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Hey Guys,

I got this camera given to me for free. (we used them for an afternoon at work and the boss gave me one for a job well done.)

It's Nikon D40 with lens, bag, 2 8 gb cards, strap etc... the whole ball of wax.


Not sure what it's worth or it's capabilities, but just by messing with it last night, it looks like it can do some pretty cool stuff.

I know it's not the best camera out there, but the reviews are positive and it looks like it's more than jut a "point and shoot."

So here's the deal, now I wouldn't mind trying my eye at taking real pictures. I'm probably the only Art director in the world that doesn't dabble in photography.

Anyone know of a good book or blog I can check out to get me going?
Anyone have any useful tips etc???

Thanks guys!

a.

Ken Rockwell is very well respected in the Nikon world...

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40.htm

Dpreview.com's Nikon SLR discussion forum is also a wealth of info.

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/forum.asp?forum=1034

Tons of places.. look up "dslr photography" on google and go nuts.

Relridge's sites are really good as well. They both kinda set me on my way to getting my Canon XTi.

If you want to go out sometime and screw around, drop me a line. I haven't been out for any photography in quite a while.

http://www.dpforums.com/forum/

give this a try too

Great sites listed above.. also give http://www.thephotoforum.com a try.

Lots of great info there, and lots of friendly people.

The D40 is a great camera for what it can do - it's a full-function DSLR, accepts the entire range of DSLR-specific lenses and accessories as well as some F-body (film) lenses.

Even when being used as a quasi point-and-shoot, you'll be hooked and wonder why you stayed with a "little" camera for so long.

Hopefully this summer I can replace my D50 with something a little... insane from Nikon.

But, it can indeed do something like this with just a tripod and some patience:



Also, light-trail night shots are cake with a tripod and the infra-red remote:



Even as a "point-n-shoot":

thanks for the links guys.
Tons of good reading there.

Not to mention they make a "For dummies" book specifically for my camera.
I'm learning lots and hope to have something up for you guys to see soon. :D

All I can say is don't try too hard.

You've got a leg up being in advertising and seeing how they compose all those wonderfully artsy / "modern" shots that we all take for granted in magazines, on the net, etc.

What I can't stand is when anyone gets TOO f***in' artsy and has to make an epic photo out of anything and everything. Some of my best shots took as much time to prep as it takes to set up the tripod, decide on either a program or full manual exposure, set your ISO and BANG... done.

If it's your job, make it artsy if that's what it calls for. If you're "Joe Dude" walking around, taking pictures of what you want... take em and move on.

Lots of guys get into speedlights and stuff... lots think that photography turns into a part-tme moneymaker. If you go down that road, big bucks will be spent before any amount of serious revenue is received.

Most of all, just enjoy it. :)

DSLRs are addictive, and just like car mods... you always want more - more megapixels, more speed, more features, more toys.

Since you are like me and have an extensive amount of photoshop knowledge I would shoot in raw and edit later for best results.

Compacts are for parties
DSRLS are for a hobby

What do you guys think of the D5000


My Father picked it up for a Xmas Gift for my Mother. Also with the extra lense.(50-200mm)I think??

She just got tired of the lil cams and wanted something that can take amazing pics. So ya. I'm planning on borrowing it for various events lol.

So what do you think of this Cam???

Your dad gets a thumbs up from me! :D

It's a great happy medium camera; tons of features like the big dogs, but still has the auto mode for the noobs. And with the second lens, she has an effective focal range from 24-300mm total (due to the 1.5x factor with the APS-C size sensor in the camera).

I think it's great as well.

Personally, I'm trying to leapfrog into the FX-format bodies and go for the D700. Something tells me I'll be "settling" for the D300s.

Cool good to know.

welcome to the DSLR club!

diyphotography.net has a lot of stuff too.

To be honest, checking out sites to get the basics is a good start. Once you get to learn what all the numbers mean, f, a, iso, etc... you'll be able to get a good start.

Also, while the nikon cameras come with decent transferal software, they have nothing on adobe (CS and bridge) for working with RAW.

working from RAW can save a lot of otherwise ruined shots.

But just get out there, play, play, play, and play some more..

ie even a rank amateur can get lucky a couple times...

True my aunt bought a high priced Nikon and took a trip to Ottawa. Took a pic of the Parlement Building and entered it into a photograph website and it won first prize which eneded up paying for the amount of the camera plus more lenses lol.

Sweet.
I just posted a couple of shots i took in the other thread.
I plan on playing with this thing quite a bit.
I may have found the new hobby.

Take a course a Sheridan in Oakville