Hello all,
I'm just getting back into photography, and getting semi-serious for the first time. I'm looking for a forum or two for help and to make things more interesting, so I thought I'd introduce myself and have a look around.
I've been interested in photography for a few years, and started more or less in 2000 with a basic Minolta 35-mm SLR. I probably only made a couple hundred shots with it, and I guess I got tired of paying for my mistakes and didn't stick with it. In 2003 I got a pocket/snapshot digital camera and have had fun playing with it, taking it everywhere and trying from time to time to even take the odd good photo.
A couple of weeks ago I got an idea and helped make a photo for the cover of an annual report with a good amatuer photographer, (who owns what I now know to be a Canon 10D with a 17-40mm L lens). He was of course all for it, and we spent some time making photos, chose a couple and made a nice picture.
During this process, I really admired what he could do with the camera, and of course it revolutionized the way I think about digital photography, which previously had been limited to fixed focal length, automatic exposure and monitor-sized images. It turns out that another guy at work is also a photo enthusiast and uses a digital camera as well. This experience and the fact that my wife and I have a first child due soon led me to seriously consider re-investing in photography as a hobby. I looked and looked online and read and read. I decided to go for it and quickly narrowed it down to three cameras: the Minolta 7D, Canon 20D and Nikon D70. All digital SLRs, all leading in the prosumer class of their manufacturer's lines, all capable of making fantastic results -- in short, each is a camera I would be able to creatively grow into. The Minolta fell out of the competition after a few days, and after much debate and reading, I went to a shop to try out the 20D and the D70. The first dealer was not friendly or helpful, so the next day I went to another shop and got to try the two cameras out for over 2 hours.
The 20D won out despite the price gap. Then I had to choose a lens, and after a couple more days of reading decided on the EF-S 17-85mm. I had considered an L-series lens, but decided I don't have to start out with that much high quality, and just want a good quality general-purpose lens to learn with. I've also ordered a 50-mm f/1.8 portrait lens.
I just picked it up this morning from the post; unfortunately the friendly dealer couldn't touch the online price, so I am buying accessories from him. Now it's sitting on the floor behind me. Fantastic, that thing! It's easy to make great photos, but I'll have to work hard to get good enough to make truly good portrait photos by the end of May.
I've bought a book and have been rounding out my starter knowledge. A lot of stuff about my older Minolta and the FujiFilm snapshot job now make a lot more sense. The main thing of course is to start to understand light and learn to conceptualize. What do I want to shoot? How to compose? Obviously I have a great tool to get started experimenting.
Cheers,
Mike
