N00b tips for a point and shoot bandit transferring to a DSLR

How to read your lens:

Focal length: The millimeter measurement, the 1st main spec of a lens. It determines what that lens will "see" and thus imply what you would use it for.

Ex: 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 is the most common SLR kit lens. On a Rebel, 18-55mm goes from a field of view slightly wider than normal ("zoomed out") to slightly more telephoto than normal ("zoomed in"). This range is considered general purpose.

Normal means that the field of view roughly matches what your eyes see with natural-looking proportions (it appears "normal"). It is a versatile field of view that is suitable for many subjects. For an APS sensor camera like the Rebel, normal is about 24-35mm.

Aperture: The f-number, the 2nd main spec of a lens. It describes the maximum possible size of the iris/aperture, the opening that lets in light. It is a fraction, so smaller f-numbers are larger openings.

Ex: For the above kit lens, f/3.5-5.6 describes the aperture range–at 18mm it is f/3.5 and at 55mm it is f/5.6; the hole gets relatively smaller as it zooms in. This is typical behavior for basic zoom lenses.

Larger apertures means two things: narrower depth of field (more things out of focus) and higher shutter speeds (less motion blur). Aperture is a balancing act. Larger (low f-numbers) means nicely blurry backgrounds, but smaller (high f-numbers) means more of the subject will be in focus.

A lens with a large aperture for its type is often called "fast." It is a reference to the faster shutter speeds it permits.​

Basic photography:

Shooting modes: Advanced photographers generally use only 4 modes, "PASM":

• Program Auto: Similar to full Auto mode (the "green box") in that the camera will choose aperture and shutter speed for you. Unlike full auto, you can shift the exposure values and still control of the other camera settings, such as autofocus & flash.
  (I personally almost always use this during an event.)
• Aperture Priority (Canon calls this Av for Aperture Value): You choose the aperture, the camera will choose the shutter speed.
  (I personally almost always use this when shooting available light portraits, i.e. without flash.)
• Shutter Priority (Canon calls this Tv for Time Value): You choose the shutter speed, the camera will choose the aperture.
  (Personally rarely use.)
• Manual: You choose both aperture and shutter speed.
  (I personally always use this when using flash.)

Stops: A measurement of light change. "One stop" is a change by two times: twice (or half) the amount of light.

Ex: f/4 is one stop larger than f/5.6, meaning f/4 lets in twice as much light than f/5.6.
If your exposure was already correct and you changed the aperture from f/5.6 to f/4, you would need to reduce the light with either shutter speed or ISO by one stop to compensate. In this case, either your shutter speed would double (only staying open for half the time) or your ISO would be reduced by half (needing double the light to activate the pixels).

These values are one stop apart:

• ISO: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400, 12800, etc.
• Aperture: f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22, f/32, etc.
• Shutter: 1 sec, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000, 1/2000, 1/4000, etc.

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Basic operation:

• 3 position shutter: You can half-press (and hold) the shutter. By default, this will activate the camera's light meter, autofocus & image stabilizer systems without actually capturing an image. You will see the camera's exposure choices and can check whether it focused on what you intended. Make adjustments if needed. Full-press to complete the capture.
• Focus and recompose: This is one method to use lower end cameras with few autofocus points, using only the most reliable center point. Position the center point on the subject, half-press, then move the frame to your desired composition. The movement will introduce a slight focus error that is usually unnoticeable, except for subjects at close range.
• LCD zooming: When composing or reviewing with the LCD, you can zoom in on a small section of the photo to check if you have focused on that point. Newer cameras with a touch screen make this easier. This is especially helpful when using manual focus, using a tripod, using a large aperture, shooting a macro subject or any combination of the above.
• Lens AF & MF switch: This means auto focus & manual focus. Unless you have a USM or STM lens (the lens will self-advertise it), do not rotate or restrict the manual focus ring if AF is set.
• Selecting autofocus points: The "all" setting means you are letting the camera choose. It does not mean "get everything in focus." The camera does not always guess correctly...
  (On my Rebel, I choose center point only and use focus-and-recompose. On an advanced camera with tightly clustered AF points, I'd choose the center zone instead so I would need to recompose a little less strongly.)

Maintenance:

• Always have a lens mounted or use a body cap on the camera to keep out dust.
• Do not store bodies with the mount facing up to prevent dust from settling on the sensor.
• Always cap lenses in storage, especially the rear caps which protect the rear element and electronic contacts.
• Clean lenses with microfiber or lens cloths. Blow or lightly brush off any dirt & sand before wiping so grit does not scratch the lens. Do not directly apply liquid to the glass; apply it to the cloth.
• Keep memory cards clear to reduce your losses in the event of data corruption. Transfer your images to long term storage after a shoot and have the camera (not the PC) format every card before reusing.

Subjects:

• Portraits: Most portraits favor moderately telephoto lenses since this blurs out the background and fills the frame with the subject. Large apertures are also generally favored for additional blur.
• Macro: A small subject shot to occupy a significant portion of the frame. Most macro lenses are moderate telephotos from 60-200mm and focus closer than other lenses of the same focal length. Vibration and lighting are huge issues at higher magnifications, so a tripod and bright light source(s) are required accessories. Macro lenses are often used in portraits due to their excellent image quality at close range.
• Events: Most events favor wide to normal lenses, since common subjects are decorations, architecture, entire rooms & groups of people. Wide lenses can "squeeze everything in," often desirable for capturing memories. Zoom lenses and large apertures are generally favored, making this a very demanding application.

Beyond the kit lens (Canon only, current lenses only, street prices new):

• Budget doesn't mean bad: 50mm f/1.8 (~$120), 40mm f/2.8 STM (~$150), 55-250mm IS (~$250), 55-250mm IS STM (~$350). The 55-250mm lenses can sometimes be found in an expanded bundle for a discount. Avoid the 75-300mm f/4-5.6 (~$100), which is so bad, it's bad; this is a different lens than the 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM (~$650).
• Upgrades for upstarts: 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS (~$300), 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM (~$350), 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS (~$700), 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM (~$800), 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM (~$900). The 18-135mm lenses can sometimes be found as an alternate kit lens. Do note that the most expensive lens, the 17-55mm, has a constant f/2.8 aperture that defines it as a premium zoom for events.
• Portraits for pretties: 50mm f/1.4 USM, 85mm f/1.8 USM. ~$400 each.
• Macros for minis: 50mm f/2.5 (~$300), 60mm f/2.8 USM (~$450), 100mm f/2.8 USM (~$600), 100mm f/2.8L IS USM (~$1000).

Sales terms:

• Refurbished: Refurbished items are demo units, repairs or returns that are restored to factory specifications and sold. ~10-20% off current retail price. Buy from a reputable dealer and make sure the manufacturer is entity backing the warranty and you should have no problems.
  (I personally buy refurbished rather than new, unless there are very good discounts.)
• Used: Used items were previously owned. You can buy them from individuals or from a business. A reputable business will evaluate the condition and functionality to consistent standards, and will charge a little more for this service. ~15-30% off current retail price, but much more care is needed.
  (I personally prefer to buy used items from trusted businesses, but rare items often must be purchased privately. I am equally willing to sell items to a trusted business or privately.)
• Gray market: Despite the name, gray market items are legal, but were obtained outside the manufacturer's usual supply chain. Items are bought legally in one region and imported and sold legally in another region. The savings come from differences in currency conversion. Service policies vary widely. If sold by a reputable dealer, this is brand new. ~0-10% off current retail price for the USA.
  (I personally avoid gray market because savings are small and repair hassles potentially large.)
• White box/broken kit: Cameras are often sold with discounted kit lenses. Sometimes a buyer will buy the kit just for the body and sell off the lens. These lenses are new/almost new but do not have the packaging and documentation they would normally have. Sometimes a dealer will break the kit themselves if the body and lens have unbalanced demand. Prices vary, but usually significantly less than retail.
  (I personally would be fine buying white box, but have not done it yet.)

 

Oh yeah, I should add two more sections since I believe these topics will come up eventually:

White balance:

This tells the camera what kind of light is dominant in the photo, which affects the overall color.

• Auto: Lets the camera choose. Good if you are moving around and don't want to babysit the camera–like if you were constantly moving between rooms and/or between outdoors and indoors. Canon guesses on the warm side (making things look more yellow), which is fine for shooting people and most viewers won't mind.
• Daylight: Direct sunlight. (white)
• Shade: Indirect sunlight, i.e. skylight. (blue)
• Tungsten: Incandescent lighting, i.e. normal "Edison" light bulbs, the ones that get hot. (yellow)
• Fluorescent: Fluorescent lighting, like those found in most offices and stores. CFLs may or may not count depending on their specific make. (green)
• Flash: Camera flash is the main lighting. Similar to daylight, but subtly different. (mostly white, but variable depending on flash power)
• Custom: Set the white balance yourself by shooting a gray/white card. Usually not necessary for a beginner IMO.

I usually use Auto because it's one less thing for me to worry about while I'm focused on shooting, but also because I use RAW...
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JPG vs. RAW

• JPG/JPEG is the most common image format. JPG pictures are decently small, can be viewed directly on many devices and posted on the web. You can choose the resolution (megapixels) and compression level (fine, normal) on the camera. It is a lossy compression format, meaning data is thrown away to make it, which affects your ability to post-process it later.
• RAW is the native minimally processed data from your sensor. (Canon uses .CR2 format.) It is the digital equivalent of a film negative: while not itself a usable image, it contains all the information needed to make one. It is many times larger than JPG, so you will have less shots per card, have longer card write times and will need more data storage capacity. You will also need separate software to process it–manufacturers will include their own software with RAW-capable cameras (Canon has Digital Photo Professional), but 3rd party software such as Adobe Lightroom and Apple Aperture exists for this purpose also.
  
  In exchange for all this hassle and added expense, RAW files allow much greater flexibility–you can alter the image more dramatically and as many times as you wish without any loss of quality. (JPG will deteriorate noticeably when reprocessed.) This includes setting white balance after the fact, and is the reason I can leave it on Auto all the time as mentioned above. Post-processing software also improves over time, so you could theoretically revisit your older work and redo them with better tools and more experience as a photographer.
  
  I believe most serious photographers use RAW, but don't have data to prove it. Just a hunch.

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That's probably the best summation of the ins and outs of a camera I've ever read! Well done.

I'm sure you're right about the RAW. I use a little old panasonic point and shoot. No RAW option, so I have no idea how much difference it makes. Someday... I have one of the first DSLRs that came out...a Minolta same as my film camera, but I haven't used it since I got the Panasonic. It was grand in 2002, but it's an antique these days. I will say the modern point and shoots are pretty amazing...but I wish it did have the RAW option. Sigh. I do lust after a Rebel. It's supposed to have one of the fastest reaction times...I like filming figure skating when I have the opportunity and reaction time (can't think what they actually call it) makes a big difference.

Anyway...Thanks gaiaswill!

 

Congrats on the camera. Bummer about the transfer. However, it s/b taking the images onto a card. Just pop the card and put it into a usb reader. I have one that reads about seven different types of memory cards.

Just found this one on a search for links. I think I want it. Mine is on an annoying dongle.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Vivitar-72-in-1-Memory-Card-Reader-Writer/15268389

 

Okay...have had a little PMing going on here and it appears the actual cover for the card slot is damaged. NOT GOOD! For the record other digital noobies, any digital camera should have an easily replaceable memory card. You'll be needing multiple disks for all-day shoots, (if you're shooting RAW) and you'll need to replace dead disks, and (in my case) removing the chip to transfer the images over to the computer (rather than attaching the camera to the computer) are all vital parts of a digital camera!

All I'm sayin' is, for those who have been using the direct connect between the camera and the computer, if the usb connection slot dies (which can happen) third party memory card readers are cheap. I never attach the camera to the computer. I just pop the chip out, put it into a third party reader that handles a bunch of different types of cards (my old camera uses a different sized card) attach the third party reader to my computer and transfer the pics onto the computer. The camera itself is irrelevant at that point....unless you can't get it out, which appears to be the case here.

I'm soooo sorry, RRA. You go get that guy. Both ebay and paypal should help you out.

 

Thank you Gaiaswill, this is quick and easy to read. I think I just need to play with my camera some more to get used to it.