Compete beginner, please help...

[blairbear]

I just bought a Canon T2i off of a friend of mine that upgraded to the T3i. This year will be the first year that my parents are going to Disney with us and I really want to have fantastic pictures, as this may be the only time they come with us.

I am completely lost. I have never used a DSLR before and am finding it hard to understand the lingo and where to begin, and what accessories that I need to buy to go with it. Any advise that anyone could give me would be super appreciated.

 

[NateNLogansDad]

Off the bat I'd grab an extra battery, a tripod and remote if you are looking to do some fireworks, if you have the standard strap get a better more comfy one (carrying a camera around your neck all day tends to dig in in the sun,) Depending on the lenses you have, maybe a 35mm or 50mm 1.8 (I shoot Nikon so maybe the canon guys can chime in with more info on that) and memory cards (at least 8 GB cards). Can never have too many memory cards!

Also, I'm pretty sure they have a Canon T2i book for dummies. Might be a pretty good book to pick up

I can't stress enough how important it is to learn your camera before you leave for vacation. You don't need to know everything but the more you play with it, the more you'll like it and the better your pictures will be, I'm sure!

 

[Cafeen]

Depending on the lenses you have, maybe a 35mm or 50mm 1.8

Canon does not make a 35mm f/1.8 . The 50 is all we got. It's a great little lens, and quite affordable, but it can be a little tight in some places. On top of that though, our 55-250mm zoom is quite good, especially for the price. With those 3 lenses, you'd be covering most any normal situation you'll encounter at Disney. (Note: there are many (infinite really) other situations that they may not cover... but unless you're doing higher end stuff, you won't come across them)

I'd also recommend the book Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. It'll help you understand...well...exposure! You'll get the basic grasp of the 3 main pieces of the puzzle (Shutter Speed, Aperture, and ISO Setting) that go into making each shot work.

Lastly, and really first before all of that. I'd suggest you get out shooting as soon as you can. They don't have to be great shots, but shots to get you knowing the camera are VERY important. Knowing where something is and how to change it on the fly will help you a ton as your shooting, especially at Disney where it's not too difficult to miss a shot due to fiddling around.

 

[meanpc]

Canon does not make a 35mm f/1.8 . The 50 is all we got. It's a great little lens, and quite affordable, but it can be a little tight in some places. On top of that though, our 55-250mm zoom is quite good, especially for the price. With those 3 lenses, you'd be covering most any normal situation you'll encounter at Disney. (Note: there are many (infinite really) other situations that they may not cover... but unless you're doing higher end stuff, you won't come across them)

I'd also recommend the book Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. It'll help you understand...well...exposure! You'll get the basic grasp of the 3 main pieces of the puzzle (Shutter Speed, Aperture, and ISO Setting) that go into making each shot work.

Lastly, and really first before all of that. I'd suggest you get out shooting as soon as you can. They don't have to be great shots, but shots to get you knowing the camera are VERY important. Knowing where something is and how to change it on the fly will help you a ton as your shooting, especially at Disney where it's not too difficult to miss a shot due to fiddling around.

The 28/1.8 and 85/1.8 are both fantastic lenses made by Canon. I second the Petersen book recommendation. You've got three months to practice, you better get shooting.

I'd also recommend going to a photography forum like http://photography-on-the.net/forum/ and posting your shots for critique. Those guys can help you there if you can take the criticism.

 

[photo_chick]

Learning the basics of shutter speed, aperture, ISO and how they affect the image and make the exposure is the single biggest step you can take toward making great images. Understanding Exposure is a good book to start with. There's a lot of others, but I've heard new photographers say this one is pretty understandable for them.

Aside from batteries and memory cards I'd hold off on buying a lot of other accessories like lenses and filters until you understand more about what you're doing. It will save you some from spending money on things you end up not using.

 

[bob100]

The 28/1.8 and 85/1.8 are both fantastic lenses made by Canon. I second the Petersen book recommendation. You've got three months to practice, you better get shooting.

I'd also recommend going to a photography forum like http://photography-on-the.net/forum/ and posting your shots for critique. Those guys can help you there if you can take the criticism.

^^ good recommendations
the kit lens (18-55IS & 55-250IS) are pretty good.
Also check out your local library for photography books

 

[corgi_monster]

When all else fails, use auto focus and put the camera in auto mode

 

[WDWAtLast]

Hello from another beginner! I have had my T2i for about a month and was also struggling with it. I also recommend Understanding Exposure, but another book that has really helped me is Jeff Revell's "Canon EOS Rebel T2i: from Snapshots to Great Shots" This book shows step by step how to change settings with pictures of the T2i viewfinder. It also has assignments for you practice with. About $15 on Amazon.

I also just bought a video class from Shootflyshoot.com I think it is my favorite. I can watch the videos over and over and it is more like a friend showing me the camera than a class.

Good luck and hopefully we will both be using our new cameras fearlessly soon!

 

[reimero]

Learning the basics of shutter speed, aperture, ISO and how they affect the image and make the exposure is the single biggest step you can take toward making great images. Understanding Exposure is a good book to start with. There's a lot of others, but I've heard new photographers say this one is pretty understandable for them.

Aside from batteries and memory cards I'd hold off on buying a lot of other accessories like lenses and filters until you understand more about what you're doing. It will save you some from spending money on things you end up not using.

Photo_chick speaks the truth. And to be frank (I know some people will say this is blasphemy), I think the kit lens is fine for most applications, at least until you get into very serious photography. I use my kit lens a lot, and I'm happy with it. Get yourself a spare battery and memory cards (I recommend Sandisk, but that's me), and take lots and lots of pictures to get an idea of what works and how things look.

The one area where I somewhat disagree with photo_chick is that a good circular polarizer filter will serve you well early on. In fact, it's probably the only filter you need. It's primarily for outdoor photography, and what it does is reduce glare. The net effect is that blue skies are bluer and clouds "pop" more.

In all honesty, putting the camera in full auto mode (or one of the other fully automatic modes, if you know you're going to be shooting portraits or high-speed) will be perfectly fine for most applications. The real secret to great photography is training your eye, and that only comes with practice.