I ordered my DSLR Camera Today!!!!

SharpByCoop said:
...She's the first to point out she's a newbie. Let us see her work first.

See? We all want to help you, Judy. :D

Coop
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Heck, Coop... you didn't see me running off to some Digital Photography Forum for help, did you? I asked my FRIENDS. And then I did my research and more research and asked more questions and compared more cameras, etc. etc.

I came back HERE to share my decision with my FRIENDS because I knew that my FRIENDS would want to help me and will be here for me if I get stuck. That being said, I am very, very resourceful. AND I have phone numbers! :p

I am taking all advice under consideration. I am compiling a binder with information I come across that explains things I don't know, so I can reference it until I do learn it.

And when I finally have my camera and have taken some (okay, a LOT) of pictures, I will come back HERE and share them with my FRIENDS so that I can get honest feedback and suggestions on how to improve.

It will be understandably a bit confusing for me at first, but I'm a fast learner. I enjoy learning hands-on rather than just sitting and reading about something. However, I do know that I will have to do some reading just so I know what all of the terms mean, and what the different features actually do so I can use them properly.

Give me a couple of days with my new camera. Coop and Evolute will be BEGGING me to come work with them by the end of 2009! hehehe.... :D
 
glockman99 said:
TJ...When you receive your new Sony camera, don't spend too much time in trying to figure out how to load 35mm film in it.:D.:D.
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Uh oh. Glockie, the guy's name at Sony is Angelo. He told me I would need at least 2 dozen rolls of 35mm to start out with, and he gave me a good price for them, $10.99 a roll, I think.

How much time do you think I need to spend until I figure out how to load the film? :confused:
 
Totally Judy said:
Give me a couple of days with my new camera. Coop and Evolute will be BEGGING me to come work with them by the end of 2009! hehehe.... :D
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Don't laugh. A little technology does help. And once you start taking pictures of what interests you, a trip with your mother, watching your dogs running around, you'll start to see some good photographic skills developing.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Don't laugh. A little technology does help. And once you start taking pictures of what interests you, a trip with your mother, watching your dogs running around, you'll start to see some good photographic skills developing.
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Esav, you are absolutely right. There are many things I want to take pictures of, in addition to what you mentioned above. Where I live, in the middle of Homestead Valley in the Mojave Desert, we have so many abandoned homestead cabins that are just ripe for some good picture taking.

I know I need to understand the technology to get the best use out of my camera, but practice, practice, practice is going to help me see where I need to improve, and also when I begin to improve.

This is a major learning curve for me - but it is an exciting one!
 
Hey Judy, I'm lookin' forward to seein' what you think a few weeks after ya get it and had a chance to play a little.

I'm at that point where I'm ready for my step off into DSLR cameras but the more I read the less sure I become.

So I do more research, and just when I think I'm ready to take the plunge again something else comes along, I'm not afraid to admit that I can't decide, it's almost as bad as buyin' a new knife, actually worse, I'll buy a camera but then it'll be 8+ years till I buy another one.

I had my AE1 for 25 years.
 
glockman99 said:
TJ...When you receive your new Sony camera, don't spend too much time in trying to figure out how to load 35mm film in it.:D.:D.
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True that, but get yourself a little tripod and just stick that dial on M. Then learn. The funnest thing to do with these things is learn and play and fiddle and the best way to do that is to go full manual. Just for a few days. Scrolling throw menus etc, setting aperture and shutter speeds according to the light meter. Try focusing manually. All of this will teach you how to use your camera.

Also, the number one thing in Camera - despite everything they try to sell you is, slow down. Photography is a subtractive art. That means you want look through that view finder and set up your shot by removing distractions and really looking at whats in the picture frame. Tripods are great, not so much that remove vibrations, is that they are a PITA to put up. When you take the time to set it up, you are going to look through that viewfinder and make sure its a good shot before hitting the shutter button. In the old days of film, this conservative philosophy was reinforced by having to shell out $3 in film + processing fees for your fuji velvia every time you pressed the button. Today, shots are free. People seem to forget to take the time to remove the distractions.

Sorry - all that info had nothing to do with your camera. But I bet its the bee's knees and going to give you a whack of fun. Looking forward to viewing all those uploaded pics you will be producing!
 
Totally Judy said:
Give me a couple of days with my new camera. Coop and Evolute will be BEGGING me to come work with them by the end of 2009! hehehe.... :D
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Judy,

I'd be happy to give you a one or two day beginner course in photography (i.e., in person), to save you months-to-years on the learning curve, if we can arrange getting together.

Feel welcome to contact me.
 
Any Cal. said:
One thing I did just find out recently, when I couldn't figure out why my pics weren't as sharp as they should be, is that when you run the full image size, most cameras use Bayer Interpolation to produce it. If you run a smaller image size, it doesn't do that, so the resulting image is much sharper. I have been running mine at 3MP, and it is super sharp and crisp now. Something to keep in mind.
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Any Cal,

You are mistaken. Your camera is doing Bayer interpolation regardless whether you make a full size pic or a 3 megapixel size pic. In the case of the 3 megapixel picture, your camera is doing the Bayer interpolation, and then downsampling.
 
kgd said:
True that, but get yourself a little tripod and just stick that dial on M. Then learn. The funnest thing to do with these things is learn and play and fiddle and the best way to do that is to go full manual....

Also, the number one thing in Camera - despite everything they try to sell you is, slow down. Photography is a subtractive art. That means you want look through that view finder and set up your shot by removing distractions and really looking at whats in the picture frame. Tripods are great, not so much that remove vibrations, is that they are a PITA to put up. When you take the time to set it up, you are going to look through that viewfinder and make sure its a good shot before hitting the shutter button. In the old days of film, this conservative philosophy was reinforced by having to shell out $3 in film + processing fees for your fuji velvia every time you pressed the button. Today, shots are free. People seem to forget to take the time to remove the distractions.

Sorry - all that info had nothing to do with your camera. But I bet its the bee's knees and going to give you a whack of fun. Looking forward to viewing all those uploaded pics you will be producing!
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Well said. I couldn't agree more.

All manual, to learn what you are doing, and then all manual to have complete control over what you are doing.

When looking through the viewfinder, scan over the entire frame, and make sure everything is as you want. Try to make every picture count.

Shoot as much with your mind and your heart as with your eye.
 
T. Erdelyi said:
I'm at that point where I'm ready for my step off into DSLR cameras but the more I read the less sure I become.

So I do more research, and just when I think I'm ready to take the plunge again something else comes along, I'm not afraid to admit that I can't decide, it's almost as bad as buyin' a new knife, actually worse, I'll buy a camera but then it'll be 8+ years till I buy another one.
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I agree with that entirely. I have a little bit of knowledge of knives, but when it comes to cameras I'm totally lost.

Take your time. When I was shopping for a DSLR for my wife, I did a lot of research. I still wasn't sure which was the best option, but my wife made the choice as she knew exactly what she wanted. Thankfully it worked out, but I would have really hated it if we got the wrong camera.
 
Evolute said:
Judy,

I'd be happy to give you a one or two day beginner course in photography (i.e., in person), to save you months-to-years on the learning curve, if we can arrange getting together.

Feel welcome to contact me.
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Mike,

I am going to contact you. I have an airline ticket I need to use and I'd love to fly up north to take advantage of your offer. I also know you are swamped with your own work, so it would be better for me to arrange my time around your's and for me to do the travel time.

You definitely would be saving me months-to-years on the learning curve.

We'll talk soon. I leave in 2 weeks to visit my mom.

You are a Bastid with honor, Mike, and generous and helpful on top of that.

TJ
 
Evo,

Do you have any good photography books that you would recommend for a beginner? My wife is starting to get tired of being the one who's always behind the camera, and with a new baby on the way I figured it's as good a time as any to learn how to take pictures.
 
Totally Judy said:
Uh oh. Glockie, the guy's name at Sony is Angelo. He told me I would need at least 2 dozen rolls of 35mm to start out with, and he gave me a good price for them, $10.99 a roll, I think.

How much time do you think I need to spend until I figure out how to load the film? :confused:
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TJ...Since that guy from Sony has a name that ends with a vowel, that means he's in the Mafia, so it looks like you should buy those 2 dozen rolls of film anyhow, and don't quible with him over the film price.:D.:D.

Oh, and with that Sony camera...I have to let you know that the film actually goes in the door at the bottom of the camera where they (by mistake) marked it "Battery".:D.:D.
 
SharpByCoop said:
Sorry, AnyCal. Unless you have Judy's current camera, and are SURE hers will not be sharpest at a higher resolution, I would refrain from generalized tips.
Coop
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Evolute said:
Any Cal,

You are mistaken. Your camera is doing Bayer interpolation regardless whether you make a full size pic or a 3 megapixel size pic. In the case of the 3 megapixel picture, your camera is doing the Bayer interpolation, and then downsampling.
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Thank you both for being polite when you tell me I am :foot:, I do appreciate it. I saw a noticeable difference in my pictures, and still learning myself, ASSUMED others would run into similiar issues. Guess it didn't necessarily matter at all.

Sorry TJ for the screwup. I'll take some extra pics for you while you're waiting for your camera. If things go well, then I'll end up taking a bunch of bad pics for you, so you can start right into the top notch stuff when you get your camera!:D
 
Evolute said:
Judy,

I'd be happy to give you a one or two day beginner course in photography (i.e., in person), to save you months-to-years on the learning curve, if we can arrange getting together.

Feel welcome to contact me.
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WOW! Evolute, your photos are absolutely stunning! :thumbup:
Judy is wise to take you up on your kind offer.

Judy, take a before set of pics before you study with Evolute and then some after and post them for us. I think that would be an interesting set of photos to compare.

Lamarr
 
Sony is a good choice. The company has made the sensor used in Nikon and Fuji DSLRs for quite some time and bought out Minolta a few years ago. Minolta had been in the camera business for 50 years or more and was known for offering things Canon and Nikon didn't.

Sony continues that tradition. They have in-camera stabilization, for example, that no other company offers.

Good luck.
 
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