Digital cameras 101

[mickeym]

Hi!  First of all, I would like to thank the moderators and all the contributors to this website!  It is very helpful for individuals like me who are trying to start this hobby!

I recently bought a Canon Rebel 350D that comes with the kit lens.  I would like to concentrate on taking portraits and action shots of my 14 month old daughter. I would also like to experiment on macro shots and landscapes.  Is there a particular lens that I should invest on that can actually handle all these subjects?  What do the descriptions on lenses mean? (Ex. EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM)  

[Mike54]

Hi mickeym and welcome to the Q&A Board. By the "kit lens" I assume you mean the 18-55mm default lens usually packaged with the XT. Personally I found it to be quite an adequate starter lens for landscapes as well as perfectly good for close up (but not macro) shots. It is also capable of very good portrait shots as well. That said, I would suggest visiting the 300D/350XT forums over at dpreview to get acquainted with what some of your fellow rebel owners are using. Do your research before trying to expand beyond the kit lens so that you can avoid the common pitfall of getting something you're not happy with (personal experience here).

As to the description (using your example), the EF is the canon lens type/mount, 28-105mm is the zoom range of the lens, the f/3.5-4.5 is the smallest aperture through the zoom range (3.5 for the 28mm end and 4.5 for the 105mm end). The II indicates that it's a second generation lens, often referred to as mark II and the USM stands for Ultra Sonic Motor (this does the focusing).

[mickeym]

Hi Mike54!

Thanks for the quick response!  I guess I would hold off on the new lens for now until I really feel that I learned the limitations of my 'kit lens'.  Also, thanks for the link to the forum!  I will check it out and I do hope to learn from there as well.

Another question I have is what setting should I practice more, aperture priority or shutter priority when taking action pictures (e.i.kids playing in the park)?

Again, thanks for the input!!!

[ShutterbugGail]

For taking action photos, I'd concentrate on Shutter Priority, so you have more control over how you capture the action, such as "freezing" it.

Aperture priority is great for macros and portraits, so you can control the depth of field.

Here's some information on advanced digital camera settings:

http://www.digicamhelp.com/advanced-digital-camera-settings/index.htm

[Mike54]

Hi Mickey, you might want to take a look at some of the information available here for starters, scroll down for some info on aperture and shutter priority ;-). A lot is going to depend on the conditions at the park. Is it cloudy or sunny, are the kids in the shade or out in the bright light? It's all a matter of experimenting to get the look you want, along with a little education about your camera and lens. For kids playing in the park with possible changing light I'd probably go with aperture priority to start with and watch what the resulting shutter speed was.  

[mickeym]

Again, thanks for the quick reply!  I will take your advise and concentrate more on shutter priority.  A followup question though... is it still possible to get a shallow depth of field (blurred background and or foreground) while still freezing the action of the subject in shutter priority mode?  I've also read your article about the panning technique to somehow achieve this effect, what settings should I set for this?

[Mike54]

For taking action photos, I'd concentrate on Shutter Priority

Well there you go, great minds and all. LOL

Just goes to show that different people will use different settings...

[ShutterbugGail]

Just goes to show that different people will use different settings...

Actually, I've never considered using aperture priority for action shots, but you've made a very good point.

[ShutterbugGail]

Again, thanks for the quick reply!  I will take your advise and concentrate more on shutter priority.  A followup question though... is it still possible to get a shallow depth of field (blurred background and or foreground) while still freezing the action of the subject in shutter priority mode?  I've also read your article about the panning technique to somehow achieve this effect, what settings should I set for this?

You're very welcome.

Mike (and moderator Deb, who's currently on vacation) have much more knowledge of dSLRs that I do, so their advice to you is based on recent knowledge. Though I've had several 35mm SLR cameras, I went all digital about six years ago and haven't yet felt compelled to buy a dSLR.

This article on depth of field may help answer your question. Aperture isn't the only thing that controls depth of field, so does the focal length and the distance a subject is from the lens and/or a background.

http://www.digicamhelp.com/taking-pictures/depth-of-field.htm

Here are some suggested shutter speeds for action shots. Please remember, that they are only guidelines and there are a lot of variables in photography, such as lighting. Take lots of test pictures and experiment. Check the EXIF data to see what worked, and what didn't.

http://www.digicamhelp.com/advanced-digital-camera-settings/shutter-speed-effects.htm


Related reading:

What is EXIF?
http://www.digicamhelp.com/what-is-exif/

[Mike54]

Actually, I've never considered using aperture priority for action shots

It all depends on the circumstances, I use it mostly when I can't rely on the light and set it for the widest aperture to start with adjusting from there. For example, last week I was at the Pilot Pen tennis tournement and went completely with aperture priority because of the lighting on the court.

f/2.8 @ 1/400s and ISO 400
If I know I have good light I'll go with shutter priority too.