Canon 500D

[thefonz]

Hi folks,

I bought a DSLR Canon 500D the other week since I want to learn about Photography and it was a great deal I found.

So thoughts on this camera - any good website to read about learning how to use DSLR cameras?

I live in Sydney so anything applicable to here would be great!

Fonz.

[Argote]

Nice, what lens(es) did you get with it?

The 500D is still a very capable camera, as for how to use it, read your manual and PRACTICE a lot. As for learning, this is a good site though they're constantly trying to sell you eBooks http://www.digital-photography-school.com/ what they have on their site is pretty decent for starting out though.

[SojIrOu]

The 500D is a decent camera. First thing you need to do to improve is to turn your dial to either Av or P and work on understanding the basics of exposure. Don't use the auto/scene modes though it is tempting when you move from a compact camera.

There is the Nikon School where they offer courses in Sydney though you might want to find the Canon equivalent for obvious reasons. :laugh:

I usually visit Fro Knows Photo. They've got lots of videos from how to build your lens collection to flash lighting and so on. Jared makes things really easy to understand and has lots of helpful tips. There's also a community where you can get photo critque and see other people's work to help you improve.

Otherwise, I usually just trawl the web if I am facing difficulty in doing a particular type of photography (try taking the moon in auto mode and you'll see why). :p Of course you can always ask questions here too. :)

[chconline Veteran]

New lenses would be great. The best walkaround lenses for Canon is 24-105 f/4L IS IMO. Tack on the the 70-200 f/4L non-IS if you're looking for some good entry level telephotos.

[Argote]

I wouldn't call any L series lenses "entry-level" and a 24-105 might not be the best focal range for an APS-C walkaround due to the fact that it only starts @ 24mm. In any case, either of those lenses probably costs more than what he paid for his current setup.

If you're looking for more lenses feel free to ask for advice here, however I think it's best for him to use the kit lens (and maybe a kit telephoto) to start and actually realize what (if something) he wants in future lenses. That also helps knowing which lenses could be more adjusted to his photo style and his typical subjects.