Just purchased my first DSLR

[Shawn Gossman]

Howdy all,

I just purchased my first DSLR and am wanting any suggestions or tips that will help me while I explore its features. I bought a Nikon D3100 14.2MP DSLR, a 16gb memory card and a 55-200mm Zoom Lens. I won't get it until about Monday or Tuesday when it ships but I am really excited about it. I talked to a very good trustworthy friend and he said it is perfect for me to have as a beginner of DSLRs.

I also got a bag for it and it came with a UV filter which I have no clue that that is for.

Any tips?

 

[Chip Redmond]

Read about exposure time, aperture, iso, and white balance online and in the manual that comes with it. Put it in manual mode and experiment and play, play, play!

The more you experiment, try, and just plain old play around, the more you will learn and the better you will be!

Chip

 

[Tom Mitchell]

If you are new to photography then "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson is THE book to start with. Check your library, or follow the link to Amazon. Used, it is only $12 or so.

Otherwise, follow Chip's excellent advice and go crazy with it. Film is cheap with digital, just go for it. Learning the limits of what the camera can do and cannot do is probably the first step; try shooting in extreme light conditions, like into the sun or with other extreme backlighting, at dusk, with extreme shadows at midday, and focus on getting the area you want to be exposed properly to be exposed properly. All these situations will be the ones that set a photographer apart from a picture-taker. Once you get the hang of what you need to control to get the exposure right for rapidly changing or difficult conditions, you can focus on the most important parts of the photograph: Everything in front of and behind the camera.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

Awesome! Thanks for the replies you all and if anyone else has more tips, please feel free to let me know

Now onto photo editing, I have PhotoShop CS5, is that about all I need for editing or do you all use anything else? I am quite new the photoshop as well, mainly bought it to create logos for all the websites I run

 

[Brian Davidson]

Is there any way you can return it and get a Canon? "I only say that because I'm a canon fan boy and I'm no different to canon or nikon"

/puts on flame suit.....



Congrats non the less! With a DSLR you will be getting better shots than any PNS out there!

 

[Wes Carter]

Now onto photo editing, I have PhotoShop CS5, is that about all I need for editing or do you all use anything else? I am quite new the photoshop as well, mainly bought it to create logos for all the websites I run

You have the Cadillac of digital darkrooms. Lightroom is also very handy for batch raw processing and color balance corrections and pretty much has everything you need unless you her into heavy editing.

I'd recommend for now instead of getting more software you get the 18-55mm VR lens. It will do you much more good when you out chasing than the 55-200 will. Adorama has the gray market one for $89.



Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Tapatalk

 

[Matt Tottle]

Check out this guy.. http://froknowsphoto.com/ He's got TONS of useful videos up on Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/user/JaredPolin/featured). Lots of beginner's stuff like explaining settings and such (He's a Nikon guy, so you'll get a lot of direct instruction relating to Nikon cameras), tips for situational shooting, and he does go rather deep into how to use Lightroom (Photoshop not so much, but he does touch on it). It's really good stuff.

Oh and the UV filter for all intents and purposes is just lens protection. Digital cameras really aren't sensitive to UV light, so it doesn't affect the image in any meaningful way (they were important in film cameras when using older Kodachrome film). We use them now because they're really cheap and they'll get scratched or broken before the front element on your lens. Basically like a screen protector on your phone - when it gets scratched up, you peel it off and put on a fresh one.

 

[Chip Redmond]

UV filter may cause odd results of night photographt with long exposures.

Also recommend getting a big SD card and shooting in raw format. It should come with software to edit the raw images in as well. You can do so much with raw. I am still learning with this though...

Chip

 

[MClarkson]

Get a tripod and a remote trigger for playing with lightning. You get these fairly cheaply... the remote trigger is like 7 dollars on amazon... a tripod is in the $30 range.

 

[Matt Tottle]

Beware of cheap 'video' tripods and heavy lenses. Especially those with quick releases. I nearly dropped a $3,000 rental lens because the quick release on my cheap tripod couldn't take the weight (isn't a problem with small lenses though). Thank the deity of your choosing that I had clipped the strap to the tripod. Also, keep a gallon jug full of water or sand in your vehicle, and if you're trying to shoot in wind, hang it from the bottom hook on the tripod. It'll help keep it from toppling/blowing away.

Oh, and that reminds me.. Check out www.cameralensrentals.com if you want to try out expensive glass before you buy it, or if you just need a really good lens for a special occasion.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

I just got my camera today! Its awesome looking LOL!!!

You have the Cadillac of digital darkrooms. Lightroom is also very handy for batch raw processing and color balance corrections and pretty much has everything you need unless you her into heavy editing.

I'd recommend for now instead of getting more software you get the 18-55mm VR lens. It will do you much more good when you out chasing than the 55-200 will. Adorama has the gray market one for $89.



Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Tapatalk

It came with 2 lens, the 55-200 zoom lens and the af-s dx nikkor 18-55mm lens

UV filter may cause odd results of night photographt with long exposures.

Also recommend getting a big SD card and shooting in raw format. It should come with software to edit the raw images in as well. You can do so much with raw. I am still learning with this though...

Chip

I got a 16gb SD card, should that be good enough?

Get a tripod and a remote trigger for playing with lightning. You get these fairly cheaply... the remote trigger is like 7 dollars on amazon... a tripod is in the $30 range.

Ill go to best buy and pick me one up

 

[Keith Wilson]

Check out this guy.. http://froknowsphoto.com/ He's got TONS of useful videos up on Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/user/JaredPolin/featured). Lots of beginner's stuff like explaining settings and such (He's a Nikon guy, so you'll get a lot of direct instruction relating to Nikon cameras), tips for situational shooting, and he does go rather deep into how to use Lightroom (Photoshop not so much, but he does touch on it). It's really good stuff.

I'll second this advice. Fro has tons of videos on YT covering numerous different scenarios and explains the best settings for each. Very informative.

Congrats on the upgrade. I think you're going to love your new DSLR. Experiment with it, as you will find that you can take great pics that you wouldn't even have attempted with your old camera. You may also want to invest in a good prime lense in the future. They are faster and make the most of low light conditions.

 

[Matt Tottle]

I got a 16gb SD card, should that be good enough?

16GB should hold roughly 700 shots in RAW (DNG) at 14.2MP. I don't think you'll have any problems..

 

[Brian Davidson]

16GB should hold roughly 700 shots in RAW (DNG) at 14.2MP. I don't think you'll have any problems..

I use 16g and shoot raw ".cr2"... I get around 550 on mine. Is DNG a Nikon setting? I know canon uses their .cr2 file type

 

[Bryan Stokes]

Congrats Shawn! Photography is so much fun.

I second Tom's advice. Understanding Exposure is an excellent book for learning how ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed ties together. Understanding this is essential info so you can be creative, which is half the fun of photography. Other than that, get out and take lots of pictures.

Congrats again!
Bryan