Photo competition winner

Don't put the camera into manual, it's purpose defeating. Manual is used for difficult situations or when you know exactly what settings you're wanting to use for a given scene already. It does nothing but convolute the learning process by forcing you to waste time fiddling with settings when you really should be focusing on the actual picture you're trying to capture. Aperture priority if your focus is on a specific depth of field, shutter priority if your focus is on a specific shutter speed, adjust ISO to suit your conditions or leave it on auto. Otherwise you use Program mode as your effective 'greenbox' or full-auto mode, as it still affords you flash control and choosing metering modes yourself.

And personally I wouldn't get a 50mm f/1.8 if you're just starting out. Yes, you're going to get björkeh and a half, but a narrow DoF does not automatically a good photo make. Yes, the lens is a great performer, but also flares like you wouldn't believe even with its hood. By the time you understand why you want or 'need' the bokeh you might as well go for the 50mm f/1.4 USM instead and gain a focus window and full-time manual with a focus ring that isn't horrendous to use manually, along with quicker, more precise AF and a lens that doesn't flare to hell and back. The poor man buys twice.

You can learn the finer points of exposing correctly when you've got the basics of what makes for decent composition and lighting. The best, most fitting exposure in the world isn't going to mean a thing if your photo itself contains nothing of interest or has no aesthetic merit otherwise.

Also, the camera's manual - sit down with the camera and read it cover to cover while trying things out. Don't be afraid to press buttons - you cannot break your camera by doing this. Just don't try to turn the focus ring on the 18-55mm while it's in AF and make sure to change it to MF before putting it in a bag or otherwise stowing it somewhere.
 
Nicci said:
Thank you Johan for the good advise! I appreciate it. I will look into then buying a lense / tripod / bag first. I need to also learn what each lens is used for (different size mm f/ etc) so that I know which lense does what. Thank you so much for all the invaluable advice - I am sure I am going to keep you photography gurus very busy ;)
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Your first task should be learning how to spell lens . . . unless you're into buying ye olde gear :p

Wait until you can afford a decent tripod - the cheap ones are only slightly better than nothing. I agree with the 50mm f/1.8 - best way to learn DOF and it's one of the least expensive good lenses out there. An external flash might be a worthwhile investment - the pop up is about as useful as that cheap tripod I mentioned earlier.

But for now just go have some fun. Take plenty of photos and learn from your mistakes.
 
bwana said:
Your first task should be learning how to spell lens . . . unless you're into buying ye olde gear :p

Wait until you can afford a decent tripod - the cheap ones are only slightly better than nothing. I agree with the 50mm f/1.8 - best way to learn DOF and it's one of the least expensive good lenses out there. An external flash might be a worthwhile investment - the pop up is about as useful as that cheap tripod I mentioned earlier.

But for now just go have some fun. Take plenty of photos and learn from your mistakes.
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I am also looking for tripod can u recommend one? Was wrong with the cheapos? if i may ask :D
 
dtba said:
I am also looking for tripod can u recommend one? Was wrong with the cheapos? if i may ask :D
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They're not particularly sturdy and they're a bugger to adjust accurately. I have a couple that I bought way back when and they're just about good enough to use as flash stands.

As for recommendations - not my bailiwick I'm afraid. My weapon of choice is a monopod but that because it's the right tool for my job.
 
dtba said:
I am also looking for tripod can u recommend one? Was wrong with the cheapos? if i may ask :D
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Some cheap tripods quickly lose tension in their clutch locking systems for their legs, their rotational joints can gum up or begin grinding, they can be wobbly - things of that nature. The point of a tripod is to stabilize things; what's the point if the tripod itself isn't stable?

That being said there's nothing inherently wrong with all cheap tripods as a rule, you just need to take the time to look up tripod reviews and do some research. Buying an expensive tripod as a rule is a quick way to blow a lot of money for reasons you mightn't understand and that might not even be relevant to your needs out of a tripod in the first place.

I'm seeing a lot of "rush out and get this, that and the other thing" going on here. A 500D with its 18-55mm is plenty capable right out of the box; buying all of these things that're being suggested isn't going to make one magically become better nor automatically speed the learning process up. If anything, some of them can even stunt it, such as getting a 50mm prime and throwing that onto the camera for the first 6 months and using only it. You can achieve EXACTLY the same effect by forcing yourself to use a specific focal length on the 18-55mm kit lens. The only thing you're losing is the extra stops of light and the bokeh - that's it. Neither of these are automatically going to make poor photos any better.
 
nanonyous said:
I'm seeing a lot of "rush out and get this, that and the other thing" going on here. A 500D with its 18-55mm is plenty capable right out of the box; buying all of these things that're being suggested isn't going to make one magically become better nor automatically speed the learning process up. If anything, some of them can even stunt it, such as getting a 50mm prime and throwing that onto the camera for the first 6 months and using only it. You can achieve EXACTLY the same effect by forcing yourself to use a specific focal length on the 18-55mm kit lens. The only thing you're losing is the extra stops of light and the bokeh - that's it. Neither of these are automatically going to make poor photos any better.
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The point of the 50 is that it's an excellent way to learn about DOF and how to control it. Something you're not going to learn by taping the 18-55 at 50 and shooting at f/5.6. It's also the sharpest, fastest lens you can get at the price.

FWIW - the 18-55 is a sharp enough lens but it has it's limitations and flares like a mo-fo.
 
Well done, enjoy your new toy! Getting the camera is only the first step, the expensive stuff is still to come :D
 
bwana said:
The point of the 50 is that it's an excellent way to learn about DOF and how to control it. Something you're not going to learn by taping the 18-55 at 50 and shooting at f/5.6. It's also the sharpest, fastest lens you can get at the price.

FWIW - the 18-55 is a sharp enough lens but it has it's limitations and flares like a mo-fo.
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You can learn about DoF just fine without using a 50mm f/1.8... Now, becoming indoctrinated into believing you need the max bokeh evahr for every single photo only alltimes or your photo is automatically **** - that's something you're only going to get by primarily using wide-aperture lenses. Learn about working with light, composition and subject matter first. Learn about using colour to your advantage or primarily shoot with a black and white scene while using raw so you have colour versions of whatever you shot at home, but see the result in black and white on your camera to learn about contrasts. Learn about perspective and how it can affect your images.

Don't rush out and get a single prime thinking it's magically going to force you to learn any of these things at all, because it won't. It's going to force you to be aware of the fact your lens is very difficult to manually focus with if you're on a small viewfinder crop camera without a decent focusing screen and that you keep needing to step back because your lens is too tightly framed on crop for what you're shooting a lot of the time. Neither of these are qualities unique to this lens; the former is even to a very large extent applicable to the 18-55mm kit lens.
 
bwana said:
Your first task should be learning how to spell lens . . . unless you're into buying ye olde gear :p

Wait until you can afford a decent tripod - the cheap ones are only slightly better than nothing. I agree with the 50mm f/1.8 - best way to learn DOF and it's one of the least expensive good lenses out there. An external flash might be a worthwhile investment - the pop up is about as useful as that cheap tripod I mentioned earlier.

But for now just go have some fun. Take plenty of photos and learn from your mistakes.
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Ah sorry, yes lens! Hmm I will buy then the 50mm f/1.8 lens. I need to still understand what the mm and f/ means. DOF, yes, will have to learn that. To be honest, I had to google what that was... Also, another question, on my other camera (I'm going to donate it) there was a 26x zoom. How much zoom does the 50mm lens have? Do you also calculate it by zoom x 24 or 26 or is there another terminology for zoom? How would I know which lens zooms how far? Sorry if this is silly questions.

Also, for those in the know, which shop (I will read the other thread on shops also) would you recommend is best to go buy the gear, or should I just go from shop to shop and compare prices?

Tripod - I am particularly interested in Long Exposure photography, where water looks like mist. What tripod should one get for such pictures? Also, when I take my camera to the bush, would the tripod be able to go in a safari vehicle, as you are not allowed to get out, or I suppose you could keep it still on the roof of the vehicle then...

Thank you Bwana and everyone for the very helpful advise. I want to get the right equipment the first time around, as they say in Afrikaans, goedkoop koop is duur koop.
 
Nicci said:
Ah sorry, yes lens! Hmm I will buy then the 50mm f/1.8 lens. I need to still understand what the mm and f/ means. DOF, yes, will have to learn that. To be honest, I had to google what that was... Also, another question, on my other camera (I'm going to donate it) there was a 26x zoom. How much zoom does the 50mm lens have? Do you also calculate it by zoom x 24 or 26 or is there another terminology for zoom? How would I know which lens zooms how far? Sorry if this is silly questions.

Also, for those in the know, which shop (I will read the other thread on shops also) would you recommend is best to go buy the gear, or should I just go from shop to shop and compare prices?

Tripod - I am particularly interested in Long Exposure photography, where water looks like mist. What tripod should one get for such pictures? Also, when I take my camera to the bush, would the tripod be able to go in a safari vehicle, as you are not allowed to get out, or I suppose you could keep it still on the roof of the vehicle then...

Thank you Bwana and everyone for the very helpful advise. I want to get the right equipment the first time around, as they say in Afrikaans, goedkoop koop is duur koop.
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No offense, but seeing as you know absolutely nothing about what you've won and are about to use, buying anything right now is an extremely bad idea...

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the 500D with only 18-55mm for someone that has everything to learn. You don't need a tripod right now. You don't need a flash right now. You don't need a 50mm f/1.8 right now. If you want to do long-exposure photography you can find a stable surface to place your camera on instead - even use a chair with a beanbag on it if it comes down to it. As for safari stuff, you're more likely to use a beanbag on the door frame, and aren't going to be getting a whole lot of reach with a max focal length of 55mm - that's what you need a telephoto lens for.

And the 'zoom' of your previous camera was a factor of its maximum focal length divided by its minimum focal length. In other words, if at its widest a 1cm thing would fill the frame, then at its maximum you'd be bloating its size to 26x that.

Seriously though, don't rush out and buy stuff for your first few months. You don't need anything that's been suggested here yet because you don't even understand why you'd need any of it.
 
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nanonyous said:
No offense, but seeing as you know absolutely nothing about what you've won and are about to use, buying anything right now is an extremely bad idea...

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the 500D with only 18-55mm for someone that has everything to learn. You don't need a tripod right now. You don't need a flash right now. You don't need a 50mm f/1.8 right now. If you want to do long-exposure photography you can find a stable surface to place your camera on instead - even use a chair with a beanbag on it if it comes down to it. As for safari stuff, you're more likely to use a beanbag on the door frame, and aren't going to be getting a whole lot of reach with a max focal length of 55mm - that's what you need a telephoto lens for.

And the 'zoom' of your previous camera was a factor of its maximum focal length divided by its minimum focal length. In other words, if at its widest a 1cm thing would fill the frame, then at its maximum you'd be bloating its size to 26x that.

Seriously though, don't rush out and buy stuff for your first few months. You don't need anything that's been suggested here yet because you don't even understand why you'd need any of it.
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That started off sounding nasty and bitter but was in fact very good advice. Take it from somebody who has paid those school fees. :)
 
Thank you for your reply :) I do understand some things, not everything. I know what type of photos I want to take, and I will educate myself, as I have with previous camera. Yes, it's not the same thing, but it is something that I am interested in and I will be able to understand everything. I will however get the lens and tripod, as I mentioned, I plan to educate myself, and then I have the equipment to experiment with. I am a fast learner, so I should be ok!
 
Nicci said:
Thank you for your reply :) I do understand some things, not everything. I know what type of photos I want to take, and I will educate myself, as I have with previous camera. Yes, it's not the same thing, but it is something that I am interested in and I will be able to understand everything. I will however get the lens and tripod, as I mentioned, I plan to educate myself, and then I have the equipment to experiment with. I am a fast learner, so I should be ok!
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The 50mm is in absolutely no way necessary for learning. You're not learning "about" DoF by having and using it - you're learning that there is a narrower depth of field than your kit lens has with its f/5.6 aperture at the same focal length.
In other words, it facilitates bokeh-whoring and shooting under lower light conditions with the same equivalent shutter speed and ISO.
 
Nicci said:
Also, another question, on my other camera (I'm going to donate it) there was a 26x zoom. How much zoom does the 50mm lens have? Do you also calculate it by zoom x 24 or 26 or is there another terminology for zoom? How would I know which lens zooms how far? Sorry if this is silly questions.
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50 mm refers to the focal length of the lens. In practice, this determines the field of view of the lens. Zoom lenses have variable focal lengths, i.e., variable fields of view. If a lens is rated as "3x zoom", it means that the longer focal length is 3x longer than the shortest focal length of the lens (like the 18-55 mm lens included with your new camera).

The 50 mm lens in question cannot zoom at all; such lenses are also called "prime lenses". They have their uses, but I agree with nanonymous here. Play with the kit lens for a while before you decide which prime lens you really want.
 
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