dSLR photography for beginners?

[dumbo_buddy]

hi all!

i've been doing alot of online research and think i'm ready to get into dSLR photography. DH and i went to a few best buys to look at the different cameras. of COURSE none of them had power so i couldn't really play with them.

i'm *this close* to getting a cannon XSi along with the kit lens.

i really know little to nothing about these cameras or how to think about aperture, ISO, etc in order to get a great picture. but i'm ALL ready and excited to learn!

are any of you currently using dSLR cameras and can offer some tips? or, know of any good books i can check out? websites? sites to your own work?

now that i have a gorgeous son (don't we all say that??) AND DH and i are buying DVC (waiting pass ROFR by disney) i want to have better pictures of my favorite "subjects".

anyway, ANY help or direction would be greatly appreciated


thanks,
nancy

[DizneyRox]

I found a site called photobert[dot]com and there's a simple online course for free. He takes some AMAZING pictures. I'm sure there are others however...

[azcavalier]

I could talk your ear off about this stuff.

A couple of sites to check out would be:

http://digital-photography-school.com/

http://www.shortcourses.com/

http://www.dpreview.com/

The DPS site has a great daily newletter with all kinds of cool stuff in it. The Short Courses site has exactly what it's name implies....tutorials about photography.

DPReview is more about looking at equipment and making informed decisions, and it also has a very active message board where you could post questions about any number of photography topics.

I would recommend the book "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson as well, It's not too long, and does a pretty good job explaining aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, and how they all work together. I actually taught a short class on this not too long ago, and I have a one page cheat sheet if you'd like it. Just send me a private message with your email, and I'll send it on.

[Strmchsr]

The Canon xi is a great camera. I almost bought it recently as well. However, I ended up going with the Pentax K-x because it's actually just as good, it's less expensive, and it comes with both the 18-55mm & 55-300mm lenses.

I like those sites others have mentioned, but I know of a few others if you're interested and want to PM me.

[c&d]

I have a Canon EOS and what I have found works for me is to take lots of pictures. The more pictures you take the more you will know your camera and how it works. Also I just randomly pick up my camera and take pictures with different settings just to see how it looks. If the picture isn't good just delete it.

[Disney Doll]

One tip, visit your local camera store. You'll get to talk to people who actually know about photography and you can play with the cameras (with power).

We bought from a local store even though they were slightly more expensive and it paid off in the long run. They work on the cameras purchased through them for free. Buy your camera elsewhere and need some work done, they charge $100 per hour!

[azcavalier]

Yeah, camera stores are great. If you're in New York, I can't stress this enough, GO TO B&H PHOTO AND VIDEO. They are THE camera store. They have everything, and they know about it all, too.

I am a Pentax shooter. I have the K20D. I chose that over the Nikon and Canon for two reasons:

1. It's completely weather sealed. Water and dust can't get in and mess with the components. You don't get that with other entry-level cameras.

2. Shake Reduction is built into the camera, not the lenses. With Canon and Nikon, you can spend extra to get shake reduction (vibration reduction) in the lenses. With the Pentax, it doesn't matter WHAT lens you get....just flip a switch on the camera body, and the shake reduction is enabled.

But that's me. Canon and Nikon are great cameras, and their owners swear by them. The only thing about Pentax is that since it's not as popular as those other two, it's harder to find lenses and accessories for them in regular stores. But since we can shop on the internet...who cares?