Tell me about your first months with a dSLR

[Pea-n-Me]

Mine is coming today and I'm both and as I've never used an SLR before.

Humor me with your stories of ineptitude so I don't feel so alone.

 

[mommyx2]

I got my D80 for Christmas.

I took a course at the camera store, but to be honest I'm still learning.

I'm actually sorta intimidated by the camera!

Good Luck, and you're not alone.

 

[YEKCIM]

Very frustrating...at first. I came from a Fuji S5200 and expected a night-and-day difference, out of the camera, when I moved up to the D50. I was initially disappointed but found that in time, and with much trial-and-error practicing, my photos improved. I'm going thru the same process with the D80 now, and believe I am taking baby steps in the right direction. IMO, if you do not already have a good editing program, you should buy and learn to use one, to get the maximum out of your camera. It's amazing how much a little tweaking can do to improve a shot. I also found that trying different in-camera settings (for JPEG) until I found a combination that worked for me, was time and effort well spent, and it also helped with familiarization issues.

~Y

 

[Master Mason]

Mine is coming today and I'm both and as I've never used an SLR before.

Humor me with your stories of ineptitude so I don't feel so alone.

I don't need to tell you, I can show you. Just take a gander though this gallery It was my first trip to WDW and I had only had the camera a short time. 99% of the pictures were taken with the kit lens on a wing and a prayer.

Your already ahead of the game because I know you have been working your S3 pretty hard learning what ISO, apeture, and shutter speed will do for you.

Probably my biggest frustration was purchasing lenses because I bought without knowing what I needed, and then the lens wouldn't do what I wanted it to do. Plan your lens purchases and get the ones that will allow you to capture the photos your looking to get.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I switched from an SLR to a DSLR, so it was no big. It was actually much harder for me to learn to use our p&s after years of using SLRs and DSLRs.

 

[Gdad]

I fell in love with my D70 the first time I heard the shutter click. Having used SLR's for many years- but then getting side tracked by early digital P&S cameras I was very frustrated. So the feel and sound of the camera- and the responsiveness to focus and shoot totally sold me that I had made the right decision. We went out to the beach to watch the sunset and try out the camera and I got a really great picture of the girls that is still framed in our living room. I have had my share of frustrating results with dslr's also- don't get me wrong. I just think when you use it you will know you made the right choice.

My advice would be as you learn don't be afraid to use the auto modes to get use to using the camera. I see too many people get hung up on thinking since they have a dslr they need to use manual mode. Go out and shoot with it a lot and have fun.

 

[mabas9395]

The first month I took the camera out of the box and with it in front of me, I read the manual. Then I started playing with the buttons and then I read the manual again. Then I practiced with it for a day or two and then I read the manual again. When I thought I was comfortable with it I read Understanding Expousure by Bryan Peterson, then I went out and practiced again. Then I read the manual another time and went out and practiced some more. After some more practice I re-read Understanding Exposure and went out and practiced some more.

That was then. Now, I haven't read Understanding Exposure in a while, but I still carry the manual with me in my bag (I can't seem to remember which is the symbol for spot metering vs weighted average). But the practice part is still just as important two years later.

 

[bopper]

Go outside in your yard and take pictures and see what happens. Maybe even write down what you did for each picture.

Play with the f-stops... take a picture of a flower or something and do small and big f-stops. How does it differ?

Try the macro (Close up mode).

Try with and without the flash.

Try setting different ISO settings and taking the same picture. Do it where it is light and do it where it is dark. How does it differ?

Try taking a picture of something moving (a car, a bicycle). Try using different speeds. 1/500 of a second, 1/250, all the way down to 1/2 a second.

This way you know what your camera will do, what you like, and how to actually change the settings.

 

[jann1033]

in one word awful!!!!!!!!!!!
i had a slr, same brand, basically the dial looked identical but it wasnt' the slr part that threw me it was the digital part....it just seemed like there was so much more to remember..probably due to my advanced age and approaching senility but on more than one occasion i thought i was gonna lose it. it didn't help i had a lens that basically wouldn't focus( rechipped sigma from my slr) so everything was a nasty blur...i shudder( hehe or make that "shutter") to even think of those photos now a lot of the digital stuff is so much easier, it's only taken me 2 yrs to feel like i can start to think about composition etc again when i take a shot
i still have the manual in my bag and husband has to change setting sometimes for me since i can never get the focus point back to center if i mess up an do what ever i do wrong but at least i'm getting shots close to what i got with my slr before

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Thank you all! I feel better. (Especially seeing Gregg's early Illuminations and Boardwalk shots. ) He's right - I have been working hard this past year learning the basics so hopefully that will make it easier.

Point well taken about reading and re-reading - this week's reading has been about SLRs; I'll work on the manual and re-reading UE. I'm also going to head out later this week to see what I can accomplish with it - no kids, dog stays home, etc.

I think what's throwing me is the lenses, which are still kind of a mystery to me (and what stopped me from buying an SLR 15 years ago when I first considered it). I got the Olympus E-510 with two kit lenses and would also like to add a prime lens to the mix at some point.

My camera came today and I actually fired off a few shots indoors (due to rain outside). It felt good in my hands and pretty natural. The shots came out blurry of course but not surprising since my house was a little chaotic at the time and we'd literally just put it together.

Thanks for all the ideas. I can't tell you how inspirational you've all been. In fact, if I hadn't found my way here, I can't imagine I would have had the confidence to make the leap. So thank you all again.

 

[TinksDH]

My experience parallels Yekcim's almost exactly, although unlike Yekcim I STILL have my D50! I am planning on moving to the D300 at some point this year, but that is a different story.

Prior to getting my DSLR, I had never shot an SLR before. I had been shooting Canon Powershot P&S's, but was actually using more than the "auto" mode in selecting f/stop and/or shutter speed. So I thought I had a good handle on exposure; however, stepping up to a DSLR and trying to use it in M, A, or S mode (versus P or Auto) was challenging. To add to that, I decided early on to go with an all-RAW workflow, and stopped shooting in jpeg. So in addition to learning the camera, I was learning post-processing as well.

I'm glad I did that, as there are some shots I made 2 years ago that look pretty crappy after I post-processed them, but I have the ability to go back and re-do them without ANY loss in quality. If I was shooting jpeg, I wouldn't have that option.

I regularly refer back to UE - it is a GREAT book that I re-read routinely as I am still learning. In addition, I read Pop Photo, listen to quite a few podcasts, and frequent a few camera/Nikon forums. All have contributed to my improvement, but just getting out and shooting has made the most difference.

I feel VERY satisfied when I look at what I shot 2 years ago versus what my images look like now. My composition has improved dramatically, and my "eye" has improved.

My biggest current challenge is in learning and using flash. I have been shooting primarily "available light", and getting flash sorted out is a whole other beast entirely.

 

[Merrywheather]

The first month I took the camera out of the box and with it in front of me, I read the manual. Then I started playing with the buttons and then I read the manual again. Then I practiced with it for a day or two and then I read the manual again. When I thought I was comfortable with it I read Understanding Expousure by Bryan Peterson, then I went out and practiced again. Then I read the manual another time and went out and practiced some more. After some more practice I re-read Understanding Exposure and went out and practiced some more.

This is me, too, except I'm still re-reading and re-reading the manual! I first started just in "P", but now I'm feeling more comfortable with Av, in particular. My current problem is that now my kids and dog run the other direction when they even see me approaching the camera bag. I'm hoping for some nice weather soon, because the flowers and trees are all that I have left to practice on!

I am definitely still learning on my XTi, but it is a lot of fun. I have learned a lot by lurking here!

 

[AndrewWG]

Ok, here goes:

My first month: "Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah" with a little bit of "huh, really?" added in.

All the months since then have subtracted one "blah", added a couple "huh?"s and possibly one or two "A-HA!"s.

Now, once in awhile I even have a "Eureka!" but those have been a bit rare.

Good Luck.

 

[handicap18]

I fell in love with my D70 the first time I heard the shutter click. Having used SLR's for many years- but then getting side tracked by early digital P&S cameras I was very frustrated. So the feel and sound of the camera- and the responsiveness to focus and shoot totally sold me that I had made the right decision. We went out to the beach to watch the sunset and try out the camera and I got a really great picture of the girls that is still framed in our living room. I have had my share of frustrating results with dslr's also- don't get me wrong. I just think when you use it you will know you made the right choice.

My advice would be as you learn don't be afraid to use the auto modes to get use to using the camera. I see too many people get hung up on thinking since they have a dslr they need to use manual mode. Go out and shoot with it a lot and have fun.

This is very similar to my experience. SLR user for many many years, then switched to a digital PnS for a few years and missed the quailty and functions (mostly the lenses) of the SLR.

The biggest issue I had at first was with getting the focus correct. I had the camera set so the camera would choose which focus point was what need to be focused. I had a lot of missed focus shots in the first few months. They weren't out of focus, but rather the part I wanted focus was not in focus.

Here are 2 examples of what I mean:

 

[PhotobearSam]

I have been fearing DSLR's for a while now.

I have 2 SLR's and I graduated from a 2 year course in Photography in 1995 (pre-digital). I have shot a lot of weddings and model shoots and I am very confident in my ability to frame a shot but I am so worried about DSLR's that I have not gotten one yet...

I am buying a Canon 40D in May because a friend has asked me to shoot his wedding and I don't ONLY want to use film. I really want to do a good job for him but I am worried that I won't be up to speed by late September when I have agreed to shoot...

I am nervous and the wedding is 7 months away...

Thank you all for telling me I am not alone...

 

[jann1033]

This is very similar to my experience. SLR user for many many years, then switched to a digital PnS for a few years and missed the quailty and functions (mostly the lenses) of the SLR.

The biggest issue I had at first was with getting the focus correct. I had the camera set so the camera would choose which focus point was what need to be focused. I had a lot of missed focus shots in the first few months. They weren't out of focus, but rather the part I wanted focus was not in focus.

Here are 2 examples of what I mean:

i had this exact same problem ( still do if i get my point uncentered by mistake) does anyone remember what the predigital focus systems were like? i can't remember lights like my rebel has but they had to have something( my old camera isn't working or i would check) i know the lens was auto focus but i don't remember the rest( sorry my memory is so horrendously bad but now that i have some of the new stuff in it the old stuff had to go to make room )

and andy, you gave me a good chuckle

 

[Lizziejane]

I got the XTi 2 weeks before heading to WDW with no prior SLR experience. I thought I'd come home with award-winning shots. Instead, I had 1200 pictures, of which about only 200 were in focus (that's not to say exposed properly!) After 16 months, I can still see improvements on a regular basis.

I'm taking a photography course right now and the instructor made a great comment. He said that when we first get our new cameras, most of the shots are awful initially but we'll get lucky and get one really, really good one that we're oh so proud of. And so it begins - you will spend a lifetime trying to capture that feeling again - the one that makes your heart stop and you ask yourself "did I really take that beautfiul shot?!" It's a no win-situation really - the better you get, the more critical you become - the more you wish you'd moved just 2 inches to the right, stopped down just a little, slowed the shutter just a titch... I realize now that shots I was so proud of 12 months ago would be automatic deletes today.

But it's oh, so much fun! All I can suggest is relax, expect to make mistakes (we all have, and still do!), and just try to learn from the mistakes. Above all though - have FUN!!

 

[WillCAD]

My first SLR was a film camera, but I think my experiences are probably pretty common even today.

My first SLR was a Canon Rebel G, an entry-level 35mm camera with 3 focus points and most of the typical modes found on current SLR and DSLR cameras. I bought it as a kit with a Sigma 28-80mm lens (roughly equivalent to an 18-55mm lens on a Canon DSLR.)

Over the first month that I had the camera, I shot about 3 or 4 rolls of film and most of the pics were terrible. I was getting pretty nervous, because I had bought the camera specifically for vacations, and I had a WDW trip coming up.

But I discovered my fatal flaw - I had been shooting exclusively in the "Auto" or "Green Square" mode. When I switched to Program AE mode, suddenly the pics began coming out the way I wanted them. And when I took that WDW trip, I took what were, at the time, the very best 10 rolls of pics I had ever shot. And it only got better.

I've gradually learned new modes and features over the years, and worked on my composition and framing, but the best thing I ever did was to get out of the Green Square and shoot in P mode.

When I made the transition to a digital SLR, I found that all of the skills I had learned with my 35mm translated seamlessly.

Just remember one thing about photography - skill and knowledge will allow you to shoot a good photo with a roll of film in a cardboard box, but relying on great equipment to shoot the pic without knowing the basics of composition and exposure will result in lousy images every time.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I got the XTi 2 weeks before heading to WDW

I am sensing a theme here.

I deliberately waited until after our January trip as I just wanted to relax and enjoy myself at WDW. Hopefully by the time of our next trip I'll know what I'm doing.

Just finished my shifts so hopefully now I can get out and take some shots if the weather holds up.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Ok, here goes:

My first month: "Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah" with a little bit of "huh, really?" added in.

All the months since then have subtracted one "blah", added a couple "huh?"s and possibly one or two "A-HA!"s.

Now, once in awhile I even have a "Eureka!" but those have been a bit rare.

Good Luck.

Too funny, Andy! I remember! I told you I was going to watch and see how it went for you before I jumped in. I'm sure I'll have a few Ums myself soon.

Hey, you did great. Your bird photos were awesome.