You've found the famous Dave's Garden website! Join this friendly global community that shares tips and ideas for home and gardens, along with seeds and plants!
Check out the DG homepage for a brief overview of what you'll find in this gardening mega-site.
Login
If you don't have an account yet, visit the registration page to sign up.
I work in a photo lab and the number one complaint I get from people purchasing their first digital camera is " how do I work the contraption". So with that in mind my main advice to people buying their first digital camera is KEEP IT SIMPLE. What good is it to have a camera you have absolutely no idea how to work? I have seen countless people who have fallen for the " larger is better" sales pitch from some eager to make a buck camera salesman. Most all cameras for sale today start at 8 megapixels which is more than enough for great photos and enlargements. IF posters are your main goal then start at 10 megapixels and work up. More important is before purchasing that camera make sure you understand:
1. How to take the photo
2.How to review the photo.
3. How to delete photos. Believe me you will be deleting lots. LOL.
ZOOM:Outside of the megapixels probably the most desired feature is the zoom. There are two types of zooms available, digital and optical with the latter being the most desireable. Cameras with larger optical zooms are generally more expensive but are worth the extra cost. I wholeheartely advise disregarding the digital zoom feature in favor of the optical zoom. This doesnt mean you need a camera with a quadzillion optical zoom. Anything between 10x and 20x will probably do you great.
Get a camera thats simple to use because you want your attention to be on the picture your taking and not the camera.
Absolutely great advice. And yes, you will delete A LOT of photos! Most cameras today come with great organizational software to help organize and subsequently review and delete the photos as you mention. Beyond the bundled software, some may want to consider Lightroom by Adobe for the PC or Aperture for the Mac. These software titles are God sends in post production AND if you messed up on aperture, exposure, etc., you can fix it. It is easier to fix RAW images (Refer to the books I recommend for what this is) but you can still correct .jpg files.
Ahhhh... Zoom. I forgot all about that because I rarely took photos that required zoom on my P&S and with a DSLR, you have a focal range, not zoom.
As you so correctly pointed out, focus on the optical zoom for as soon as you exceed the optical and start using digitial, the quality of the image degrades steadily the more you tap into the digital zoom. The Canon I recommend has 10X and as you say that is usually more than sufficient.
Your last sentence sums it up well. Start simple and once you are comfortable move along to bigger and better.
Thank you for adding these bits, I really appreciate it.
I wanted a camera with manual options, but can't afford a DSLR. So, after much research, I settled on the Canon Powershot A590. It has 8 megapixels, with a 4x optical zoom - also an optical viewer, which a lot of the newer cameras don't seem to have. The pictures, and the reviews at http://www.imaging-resource.com/ were good. I also guessed that a very long zoom on a "cheap" digital camera might not be that good, so I was happy that it also accepts tele, close up and wide add-on lenses. And the extension tube takes the daylight and polarizing filters from my film camera.
Then I got it, and looked at the manual. It's *unbelievably* complicated! It makes shooting with a regular SLR look simple. Yes, you can do the manual thing, but each button has several functions, and which works when depends on what some other button is set at, which, in turn, is all related to what switch is in what position, etc., etc. And it's so small! I don't know if it's the Japanese influence, or what, but the trend seems to be the smaller the better, and I can't seem to find a way to hold the thing without touching some button that I don't want to, or putting my finger on the lens, or the screen.
I took a few shots with the auto settings right away, but it did the same thing that bothered me with my Kodak DX4900, which is blown-out lights on flowers with some petals in sun, and some in shade. I suppose I'll have to get into the fine-tuning, i.e.study the manual, to get it right. Or maybe just minus the ev a couple of "stops"?
Your pictures are beautiful, Benjamin, and I was eager to see a bigger version of your "avatar" photo, so I went to the Photo net, but only found a few pictures of yours, and no landscapes. Any other sites you show your pictures?
I thank you very kindly for your comments. I empathize with the frustrations of the smaller cameras. I have trouble using them. I need something big enough to fit in my hands.. particularly if I go without the tripod. That is why most DSLR bodies have the same similar design. My wife has a smaller digital camera and I refuse to use it. Like you, I press buttons unintentionally. You shouldn't have to fine tune the auto settings but yes, if you find your images are consistently over exposed, it may be work taking it down a couple of stops and see if it helps. I mentioned in another comment that post editing software like Lightroom can also help tremendously with exposure and lighting issues.
Thank you for the compliments on my photos! I appreciate it. I have photos on photo.net?? They must have been submitted by admins here at Dave's. How flattering. I WILL have a site with several of my photos featured. It will be live in the next two weeks. Would you like to be notified when it is up and running?
I thank you kindly once again and I have attached the larger version of my avatar photo. I can't take credit for it. A friend sent it to me when I asked for a photo that would best represent 'me' for the purpose of writing for DG. It is perfect for me because it evokes a simple kind of life, peace, quiet and solace. I want to live at the end of that road.
Yes, I would love to be notified of your site debut, thanks. imhadit@verizon.net Also for the enlarged view of your avatar photo.
I have Photoshop, but if the lights are blown, I don't see how anything could fix it...Harriet
