^ He says "I suck with books" and you recommend him a book? :grin: Sorry, man, but I must laugh at that. No doubt, you should get her: Spoiler It's the best gift, like, EVER. Mr. Mathloom... YOU, sir, are indeed a lucky emmeffer who inspires great jealousy and envy in all of us.
I'm thinking about trading my 7D in for a Barbi <object width="400" height="225"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=13992345&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=1&color=&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&loop=0" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=13992345&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=1&color=&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&loop=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/13992345">Canon 7D vs. Barbie Video Girl</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/bloch">Brandon Bloch</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
You're also going to need to hone your photoshop or other editing skills. Canon images usually need some sharpening.
^ Maybe. I mean, it's not really "ignorance", per se, sir, but... I feel like I must defend some circumstances that would otherwise seem inconclusive by overgeneralized statements. I mean, if I don't know how to use my tool, do I blame myself, or my tool? MYSELF.
It isn't an overgeneralization. Without some artificial sharpening done by the camera, digital pics in most cameras of all brands will come out "soft". If mathloom is going to shoot pics in raw mode to preserve more quality, he'll need to do the sharpening in photoshop. Being able to focus the lens has nothing to do with it.
<object width="400" height="225"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=13992345&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=1&color=&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&loop=0" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=13992345&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=1&color=&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&loop=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/13992345">Canon 7D vs. Barbie Video Girl</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/bloch">Brandon Bloch</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
great thread! I just started shooting with an Olympus OM-1 that my dad gave me, it had been collecting dust for years but it seems to work fine. I made a few mistakes already loading and unloading the film on this completely manual beast, but everything I read about says it's a workhorse... is going down the one hour photo/ pharmacy route a good idea, or is it best to truly learn the concepts of exposure in a darkroom?
Mathloom, I started to get into photography earlier this year and was pretty much in your shoes. I ended up buying a Nikon D700. I do not know about Canon, but Nikon's manual that come with the cameras are not very good. There are better 3rd party books with much more detailed explanation. For Nikon, I got the D700 manual by David Busch. Busch offers a guide for Canon 7D as well which you can look into. While learning your camera you need to master these areas of photography... 1) Exposure - Understanding exposure by Bryan Peterson is a classic. 2) Composition - Photographer's Eye by Michael Freeman 3) Light - A complete guide to Light and lighting in Digital Photography by Michael Freeman 4) Post-processing - Any good post-processing book to go along with software. I use NX2 with Nikon. You can do more research for Canon. Another very good book which covers a wide range of topics is Digital Photography (I & II) by Scott Kelby. Once you have the camera, a manual, and some good books, you need to ask yourself what kind of photography will you be involved with. 1) Wide angle 2) Street & People 3) Portrait 4) Action/wild life? These will dictate your lens choices. If you are learning I recommend going with a prime like a 50mm f/18 or f/1.4. It will force you to move your feet and learn composition. You can supplement it with a cheap zoom to get an idea of what focal length do you mostly shoot at. Based on that you can expand your prime collection. Happy learning!
agree about the prime. i mentioned above i got a panny 20MM prime (40MM), mostly for the low light capability (F1.7). the wide angle forces you to rethink composition tho, or learn it as the case may be. a good exercise.
The best way to learn about cameras is to use them. Classes and books are very helpful, but it's the experimenting that leads you to the new discoveries.
Since a few of you went gearhead on me, I love my Nikon D300. I shoot with a Sigma 17-35 2.8, which is my primary event lens. It is the lens I use probably 70 percent of the time. I also have a Sigma 80-200 2.8. I love this lens for portraits and, obviously, it's great for anything requiring a telephoto. Lastly, I have the Nikon 50mm 1.8. Really fantastic lens - probably the best lens you can buy new for under 100 bucks. Between that and my two flashes (SB800 and SB600), I'm good for most things.
Try the new Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Incredible wide open with fantastic bokeh. I found 50mm 1.8 bokeh to be harsh although it is probably a better general photography lens.
You can be focused perfectly and many times the images can still use additional sharpening. Sharpening doesn't fix something out of focus.
