Getting my first DSLR camera! Tips

[jagfanjosh3252]

Hi all. I will be getting my first DSLR camera tomorrow. It's just a Canon Rebel T3. But I'm just getting into photography. Any tips you guys can offer? I cant WAIT to shoot Disney! Will I be able to take good shots with an entry level camera? Including night time

 

[boBQuincy]

Entry level dSLRs have the same settings available for exposure as the most advanced models: ISO; aperture; shutter speed. The camera is capable of getting great nighttime photos. The limiting factor is usually us.

Read the manual until you are completely familiar with the settings, including when and how to use Auto and Program modes. Read up on the basics of exposure and how (and *why*) to use certain settings. Then go out and take photos.

One caution: stay out of Manual mode for "must get" photos until you are comfortable with the settings. Manual is great but can lead to many ruined photos if the photographer does not understand what they are setting.

 

[tikilyn]

Congrats on getting a new Dslr! My T3 with kit lens is sitting under the Christmas tree! I can't wait until Sunday!!! I also picked up a 50-250mm lens and carry case and for my stocking stuffer Santa is bringing me the 50mm f1.8 lens and some filters! It's killing me not to be able to play with it!

This is my first Dslr too.

 

[photo_chick]

Any camera can take amazing shots in the right hands. The best advice I have is to learn as much about how your camera works as possible. Especially how it makes an exposure and how the auto focus works. The more you learn the more consistently you'll get in focus, well exposed shots.

 

[NLD]

If you don't already know how ISO, shutter speed and aperture work together to make an exposure, read this as an easy-to-understand explanation:

Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson

That book plus your camera's manual will give you a good start.

For nighttime shots with long shutter speeds, you'll want a tripod and a remote shutter release. If you're just going to hand-hold nighttime shots, yes your camera is capable--once you understand the exposure triangle you'll be able to take those shots too.

Congrats!

 

[wbeem]

One caution: stay out of Manual mode for "must get" photos until you are comfortable with the settings. Manual is great but can lead to many ruined photos if the photographer does not understand what they are setting.

I'm going to respectfully disagree with this advice. It's lack of knowledge and experience that causes problems, true. So my advice is to dive right into manual mode and get that knowledge before your trip. It's not hard at all. Once you know how each element of the exposure triangle (ISO, Aperture, Shutter speed) affects your images, you can more reliably use some of the automated modes.

Essentially, you need to understand how to read your light meter, and then adjust settings to get the exposure you want. Then you can start experimenting with different settings for creative effect (e.g., long shutter speeds, shallow DOF, etc.).

The camera's automatic modes tend to average most of the scene together, which works fine in a nice daylight scene. Once you start getting into tricky lighting situations (plentiful at Disney), you quickly start getting poor results.

Take the time to learn how to create an exposure in manual mode. More knowledge can only serve you better. It's not hard to do, so there's no need to put it off.

 

[jagfanjosh3252]

Thanks for the tips guys! I am happy with my camera so far. My next question is this:

What should be the first lens I buy? I really want to be able to shoot Disney REALLY well.

What about accessories? All I have is a tripod and bag.

 

[wbeem]

Thanks for the tips guys! I am happy with my camera so far. My next question is this:

What should be the first lens I buy? I really want to be able to shoot Disney REALLY well.

What about accessories? All I have is a tripod and bag.

Wow, that's a wide open question about the lens. It depends upon what you want to shoot. Dark rides need fast glass (which is more expensive, but I think worth it). I typically bring a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens with me and that covers most of my shots. On the rides, shooting about 35mm seems to get most of the scene in place, and then I still have room to zoom in for more at 70mm.

For parades, 24-70 is good for wide shots and character shots when they're up close, but the characters on the top of floats require a bit more reach.

You could go with an all-purpose lens like an 18-200 - plenty of focal range there. However, it won't let in as much light if you're shooting in dark areas and want a fast shutter speed. Even something like the Jungle Cruise can be a bit darker than the open parts of the park. I was there yesterday and bumped my ISO up to 1600. The 24-70 worked just fine for me there.

Keep in mind that I'm using 24-70 on a full frame camera. If you have a crop sensor, then something like 17-55 would be comparable.

Hope this helps a bit.

 

[photo_chick]

Thanks for the tips guys! I am happy with my camera so far. My next question is this:

What should be the first lens I buy? I really want to be able to shoot Disney REALLY well.

What about accessories? All I have is a tripod and bag.

With the exception of the 50mm f/1.8 (only because it's so cheap to pick up) my advice is not to buy any lenses until you understand what you really need. We can make recommendations all day, but in the end they will be based on how we shoot. You need to figure out how you shoot and that will tell you want lens you want next. Otherwise you're likely to waste some $$ on lenses that are right for someone else and not you.

Any lens is capable of shooting Disney really well. It's all in knowing how to use it.

Accessories... a second battery, extra memory cards, a circular polarizer, good software for editing...

 

[boBQuincy]

Thanks for the tips guys! I am happy with my camera so far. My next question is this:

What should be the first lens I buy? I really want to be able to shoot Disney REALLY well.

What about accessories? All I have is a tripod and bag.

There are at least two ways of finding what lenses we need, one is going on a trip and discovering what photos we can't get because we don't have the right lens. The other is buying all the lenses we anticipate needing and then finding out which ones we never use. I like method #2 but it does get expensive!

Method #1 takes more time but should help to build a kit that you will really use and without spending lots of $$$ on lenses that sit in the room (or at home). As for accessories, a remote release is very useful with a tripod. A spare battery is nice to have, I rarely would get through a full day on one battery. A polarizer filter is good to have for more dramatic skies and reducing glare/reflections.

Programs like Wega 2 can show us which lenses we used on a trip and how often we used them but that is still after the fact. Fwiw I often carry normal, wide, and telephoto lenses, the normal and wide lenses see the most use by far. My fast prime lens gets used the least but at less than $100 (for the Canon or Nikon f/1.8) it is not a bad investment. Now that I have switched to Panasonic I see that their fast prime is over $300! Ouch!

 

[eliza61]

Hi all. I will be getting my first DSLR camera tomorrow. It's just a Canon Rebel T3. But I'm just getting into photography. Any tips you guys can offer? I cant WAIT to shoot Disney! Will I be able to take good shots with an entry level camera? Including night time

I'm a relative nubbie also. I got my first dslr last mothers day. My advice.

Practice!! shoot every thing and any thing. I started by learning what my camera could do on the aperature setting and then I started clicking away. My poor dog seriously runs whenever I take out the camera. LOL.

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

A few codicils first. I shoot with a crop sensor camera, don't mind changing lenses and like the option to shoot in lowlight. I primarily shoot with four lenses at WDW. I cover focal lengths from 18-200mm. My walkaround is a 28-70 f2.8, my telephoto is a 70-200 f2.8. I don't own an UWA but when I need wider I use my 18-55 WR. This lens also serves as my all-weather lens since it is weather resistant like my camera (Pentax K5). For the lowlight rides I use the Sigma 30 f1.4. For the rides I have found the 50mm can be a little tight, but the 30 seems to be just about right. With the 1.5 crop that makes it a 45mm on a full frame/35mm which is very close to the standard 50mm on the old film SLR's and FF.

Now that I have explained what I use (AKA my style), realistically, for a newbie, unless you have an unlimited budget, I would not copy this. Three of those four lenses are third party, Sigma, and the total budget is close to $2,000. If you go with OEM lenses that budget will increase significantly. My first goal would be to learn more about taking images before I would start buying expensive lenses. I would recommend covering the same range of focal lengths but with less expensive consumer lenses (kit lenses) or an all-in-one lens. As your skills increase there is always time to purchase more expensive pro-type lenses when you have developed your style. I would focus (no pun intended) on purchasing an external flash, tripod (maybe two, a sturdy one for around where you live and one for travel (lighter weight and therefore slightly less sturdy) and some type of remote control, either wired or IR.

 

[theduck619]

We got the same kit back in September. I would second the advice of practice, practice, practice! It is tempting to want to buy new lenses, but I would learn with what you have. We went to Disney after Thanksgiving and we were able to get some awesome shots with our kit lens!

Someone on here told me to learn to zoom with my feet and not the lens first. It was great advice!

 

[coloneldebugger]

I found this thread at Ars Technica on getting a new DSLR to be pretty useful.


Essential accessories for your new DSLR

 

[ThurlFan]

the 50mm f/1.8 is a great option, because it doesn't cost a mint and you can learn a lot about the exposure triangle by DOING in addition to reading. Opening up to 1.8 can illustrate the concepts more dramatically than using the kit lens.