Good place to get information on DSLR cameras and lenses?

G

GBAstar

CAGiversary!
Feedback
62 (100%)
Hi CAG,

Does anyone know of a good site that could help someone (Me) learn about basic DSLR photography and which lenses I should be looking at to meet my needs?

Last Christmas I bought two Sony SLT A35 DSLR camera's on super clearance at Sears. I sold one at a large enough profit to not only cover the cost of the second (which I kept) but it also afforded me enough left over money to buy a add-on flash, bag, and a few other accessories.

Despite being an entry level SLR the A35 is the first legitimate camera I've owned. I've had a dozen or so point n shoot cameras but nothing that involved interchangeable lenses.

I decided I'd buy the dummy's guide book for this particular camera and it has provided a good explanation on how it works.

I learned fast that the lens kit that came with it (18-55mm) is perfect for taking portraits and close up photos of things around the house I may list on eBay but doesn't come close to being strong enough for taking sports photographs or anything else from a distance (wildlife, scenery, etc.).

Therefore I am going to invest in a more powerful lens (telephoto?). I'm still learning the basics so I'm not sure what I need and would like to find a good online resource where this information would be explained at a level I could understand.

The nice thing about the particular camera I have is that it is an A-mount so according to what I've been reading I should be able to use some of the older Konica Minolta lenses which can be found for fairly cheap on eBay.

Anyways was looking for some guidance from anyone that has more experience with photography or DSLR cameras.

Thanks!
 
^ I wanted to say thanks. I must have initially missed this reply.

I try and take as many pictures as possible just so I can get a feel of the camera however as I mentioned before I only have a 18-55mm lens right now and that really isn't good for much other then taking close ups of items I'm selling on eBay or things within 10-15 feet of where I'm standing.

I think I'll do some reading and maybe take a class in the fall. I have so much to learn about basic things (shutter speed,aperture, iso) but it feels a little daunting trying to do it all at once.

I have no plans of being a professional but I do a lot of hiking, hunting, camping and attend a lot of local sporting events where it'd be nice to at least be able to make most of the pictures I'm taking.
 
How cheap did you get that camera? I just ask because personally I would have opted for a Canon or Nikon.
 
If you want to shoot wildlife and most sports - a zoom would be of use. Having that Sony - you have in-camera image stabilization so those old used Minolta autofocus lenses on ebay would benefit from it. Shooting wildlife or sports with a zoom means ideally low fixed aperture (2.8 = $$$) or bumping iso up and using image stabilization which I think this Sony can handle. I'd look for low aperture zooms (maybe f4/0 fixed?) that go to 200mm (or higher but typically when they go up to 300+ you sacrifice the low aperture.) Maybe something in the 70-200mm range? Also, there are such things as monopod hiking stick combos out there that could help with stability as well if you are interested in that sort of thing. Keep in mind hiking with a dslr and accessories can be cumbersome - especially if you are toting other stuff as well (I do frequent day hikes with a 2.5 year old on my back so I rarely have a camera other than an iphone or possibly my old canon g9 on me.)

I advised my sister to get a Sony dslr a few years ago because she already had a Minolta and several lenses. She seems pretty pleased with it other than having some weird battery issue where her battery wouldn't hold a charge. I'm personally not familiar with the Sony/Minolta system as I got invested in Canon a long time ago.

If you are very self motivated and self disciplined you can learn on your own through books and videos and online forums.
If not (and if you get a good instructor) (and you have time) you would learn a lot from a class. You would want to check first to see if you could use a digital camera for your class or if you would need a manual film camera. Many larger institutions teach a black and white film darkroom class first still (what I taught) but many smaller community colleges offer digital photography classes. Also there are private individuals who teach classes from their studios. Being able to be given an assignment, shoot the photos and bring them back to be critiqued is valuable. You can discuss with your instructor what you did right and what you did wrong and how to make it better. This also is something that could possibly be done through online forums/websites like photography-on-the.net or flickr - if you are self motivated.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
[quote name='Clak']How cheap did you get that camera? I just ask because personally I would have opted for a Canon or Nikon.[/QUOTE]

I bought two at $199.xx last December and got rid of one on eBay for $489.xx a few months ago.

I felt for what I needed I wasn't going to get anywhere near a similar deal on a Nikon or Canon and from what I've seen I can get a better deal on A-mount lenses for this Sony then what I'd find for lenses for a cannon or nikon DSLR.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top