some advice for a noob(not another 1)

stikman

hy everyone

I'm very new to this game as I'm sure this question will reveal, what is the difference between a slr camera and a ....what would you call one that isn't slr?
MMM.....two questions for the price of one, bargain!

My dad bought a finepix s7000 a while back and hasn't really got to grips with it, he had a £100 pound polaroid thing before.

I've got some time on my hands so have started doing some reading up(the manuals good fun, yeah right!!) and going try and get the hang of it, what would be the best way too get going as all these technical terms are baffling me a bit.

Anyway, hope somebody can help with that question and any other advise would be greatly appreciated.

elven

It's not technically correct but these days people tend to refer to an SLR as a camera with interchangeable lenses. That's the main difference between something like the Canon 400D and the finepix. Having said that it seems you can get adapters for yours to do various things with the focal length.

If you want to start exploring the different possibilities of the manual(ish) control, try this: change the big dial on the top to 'A'. Zoom right out, (go wide) and pick something to take a picture of that is separated from the background by a metre or so (a tree, a person, a vase of flowers!) and frame your picture with them in it. Now use the wheel also on the top, on the right of the one with the 'A' setting, to change the aperture - you should see a number in the display somewhere that has an 'f' in front of it that changes when you scroll that wheel - you want to change it to as low a number as it will go - f2 if you have zoomed right out. Take a picture, after focusing on the object in the foreground and take a look at it. You'll see that everything behind it goes blurry. The higher that f number goes, the more of the background is going to be in focus, so experiment with different settings to see just what happens for yourself.

That's a good start to get you playing with it, I'd say... you could also try the same thing, but use the macro mode and focus on something much closer to the camera.

Fionn

the information you wish for is here have funn with the camera!!!!



it's a different make but the info is the same!!

Dara Robinson

SLR cameras are all about the way the light comes into and onto the film/sensor. And as far as I know one of the requirments for a camera to be classed as a SLR camera is that it have a pentaprisum

more info here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SLR_camera

bp_me

elven wrote:

If you want to start exploring the different possibilities of the manual(ish) control, try this: change the big dial on the top to 'A'. Zoom right out, (go wide) and pick something to take a picture of that is separated from the background by a metre or so (a tree, a person, a vase of flowers!) and frame your picture with them in it. Now use the wheel also on the top, on the right of the one with the 'A' setting, to change the aperture - you should see a number in the display somewhere that has an 'f' in front of it that changes when you scroll that wheel - you want to change it to as low a number as it will go - f2 if you have zoomed right out. Take a picture, after focusing on the object in the foreground and take a look at it. You'll see that everything behind it goes blurry. The higher that f number goes, the more of the background is going to be in focus, so experiment with different settings to see just what happens for yourself.

That's a good start to get you playing with it, I'd say... you could also try the same thing, but use the macro mode and focus on something much closer to the camera.

On a small chip camera (such as the s7000) this effect is only going to be noticeable in macro mode. On a camera with a 1/2.5" (I think) chip size, f8 produces the same DOF that f45 would on a full frame camera.

mtracey

Aside from the obvious price difference, the key difference is control really.
Interchangable lens for macro, long range photography. Better quality lens sometimes. Control over depth of field, shutter speed etc...

elven

Cheers bp_me, didn't realise it was quite such a hefty difference. Spose that's just another thing that sets apart the dslrs from the advanced compacts. I didn't realise the sensor would be so much smaller!

P.S. maybe not quite so impossible to get at least some DoF effects: http://www.flickr.com/groups/bokeh_/discuss/72157594200092540/72157594203289553/ on a Fuji Finepix F30...

Also... after doing a bit of reading i found a handy thread on another forum archive that might be helpful to someone just learning about this stuff, also with a P&S: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/archive/index.php/t-227213.html

ThOnda

Dara Robinson wrote:

SLR cameras are all about the way the light comes into and onto the film/sensor. And as far as I know one of the requirments for a camera to be classed as a SLR camera is that it have a pentaprisum

Well, not everytime. Hasselblad is SLR (it has single lens system and a reflecting mirror), however it can work without pentaprism :-)
Using viewfinder e.g. http://www.hasselblad.com/products/h-system/viewfinders/hvm.aspx

The main difference is that with SLR you can see actually what is going to be captured. It is pure optical (physical) process of showing you what sees your camera. And there shouldn't be so bad delay after pressing the trigger.
Electronical SLRs show you, what see the chip.

I am talking too much, I should shoot a little more instead...

stikman

Because I'm a surfer I ultimately see myself sitting on the beach and taking shots of the boys and girls, so from your advice I reckon I'd need an slr so I can attach some mumba lenses, but in the meantime I'm going to learn as much as I can with this cam and then move on when I think I've got the knowhow!

Chances are I'll have to pick your brains again but hopefully it wont be to long before I can post a shot of mine here for you guys to critique.

Cool, thanks for all the help and advice guys, super keen to get out their and start learning, just wish the sun would come out now!!

5uspect

A SLR can be an expensive upgrade both financially and in learning. Fionn's link is a great place to start understanding manual photography. There was a thread here the other day about pin hole cameras which essentially allow you to mess with film without worrying about expensive lenses, techno jargon etc.

So I suggest you should get to grips with the camera you have, understand how it works and then you'll be in a better position to decide what SLR and lens combination is right for you. You'll also find what types of photos you like to take with a relatively cheap camera rather than go through different lenses with an SLR. I'm sure everyone here won't mind helping you out with your questions. I find I often learn something new when someone asks a seemingly stupid question.

And be warned once the camera bug has bitten there's no going back...
Welcome to the madness

Roen

Be prepared to go hungry for a looooooong time if you want to shoot surfing with long lenses. Although Paudie from round here uses a waterproof housing and gets himself close to the action that way. Not cheap either I'd say.