Am I putting the cart before the horse?

First of all, hello from Illinois! I am Jan, and I am the 31-year-old mama to two greyhounds and a 2 1/2 year old. I mostly take pictures of my son and my dogs, but occasionally I let my husband get in front of the lens (if he's holding the baby or one of the dogs :p ).

Anyhow, I know very little about photography, but I do love it. I've had a couple of cheaper digital cameras for a few years, but the quality of the pictures is less than what I'd like it to be, and I don't have a lot of options. I'd like to buy a nice digital camera (am thinking the Digital Rebel XTi or Nikon D80) and take a digital photography class to learn.

Should I buy the camera first and then take the class, or take a class to learn what I need to buy and THEN buy the camera? Also, any suggestions on the XTi vs. the D80 are much appreciated, too. I'm sure it's been discussed before, so I'm off to do some searching on the topic. :)

Hello Mama Moon.I would vote for buying the camera first, read the owners manual, and visit a lot of web sites and forums. The only way to learn is to just do it, trial and error. Taking a class is a very good idea also, but you need to be familiar with the camera a little before you get into a class room. Nikon or Canon, both are very nice. Read reviews but go to a store and check both of them out and see which one you like better. I like the build of the Nikon a little better, but the lenses for the Canon are a little cheaper.

Hi mama moon, I agree with mpreece about getting the camera first ... as most things are done trial and error .. alot of great books and videos out there to help ... and if you do decide to take a class you have the basic knowledge about your camera and its settings ( just make sure the class you are looking to take covers what you want out of it, I had signed up for a class at the local photo shop and found out that it was a very beginner class... not for me)

ask alot of questions about what lens to get so you get the lens to suit your needs. Nikon vs Cannon ... I was told to go somewhere and hold both ... see how they feel .. I don't think either camera is a wrong decision.. there are reviews here to read..

but still the best way to learn is get the camera and go shoot .. ask questions about why things turned out the way they did and learn from experience ..

Ben

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Originally Posted by Mama Moon

First of all, hello from Illinois!

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Back at 'cha! Welcome.

I agree too - the best way is to learn for yourself and obviously you'll need a camera to do that. Nikon vs. Canon isn't an easy answer and sometimes one is cheaper than the other but not across the board. They're both different and you won't go wrong with either.

Read the instructions, shoot. Read a book, shoot some more. Read another book, keep shooting. Rinse, repeat... There are some really good books out there on the basics of photography such as the National Geographic Field Guides and the Kodak series.

Greetings from another Illinois resident. Looks like we have some things in commone, dogs and toddlers. Lots of good advice here, I would just reiterate, try to go someplace where you can handle the cameras you're thinking about purchasing. The camera is often a very personal purchase based as much on "feel" as features. Since features are often so similar. I lean towards Canon but know that Nikon makes great products and the photographer usually makes, or breaks, the shots.

This site is a great information tool. Library's, bookstores (new and used), college courses, and adult ed courses are all great sources of knowledge.

Shoot a lot, try to pay attention to what you're doing (it's recommended you write everything down...something I'm not very good at) and see what works and doesn't. There sounds easy doesn't it? :) Ha. Just don't get frustrated at the learning curve. Have fun! I can vouch for the frustration in trying to shoot a toodler!!! And dogs!!!!

I'm looking forward to seeing some of your work.

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Originally Posted by Mama Moon

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Also, any suggestions on the XTi vs. the D80 are much appreciated, too. I'm sure it's been discussed before, so I'm off to do some searching on the topic. :)

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Both are great cameras, go to a store and try both and purchase the one that feels the best in your hands, and try both cameras with different lenses. Just a note I hate the Nikon 18-55mm kit lense it's not an optical problem I find it harder to use compared to my 18-70mm lense on my D70.