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first DSLR, would like advice

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TryingTraditional

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After much research, I bought my first camera yesterday. Now I know there seems to be a like/hate cloud around the Nikon D3000, but it was the best I could afford in my budget (small) for an entry level SLR. I am not asking so much for debate on the body itself as I've read the forums to that end. Upgrading is an option for me without any loss of cash within 30 days of purchase so I plan on using the next 30 days to really use this camera and see if it does in fact fit my needs. However, my upgrade budget at that time might only be an additional $100. Nothing like a soup budget when steak sounds good, but all kidding aside, I am so happy to replace my old 4mp point and shoot that I never was pleased with.

That being said. I have never owned an DSLR before and I am hoping to find some tutorials or blogs that I can go through step by step and learn more about my camera. This is too much of an investment for me (nearly a year's worth of pinching a bit of grocery money from the budget and the odd job here or there) to just leave it on auto and take a nicer picture than my old Fuji P&S. I want to learn what all the terms are, how the camera itself works, and from there move into take great photos of my kids. Thankfully, we have decent light in our home (our living areas get tons of light) so I am not interested in a flash at this time.

Lens are another thing I need to learn about. All the numbers and whatnot mean little to me and I want to know the hows and whys. Aside from the 18-55 kit lens, I also was able to get the 55-200 f/4-5.6G IF-ED. Typing that all out makes me realize how little I know about the lenses. All the numbers and letters tell me are that this lens will zoom further in on an image than my 18-55.

I feel like I am about as "newbie" as they come and really want to try my camera out, learn all I can, and take pictures of my four little girls. I have no desire to go past hobby status, and I am not sure I will even cross over to the more seriouse of hobby photographer. But, I am keen on knowing how things work as that helps me utilize things to their potential.

To sum it up, where can I go (on this site or others) to learn what aperature is, f-stop, prime, how a lens works, etc. ?
 
There is absolutely nothing wrong with the D3000 being your first DSLR. About 2 years ago I was in the same situation. I knew very little when I got a D40x. I still know very little, but I do know the limitations of my entry level camera. I am not a professional, but the limitations I have is the AF motor not in the camera body, need for an external flash, and some general issues that the camera sometimes will not take the picture and give me any indication why it will not.

Enjoy the camera, learn what you can, google searches help and this site as well. I am still a newbie.
 
TryingTraditional said:
After much research, I bought my first camera yesterday. Now I know there seems to be a like/hate cloud around the Nikon D3000, but it was the best I could afford in my budget (small) for an entry level SLR.
Click to expand...
It's a good choice. You will find that some people are quite "small" and like to say bad things about your choice. Ignore them.
TryingTraditional said:
I am not asking so much for debate on the body itself as I've read the forums to that end. Upgrading is an option for me without any loss of cash within 30 days of purchase so I plan on using the next 30 days to really use this camera and see if it does in fact fit my needs. However, my upgrade budget at that time might only be an additional $100. Nothing like a soup budget when steak sounds good, but all kidding aside, I am so happy to replace my old 4mp point and shoot that I never was pleased with.
Click to expand...
If the D3000 feels good in your hands, don't move up...yet. You will learn a lot with the D3000.
TryingTraditional said:
That being said. I have never owned an DSLR before and I am hoping to find some tutorials or blogs that I can go through step by step and learn more about my camera. This is too much of an investment for me (nearly a year's worth of pinching a bit of grocery money from the budget and the odd job here or there) to just leave it on auto and take a nicer picture than my old Fuji P&S. I want to learn what all the terms are, how the camera itself works, and from there move into take great photos of my kids.
Click to expand...
Good for you! So many people (even the experts) don't have a clue what is in their cameras.
TryingTraditional said:
Thankfully, we have decent light in our home (our living areas get tons of light) so I am not interested in a flash at this time.

Lens are another thing I need to learn about. All the numbers and whatnot mean little to me and I want to know the hows and whys. Aside from the 18-55 kit lens, I also was able to get the 55-200 f/4-5.6G IF-ED.
Click to expand...
Understanding the writing on lenses doesn't translate to understanding how a lens works. Each manufacturer has "code" letters they use...you will have to research the Nikon "codes". However, not all the writing is coded..."55-200" should be 55-200mm" and is the range of Focal Lengths (FL) of your lens. The "f/4-5.6" is the associated range of maximum apertures...at 55mm, the lens can be as wide open as f/4...at 200mm, the lens can be as wide open as f/5.6. The "f/N" looks funny, but it means something...at 55mm and f/4 that means 55/4 (the "f" stands for FL) the aperture diameter is 13.75mm. At 200mm and f/5.6 the aperture diameter is 35.7mm. The "f/N" scheme is used because any f/4 lens will provide the same light intensity to the sensor, which makes it handy. Your 55-200mm f/4-5.6 lens can be set at f/5.6 and varied over the entire 55mm to 200mm FL range and the other exposure parameters (exposure time and sensitivity) can be fixed and each exposure (of the same scene) will be the same.
TryingTraditional said:
Typing that all out makes me realize how little I know about the lenses. All the numbers and letters tell me are that this lens will zoom further in on an image than my 18-55.
Click to expand...
The smaller the FL, the wider the view. Drop "zoom" as it's just a marketing term that has fewer letters than "variable focal length".
TryingTraditional said:
I feel like I am about as "newbie" as they come and really want to try my camera out, learn all I can, and take pictures of my four little girls. I have no desire to go past hobby status, and I am not sure I will even cross over to the more seriouse of hobby photographer. But, I am keen on knowing how things work as that helps me utilize things to their potential.
Click to expand...
You will love the learning curve!
TryingTraditional said:
To sum it up, where can I go (on this site or others) to learn what aperature is, f-stop, prime, how a lens works, etc. ?
Click to expand...
This site has a good bit of educational material...click on "Learn / Glossary" in the left panel. I have a site (several of us "experts" have done this) that might be helpful:

http://www.1derful.info/Help/Help.htm

Start with the Glossary and proceed down the list (things get progressively harder as you get into photography).

Have Fun!

--
Charlie Davis
Nikon 5700, Sony R1, Nikon D300
HomePage: http://www.1derful.info
'I'm from Texas. We have meat in our vegetables.'
Trenton Doyle Hancock
 
In addition to reading all about this, do spend some time experimenting with the camera. On my older DSLR cameras I've been known to do things "outside the box", like recently I hand-held my camera and took a crystal sharp photo at 1/8 of a second with my telephoto lens. I showed that photo on OTF. Other times, I'll take them at F22 or ISO1600 when people will say that's not good, and I'll come up with nice sharp photos. In other words, try so many different things from one end to another...don't be afraid to make mistakes...and learn by them.

Also here's some simple rules, if you don't already know them.

1) Generally keep the light at your back, unless you are trying for some special affect.
2) Avoid large light contrasts.
3) When taking a picture of a subject, make sure you have a good background too.

Have fun with your camera. :)
 
TryingTraditional said:
the Nikon D3000...was the best I could afford in my budget (small) for an entry level SLR.
Click to expand...
Out of curiosity, what lead you to skip past the Olympus E-420 10MP DSLR with the well-regarded 14-42mm kit lens for only $349 at Walmart?:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=12024514

Online or via coupon in-store with E-420 purchase, you have the option to add the tiny yet sharp Olympus Zuiko 40-150mm telephoto zoom lens for only $99 more. Just a few weeks ago, Bing Cash Back was at 20% for Walmart.com electronics & cameras so you could have an impressively small and capable two-lens DSLR kit for well under $400 if you take advantage of a good BCB day.

LiveView on Olympus DLSR's works better than non-users would have you believe and I've found the 10x display zoom in MF mode useful enough that I don't foresee myself buying another DSLR in the future without it. I've shot Pentax DSLR's for years but recently bought the E-420 with the 25mm f/2.8 pancake lens and find it to be an extremely fun and useful alternative to carrying my full-size camera bag.

Buying a DLSR on a tight budget, I'm wondering what leads someone like yourself to pass over what seems like unparalleled values with either the E-420 or E-520 kits.

--

Group Captain Mandrake: 'I was tortured by the Japanese, Jack, if you must know; not a pretty story....Strange thing is they make such bloody good cameras.' ( Dr. Strangelove , 1964)
 
You picked and excellent camera so don't look back. Nikon opens the door into a wealth of lenses and accessories as you grow. The D3000 also has an excellent Guide Mode to help you learn.

Let me give you some ideas on how to go about learning photography. First, have fun. Take a lot of pictures and learn to work with them on your computer. Get something like Photoshop Elements. It's dirt cheap and does a wonderful job.

Either buy or find at the library a book by Bryan Peterson called "Understanding Exposure" or "Understanding Photography." They are a lot of fun as well as great for learning.

You might wish to visit a couple of websites.

http://www.bythom.com is pretty good

This website has many great tutorials and how toos.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/

Come join us at http://www.nikoncafe.com This group of folks are just good people. No rankor or picking on others. We even have some Canon users who belong.

Come on over to the Nikon forums to ask for help. http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/forum.asp?forum=1034

Here's a lot more help and tutorial videos
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=Lilkiwiguy87#g/u

This forum is at Florida Sportsman, but it's for Photographers. Again, like Nikon Cafe, just friendly folks and many not from Florida. We have fun posting pictures and talking about them, helping each other.
http://forums.floridasportsman.com/forum/main-forums/photography-corner

If you're into bird photography or want to be, try http://www.birdforum.net There are a lot of photographers there.

Most of all, have fun. Like I said, don't look back. You chose a great camera with excellent lenses. So many here are so stuck on whatever brand they own, they detest when people purchase something else. That's no way to help people.

Once you join a forum like some I mentioned, learn how to post some exmples and ask for critiques and help. You won't believe how seasoned photographers will jump right in to help you get better. As good as DPReview is, it's a gear head forum with a lot of gear heads here rather than photographers. At this point, I don't think you need that as much as if you joined some of the photography sites where artist types abound more that here.

--
Cheers, Craig
 
Thank you everyone, so very much. This is exactly the information I am looking for! I really just need a starting point as it is really overwhelming. Some of you had a bit of photographer talk in your reply that I didn't quite follow...time to learn what it all means! My links are piling up for the nights reading along with the manual. Am I the only one who has a hard time with manuals. Perhaps I am more hands-on, but reading a manual is just hard for me to follow.

I did look early on at the Olympus, but when I went to our local WalMart (twice) and I could not get service to save my life I figured it was not an option. I need to hold it in my hands before I hand over that much cash. I was unaware of said deal or I would have perhaps tried a couple more times. I paid about $150 more than that deal, I guess I have to decide if it is worth it to have spent that at a camera store that is informative, supportive of their product, and there if I need them. That said, it's a good deal of money for me and I might just try one more time to get my hands on the Olympus....

BUT, there might be no turning back. I played with my camera off and on all day today. It was my oldest daughter's ninth birthday and the girls had swim team practice tonight. I can not tell you how much I am in love! I can take great action shots in a pool! In a pool with odd gymnasium-style lighting...with no flash! AND the birthday, wow. I have pictures of her blowing out her candles and no flash washing it all out! Perhaps all DSLRs are like this, but I am totally smitten and I've barely moved past the all auto function :)
 
TryingTraditional said:
BUT, there might be no turning back. I played with my camera off and on all day today. It was my oldest daughter's ninth birthday and the girls had swim team practice tonight. I can not tell you how much I am in love! I can take great action shots in a pool! In a pool with odd gymnasium-style lighting...with no flash! AND the birthday, wow. I have pictures of her blowing out her candles and no flash washing it all out! Perhaps all DSLRs are like this, but I am totally smitten and I've barely moved past the all auto function :)
Click to expand...
So now you know you bought a good camera!
I love this kind of enthousiasm.
--
All in my humble opionion of course!

If I seem to talk nonsense or you can't understand me, it's probably my English :)
 
TryingTraditional said:
After much research, I bought my first camera yesterday. Now I know there seems to be a like/hate cloud around the Nikon D3000, but it was the best I could afford in my budget (small) for an entry level SLR. I am not asking so much for debate on the body itself as I've read the forums to that end. Upgrading is an option for me without any loss of cash within 30 days of purchase so I plan on using the next 30 days to really use this camera and see if it does in fact fit my needs. However, my upgrade budget at that time might only be an additional $100. Nothing like a soup budget when steak sounds good, but all kidding aside, I am so happy to replace my old 4mp point and shoot that I never was pleased with.

That being said. I have never owned an DSLR before and I am hoping to find some tutorials or blogs that I can go through step by step and learn more about my camera. This is too much of an investment for me (nearly a year's worth of pinching a bit of grocery money from the budget and the odd job here or there) to just leave it on auto and take a nicer picture than my old Fuji P&S. I want to learn what all the terms are, how the camera itself works, and from there move into take great photos of my kids. Thankfully, we have decent light in our home (our living areas get tons of light) so I am not interested in a flash at this time.

Lens are another thing I need to learn about. All the numbers and whatnot mean little to me and I want to know the hows and whys. Aside from the 18-55 kit lens, I also was able to get the 55-200 f/4-5.6G IF-ED. Typing that all out makes me realize how little I know about the lenses. All the numbers and letters tell me are that this lens will zoom further in on an image than my 18-55.

I feel like I am about as "newbie" as they come and really want to try my camera out, learn all I can, and take pictures of my four little girls. I have no desire to go past hobby status, and I am not sure I will even cross over to the more seriouse of hobby photographer. But, I am keen on knowing how things work as that helps me utilize things to their potential.

To sum it up, where can I go (on this site or others) to learn what aperature is, f-stop, prime, how a lens works, etc. ?
Click to expand...
TryingTraditional,

Congratulations on your new camera! You'll find the world of DSL-R photography both challenging and rewarding.

I've put up a site to explain and demonstrate photography principles to those new to DSL-R's and photography in general. It's an ongoing project, but I do have a few articles up and ready for view.

http://www.texasmothman.com

You can find a tutorial explaining "Focal Length, Aperture, F/Stop, Shutter Speed, ISO Setting and Exposure" here:

http://www.texasmothman.com/tutorials/exposure.asp

I also have a page explaining what a "histogram" is, examples on changing the depth of field by varying the aperture (F/stop setting), What is meant by the "crop factor", an explanation on exactly where those F/stop numbers really come from , etc, etc.

As I say, it's a work in progress and I'll be adding more and more items as time goes along. Any feedback on the site itself or ideas for future articles greatly appreciated.

Anyway, everyone is welcome to take a look and let me know if it helps at all. No advertisements, cookies or anything to sign up for, just photography information geared primarily towards those new to the hobby.

------------------------------------
Mothman13
http://www.texasmothman.com
http://www.pbase.com/mothman13
 
Well for starters, your camera has a built in guide mode and help button which is wonderful for beginners. Which is why I always liked the idea of the d3000.

As far as learing the terms, when I first started, I went to Wikipedia. They answer all the terms you do not know and how things like Aperture, shutter, and ISO are used.
And read your manual from beginning to end.
--
Quickly shooter, draw your lens or prepared to get shot.
 
My own notes I made when I was starting off. I use a canon but the basic concept is still the same for all cameras. Hope it helps.

Some basics for shooting in particular conditions. This also helps you choose a lens.

Also you want to have a camera with an ISO of at least 1600 or better with little noise at high ISO.

Basic controls for manipulating your camera:

(Each control yeilds a positive and negative effect, so the right combination is vital)

Shutter speed (Natural control) - Slow shutter speed increases the amount of light taken in (like recording over the same image). To slow your shutter speed down means you need a steady hand. Stabilization helds steady your handholding shots and allows you to slow the shutter speed between 2 to 4 times slower than shutter speed you would use if you did not have stabilization. (shutter speed has incriments). Or you can use a tripod and slow down your shutter speed as slow as you want. Shutter speed can be slowed down so much, it can make a dark room look bright. The negative to this is when you are taking a picture of subjects that are moving. Slowing down the shutter speed will cause a blur image with moving subjects. Stabilization only stops camera shake and not subject movement. 1/1000 and up is great for stopping motion. 1/15 and below are great for taking in large amounts of light.

Now if you increase shutter speed, you can freeze action. So much so that you can make a sprinkler's drops visible as individual drops. This is how you catch movement with out motion blur or blur picture in general. Yet the negative is sometimes not enough light is taken in when you are shooting in a dim room or night setting. This will cause a dark image, sometimes not even viewable at all.

Aperture (Natural control) - The aperture is the hole that lets in light on the inside. If the aperture is wide (lower f value), you collect more light. If the aperture is narrow (larger f value), it collects less light. The max aperture is the largest it can open. Some common aperture values are f5.6, f4, f2.8. All lenses can narrow their aperture to levels you will probably never use, such as f22 or 30 something. Common use range is from f8 and larger. If it is too bright outside you want to use a more narrow aperture to avoid a super bright or all white image. Also a smaller aperture sometimes creates a different depth of feild effect than a wide aperture. On the flip side, if it is dark out, a wide aperture will increase the light intake and allow for a better picture in a dim or dark setting. Because this increases the intake of light and does not need a slow shutter speed to make the picture brighter, you can maintain faster shutter speeds and still get some dim lit images with out a flash source.

ISO (Unnatural control) - This increases the sensors sensitivity to light. If you increase the the ISO higher, it becomes more sensitive and utilizes its light more so than in lower settings. The negative to this is it causes what is known as "noise" creating a grainny factor in the picture. Some cameras control for noise better than others, but none the less experts suggest using ISO levels at 100 and 200 levels. ISO is a great option to have though you should use all the "natural" control methods to get your picture right before the need to increase your ISO.

Picture taking situations:
Assuming clear skies in all cases and sunny outside.

9am in a park of a moving dog?
ISO low, fast shutter speed, mid aperture

7pm (dim) on the street person walking?
ISO mid, mid shutter speed, large aperture

9pm inside regular lit room of a flower on the table?
ISO low, slow shutter speed, large aperture

9pm inside regular lit room of a person sitting?
ISO high, mid shutter speed, large aperture

Lenses - Some lenses have fixed apertures and changing apertures. Some lenses have stabilization (IS, OS, etc = Image Stabilization, Optic Stabilization). Some lenses have sonic motors which give faster auto focusing (Hypersonicmotor = HSM, Ultrasonicmotor = USM). All lenses have a different focal length range and can or may not be macro based. All of these things are written in the name of the lens so you know what you are looking at just from what it is called and if that lens is right for you. Example. The canon kit lens is called, canon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS. This means it starts at 18mm and can zoom to 55mm and that at 18mm, the f value is 3.5. When you zoom to 55mm, the aperture becomes f5.6. This is natural for a lot of consumer level lenses. Most pro lenses have a fixed aperture meaning it is the same thru out the entire focal length. Example, Canon 24-105mm f4L IS USM. This lens stays at f4 all the time which is good for when you need a constant aperture for the long end. The "L" stands for their pro line.

--
Quickly shooter, draw your lens or prepared to get shot.
 
mothman13 said:
As I say, it's a work in progress and I'll be adding more and more items as time goes along. Any feedback on the site itself or ideas for future articles greatly appreciated.

Anyway, everyone is welcome to take a look and let me know if it helps at all. No advertisements, cookies or anything to sign up for, just photography information geared primarily towards those new to the hobby.
Click to expand...
Mothman, I applaud your effort, but you are spreading faulty information. I started reading your first article, "What is Focal Length, ..." and found this:

" Inside the camera (not the lens) is something called the shutter assembly. This usually consists of two shutter "blades". The first blade has a rectangular hole in it. The second blade is "solid", no hole. When you push the shutter release button, the mirror inside your camera flips up out of the way (so it doesn't block any of the light coming through the lens). The first blade then starts moving across the shutter assembly. As the hole in the first shutter blade becomes "exposed", the light coming through the lens (through the aperture), goes through the hole in the first shutter blade and strikes your sensor. After a certain "length of time", the second shutter blade starts moving across the shutter assembly. As the second shutter blade moves across the assembly, it progressivly covers up the hole in the first shutter blade, cutting off the light coming through the lens and striking the sensor. "

Your imaginary focal plane shutter doesn't exist as described. The vertical-travel, multi-bladed focal plane shutter started out in the early 1960's. It was invented by Copal and called the "Copal Square" shutter. It was first used in the Nikorex F in 1962. Copal and Nippon Kogaku have always worked closely together since 1946 to advance shutter designs. The shutters in current Nikon dSLRs are probably not built by Copal anymore (Nikon doesn't say), but the heritage is there.

You might find this article interesting. It recounts the history:

http://imaging.nikon.com/products/imaging/technology/history/rhnc11shut2-e/index.htm

If you look inside your D300 in Mup Mode, you can see and count the 4 blades of the front curtain. What actually happens when the shutter is operated is that the front curtain collapses downward, followed by the rear curtain (which is collapsed at the top) dropping down. Marianne Oelund made a great sequence of pix of a D3 mirror and shutter in operation. Jeffrey Friedl turned it into an interactive "movie" and hosted it on his site:

http://regex.info/blog/2008-09-04/925

After reading and playing with Marianne's images, you should go back and rewrite your shutter description.

--
Charlie Davis
Nikon 5700, Sony R1, Nikon D300
HomePage: http://www.1derful.info
'I'm from Texas. We have meat in our vegetables.'
Trenton Doyle Hancock
 
Chuxter,

First, thanks for taking the time to both look at the site and provide constructive, coherent feedback!

I actually understand how the shutter mechanism truly functions (had no clue about Copal, though) but couldn't come up with an easy way to explain it to someone just starting out and wanting to know what "shutter speed" really meant. I figured the analogy presented would get them there quicker.

You're right though, that it should be factually correct and not simply analogously written. I'll just have to break down the function into easily understandable language for the re-write.

I appreciate any feedback on the site and want to make it a friendly, accurate spot for people to visit. Feel free to check it all out and let me know of any errors, even grammatical or spelling. I figure there were a ton of people that just stepped up to a new DSL-R for Christmas and the quicker they get comfortable with the concepts, the quicker they'll dive into their cameras and get better results. I look back at stuff I shot a couple years ago and say, "What was I thinking?!?". The more I learn, the better I get, even though I still have a long way to go. Even the ride is fun, though ;-)

Thanks again for the information.

------------------------------------
Mothman13
http://www.texasmothman.com
http://www.pbase.com/mothman13
 
Thank you to everyone who has posted a reply. I had braced myself for all kinds of replies both good and bad. I did not expect such a warm welcome and so much information. I admit it, I am a bit overwhelmed. It will take me many days to go through all of this, but I love having so much info at my fingertips!
 
I'd be really careful about Ken Rockwell. Much of his how tos are pretty good. On the other hand, much is purely his opinion and differs from the vast percentage of people. Ken is not a pro, just an average bloke like most of us.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nm/aliens/index.htm

http://www.kenrockwell.com/analprobe/dissent.htm

http://www.kenrockwell.com/analprobe/index.htm

http://www.kenrockwell.com/about.htm

He shoots low rez Jpegs. He doesn't use a tripod. He sets Vivid and Saturation to the max. These and many other quirks are really not good advice by most standards.
--
Cheers, Craig
 
Guidenet said:
I'd be really careful about Ken Rockwell. Much of his how tos are pretty good. On the other hand, much is purely his opinion and differs from the vast percentage of people. Ken is not a pro, just an average bloke like most of us.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nm/aliens/index.htm

http://www.kenrockwell.com/analprobe/dissent.htm

http://www.kenrockwell.com/analprobe/index.htm

http://www.kenrockwell.com/about.htm

He shoots low rez Jpegs. He doesn't use a tripod. He sets Vivid and Saturation to the max. These and many other quirks are really not good advice by most standards.
--
Cheers, Craig
Click to expand...
right, Ken Rockwell is more of a nutty jokester than photographer
 
Welcome to the club :) I bought my DSLR in July last year and quickly found myself in the same situation as you. And so I had to do truckloads of research to try and make sense of it

Regarding the lenses - here is an article I wrote for my Beginnner Photography Blog about lenses - check out the link at the very bottom cos thats a REALLY good explanation but the rest of it will help as well

http://lensaddiction.wordpress.com/2009/08/24/how-to-pick-a-lens-first-do-your-research/

And good luck!
 
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