DSLR n00b lookin' for pointers...
 

Hey guys,

On the eve of the Revscene meet, my Dad was kind enough to give me his old DSLR camera, as he just bought a new one. How could I possibly say no?

The camera I inherited is a Nikon D70, and from what little knowledge of cameras I have, I know it's not the greatest camera out there, but it's leaps and bounds better than the point 'n shoot I currently use :D

So, not to sound lazy, but I need a few tips on getting started. I have every intention of reading the instruction manual, but it's way too nice out, and I need to get my car ready for tomorrow... but I also want to be able to take some decent shots tomorrow.

Here are the lens' I borrowed to play around with:
Tamron AF 19-35mm wide angle
Nikon AF Nikkor 28-70mm
Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm

Which one(s) should I take with me tomorrow, and any camera/lens settings I should use?

I will continue to do as much reading and research as I can handle, but any help from you old pros would be greatly appreciated :) My apologies for being so green!

Thanks in advance :thumbsup:

for easy and quick shooting, leave the camera in Aperture Priority mode. the smaller the number, ie: 2.8 is a 'large' aperture...lol, confusing eh? the bigger the number, ie: 5.6 is a smaller aperture.

if you're shooting in broad day light for the revscene meet, i suppose you could just leave the camera at F5.6 and shoot away with everything else like ISO in auto mode :)

read the manual when you get a chance...and read it lots. i read my 7D manual every week still. :)

oh, and i would probably take that Tamron lens or the Nikon 18-55. i think the 28-70 won't be wide enough in a cramped parking lot.

Much appreciated! :) I've started reading the manual, and most likely will have to do so many times over :lol but thats ok!

Reading the manual + trying it out = fast way to learn :)

Not a big fan of Rockhead, but I do find his user guides easy to read.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d70/d70-settings.htm

Highly recommended for composition basics:

The Photographer's Eye by Michael Freeman

The D70 is a pretty good camera. I'd use a nice wide lens for tomorrow.

Thanks for the suggestions :)

It's nice having a camera other than a point and shoot, lol.

if you want to get more into manual exposures, one rule i found really fail proof is the 'sunny 16 rule':

on a sunny day, you will get near perfect exposure at F16 when X shutter speed = X iso

eg. on a sunny day, F16, 1/200, iso200 = proper exposure

or F16, 1/100, iso100 = proper exposure


of course you can raise the aperture and drop the shutter etc etc.

In Vancouver, it's the "Rainy 5.6 Rule." :lol

Try out some youtube videos. I like the videos this guy "mikethementor" or michaelthementor? Puts out for simpler stuff. Trial and error start off with ur exposure triangle ISO settings, aperture settings and shutter speed. Try not to use too high of an iso and when u can lower iso before u increase shutter speed. Feel free to take the same photo with different settings and see how you like it.

I really can't stand using the built in flash especially without a diffuser. Also know ur limitations unlike a point and shoot a lot of objects might be too close to focus.

Personally I don't do much photo editing but if that is one of your strengths all the better to you. Just don't rely on it too much IMO.
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One of the quickest ways is to do tutorials with homework: usually those tasks are designed so people can figure out the meaning of all settings and not be overwhelmed by them. I tried just to poke around when I got my first DSLR D90 and it was a little bit too much. Usually it's a good idea to choose a setting like Aperture priority mode and mess with it every way possible. Then once you get it, move to messing with Shutter speed, exposure, ISO. Everything else: like different rules, composition, certain effects you can get from books. Google something like top 10 books on photography, compare reviews on amazon.com and just start one of them. But all will be useless until you get the basic understanding in the field.
good luck!!!