What should I do first?

[catchlights]

Now that my interest is in photography, how should i go about? Should I just go buy a camera or read a book first?

Some people I know told me to buy Sony or Fuji compact camera. Anyone got any recommendations to guide me along?

you need to understand the theory and need to get hands on if you want to be good at it..

many things in life, society or at work you need to go thru theory first, photography has no exception.

common sense right?

 

[pleasekickmehere]

Thank you for all resposes. Being helpful enough.

Now I am a proud owner of Olympus E420.

 

[kkoge]

i'd say, read up and research on what you NEED, otherwise u'll be contributing a few more threads to our BNS threads.

 

[pooQy]

Sign up for a course about photograhy perhaps ? Learn more and then decide whether your interest is going to last before investing in the hardware......

I know of a couple of frens who did that. And also some who are sitting at home with cameras as white elephants....

The pre-requisite for such courses usually requires you to own a camera. :sweat:

 

[pooQy]

Thank you for all resposes. Being helpful enough.

Now I am a proud owner of Olympus E420.

Gratz....

Now the next step..... shoot and post~:thumbsup:

 

[whizzard]

Now that my interest is in photography, how should i go about? Should I just go buy a camera or read a book first?

Some people I know told me to buy Sony or Fuji compact camera. Anyone got any recommendations to guide me along?

Congrats on developing an interest in photography. Its a lifelong skill that is swell to have as early on as possible so that you can capture great pics in your journey of life.

I have also recently developed an interest in photography and wished I had indulged seriously in the hobby sooner in my life. Nevertheless, better late than never. Let me share (I am by no means qualified to advise) my nascent experience thus far.

I started with a Canon G10 as it is known to be a very versatile compact but soon found that it wasn't enough and got myself a 5DMII with the kit lens and a 70-200 tele. Man, the DSLR and lenses rock! I never knew I could shoot at night without needing a flash. If you can, go for a good DSLR. The more popular brands are Canon and Nikon but you could always try the others too. What I learnt is that when you buy a camera body, you are also buying into the rest of the system (i.e. lens, flash, etc, but notably the range of lenses). The initial investment cost may be high but all the shots you take thereafter are free (unless you keep upgrading and buying more lenses and accessories)! Haha, now that I got 24-200mm covered, I need some prime, UWA and macro too!

I bought some books on photography by Scott Kelby and Joe McNally (esp those with loads of nice glossy pics) and read them voraciously. I also signed up for a basic photography course.

The best way to get inspired is to constantly scan the internet for great photography portals where you can see the works of others and be blown away on how they conceived and executed their photos. Clubsnap is a great portal to learn too as there are many people (the experts or the newbies like me) sharing their pics and experiences.

A photo editing software is a must as it allows you the flexibility to do so much more with what you can shoot. Which means you need to buy a photo editing software too (such as Photoshop, Aperture, Lightroom, etc).

Having friends who are into photography also helps a lot as they can advise and help steepen your learning curve tremendously. You must also have time for this hobby. It is time consuming as you not only need to shoot but also to process your shots.

What photography offers me is an outlet for my creativity as I can't draw or paint to save my life! Developing my ability to see a photo and trying to execute it is something I am working on to hopefully develop my own style as I embark on this journey. My wish is to start a blog supplemented by photos to tell a story.

Practise makes perfect but humility and an open mind is the sponge that will soak up knowledge. Never give up and more importantly, have fun!

 

[evo-lution]

I started with a Canon G10 as it is known to be a very versatile compact but soon found that it wasn't enough and got myself a 5DMII with the kit lens and a 70-200 tele. Man, the DSLR and lenses rock! I never knew I could shoot at night without needing a flash. If you can, go for a good DSLR.

Woah G10 straight to 5DMKII.... Big big hole:bsmilie:

Erm if u dun mind, can i correct the portion in red...

Do note that not all DSLRs can do wonders like the 5DMKII.... It is possible for whizzard to do so because of the excellent noise control capabilities of the 5DMKII, which is considered as a semi pro body. Another very capable camera with equally good noise control is probably the nikon D3.... As for olympus equivalent, I dunno abt it.

 

[Akatsuki]

wah .... whizzard.... super big jump.. G10 to 5D Mark II ... jealous le bro :embrass:

i thinking upgrading 40D/50D already think for almost half a year still no fund to commit ;p

And you are right, most impt is have fun!

 

[whizzard]

Woah G10 straight to 5DMKII.... Big big hole:bsmilie:

Erm if u dun mind, can i correct the portion in red...

Do note that not all DSLRs can do wonders like the 5DMKII.... It is possible for whizzard to do so because of the excellent noise control capabilities of the 5DMKII, which is considered as a semi pro body. Another very capable camera with equally good noise control is probably the nikon D3.... As for olympus equivalent, I dunno abt it.

No worries ..... plse go ahead. I am here to learn too.

Yes, the 5DMII certainly has good noise control at high ISO but I was told the Nikon D700 has better noise control at higher ISO.

 

[whizzard]

wah .... whizzard.... super big jump.. G10 to 5D Mark II ... jealous le bro :embrass:

i thinking upgrading 40D/50D already think for almost half a year still no fund to commit ;p

And you are right, most impt is have fun!

Yes, you are right. Go have fun.

Doesn't matter whether its 5D or G10. As they say, its the skills and not the equipment. As for me, no skill so got to get help from equipment lor.

 

[evo-lution]

No worries ..... plse go ahead. I am here to learn too.

Yes, the 5DMII certainly has good noise control at high ISO but I was told the Nikon D700 has better noise control at higher ISO.

Haha, D700 no chance to play yet, so I dunno....:cry: