I am starting to get interested in photography. I know some people that are into it, and I think its very interesting.
I started to look at cameras, but I have NO IDEA what the specs mean. Entry level DSLRs...There is a Canon I am interested in, and a Nikon:
CANON REBEL XS W/18-55 IS LENS
http://www.henrys.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ItemsDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&departmentId=10404&categoryId=10429&itemID=243199
Nikon D60
http://www.henrys.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ItemsDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&departmentId=10404&categoryId=10429&itemID=234003
Can anyone give me any pointers for an amateur like me? The Nikon D60 doesn't have Live View, how important is that?
OK my buying guide.
1. Brand doesn't matter. Both cameras will be able to do far more than you will need, so it doesn't matter which one you go for. At the end of the day Nikon and Canon are as good as each other, just the menus and ergonomics are different. Whatever you start with you will most probably continue on with as when you start buying lenses you won't want to get rid of a load just to switch brands. I started with Nikon so I'm staying with them, the noise handling is amazing and the ergonomics is just perfect for me. I'm sure Canon has it's plus points too, also don't dismiss Sony, Pentax and Olympus, they all make fine DSLR's as far as I know.
2. Buy yourself a good book, I have tried a few and the best one I found for someone who doesn't know their aperture from their arse is this one:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Book-Digital-Photography-Chris-George/dp/1904705855Scott Kelby's books are also supposed to be very good. I found that some books were far too basic and some concentrated more on editing than the actual art of taking the shot/composition etc, Chris George's strikes the perfect balance as you do need to know how to edit too, you become your own darkroom.
3. You don't need another lens straight away, kit lenses are very good these days. So don't budget for another lens yet, try photography with the kit lens and if you stay with the hobby start saving!
The VR lens that comes with the D60 is pretty good.
4. I have Live View, have never used it, don't know when I would need it.
5. Go out and take as many shots as possible, then figure out why the ones that didn't come out as you had planned came out like they did. I can't stress this enough, you have to keep shooting to get better. (See the bottom of this post:
http://www.canadiandriver.com/forum/index.php/topic,62557.msg581912.html#msg581912 ) If you just want better family/holiday snapshots then a good compact will probably be better.
Remember the best camera in the world can still take crap pictures, I know someone who bought a D60 and their shots are awful, but only 'cos they have no idea how to use it off it's auto setting... But if you learn how to use it the D60 is an awesome camera, to prove a point here is a shot that came 3rd out of over 1000 photos (including many pro's with the most expensive cameras money can buy) on DPChallenge.
http://www.dpchallenge.com/image.php?IMAGE_ID=771926To show you the thought process, here (I think) is how he took the shot:
The guy wanted a long exposure to smooth the water and clouds, which called for a Neutral Density filter that blocks the amount of light getting in so you have to use a very slow shutter speed, 2 minutes in this case. The filter just fits in front of the lens.
He used a cheapy Sigma wide angle lens (which is the same one I've got) that gives a nice wide view for landscapes, better than the kit lens. I say cheapy, it's still probably $700-$800.
A horizon right in the middle of a shot usually makes it very boring, but he used it here because of the reflection which makes the most of a centered horizon (see my shot below).
ISO 100 for picture quality and less noise (also helps with the long exposure as higher ISO means less light is needed)
Aperture of f/16 which will give a very good Depth Of Field, i.e. everthing from foreground to things in the distance are in focus. Many people think you have to go up to f/22 to get good DOF on landscape shots, this is incorrect as on most lenses the smaller the aperture the more diffraction creeps in, so even though the DOF is theoretically greater, blurriness is introduced by light diffraction. Anyway, enough on that, don't want to scare you off with the technicals.
The foreground detail adds interest, and the leading lines of the jetty pull you into and around the shot, just perfect imho.
My shot (although not as good), similar concept:
Lesser camera (D40), same lens, same centered horizon, same sky reflection. So it doesn't always have to be rule of thirds.
Hope this helps, anything else just ask.
