Nick Stubbs

So you have bought your first DSLR?

Ok! So you have bought a DSLR (Digital SLR)…now what?
You have joined the ranks of the "keen amateur photographer" by buying a new digital SLR, but what do all those buttons and bits actually do?

The way things are going what with pricing and technology, I can see a boom about to happen with regard to Digital SLR sales.

People who have previously just owned film or point and shoot digital cameras, will now as prices fall, have the opportunity to join the rest of us in the exciting world of the Digital SLR.

I can imagine that for a lot of people the transition will be exciting but also a tad confusing. Even if you have owned a film SLR in the past, I can guarantee that it didn't have this many buttons all over it with "custom functions" and the like!

These new breed of cameras are quite simply amazing and I despair when I see reviews and forums airing their disappointment that a new camera just released hasn't addressed the issue of "having to go to the menu" to make an alteration.

When reading reviews about a particular digital SLR camera that you wish to purchase, please take it with a pinch of salt. The reviewers are there to delve into every possible avenue open to discussion and any personal gripes should not put you off.

If cameras were released with everyone's whims catered for, the camera would have no room for a viewfinder or lens because of the hundreds of buttons everywhere. What you need to do, even if you never use them, is to learn what each button, gadget and gizmo actually does just in case you need it one day.

Taking a photograph with one of these cameras is so much more involved than with any other camera, but it is also so much more fun! The control that a DSLR give you over taking your photographs means that you can let your creativity run wild and try things that just weren't possible with any other camera.

Things for you to learn or consider are;

1.How to hold the camera.

2.Using both eyes when shooting.

3.How to capture your subject

4.Composition

5.Lighting

6.Lenses

7.Filters

8.ISO or ASA settings

9.Depth of Field

10.Shutter Speeds

11.Black and White photography

12.Using a Tripod

13.Keep your eyes peeled

14.Camera viewpoint

15.Break the rules

For a full run down of each of these subjects see;

Better Digital Photography for beginners at All Things Photography.

For an in-depth explanation of what all the buttons and bits actually do on a DSLR, go to;

The Digital SLR Explained

All the best and welcome to this great thing that is photography.

Nick Stubbs
All Things Photography

Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR