worth nothing.

Depending on what you mean by a "nice fast" lens, Nikon makes a very nice 18-200 mm lens with vibration reduction that's worth looking at. Minimum f stops range from 3.5 to 5.6 depending on the zoom setting, perhaps not as fast as you'd like but I presume you're aware that price rises rapidly with faster lenses. I have that lens, and I do most of my photography with available light. The VR feature lets me take shots with pretty long exposures--I think 1/4 second is the longest I've managed--without camera shake ruining the picture. The lens isn't cheap, in the $700-$800 range, and it makes the camera a little front-heavy, but I rarely have to change lenses either, that one is all I need 99.99% of the time. For that one shot in 10,000 that needs a longer lens (I like to do a lot of wildlife photography) I have a 70-300 mm lens as well. Some day when I'm feeling especially prosperous (ha!) I'd like to get another Nikon body (alas, the D40 series is discontinued) and mount that lens on it, so it's always immediately available and I'll never have to change lenses, just pluck another camera out of the bag.

Remember too the difference in form factor between 35 mm film and the sensor in your D40x. An 18-200 mm lens on the Nikon is about equivalent to a 28-300 mm lens on your Olympus. Lens technology has come a long way since we bought our old SLRs.

 

[DurkaDurka]

Durka , do like i did or do , learn one aspect of it and practice it.

I have been doing plenty of practicing over the last few days, much better at it then when I purchased it.:x I have next week off so I'm going to try and put in a couple hours a day.

You still taking lots of photos with yours, Barto?

 

[El Barto]

I have been doing plenty of practicing over the last few days, much better at it then when I purchased it.:x I have next week off so I'm going to try and put in a couple hours a day.

You still taking lots of photos with yours, Barto?

I kind of slacked of a bit . I just joined a photography club. There was this old cabin picture that i love exposed. It was explained to me that tit was taken on a tri pod , taken three times over to highlite the sky the building the forground . There was something magical in the texture and that is what they did to get it.

Oh btw that boat shot at the pier ........Awsome

 

[DurkaDurka]

Picked up a 1.8, 50mm prime lens last weekend, quite impressed with it so far, great for the blurring of background when taking portraits or close ups. Anyone else use a 50mm?

Here's a couple pics I took with it. I

Allen Gardens, Toronto 50mm

Allen Gardens-Heritage Sign on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Kensington Market, Toronto

Raven Cat

Raven cat posing for a photo on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Veruca Vat

Veruca posing on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Toronto, Street Art

rocks and gears on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

[El Barto]

Durka , you're awsome
Hey Google HDR photography and check out the effects.
Check your option on your cam if you have anything called like Bracketing or something like that. I am going to be trying that soon .

 

[El Barto]

Mt lense is a 55 -18 and i find it perfect . I am not very interested yet in a zoom