First shots with a DSLR

[WildlifeNate]

My first DSLR, a Canon Rebel XS, arrived today, and I got it set up to take some pictures this evening. I played around with both the 18-55 IS lens and the 75-300 lens. I definitely need to improve my steadiness to shoot with the 75-300 lens. Most pictures from that one had some hand shake to them. It's also not so good for taking pictures of the dogs running in the backyard...hehe.

It's going to take a bit of work to get the AF right. Most of the pictures without hand shake had the focus point somewhere near the dogs' noses, instead of their eyes. It wasn't terrible, but noticeable.

I love how much faster this thing is than P&S cameras. Now I just need to pick up some books and learn the manual functions, as I have only really been playing with it on fully auto so far. I did set the camera on Tv and took the last picture in RAW, then tweaked it (contrast, sharpness) in the RAW utility that came with the camera.

I put the pictures on my gallery page, and can't for the life of me figure out how to paste a link to them here.

[A.M.D.A.]

I put the pictures on my gallery page, and can't for the life of me figure out how to paste a link to them here.

Step #1. Copy the URL of your photo.
Step #2. In the thread-creating/replying box, paste the URL into IMG code: [IMG]photo URL here, no spaces[/IMG]
Step #3. Submit your post and you're done!

[WildlifeNate]

Ok, let's try again.


Shot with the 70-300 @ 80mm
ISO 400
1/60
f4.0


18-55 IS @ 27mm
ISO 100
1/125
f/4.0


75-300 @ 200mm
ISO 400
1/60
f/5.0


18-55 IS @ 44mm
ISO 400
1/60
f/5.0

[Frog]

That second shot is especially nice and the focus does seem to be eyes and not nose.

[WildlifeNate]

I forgot to mention that all of the pictures except for the 2nd are straight from the camera. The 2nd one got a touch of sharpening, increased contrast, and increased saturation. That one was better.

I've been toying with the manual functions, getting a feel for how the output changes as I adjust settings. I've changed the AF to just the single center AF point for now, and like how it's easier for me to control what gets put into focus.

I really like the composition of the first, and wish I had shot it in RAW to maximize the adjustments I can make to it.

[Speed]

My first DSLR, a Canon Rebel XS, arrived today, and I got it set up to take some pictures this evening. I played around with both the 18-55 IS lens and the 75-300 lens. I definitely need to improve my steadiness to shoot with the 75-300 lens. Most pictures from that one had some hand shake to them. It's also not so good for taking pictures of the dogs running in the backyard...hehe.

It's going to take a bit of work to get the AF right. Most of the pictures without hand shake had the focus point somewhere near the dogs' noses, instead of their eyes. It wasn't terrible, but noticeable.

I love how much faster this thing is than P&S cameras. Now I just need to pick up some books and learn the manual functions, as I have only really been playing with it on fully auto so far. I did set the camera on Tv and took the last picture in RAW, then tweaked it (contrast, sharpness) in the RAW utility that came with the camera.

I put the pictures on my gallery page, and can't for the life of me figure out how to paste a link to them here.

Nice shots you posted.

To get sharper pictures with the telephoto lens, remember to use the reciprocal rule. If you're shooting at 100mm, make sure you're shooting with at least a 100th of a second shutter speed. At 200mm, shoot with at least a 200th of a second. As the focal length goes up, so does the shutter speed if you want sharp photo's. And the reciprocal is the minimum recommended.

To help increase shutter speed, try shooting with higher ISO's, such as ISO 400. That will boost the shutter speed, every else being equal.

Congratulations on your DSLR and have fun learning to use it.

[WildlifeNate]

Nice shots you posted.

To get sharper pictures with the telephoto lens, remember to use the reciprocal rule. If you're shooting at 100mm, make sure you're shooting with at least a 100th of a second shutter speed. At 200mm, shoot with at least a 200th of a second. As the focal length goes up, so does the shutter speed if you want sharp photo's. And the reciprocal is the minimum recommended.

To help increase shutter speed, try shooting with higher ISO's, such as ISO 400. That will boost the shutter speed, every else being equal.

Congratulations on your DSLR and have fun learning to use it.

Thanks for the tip.

[Polishgonewild]

I really do like the second image. The focus is very nice.