First SLR questions

"TimB" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

Apologies if my questions seem a little basic - I'm fairly new to
cameras in general, and my experience has all been compact, so I'm
totally lost when it comes to lens talk.

I'm considering my first digital SLR after a few years of compacts.
I've got my eye on the Canon EOS 300D, since it seems to be the most
wallet-friendly, and seems to be marketed at the beginning enthusiast
like me! A few pointers I'd appreciate from you more experienced folk
though:

Most of my photos are of people, taken in nightclubs and pub type
venues (i.e. dark environments but with lots of bright spotlights
flying around) Is there a particular lens type that I should be
looking for for this type of shot? (I'll also be taking outdoor shots
of buildings etc, but presumably the supplied lens will suffice for
this)

As far as the camera itself goes, does anyone have any pointers/issues
I should be aware of? My budget is fairly limited, so suggestions of
alternative models are probably wasted unless they're fairly close to
this one price-wise.

Thanks for any help you can offer!

Tim
--
Tim, you're going to want a lens that's going to open as wide as possible;
so you don't have to use flash too often. A lens that has a maximum aperture
of 2.8 or so would be helpful.

Rick

"TimB" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

Apologies if my questions seem a little basic - I'm fairly new to
cameras in general, and my experience has all been compact, so I'm
totally lost when it comes to lens talk.

I'm considering my first digital SLR after a few years of compacts.
I've got my eye on the Canon EOS 300D, since it seems to be the most
wallet-friendly, and seems to be marketed at the beginning enthusiast
like me! A few pointers I'd appreciate from you more experienced folk
though:

Most of my photos are of people, taken in nightclubs and pub type
venues (i.e. dark environments but with lots of bright spotlights
flying around) Is there a particular lens type that I should be
looking for for this type of shot? (I'll also be taking outdoor shots
of buildings etc, but presumably the supplied lens will suffice for
this)

As far as the camera itself goes, does anyone have any pointers/issues
I should be aware of? My budget is fairly limited, so suggestions of
alternative models are probably wasted unless they're fairly close to
this one price-wise.

Thanks for any help you can offer!

Tim
--
Tim, you're going to want a lens that's going to open as wide as possible;
so you don't have to use flash too often. A lens that has a maximum aperture
of 2.8 or so would be helpful.

Rick

"TimB" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

Apologies if my questions seem a little basic - I'm fairly new to
cameras in general, and my experience has all been compact, so I'm
totally lost when it comes to lens talk.

I'm considering my first digital SLR after a few years of compacts.
I've got my eye on the Canon EOS 300D, since it seems to be the most
wallet-friendly, and seems to be marketed at the beginning enthusiast
like me! A few pointers I'd appreciate from you more experienced folk
though:

Most of my photos are of people, taken in nightclubs and pub type
venues (i.e. dark environments but with lots of bright spotlights
flying around) Is there a particular lens type that I should be
looking for for this type of shot? (I'll also be taking outdoor shots
of buildings etc, but presumably the supplied lens will suffice for
this)

As far as the camera itself goes, does anyone have any pointers/issues
I should be aware of? My budget is fairly limited, so suggestions of
alternative models are probably wasted unless they're fairly close to
this one price-wise.

Thanks for any help you can offer!

Tim
--
http://www.stokefolk.com

Sounds like a good choice. I have a Nikon D70 (which is similar in spec and
price and is the Nikon entry level digitalSLR). I also have a Nikkor 85mm AF
f1.8 lens, which is excellent for taking pictures in pubs and clubs. 85 mm
means there's a bit of magnification to it so you stand a bit further away
from the stage or whatever, and the f1.8 aperture means it works well in low
light. I got the lens for a good price on ebay.

"TimB" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

Apologies if my questions seem a little basic - I'm fairly new to
cameras in general, and my experience has all been compact, so I'm
totally lost when it comes to lens talk.

I'm considering my first digital SLR after a few years of compacts.
I've got my eye on the Canon EOS 300D, since it seems to be the most
wallet-friendly, and seems to be marketed at the beginning enthusiast
like me! A few pointers I'd appreciate from you more experienced folk
though:

Most of my photos are of people, taken in nightclubs and pub type
venues (i.e. dark environments but with lots of bright spotlights
flying around) Is there a particular lens type that I should be
looking for for this type of shot? (I'll also be taking outdoor shots
of buildings etc, but presumably the supplied lens will suffice for
this)

As far as the camera itself goes, does anyone have any pointers/issues
I should be aware of? My budget is fairly limited, so suggestions of
alternative models are probably wasted unless they're fairly close to
this one price-wise.

Thanks for any help you can offer!

Tim
--
http://www.stokefolk.com

Sounds like a good choice. I have a Nikon D70 (which is similar in spec and
price and is the Nikon entry level digitalSLR). I also have a Nikkor 85mm AF
f1.8 lens, which is excellent for taking pictures in pubs and clubs. 85 mm
means there's a bit of magnification to it so you stand a bit further away
from the stage or whatever, and the f1.8 aperture means it works well in low
light. I got the lens for a good price on ebay.

In article ,
TimB wrote:


Most of my photos are of people, taken in nightclubs and pub type
venues (i.e. dark environments but with lots of bright spotlights
flying around) Is there a particular lens type that I should be
looking for for this type of shot?

Something with lots of light-gathering ability (i.e. a large aperture). The
50mm f/1.4 is a nice short-telephoto lens for this sort of work. The 50mm
f/1.8 is a lot cheaper, but half a stop slower, which may matter if you want
to squeeze every last bit of light out of a scene.

In article ,
TimB wrote:


Most of my photos are of people, taken in nightclubs and pub type
venues (i.e. dark environments but with lots of bright spotlights
flying around) Is there a particular lens type that I should be
looking for for this type of shot?

Something with lots of light-gathering ability (i.e. a large aperture). The
50mm f/1.4 is a nice short-telephoto lens for this sort of work. The 50mm
f/1.8 is a lot cheaper, but half a stop slower, which may matter if you want
to squeeze every last bit of light out of a scene.

Start out with the kit lens and see how that performs for you. It is a good
lens and relatively inexpensive. For some of the darker shots since the kit
lens is not that fast, you may need to up the ISO speed to avoid having to
use a tripod. Once you see how that does, then you could consider
purchasing faster lenses which are more expensive. You may not need it.

I just got a 300D a month ago and really have enjoyed that camera. In
addition to the kit lens, I bought the 55-200mm and 75-300mm USM lenses.
There were relatively inexpensive lens and have given me what I need.
www.bhphotovideo.com had the better prices on lenses than I could get
elsewhere online or local. For the 300D, I found that www.newegg.com had
the best price, free 3-4 day FedEx saver shipping, and a reputable company.

Alan D.

"TimB" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

Apologies if my questions seem a little basic - I'm fairly new to
cameras in general, and my experience has all been compact, so I'm
totally lost when it comes to lens talk.

I'm considering my first digital SLR after a few years of compacts.
I've got my eye on the Canon EOS 300D, since it seems to be the most
wallet-friendly, and seems to be marketed at the beginning enthusiast
like me! A few pointers I'd appreciate from you more experienced folk
though:

Most of my photos are of people, taken in nightclubs and pub type
venues (i.e. dark environments but with lots of bright spotlights
flying around) Is there a particular lens type that I should be
looking for for this type of shot? (I'll also be taking outdoor shots
of buildings etc, but presumably the supplied lens will suffice for
this)

As far as the camera itself goes, does anyone have any pointers/issues
I should be aware of? My budget is fairly limited, so suggestions of
alternative models are probably wasted unless they're fairly close to
this one price-wise.

Thanks for any help you can offer!

Tim
--
http://www.stokefolk.com

Start out with the kit lens and see how that performs for you. It is a good
lens and relatively inexpensive. For some of the darker shots since the kit
lens is not that fast, you may need to up the ISO speed to avoid having to
use a tripod. Once you see how that does, then you could consider
purchasing faster lenses which are more expensive. You may not need it.

I just got a 300D a month ago and really have enjoyed that camera. In
addition to the kit lens, I bought the 55-200mm and 75-300mm USM lenses.
There were relatively inexpensive lens and have given me what I need.
www.bhphotovideo.com had the better prices on lenses than I could get
elsewhere online or local. For the 300D, I found that www.newegg.com had
the best price, free 3-4 day FedEx saver shipping, and a reputable company.

Alan D.

"TimB" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

Apologies if my questions seem a little basic - I'm fairly new to
cameras in general, and my experience has all been compact, so I'm
totally lost when it comes to lens talk.

I'm considering my first digital SLR after a few years of compacts.
I've got my eye on the Canon EOS 300D, since it seems to be the most
wallet-friendly, and seems to be marketed at the beginning enthusiast
like me! A few pointers I'd appreciate from you more experienced folk
though:

Most of my photos are of people, taken in nightclubs and pub type
venues (i.e. dark environments but with lots of bright spotlights
flying around) Is there a particular lens type that I should be
looking for for this type of shot? (I'll also be taking outdoor shots
of buildings etc, but presumably the supplied lens will suffice for
this)

As far as the camera itself goes, does anyone have any pointers/issues
I should be aware of? My budget is fairly limited, so suggestions of
alternative models are probably wasted unless they're fairly close to
this one price-wise.

Thanks for any help you can offer!

Tim
--
http://www.stokefolk.com

In article ,
says...
Something with lots of light-gathering ability (i.e. a large aperture). The
50mm f/1.4 is a nice short-telephoto lens for this sort of work. The 50mm
f/1.8 is a lot cheaper, but half a stop slower, which may matter if you want
to squeeze every last bit of light out of a scene.

The 1.4 also focuses much, much faster than the 1.8. Helpful around
moving subjects.

In article , George
Preddy wrote:

The 10.3MP Sigma SD9 is roughly half the cost...

And way less than half the quality...