Overwhelmed with New Camera

[advid]

<p>.....any modern SLR has an overload of inbuilt scene and mode settings in order to cater for just about any possible situation (fireworks / snow / cat on a hot tin roof / ect :-) BUT surely people who spend this sort of money on a new camera can understand and use the basics of manual shooting with aperture / shutter speed / ISO settings to get the depth of field, and look feel and quality of their shots...<br>

Forget all this overload - go back to the basics - learn to shoot in totally MANUAL mode and adjust aperture /shutter speed and (auto)ISO for each shot (or series of shots) manually as it comes....<br>

Once learnt - you'll never need to read a manual and can finally call yourself a person who 'really' understands photography not just someone who thinks they can take good photographs because they've got an expensive camera.... You will be able to pick up a D80 or D300 or any other camera of any make and model and use it IMMEDIATELY and know that you can obtain good results....</p>

[rafael_s]

<p>Shooting with SLRs most of my life (1980s-present), I honestly find that most digital point and shoot cameras are far more confusing to figure out. You learn one SLR and you can pick up any one, set it to manual and get right to it. </p>

[ccommins]

Just got back from a test run with my camera, it very much like my old one but the controls some what different. I set auto for a few shots then went to manual, thats what I'm use to using. It's bigger, more bells and whistles but I the one in control I seem to forget that for a brief instance. But from the posts I'm not the only one intimated by new equipment.

[george_yang1]

<p>congratulations carol! i've upgraded my camera from 350d to 5dii earlier this year and i still remember the feeling. by the way, i carry my new camera everywhere nowadays. cheers for sharing your happiness with us~~</p>

[davebell]

<p>I remember when I upgraded from a 350D to a 5D. It took me about 5 minutes until I was happily shooting away with the 5D. It does exactly the same thing, in fact it does the same thing as an old film SLR, aperture priority is still aperture priority, and so on and so on. The only difference is improved controls (i.e., simpler, easier), better build quality and better high ISO performance. A camera is just a camera.... unless you want to delve into the gimmicky firmware side of things, but when sticking to Av, Tv, M, it is an old hat and nothing at all new. Enjoy your new camera and don't be intimidated!</p>

[sd_woods]

<p>Been there! Leave the D80 at a friend's house and make yourself get used to your new D300s</p>

[rob_shane]

 

<p>Carol, what a great gift from your husband. Good man!<br>

Now what your are experiencing is perfectly normal. Fighter Pilots call it Helmet Fire. When you become task saturated and have information overload. Just think about driving an unfamiliar car for the first time.<br>

To continue with the pilot metaphor....overcome this "overload" with "time in type" Pilots indicate experience with hours in a certain aircraft. So that's what you need to do....sounds like you are on your way! <br>

Enjoy your new Camera!</p>

 

[cantellow]

<p>Carol<br>

I upgraded from D80 to D300 about 18 months ago. The D300 has loads more customizable options which can be overwhelming. The key thing is though, even if you are a pro, it is unlikely that you will use all of the options. So just get used to using the features you find helpful.<br>

I went on a one day course to learn the basics and then another one day course to learn more advanced functions. I found these really helpful and confidence boosting at the time. Honestly though, when you get used to it, it's really simple. I know what menu settings I use regularly for the type of photography I do and mostly stick to those. (I mainly shoot in manual with picture control set to neutral as I do quite a lot in post-processing). I love the D300. It has amazing handling, build and image quality. The noise performance is truly outstanding next to the D80. Once you get used to a 'pro' body, you won't want to go back. Of course, you have the 300s which also has video - even better!</p>

[mark_moerman]

<p>A tip: Try to find the Acrobat version of manuals for your equipment. Having them on my laptop while traveling has saved me a few times.</p>

[chuckpee54]

<p>Hello Carol, congrats on the upgrade, i have found alot of info on utube, just type in Nikon D300s and there is alot info videos from beginning to advanced some are boring but they are not that long, the good thing is you you can watch them with camera in hand, good luck<br>

and have fun.</p>

[mark_loader]

<p>Hi,Carol...I am convinced that manuals are written by crazies who love using doublespeak and enjoy messing with people's minds. You might like to check out the Digital Field Guide or Magic Lantern series of books dedicated to your particular model. Or enrol in a photography course where you will learn more in an afternoon from a great teacher than a year browsing books or the web. And as a bonus you may even make new friends to share your journey...By the way, buying you a Nikon indicates to me that your husband is clearly a discerning man who demands the best...I bet he drives a Bentley or similar...love from Downunder, Mark</p>

[anand_dhupkar]

<p>I have a question for those folks who upgraded to D300 or D300s from earlier bodies. I have been using D70s for last over four years and am in dual mind on going to D300s. My question is - would it give me good amount of improvement in terms of image quality over D70s ? </p>

[Wouter Willemse]

<p>I've gone from D80 to D300 too. As everybody says, just using it for a while makes it feel very at home. A different thing is finding some specific settings blind without taking the camera away from your eye; that took a bit longer since quite a bit on the D300 is in a different place.<br>

That said, after a month or 2, the D80 felt small, cramped and unlogical. It's very easy to get used to good things :-)</p>

<p>Anand, that would be a big yes for anything above ISO400 and/or anything that needs larger prints. The D70s also had a pretty cool colour rendering by default, a bit a love/hate affair. The more modern cameras have more saturated rendering. A non-issue if you use RAW, but if you use JPEG it can make a difference for sure.</p>

[tveck]

I have gone from a D50 to a D90 and my manual got dog's ears. After a year of reading I am still adjusting the presets and understanding the possibilities of the camera. Having studied engeneering it should be more easy for me, don't study too long.

[pcnilssen]

<p>Congratulations Carol. A very fine camera indeed. When I got my D300 after being used to a D70, I got exactly the same feeling - and I have not dared opening the manual yet (got it 2 years ago....)</p>

[j.art.photo.]

<p>Great camera, congratulations! you will be very happy with it. dont forget to read the manual its very important if you want to really understand to use it at its full potential. just becarefull on page 356 there is an OGER hidding and it bites if you wake him up! :]</p>

[devon_mccarroll]

<p>Getting new equipment is always a bit overwhelming at first! Have fun with it and play! I just got my first studio lights recently. Talk about being overwhelmed! But I just started playing and now I love them.<br>

Magic Lantern is about to release a D300s book. I love the Magic Lantern guides--so much easier to follow than the manual that comes with the camera. Here's the link on Amazon:<br>

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Magic-Lantern-Guides-Nikon-D300s/dp/1600596657/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262019417&sr=8-1">http://www.amazon.com/Magic-Lantern-Guides-Nikon-D300s/dp/1600596657/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262019417&sr=8-1</a><br>

Happy Shooting! And I'm envious, by the way. I only have a D80 :-)</p>

[joseph_leotta]

<p>its all been sais above<br>

Enjoy the camera. I a short time you'll know it inside out.<br>

Now go play with it</p>

[bob_bill]

<p>Carol, I can relate, the Pentax on my desk has a shutter release, film advance, aperture ring and manual focus ring. One dial alone can do more that that. You might like a dvd or lantern book for it. Just shoot and shoot, it will become an extension of your vision.</p>