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Anonymous
sup /p/. I'm thinking about picking up photography as a hobby and a way to clear my head. I really love the outdoors and natural settings, as well as the sort of machinima setting that you get in the city. Both are gorgeous. Architecture and design are really cool, too. On top of that, photography has always grabbed me. I did take one composition class in high school, loved it, but haven't touched on it since then. Got too 'lolrealworldpractical' in college.

I want to know your guys' techniques for taking pictures. Do you have routes? Do you just drive in one direction? Do you just always have your camera on you?

Also, I want to know some good cameras for a newbie like me to use. A year ago I played with an SLR camera, developing my own prints and all that, but I think it's time to switch to digital. Problem is I don't have the 900 bucks to shell out for the really solid DSLRs that I've seen.

tl;dr
I'm a nub photographer, want to know how to get into it, and also what sort of equipment to pick up.
EXIF data available. Clickhereto show/hide.
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>> Anonymous
in b4 nikon and canon fags

any entry priced DSLR you get will be roughly the same.

I'd personally recommend looking towards the Sony/Minolta line up.
>> Depressed Cheesecake !wFh1Fw9wBU
Pick up a Canon 350D/400D/450D if you're just starting out. Carry it on you, shoot a few hundred pictures, improve your technique, then improve your equipment. Oh, and shoot people. Anything else and it's subpar.
>> Anonymous
Go grab yourself a Rebel XT and a nifty fifty.
>> Anonymous
>>189590


cause you only need one fixed focal length for everything amirite?
>> Anonymous
>>189591
You already own the best zoom ever invented, your feet.
>> Anonymous
>>189593


your camera can shoot through walls?

fucking amazing.
>> Anonymous
Get a entry level DSLR.
Brand is your choice, I prefer Nikon, but there's already been sonyfags and canonfags here.
Regardless of whatever you go with, I agree with the fixed 50mm lens notion. They're nice and cheap, and they're sharp as hell too.

This will probably turn to a Nikon vs Canon vs Sony vs Brand X thread though. Oh well.
>> Anonymous
>>189591

It'll get you good at working one particular focal length, not kinda passable at a bunch of them. Fifty is a great natural focal length for general purposes. You'll love it at times, and you'll hate it at other times.
>> Anonymous
>>189598


and being great at 50mm and crappy at 11-49 and 51-300 will get you...where?
>> Anonymous
>>189596

Not to mention 50s can open wide...a big complaint I hear from beginners with their kit lenses is that everything goes to hell once they go indoors, because they can't get a fast enough aperture.

In regards to the whole brand war bullshit, go to the camera store, pick a few cameras from your price range, and pick the one that feels best in your hands.
>> Anonymous
>>189599
Being great at one focal length means that you know how to adapt, and shoot within limitations, not rely on a crutch.
>> Anonymous
>>189601


Cause 50mm is a good length for birds
>> Anonymous
>>189596This will probably turn to a Nikon vs Canon vs Sony vs Brand X thread though. Oh well.

Frankly, you can trust Nikon gear. The same goes for high end Canon gear. It's reliable. It's sturdy. It will take the abuse that goes with professional rigors. You can pick up a Nikon every day, and use it, just like you use a tool. Hell, you can drive nails with old Nikons. That's the quality we're talking about here.

When you make your livelihood, you don't choose the brand that offers an equivalent, even similar system, you choose the brand that is a trustworthy and time-tested tool. Thus, Nikon. There are always distinctions to be made between Nikon and Canon, but I've often heard this statement, and I believe it: Canons are the best cameras made by engineers, but Nikons are the best cameras made by photographers. It's a generalization, but that feels very true to me.
>> Anonymous
>>189602

A beginner isn't going to buy a 600mm lens and shoot wildlife...he's mostly going to be shooting random crap and his friends.
>> Anonymous
What i'm saying is don't be in a mindset where you HAVE to use the 50mm for EVERYTHING cause it'll make you OMGZGOOD.


Sure, it's fucking fast and on APS-C a moderate tele, but sometimes a 75mm(FF) just isn't what you need.
>> linkiE !ei5A1FPDuk
>>189603

Delicious copypasta.
>> Anonymous
>>189598Fifty is a great natural focal length for general purposes.

Only on film and full frame.
>> Anonymous
i recommend getting a 30 or 35 prime as opposed to a 50.. if your shooting 1.5x crop..
go out and shoot (take photos of) people
>> Anonymous
>>189608
VERY GOOD POINT.
I almost forgot about this.

>>189603
Copypasta.
>> Lynx !!KY+lVSl0s2m
>>189608
I still like 50mm on crop.
Excellent length, I vemy much want to get the voightlander 58mm nokton. But delicious 40mm pancake is tempting also.
>> Anonymous
>>189614


my 50 1.4 on my x700 is the fucking sex.

my 50 1.4 on my a100 is fucking LONNNNNNNNNNG.
>> Anonymous
goddamn faggots don't know how to read. the guys on a budget and the 50mm lens are always cheap.

op, a fifty is a good place to practice the ideas you currently have. it doesn't fit everything you mentioned but again it's a small investment. then, by taking your experiences with the fifty, you can decide whether you want to go longer or wider next.

system wise, i'd suggest pentax because they have widely available cheap lenses.

body wise, try them out at a store. i can't live without dual dials.
>> Anonymous
>>189603
I still don't really understand this statement. I'd rather have expensive electronics made by engineers.
>> Anonymous
>>189609
28mm on 1.5x crop is the perfect "true normal," too. So count that in there. I prefer it myself, but this is all taste.

As far as primes versus zooms, the only zooms I see being useful are tele zooms that get used when you can't change your composition by moving around. But otherwise, pick a couple focal lengths that suit what you do and your style and go with them. Learn them, and you'll be able to walk down the street, even without a camera, and frame shots in your head.

A normal or a moderate wide (24mm on crop, basically) will work very well as a standard lens for almost any type of photography, except specialized things like sports or bird or whatever, and even there, I've seen sports and wildlife shot with normals or wides that came out better than the supertele stuff. Why? Context and the photographer having to do more than point the camera at the thing and let the autofocus and exposure do the rest. David Alan Harvey, for instance, did the seemingly impossible and made NASCAR interesting with just a Leica and a 35mm, supplemented sometimes with a 28mm and 50mm.

From there, a medium tele and/or more of a wide, and you're set for taking pictures.
>> Anonymous
>>189644

heavyweather takes it up the ass for nikon
>> Anonymous
>>189640
28 and 35mm lenses are more versatile and available still very cheaply in most systems.

50mm- smaller initial investment, but he'll need something down the road.

28. 30, 35mm- larger investment, he could go for years with just one of these and be fine.
>> Anonymous
>>189649
so what you're saying is:

for a beginner wishing to test the waters,

making a smaller investment is a bad idea

and making a large investment right out the gate is a good idea

right, got it.
>> $19.99 !OSYhGye6hY
>>189649
if he went 28,30,35, he'd still pick up a 50 down the road. There's just really no reason not to buy a 50.
>> Anonymous
Thanks for all of the replies guys. The equipment's pretty much been beaten with a stick, but no one's really elaborated on how you take pictures. like should i have my camera with me at all times? should i just go out shooting?
>> $19.99 !OSYhGye6hY
>>189689
>like should i have my camera with me at all times? should i just go out shooting?

If you want to take photos, you probably should have your camera with you. And yes, go out to shoot. Photos of your room/computer/desk would get boring after awhile.
>> TheGeneral !m7n7x2Yyfo
>>189583

OP you can get a 400D body for like $500 and a 50/1.8 for like <$100. But that's just me being a brandfag
>> Anonymous
>>189698
Sometimes if you browse the craigslist, you can find even better.
http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/ele/677879224.html
>> TheGeneral !m7n7x2Yyfo
>>189700

lol craigslist...haha don't really check there, but I mostly order stuff online...
>> Anonymous
>>189689

Avoid the auto-exposure crutch. Learn to expose yourself.
>> Anonymous
>>189703
i lol'd
>> TheGeneral !m7n7x2Yyfo
>>189689
go out and shoot. make sure to go with someone though, cause you never know when you're going to need some backu/p/...
>> Liska !!LIVFOETqL8j
I can't recommend anything in terms of cameras, and i don't knwo what works easier for you on the question of techniques, but i'm purely an instinctual photographer. There's little or no planning except fo ra general location if i am with a model, and the rest of it is winging it. In terms of landscapes, etc, i always carry my cam with me in the car. Sometimes i'll get feelings i should go to a certain place after work with my cam to take photos, and usually that feeling is correct and i end up with some awesome shots.

I guess just find out what works for you- and go with that!
>> Anonymous
Try going to where people congregate in your town, like a crowded downtown district, and try and pick out interesting decisive moments. Hang out (preferably with a friend) and experiment. Have fun.
>> Jeremo !iKGMr61IHM
In love with Girl in OP
>> elf_man !!DdAnyoDMfCe
Techniques? Get on wikipedia and learn the basics of exposure, then go out and shoot. Anything you remember from art class about composition, color theory, etc. applies. If you see something you like, keep shooting it until you get a shot you're relatively satisfied with, then shoot a few more, from different angles, different focal lengths, whatever.
Just start out with a basic 'normal' range zoom. For the kinds of things you want to shoot, you'll need the variety. The biggest thing is to go out and shoot, a lot. As others have said, keep your camera with you as much as possible. You'll quickly figure out what works and what doesn't, and what focal lengths you really prefer, whether you need more telephoto, more wide, or should go for a 50mm for high quality normal.
>> Spades !!byXwIH+F+lH
>>189583

SAUCE PLOX?
>> deleted
>>189895
Not OP but...can you put up a couple links of some articles that are important to read?
>> Anonymous
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>>189907
OP Here. Second. Also, more cute girls.
>> Anonymous
>>189916
I don't like that one's nose. : [

Do you have any others of the girl in the first post? :D
>> Anonymous
>>189921
Naw, she's all I got. Sorry. =P
>> elf_man !!DdAnyoDMfCe
>>189907
uh, just google "photography technique" or something, once you're in wikipedia it has a whole bunch of interconnected articles. For exposure, you're looking for shutter speed, film speed (iso), and aperture, and how they work together.
A blog with some decent explanations of basics is "digital photography school", they have a series of articles specifically on exposure.
>> Anonymous
>>189925

It's a stock image from deviantART. Don't know the name.
>> Anonymous
>>189940
Are their relations the same in the DSLRs as they were in the original SLRs? 'cause I remember how they all related to one another. Also, there was something about film speed, but I don't think that applies any more.
>> Anonymous
>>189968
Everything's the same when it comes to working the camera. There's even speed, although it measures the sensitivity of the sensor and not the sensitivity of the film. But guess what? ISO 100 film is the same as ISO 100 digital, etc. and just like with film, you get noise (grain) as you go up.
>> parislynne
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redo

Camera-Specific Properties:Equipment MakeCanonCamera ModelCanon EOS 350D DIGITALCamera SoftwareAdobe Photoshop 7.0Image-Specific Properties:Image OrientationTop, Left-HandHorizontal Resolution72 dpiVertical Resolution72 dpiImage Created2006:08:28 14:41:53Exposure Time1/80 secF-Numberf/5.6Exposure ProgramNot DefinedISO Speed Rating400Lens Aperturef/5.6Exposure Bias0 EVMetering ModePatternFlashNo Flash, CompulsoryFocal Length38.00 mmColor Space InformationsRGBImage Width1500Image Height1000RenderingNormalExposure ModeAutoWhite BalanceAutoScene Capture TypeStandard
>> Anonymous
>>190115
why the fuck did you do that, looks shit tastic
>> Anonymous
>>190201

Love those press on nails sweetheart.

"whom" who fucks "one" up the ass like she is cheap, wins the game...

Ready...


BREAK

! @ U
>> Spades !!byXwIH+F+lH
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>> okto
>>189583
camera always with me, but I get better results when I set out specifically to photograph.

If you want to be a good photographer, you should start with a film SLR. You'll never learn what the camera is doing if you let it think for you. Spend a year, or at least six months, shooting fairly heavily with a manual SLR, and you'll be a better photographer for the rest of your life. Promiskies.
>> Anonymous
>>189588
Except for the Zeiss, Alpha system has meh lenses. Which should be the only factor other than price when seriously choosing an SLR system.
>> Anonymous
>>190854
You've got access to a ton of Minolta glass, though, and they made some of the best lenses ever. Sounds like bullshit, but it's true. Minolta made fucking amazing glass.