Its here, now what?

[mpeltier]

Ordered it yesterday, paid for the 1 day delivery only to have the UPS guy leave it at my door with out even ringing the door bell.Thank god for small favors that it was still there when I left for work.

I have already asked the two same old questions, which one and what lense? Thanks to all of those that replied. My next question is where do I get the basics down. I know the camera is capable of taking great pictures but it is limited by the user, me. I have a caveman like understanding of ISO, Shutter speed, etc. I am looking for stuff like what are some basic guidlines for shooting in 3 conditions. Those being Daylight, Night and semi action (fire scenes) Right now I have the Tamron 28-200 3.8/5.6. Probably not the smartest choice from what I have read but you have to start somewhere I guess. Also, by and large I am assuming that it is generally better to go with a canon lens rather that a Tamron or Sigma? I think I am learning that one the hard way. Thanks



Mike

[Griffin]

As a D30 users for just over 4 months, I cannot tell the specific yet, but Dr. Don Cohen has some excellent tips on D30 here to start with:

http://www.dlcphotography.net/

I see you have a very flexible lens. So daylight photography (all outdoor I assume) should not be a problem for you. My advise would be:

1. Map your "set" button of the back-dial to change ISO setting. It can be done through the Menu. It comes handy when you want to change the setting on-the-fly

2. Always use the "center focal point" setting, unless you need to reframe your shot. Just never use "auto focal point selection". AF will be very slow if you let the D30 picK for you.

3. Since D30 is much heavier than "regular" digital camera, proper handling is a must.

4. Read the manual, experiement with the camera, repeat the process until you are completely fluent with the operation of the camera. Don't let the machine operations thing gets into the way when you express your creativity.

No matter how fast your lens would be, for night (outdoor) photography, I would

1. Use manual focus.

2. Use Manual mode.

3. Use remote release for shutter.

4. Use at least f/8.0

5. Stick with ISO100

6. Always use tripod unless the situation does not allow so.

I would recommend you read Kodak's "Joy of 35mm Photography" to start with. This book provides excellent tips on how to start with the hobby.

[Roger_Cavanagh]

Mike,

To add to what Griffin has said:

- Shoot raw format unless you have a real good reason for using JPG. Raw format will give the best control and greatest opportunity to improve image with postprocessing.

- Adjust parameters setting to low contrast, low sharpening and high saturation. I like those settings, some people say use low saturaiton as well.

- Go to www.breezesys.com get the shareware program BreezeBrowser, USD35 - worth every cent - and the free Downloader

Enjoy,

Roger

[nitwit3]

Use a tripod and use the timer...it works...you can take hundreds of shots until you figure what settings can be used the best..remember, you can delete the bad shots.

Read the manual...it's very good...confusing at times for a newbie but very good...you can't screw up the camera
with shutter and aperture settings. Learn through trial and error. Copy the settings used on certain shots on Pekkas photos...I did...they helped give me a head start and made me more familiar with the camera.

Good luck,
Larry

[Griffin]

Oh, one more:

Observer (not just watch) Pekka's photo and see how he compose by imagining the environment outside the frame.

Keep on shooting, post your photo here or DPReview Canon SLR forum and ask for comments. I am sure people on these forums are very helpful to newbies like us.

The most import of all: enjoy photography.