just got 7d: noob

hey everyone. i've been interested in photography for awhile and have been looking into getting a dslr, but the cash was never around. well recently my girlfriends dad gave me his old minolta 7d along with three lens. i have a slim idea what i'm doing, but i really feel like i'm not taking advantage of anything the camera has to offer. if someone could point me in the right direction that would be appreciated.

thanks

To start with, read the manual and then reread it again. If the manual isn't available, I'm sure you can find a place to download it from. Get used to the camera controls. If you don't have any knowledge about photogaphy, buy a good book that explains exposure control, aperture, shutter speed, depth of field, compostition, etc. Then get out and practice with your camera in all modes, other than automatic. Experiment with different settings. Enjoy yourself and be prepared to delete the majority of your shots. If you get a couple real keepers every 100 shots, you are off to a good start.

Gary Friedman's e-books are pretty much the best learning tools for Minolta/Sony DSLR's. Here's a link:

http://friedmanarchives.com/ebooks/index.htm