Getting into Digital Photography

So what is the best way to learn about how to use the equipment and which equipment to buy. I'm a total newbie but want to get into it. All the talk about cameras and lenses is making me lost.......Any good reads out there?

fredmiranda.com

Jay-
You can check mine out when I catch a ride on your boat.

Sounds good! Hey can u do Camp Far West at 4:30pm anytime next week?

it all depends on price range.

anywhere from 100-450 = point and shoot, wide range of quality.

you can pick up a rebel xt body only for about 450-500, its a great camera even though the xti and xsi have come out to replace it. Then you can look into what kind of lenses you want. again, huge price range, 75 dollars to 6,000. If you want to shoot some wakeboarding then you can get a cheaper 75-300 lens, or upgrade to the 70-300IS/70-200 lenses. So lay out a budget and we can help you out some more

i notice your home lake is BB, same here, if you ever need a 3rd hit me up and i can let you shoot around with my canon 30d

im brying to stay below 1K below 6oo if I can. Im not looking to be a pro just as a hobby. What does everyone think of the D40. I saw this deal at costco


As for BB I think it will be the river this year but ill let you know



http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11243346&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&eC at=BC|79|83|76275&N=4025522&Mo=6&pos=4&No=5&Nr=P_Catalo gName:BC&cat=76275&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang= en-US&Sp=C&ec=BC-EC10604-Cat83&topnav=

Jay, Newbe also. I have the Nikon D40 and used it for about a year, it's not bad for a starter camera to help you figure out Digital, the price looks good. I just got the Cannon 40D and have use it for only 2 weeks and it's like night and day, the Cannon does so much more and I'm still figuring out how to use it. I mostly shoot from the boat or chase boat but with my Cannon I have started to shoot from the shore more now. One thing to consider, once you pick a brand you are pretty much stuck with it because of the lenses. I just got to the point where I was missing too many good shots (no question a lot of it was my fault) but with my Cannon it seems like I have a lot more room for pilot error, the 6.5 FPS is awesome. Good luck and have a fun summer with whatever camera you choose.

Here is a shot I got from the PWT at Atlanta last week.

Randy-
Nice shot!
Jay-
I have the Rebel XT. When I went out last, some guy had a Canon40D. The view screen is amazing! Haven't seen any of his pics yet to compare to mine. As you probably saw in my thread, I had darkness issues. He shot in auto mode and I've had spotty luck with the action setting. Sometimes wonderful, sometimes blurry and sometimes it focuses on the water, not the rider.
So we can take all the helpful hints I received and shoot anything that moves
Thanks for the invite! This is my last week of school and getting from Placerville to Camp Far West by 4:30 would be insane. I'll see if I can drop off early on Friday and let you know.

Kristen No problem we can try for next week. So I came acroos a deal I couldnt pass up My neighbor bought a new Nikon 60D about 3 months ago......Though he just realized financially it wasnt the right time. So I bought it for a killer deal. Seems like a good cam for me to get started on for the price. I have no clue what im doing but so far it takes nice shots!

Jay-
Congrats! New boat, new camera, we should just throw in landing a new trick and make it a fantastic summer!