Photography frustration

drewl wrote in post #16399900
cameras have manuals?

As in booklet that I never tend to read?

OP I started with the 20D back in '06 and still to this day there's so much to learn but in a fun way of course! Jealous you have the 5DMKIII but honestly I agree with others; you can't learn everything. Even if you did you can't cover every areas of photography in a lifetime is the way I see it.

Have fun with the amazing camera

britt777 wrote in post #16399617
Lol...people crack me up....guess that's the difference between amateur and professional. I like to know what every single setting on my camera is for and can do. Whether it's a $50 camera or $50,000 camera. Nothing wrong with that. Should have known better than to post.

Heh! Don't get me wrong, I don't advocate "ignorance" about your gear. When I got my first DSLR (a 30D) I read and re-read the manual, I got books that covered digital SLRs and the 30D specifically, I was big on reading, but that didn't mean I couldn't get out and practice what I was learning!

My next DSLR, the 5D (Mark 1, the "Classic") was pretty much a breeze to hit the ground running, because it was of the same "generation" as the 30D and used much of the same technology. Yes, it had some differences, but a couple reads in the manual and then more "casual" online stuff got me caught up pretty quickly.

Things changed with my next camera, the 1D Mark III. It wasn't a "new generation" of my old 30D and 5DC, it was a big step up in the technology and features that the 1D series gets loaded with! So, a whole new process of learning the new technology and features and how to use them. Added to that, the early releases of the camera had "issues", and we all had to learn about those issues and how to evaluate our cameras accordingly, well, those were fun times, hours spent here in POTN and other places, pursuing that "learning curve", fun times, and then hours spent out shooting and evaluating the dang camera!

The good news, though, is that even with the 1D3 and, similarly, the 5D3, you can still get off to a running start because the essentials are all in place, the controls to get a good shot are all in place, even if you can't yet "fine-tune" some things, you can still nail the shots you nailed before you got the "Beast" unless, of course, you get carried away tweaking some new Custom Function in a way that messes things up!

So, the "moral" of that story is, get out and shoot, read up on things, and don't tweak new stuff until not only you understand, but you are out there shooting to test and verify what those new settings actually do! Until then, you really can shoot that 5D3 as if it was a 20D!

Lots of people would love to be in your shoes with a mark III, Go out and use it, Coming from another DSLR the basic's should all be the same, Who cars if you don't "know it all" I don't know half the things my 5d can do, but i know the basics

Old and new cameras are like old and new cars. Sounds like a silly comparison, but hear me out...

With older cars it was fairly simple: you got in; there was a steering wheel, gear lever, pedals, a few mechanical adjustments to the seat, some buttons for heat/ventilation, maybe a radio and that was about it.

With new high end cars the drivers seat alone has a silly amount of options: heating, ventilation, perhaps massage; you can electrically adjust it in dozens of different ways and commit those settings to memory; etc. And then there are all the other things: screens, buttons, Bluetooth, cameras, parking sensors, self-tinting mirrors, adjustable suspension, intelligent high beams, and so on and on and on...

You can get in the new car and drive without knowing most of those things, but you can also take the time to learn everything you can before speeding off. Knowing at least some of the details makes the driving experience much more enjoyable, but not knowing wouldn't stop you from driving. It's all about how much you want to know.

Okay, feel free to laugh at the silly lady

Tessa, that was a nice analogy!!

TooManyShots wrote in post #16399580
Heheheh...no way. A 3k camera should do more than that!!!!

I disagree...

edge100 wrote in post #16400216
I disagree...

Why? A 10k worth of camera kit and does not have liveview and video???

I am just joking.

Watch the videos to learn about some feature/control which is available, then immediately go out and shoot using that feature/control...Thin​k of it like attending a class, then going out and doing homework! Practice...It reinforces what you learned from your 'teacher'.
You might discover that a particular feature/control has no benefit for you, so ignore it (but your brain remembers it is there, if you later have a need to find it) But many features/controls simply do not need to be immediately discovered...it can take years before you find a need for it.

edge100 wrote in post #16400216
I disagree...

Leica - The Chewbacca defense of the photography world.

britt777 wrote in post #16399297
My frustration is, I feel like I spend more time reading and watching videos on how to use these cameras than I do getting to take pictures. Is it just me or do others have the same frustration?

Usually, when people are frustrated, it is over things that they have no control over. They are frustrated because they don't like the way something is, yet they are not in a position to do anything about it. Here, it looks like you are frustrated with . . . yourself! There is no need to continue on in frustration. If reading your manual instead of shooting is frustrating you, then put the manual away and go out and shoot - problem solved!

I received a 1D mark 4 last week. It has been my first piece of new gear in over 3 years. Within the past week, I have shot about a thousand images. I have yet to even see the manual . . . I'm sure it's in the box somewhere, but all I had to do is pull the camera out of the box, charge the battery, scroll thru the menus to set it up the way I want, and go shoot! Grand total of half an hour to learn what I needed to know. Maybe someday I will go read the manual . . . maybe not.

As someone already said, all you really need to know is how to set aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Anything beyond that is not necessary. Sure, you may eventually want to learn some of the other features, but you don't need to know them in order to go out and create some excellent images.

If you're frustrated at yourself for not shooting, then go shoot. Seems pretty simple to me.

Here's my recipe:

1. Browse the manual for an hour or so
   
2. Shoot, shoot, shoot and get in trouble
   
3. Read sections of the manual carefully
   
4. Check other sources for help
   
5. Repeat steps two, three and four
   

britt777 wrote in post #16399297
So I just picked up my first full frame digital camera (5D Mark III)
I started with the 20D and had several others, but all crop cameras.

My frustration is, I feel like I spend more time reading and watching videos on how to use these cameras than I do getting to take pictures. Is it just me or do others have the same frustration?

Take the camera out for a spin, pick an event or subject for the day and shoot and shoot. Pretend your working for National Geographic, Time Magazine, Sports Illustrated, etc.. and have FUN! Save all your pics and study why the bad ones came out bad and understand why the good ones came out good. Enjoy your hobby.

TooManyShots wrote in post #16400594
Why? A 10k worth of camera kit and does not have liveview and video???

I am just joking.

Or have a sensor at all.

I know.

Kolor-Pikker wrote in post #16400638
Leica - The Chewbacca defense of the photography world.

Yep.

That explains why none of the best street photography, documentary and editorial photography or photojournalism of the last 100 years was taken with Leica cameras or lenses.

It's a wonder they don't just shut down the whole operation.

edge100 wrote in post #16400974
Yep.

That explains why none of the best street photography, documentary and editorial photography or photojournalism of the last 100 years was taken with Leica cameras or lenses.

It's a wonder they don't just shut down the whole operation.

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