My First DSLR - Canon 600D with inc 18-135 mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens Kit

[Navz]

Hi all,

I have finally decided to take the plunge and go for a DSLR camera. I have always wanted one but I know NOTHING about photography (lighting, iso's etc etc etc.

I am really interested in street photography and there is also a family friends wedding this summer that I would like to take the photo's for. I also want to take a lot of night shots of my car and show that blurred night/ speed effect with , do i need a special lense for that?

I was looking to get the Cannon 550D but with the announcement of the new 600D I am going for that one, it even has a built in teaching mode. After researching i found the lense i would like is the all rounder 18-135 mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens Kit.

Any tips you can put my way? I would like to buy a good book too, so if you can suggest some to assist me I would be very grateful.

Thanks,

Navz.

[Drew Smith]

Hi Navz

Exciting getting your first DSLR isn't it. Good luck with it and welcome to the Forum.

The best book you will get anywhere that is tailor made for you and your level of photography comes free with your camera!

[Navz]

Thanks a lot Drew, Yes it is very exciting, I just want the camera to be released so I can just go and buy it.

I guess it will be worth the wait chap.

[Jonny_mac]

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your purchase. One word of advice though; Say NO to the wedding photos! By all means take your camera along for a bit of practice, but don't take on the task of the official wedding photos, it is highly likely to end in disaster.

[Navz]

Originally Posted by Jonny_mac

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your purchase. One word of advice though; Say NO to the wedding photos! By all means take your camera along for a bit of practice, but don't take on the task of the official wedding photos, it is highly likely to end in disaster.

Yup totally unofficial on my part - that one I had decided already lol.

[Mr Bump]

Hi Navz,

Welcome to the forum. For learning from scratch I would say try not to bite off too much in your early days. It's easy to get bogged down in a lot of technical detail that you could initially find quite daunting so just take it a step at a time. Start, as Drew suggested, with the guide that came with your camera but don't worry if you find some content a little hard to understand at first.

Particularly look at the tuitional videos that you can download from this PhotoRadar site, they are a very convenient way of learning.

You could also read various books and there are several suggestions in this thread.

As regards photographing cars, if that particularly interests you, have a look at this site but I suggest you follow their tutorials only after you have gained a reasonable amount of basic knowledge and experience.

Finally, don't feel like you are on your own - everyone starts in your position. If there is anything you particularly need to know just post a question in the Beginner Photography section - you'll find plenty of help and encouragement from the members here.

Good luck

Bump

[Navz]

Hey Bump, Thanks for replying and posting those excellent links. Much Appreciated.

[tcr18h]

That's a great post Mr Bump.! Congrats on your new camera and I look forward to seeing some of your pictures soon.

There's some great resources on this site and a lot of generous members on these forums who can help out.

There's a good street photography site on Flickr that you may find intersting. Here's the link:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/rawstre...raphy/discuss/

[ianpinion]

Hi Navz and welcome to the forum.

I hope you enjoy learning about photography as it's quite a diverse craft and can be very technical, but learning it can be fun. There are so many ways to learn the basics, whether it be from a book(s) or watching video tutorials to attending courses on photography.

When I bought my first dslr I found it very different to using a compact, though I had used a film slr camera for many years prior to that. I found my skills were very rusty, so I looked around to see if there was a course I could do in a day that would just give me a refresher on the basics as I find I don't always fully take in all the information in books. Fortunately, I found one and the rest as they say is history. I'm now on to my second dslr and started to invest in some better quality lenses to help me further what I want to do with my photography.

Incidentally, what part of the country are you from, as I might be able to recommend a good tutor for you?

[Navz]

Thanks everyone for the great input and positive responses.

Ian - I am in Cardiff, South Wales.

Question: I am thinking to get the following lens as my all rounder - Canon 18-135 mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens Kit , is there anything else i should be considering? I don't mind spending extra to get that better lens I just want to buy everything i will need in one go. Also can anyone recommend me a decend tripod and bag as i really want to see if i can keep my camera with me wherever i go.

Thanks.