Advice Would Be GREEEEAT!!!

Hello!!

After being a HUGE photo buff for many years, (known to my family as paparazzi) I have finally taken the next step and purchased a DSLR and got the Xti and am soooooo excited to get started!!!

I know to go buy some books to get the basics and that shooting is the BEST way to learn, but how can I start to learn "lenses" and filters, etc??? I love shooting EVERYTHING; people, dogs, action, landscape....so for now am going to learn my way around with the kit lens, but how can i learn what i'm looking for when i'm ready to move up???there are sooooooo many lenses and options, that it's crazy!!

ANY suggestion would be GREAT!!!

You can start with reading stickies in Canon EF and EF-S Lenses subforum..

-=FAQ=- EF LENS FAQ -READ FIRST- Before asking "What Lens?"
Protective Filter FAQ

Welcome to POTN!

Learn as much as you can about the basics before worrying about what to buy next. You can learn a lot with what you have. Once you have been shooting DSLR for a while you will have a better idea of what suits you and your needs. It is easy to get caught up in what is best and start a buying frenzy.

breal101 wrote in post #5725586
Learn as much as you can about the basics before worrying about what to buy next. You can learn a lot with what you have. Once you have been shooting DSLR for a while you will have a better idea of what suits you and your needs. It is easy to get caught up in what is best and start a buying frenzy.

oh yeah i TOTALLY AGREE!!! i wast just trying to get the jist of lenses and their use, which ones are for what, etc...just to build my knowledge base so that when i AM ready, i at least can follow the lingo...Like all these lenses give a distance range then a whole bunch of other numbers, in their title...what does all that mean?? See, i just want to be able to follow what these things are and have an idea:p

Start with the stickies at the top of this page. Ben's guide is excellent and will answer a lot of your questions. Just remember to take things one step at a time, above all learn the basics in his first section.

... and don't forget that you can't learn it all in one day.. or even one week. (so don't get frustrated) Knowledge builds on knowledge. .. you'll have a lot of "ahHA!" moments as things come together.

One of the easiest books to read that I'd recommend is "Rick Sammon's Complete Guide to Digital Photography 2.0: Taking, Making, Editing, Storing, Printing, and Sharing Better Digital Images Featuring Adobe Photoshop Elements"

Welcome to POTN! More here. Canon Rebel XT Newbie needs help!

izzy35 wrote in post #5725992
oh yeah i TOTALLY AGREE!!! i wast just trying to get the jist of lenses and their use, which ones are for what, etc...just to build my knowledge base so that when i AM ready, i at least can follow the lingo...Like all these lenses give a distance range then a whole bunch of other numbers, in their title...what does all that mean?? See, i just want to be able to follow what these things are and have an idea:p

Just take a deep breath and start reading the forums!

A good forum that i subscribe to is http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/

Lots of good advice and help on there about photography. If you go back to the previous page (at the bottom) you will find a series called Photography 101. Very useful!

Just please concentrate on the Av, Tv and M modes (the creative zone). Don't use the "program zone" as you'll fall into treating the camera like a big heavy expensive P&S.