Recommended reading for someone new to DSLR cameras?

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  • thumpingrugthumpingrug Frets: 2890
    I cant recommend the Dummies guides enough.  I find these well written, hight informative and straightforward.

    https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Photography-All-Dummies-Computers/dp/1119291399/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1531422279&sr=8-1&keywords=dummies+guide+to+dslr



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  • Jimbro66Jimbro66 Frets: 2418
    The photography guide books by Michael Freeman are very well written and informative. His "The Photographer's Pocket Book" is useful because it is convenient to carry around as a handy reference. It covers the technicalities of DSLRs and guidance on producing good images.
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  • Jimbro66Jimbro66 Frets: 2418
    Rocker said:
    I Googled 'Lightroom' and the response was a number of books offered to help. Is Lightroom computer software and if so, where can it be bought? I have heard about Photoshop but it appears very complicated to use. The free image software supplied with my Canon DSLR is overwhelming without being shown what it can do or how to do it. All help or pointers appreciated. Even the name of a good book on the subject would be a great help. Thanks

    @Rocker Adobe Lightroom is software for processing your digital photographs and then cataloguing them in a way that makes them easy to find in future. It is not as complex as full Photoshop but still requires some training or a decent guide book to help you find your way around. Photoshop is also available in the "Elements" version which is aimed at hobbyist photographers. Again it allows you to process your photos and also to catalogue them. It is less complex and more novice-friendly than full Photoshop - and far cheaper.
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  • BudgieBudgie Frets: 2099
    edited July 2018
    jellyroll said:
    zepp76 said:
    I have decided to dip my toes into the world of DSLR cameras and have just ordered an entry level camera (Canon EOS 1300D) and would like to know if there are any recommended books that I should read, I don't want anything too in depth but something that covers photographing landscapes, rivers and the sea and very close up pictures of insects and plant life please. Thank you in advance.


    Edit: Also any advice on any essentials I may need would be greatly appreciated.
    For Landscapes, rivers and seas - to start with, I would give the opposite advice to most posters above. Set the camera to auto exposure and worry about COMPOSITION. Later on, you can get into manual exposure setting (for instance to freeze or blur moving water) but I would say that comes after you develop an instinct for what makes an interesting (to you) photograph. Look at a ton of photos online and start to form opinions on what works,etc. 


    Apart from COMPOSITION, which pretty much conquers all, I really disagree with this. Don’t use auto settings because you’ll just end up with either blown out highlights or under exposed foregrounds. There are just three considerations - Aperture, Shutter and ISO all of which affect each other.

    Landscape photography generally demands a tripod so therefore the shutter speed is made virtually redundant. Either go full manual, which is NOT at all complicated or Aperture Priority, meaning you set the aperture and the ISO setting to determine the shutter speed which, with a tripod, can be whatever length of time.. Most landscape photography is based on mid aperture settings for good/acceptable front to back sharpness. There are other considerations like how to deal with flowing water, freezing movement to trees, focus stacking, long exposures etc but all of these are part of the fun of learning about your camera and editing software. Also, if you have an interest in landscapes, - as well as a tripod, get a circular polariser. Other filters can be easily overcome by using your camera’s bracketing setting and exposure blending in post production in Lightroom etc.

    Also, shoot in RAW, it makes processing much more flexible.

    There are a lot of excellent YouTubers making great photography content. I tend to take landscape images so Nigel Danson, First Man Photography, Andrew Marr, Thomas Heaton, Adam Gibbs are all worth checking out.

    Photography is great fun!




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  • BlackjackBlackjack Frets: 227
    If you want to get books, which I must admit I like to do too, I would recommend anything by Scott Kelby.  His books are very informative but written in a really understandable, easy to read and humorous style.  The set in the below link is a great starting point, it’s expensive but you can also buy the books individually if you wish.  Scott’s books definately are great though as some books seem to assume a certain level of knowledge and whilst contain good information, become very technical and hard to read but his are not like that at all. 
    Great choice with a Canon! I have a 40D and love mine! 

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Scott-Kelbys-Digital-Photography-Boxed/dp/0133988066/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1531461691&sr=8-6&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=scott+kelby&dpPl=1&dpID=51%2BhY%2BKBT%2BL&ref=plSrch
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  • sinbaadisinbaadi Frets: 1297
    Auto modes are fine for general snapping.  I put it auto when I'm on a holiday wander.  The composition is what makes it a really good picture, or not.

    Does anyone have any suggestions for software to help speed up the whole "keep it", "bin it" process?

    I'd like something with quick previews and the ability to create shortcuts on the keyboard, or drag and drop, for sorting images into different folders/recycling bin.
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  • stickyfiddlestickyfiddle Frets: 26753
    sinbaadi said:
    Auto modes are fine for general snapping.  I put it auto when I'm on a holiday wander.  The composition is what makes it a really good picture, or not.

    Does anyone have any suggestions for software to help speed up the whole "keep it", "bin it" process?

    I'd like something with quick previews and the ability to create shortcuts on the keyboard, or drag and drop, for sorting images into different folders/recycling bin.
     What exactly is your workflow at the mo? 

    You can do it very quickly in Lightroom - just hit "x" on anything you want to delete to mark it as rejected, then ctrl+backspace (cmd+delete on mac) to delete anything marked as rejected.

    If I'm importing via iPad I just use the iOS photos app to "star" anything I want to keep then quickly delete the others. Those 2 are about as quick as the process can ever be.
    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
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  • sinbaadi said:
    Auto modes are fine for general snapping.  I put it auto when I'm on a holiday wander.  The composition is what makes it a really good picture, or not.

    Does anyone have any suggestions for software to help speed up the whole "keep it", "bin it" process?

    I'd like something with quick previews and the ability to create shortcuts on the keyboard, or drag and drop, for sorting images into different folders/recycling bin.

    Lightroom. I import, then run through keep/bin, filter the bins and delete them. 

    The keeps are not all excellent, but the bins are poor composition, focus missed or just a terrible exposure. 
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  • sinbaadisinbaadi Frets: 1297
    I connect to my windows 7 PC by USB, import them all and then use Windows to preview, which is a pain sometimes if you have multiples of the same image and only want to keep the best one. I don't usually bother shooting in RAW.  I then edit with Photoshop.

    My camera automatically Bluetooth transfers smaller file format previews to my phone, but I can't mark them in any way.  I can also ask it to transfer the original but it takes longer as you can imagine.  I do edit a lot of images for general sharing on my phone with Photoshop and Google photos.

    I've never tried Lightroom, because I'm quite proficient with Photoshop and never feel I can't achieve what I want to achieve.  I was not aware it included the sorting features too!

    Looks like I should give it a try.
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  • stickyfiddlestickyfiddle Frets: 26753
    You already have access to Lightroom if you're using Photoshop via the creative cloud subscription. It's *awesome* - I literally never use PS.
    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    What sort of lense would you use to look into the neighbours windows and watch them changing?
    Asking for a friend...
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  • ToneControlToneControl Frets: 11789
    First things to learn are:
    • How to switch the camera to store in RAW format (at the highest resolution). If you don't it will just store in jpg, which basically means that future editing is limited and destructive. A RAW file is like a negative, you can process it in different ways on the PC, without damaging it.  
    • Composition. All the old stuff, how to look at what's around you and imagine it in a frame, Law of thirds, etc. Very analogous to guitar solos, the people looking at your photos won't care what manual exposure settings you used
    • Timing - not so important for landscapes
    • Light: effect of different colour temperatures, effect of weather on how far you can see (e.g. crispy cold dry days are best for detailed long-distance landscapes)
    • What can be fixed in processing later (in software), and what can't: e.g. the exposure range of cameras. This means learning why fine detail in the sky is lost when exposure is correct for the rivers and hills
    • How to use a polarising filter - essential for landscape. This makes the sky look darker and more like the professional photos you see. You need to buy one.
    • How to use a graduated grey (or other colour) filter to bring the detail of the sky into the photo, in an artistic way
    • Learn how to do processing in the PC once the pictures you are taking are worth the effort. Typically, you can fine tune colour settings, sharpness, etc. All things that will make a big difference

    What lenses have you ordered with the camera? You need the 10-18mm one for landscapes. It was on special offer in a kit at Argos last week. It's still much cheaper to buy in a kit than separately later
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  • boogiemanboogieman Frets: 12314
    octatonic said:
    What sort of lense would you use to look into the neighbours windows and watch them changing?
    Asking for a friend...
    The Pervemaster 3000. Errr........my friend has one. 
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  • zepp76zepp76 Frets: 2534
    Thank you so much for all the helpful replies it's much appreciated. There's certainly some learning to do that's for sure!

    @ToneControl I ordered a kit that comes with two lenses, an 18-55mm and a 75-300mm telephoto. I will be looking to add a couple more lenses that are more suitable to what I want to achieve.

    As I live between fantastic countryside and the sea I will be spoilt for choice for subject matter. I would really like to be able to take those kind of pictures that make rivers and the sea look like mist, is that down to exposure time?

    Again thank you to you all for your help and advice, I didn't realise there were so many budding photographers on here!
    Tomorrow will be a good day.
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  • zepp76 said:
    Thank you so much for all the helpful replies it's much appreciated. There's certainly some learning to do that's for sure!

    @ToneControl I ordered a kit that comes with two lenses, an 18-55mm and a 75-300mm telephoto. I will be looking to add a couple more lenses that are more suitable to what I want to achieve.

    As I live between fantastic countryside and the sea I will be spoilt for choice for subject matter. I would really like to be able to take those kind of pictures that make rivers and the sea look like mist, is that down to exposure time?

    Again thank you to you all for your help and advice, I didn't realise there were so many budding photographers on here!

    Those two lenses will cover landscape  portrait, snap shots and wildlife perfectly well. You may sometimes want wider and in time you'll possibly want faster (heavier, expensive) glass, but those two lenses will provide decent images.

    The 18-55 is a really good one especially - sharp and fast focusing  
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  • zepp76zepp76 Frets: 2534
    I think I may have made a bit of a mistake in where I ordered the camera kit, I ordered it from slrhut but have since looked online at reviews and it has terrible reviews stating the cameras are grey imports and aren't covered by Canons U.K warranty. Has anyone ordered from them? They have a website with a U.K domain and a U.K phone number but apparently they operate out of the states. The thing is, they were the cheapest online and I'm starting to worry as to why.
    Tomorrow will be a good day.
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  • Jimbro66Jimbro66 Frets: 2418
    octatonic said:
    What sort of lense would you use to look into the neighbours windows and watch them changing?
    Asking for a friend...
    It would definitely need to be dribble proof. So a WR lens ;)
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  • Jimbro66Jimbro66 Frets: 2418
    zepp76 said:
    I think I may have made a bit of a mistake in where I ordered the camera kit, I ordered it from slrhut but have since looked online at reviews and it has terrible reviews stating the cameras are grey imports and aren't covered by Canons U.K warranty. Has anyone ordered from them? They have a website with a U.K domain and a U.K phone number but apparently they operate out of the states. The thing is, they were the cheapest online and I'm starting to worry as to why.

    Can of worms. Did the battery charger have a UK 3-pin plug? If not, what type?
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  • ToneControlToneControl Frets: 11789
    zepp76 said:
    I think I may have made a bit of a mistake in where I ordered the camera kit, I ordered it from slrhut but have since looked online at reviews and it has terrible reviews stating the cameras are grey imports and aren't covered by Canons U.K warranty. Has anyone ordered from them? They have a website with a U.K domain and a U.K phone number but apparently they operate out of the states. The thing is, they were the cheapest online and I'm starting to worry as to why.
    has it arrived yet? you could cancel

    I got that same kit from Currys for £350 last month

    the best kit for you would be this (which I now wish I'd bought instead):

    http://www.argos.co.uk/product/8048600 ;

    Canon EOS 1300D DSLR Camera with 18-55mm & 10-18mm Lens

    £500 currently. Was £400 or £450 last month I think

    My thinking is: the real wide angle EFS lenses are never cheap separately, the 10-18 is £200 I think
    Whereas you can pick up 75-300 lenses much cheaper separately

    10-18 is pretty much essential for landscape
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  • ToneControlToneControl Frets: 11789
    zepp76 said:
    Thank you so much for all the helpful replies it's much appreciated. There's certainly some learning to do that's for sure!

    @ToneControl I ordered a kit that comes with two lenses, an 18-55mm and a 75-300mm telephoto. I will be looking to add a couple more lenses that are more suitable to what I want to achieve.

    As I live between fantastic countryside and the sea I will be spoilt for choice for subject matter. I would really like to be able to take those kind of pictures that make rivers and the sea look like mist, is that down to exposure time?

    Again thank you to you all for your help and advice, I didn't realise there were so many budding photographers on here!
    for the misty effect you need long exposures, so a good tripod is needed. Use your phone for remote shutter release (to stop you nudging the camera as you press it
    But: you'll probably need ND (neutral density) filters, to make the daylight dark enough to allow long exposures.

    The misty effect and the macro are both things to do a bit later, since they involve much more technical skills, and kit.
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