My experience here in this forum (a pat on the back)

My experience using this forum. and being a novice user of a DSLR for around 3 months.

Firstly a big thanks to all who have helped my photography.

To be honest before joining the Penatx forum I didn’t even know what aperture did or shutter speed or the F meant etc..etc.. I was very frustrated at the beginning as I wanted so much to learn what the camera and its Manuel settings did before trying to take half decent pictures. Up to this point I was a happy snapper with a canon G5.

Being criticised here is no problem, infact I don't mind it all as it’s a great way to learn. Sometimes it gets a bit personal but that goes with the territory I guess.

In three months I cannot believe what I have learned to do from all your postings and replies. Getting the K10D really threw me in at the deep end. When I first got it I nearly gave up as I thought how and what are all these settings for.

Some might say why buy a Pro camera like the K10D when you are just learning. Well I thought if I’m going to learn and advance my photography I may as well get a good camera. I had a Nikon D80 for a week but decided to swap for the K10D and I love it and its features.

I read lots of magazines and as I have said learned a lot from some kind folk here on this forum. So it's made my hobby far more interesting.

I have entered two photos to be graded and both have passed. The grading is quite strict so I have been told so I am very pleased.

I am finally learning to take photos in a way that I want and in a way I did not think possible in such a short time. I have just got to grips with the camera's capabilities and enjoying it more each day. I still have a hell of a lot to learn about taking photos as this is just the begining.

The next mine field is Lenses, I haven’t got a clue what 28mm means for example or focal length or 1.7 etc etc.. Other folk reading this will probably laugh at my lack of knowledge on lenses, but I'll get their in the end I'm sure.

Thanks Pete
PS I have posted a similar thread to newbie eric but this is an edited version.

All I can say is . . . bravo Pete.

There's loads of data on the web about 'focal length' and 'angle of view'/'field of view'. Just Google those terms, all will be explained.

Pete,

A good place to begin is http://www.photonhead.com/beginners/. I'll often go back and re-read very basic things about aperture, exposure and depth-of-field to ensure that my memory of the concepts hasn't faded with the years passing!

I think lenses can be explained quite simply, although it was even easier in the days when 35mm film ruled.

SLRs were traditionally supplied with a standard lens (50mm focal length), because this lens gives approx. the same angle of view as the human eye and images therefore looked natural.
Lenses shorter than 50mm, ie. 28mm are known as wide-angle and give a wider angle of view, making them ideal for group shots and landscapes.
The wider the angle, the more unnatural it can look because straight lines can appear curved - like looking through a goldfish bowl and the space between nearby objects and distant ones appears greater.

Longer than 50mm, ie. 70mm and above are known as telephoto and like a telescope, enable you to fill more of the frame with a distant subject.
Telephotos compress the perspective - the distance between nearby and distant objects appears reduced.
Short telephotos (70mm to 100mm) are often considered ideal for portraits.

Zoom lenses have a variable focal length and are designed to have the characteristics of fixed focal length lenses within the stated range ie. 28mm to 80mm or 80mm to 200mm etc.
Certain optical compromises have to be made but modern zooms are nevertheless very good, although they do tend to have smaller maximum apertures than prime (fixed focal length) lenses within the same range.

The aperture (F stop) is the hole through the center of the lens that the light passes through. It's not necessary to know how the value is calculated but suffice it to say that F22 is a smaller hole than F4 - think of it as a fraction ie. a quarter (1/4) is smaller than a half (1/2).
Faster lenses have a larger maximum aperture than slower ones which make them better for low light situations (there's a bigger hole for the light to get through) but they contain larger glass elements and are therefore heavier and more expensive.

Shutter speed ie. 1/60th of a sec. determines how long the hole (aperture) is open for and therefore how much light reaches the film or sensor. The correct combination of aperture and shutter speed gives the correct exposure.
Fast shutter speeds 'freeze' moving subjects.

Depth of field is the amount of the scene in front of and behind the subject that appears to be in focus. Smaller apertures increase the depth of field - excellent for landscapes, large apertures are ideal for still life images where you wish to isolate the subject by blurring the background.

The final exposure is determined by many things - how bright the subject is, the lens you have chosen, the depth of field that you want, the amount of action blurring, the film speed (ISO setting) and other incidentals such as whether you want to use flash.

With regard to lenses, a 50mm lens is a 50mm lens no matter what camera it is fitted to but most digital SLRs use APS-C sized sensors which are smaller than 35mm film. This effectively means a 50mm lens acts like a 75mm short telephoto.

General rules:
For group shots and landscapes use a wide angle lens and set a small aperture (wide angle lenses have more depth of field at any given aperture) - this will ensure that you get as much of the scene in the shot and as much in focus as possible.

Use a large aperture and/or a telephoto lens to isolate the subject from the background.

Use a fast shutter speed to freeze the action or a slow one to blur it.

Ensure that the shutter speed is at least equal to the focal length ie. 1/60th sec. for a 50mm lens, to avoid camera shake for hand held shots.

Use flash/external light sources or increase the film speed/ISO setting when the ambient light is too low to otherwise achieve the desired exposure. Increased ISO speeds raise the amount of grain, so a long exposure with the camera steadied on a tripod might be preferable.

Phew, that should cover the basics.

This works for me too, I have a copy of Michael Langford's book "Basic Photography 5th Edition" that's been a permanent fixture on the bed side table since I returned to the hobby, a worthwhile book (there may be better ones though) to have no matter what stage your at.

Tim,

That link fails for me. Is it correct?

Michael

Pete,

All I can say is I offer my sincere apologies if ANY of my own posts have caused the slightest offence or you have felt them to be a little personal, in fact this applies to anyone I have replied to.

I think there are many users on this forum who reply to a post and then sit back and wonder if it will be taken in the context it was written, especially when we have international users who may not always understand the English sense of humour (or even my own weird version of it )

Keep posting the pics regardless of the comments you get, eventually you will be as good a photographer as me (and that wont be far off )

No Problem,

I have never been offended by yourself. Your sense of humour is high on my list very dry

Works for me.

Dan

And me now. I was getting a 'could not be found' earlier.

Michael

Pete

First of all let me congratulate you on your well written and meaningful post. It was great to read your appreciative feedback regarding all the help you have received on this Forum so far.

I admit I certainly was critical of you, I also did make it personal a couple of times, and I apologize for coming down heavily on you. I, like everyone one else, would like nothing better than to help a novice with his questions but I think I was not alone in being dismayed at how dramatically things changed here on January 17, 2007 when a newcomer named PeteKD began making over 8 posts a day in every conceivable topic that popped into his head. This forum is one of the best on the web and I don't remember ever seeing any kind of previous talk here like "I dont see you posting any pictures so keep your sarcastic comments to yourself. " and that pretty much formed my opinion of you in your first week here.

I was dismayed at how the forum was quickly going downhill from good natured chat and advice to a great deal of personal sniping and chastising. I think George however correctly diagnosed the problem as just your overwhelming ENTHUSIASM!!

It is great to see you are such a quick study Pete and that most of the above seems to have changed dramatically. You have come a long way in a very short time and I think some of the blunt criticism has actually helped that along. Your manner has become a lot more subdued and your writing has definitely improved. (oh and… thanks for the capital I’s by the way. ) I am sure you will notice if you take the time to make a decent post like the one you have made here it will reflect the quality and quantity of the replies to your questions.

Thanks again for your post, it has changed my mind about you Pete.
Now excuse me while I choke down the rest of this dry piece of humble pie.

Regards and apologies.

Drew

Thank you Drew,

I have to agree with what you have said in regards to enthusiasm which as taken over a little to say the least. I am very passionate about my new hobby and think that shows by the many posts I have made.

I myself have been a little to strong with my words to you and a few other members for which I have to put my hands and apologise, George Lazarette in particular. George and my self have had a few strong heated comments thrown at each other which I believe is partly due to simple misunderstandings. Hopefully this can be put behind us as I have read many of his posts and seen some of his work which is very good.

I will continue to add my posts and images so hopefully people will continue to reply in the same fashion.

Once again thank you

PS Thank you Kimbo for all that information above. It must have took you ages to type.

Pete

Ahhh!

Isn't it nice that we are one big happy familly again

Till someone puts there foot in it with a scathing comment

PS: Pete, your camelia was rubbish

LOL

I ain't a gardener LOL

Oh you mean the photo Yes I agree it was a poor attempt

Love the sense of humour