my first ever shots with a dslr. nikon d40

first ever dslr shots so be kind but do say if you see glaring errors.

picture content probably isnt the best but ive not actually been out with the camera yet as it only just arrived.

i just took a few shots messing with different settings around the house and out of the door lol.

so ignore the content its not a do you like whats in the photos but more a are they taken ok.

ive croped the edges in PS and adjusted the sharpness.


please remember these are my first ever shots im no expert and ive a lot to learn i dont even know my way round the camera yet im used to point and shoot cameras.


nikon d40 with 18-55 lense kit.

http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/1...1533333aa0.jpg



http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/5982/dsc0146666db6.jpg



http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/950...8888888ch8.jpg


thanks for your input and i will try to get some shots with better content after ive played with the camera and have got used to the functions on it.

Nice shots mate..

What made you choose this camera..

I have my first born popping out in a couple of weeks and need a quality camera... would you recomend the Nikon..

cheers

only had it a day but id say its a good starter dslr, it has an auto mode if you get stuck and had on screen help. quite a good price too for a dslr and a good brnd name. only down side as some will tell you is the lenses need to be correct as you need ones with the auto zoom built in (well you dont but it helps if its an auto focus lense). bigger lenses can cost you because of this. but its not a big issue really the supplied lense is great for most shots from what ive seen.

for the amount i paid im well happy with it and ive not even had it out of the house yet. read reviews on the net thats what i did and no one had a bad word to say about it in any reviews i found. infact it was highly praised in all reviews a read and hence why i bought it.

£213 all in inc delivery you cant grumble and it takes good shots, hopefully even better shots once i learn the shutter speeds and aperture. but auto mode is a big help if you get stuck on which setting and speed.

first time ive stepped up to a big boys camera and im glad i did after years of aim and shoot compacts.

the d40 isnt as big as i thought it would be either i was expecting a monster of a camera, its bigger than a compact for sure but not so huge you couldnt carry it about on a day out.

just looking forward to putting mine to some good use, im itching to get out and take some good shots instead of mulling round the house and taking pot shots of anything i see lol.

as said ive only just got it and i mean only just, its fresh out of the box and those are the first pics i took with it. i tidied them up in PS by cropping the edges and using the sharp tool.

my advice is read reviews for cams in your price range and go from there.

There's very little to choose between Nikon and Canon where image quality is concerned so you can't go wrong with either. It's generally accepted that Nikon have a miniscule edge in terms of colour and ISO management but the difference is not enough to make a choice on. The biggest difference is that Canon have a much wider range of lenses.

There are some feature differences as well (exposure bracketing Nikon is with a single shot, Canon you have to click 3 times for example) but again it's down to personal preference on feel. I prefer the Canon control layout, some prefer Nikon.

Best advice is to nip into your local Jessops and have a feel of both brand camera's within your budget and decide on that. You could also look at Fuji and Sony as they are closing the gap in the market on their higher end DSLR's now.

Apologies for the hijack Thommo, but i can't see your images at work (blocked) so can't comment until I get home.

Im going with the Nikon D60 or D80.

http://www.dpreview.com/ allows you to do side by side reviews

The sun is a pretty damn good shot for a first use ,are you using a polariser ? ,if not i suggest if you continue to take pictures of the sun you have a good optician lol .I had the oportunity to test a d400 against a d3 today at the nikon expo (shots to follow) ,and can say shot for shot of similar images of the same thing that the colour difference is noticeable (might have been his lens) ,along with the light metering of the camera (almost 2 stops above me at 100 iso).

really like the 2nd shot, its cracking

best advice is just start arsing about taking shots of everything lol, you get some good ones by accident and some you think are good turn out to look rubbish

Tripod is essential, also a ND4 or ND8 filter for nice long exposure shots (7dayshop.com do good prices and free delivery now)

also a UV filter just to protect to the lens (again 7dayshop)

THE BARON

All nice pictures, but #2 is really nice.

Nice start mate and loving the obligatory plant shot from the garden. 2 looks good with the sun sitting pretty but cannot for the life of me work out what that is in 3???

gator grip mate (not get a grip lol). basically a one size for all socket set. thanks for the comments and yeah i had to take one of a plant lol, got a uv lense in the post but i'll take a look at the other. also got some marco lenses coming just so i can play around with my new toy.

oh and ive a miniature tripod coming only 5 or 6 inch so its one to rest on something, i'll see soon about getting one of the big things if the little un dont work good.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by thommo

gator grip mate (not get a grip lol). basically a one size for all socket set. thanks for the comments and yeah i had to take one of a plant lol, got a uv lense in the post but i'll take a look at the other. also got some marco lenses coming just so i can play around with my new toy.

oh and ive a miniature tripod coming only 5 or 6 inch so its one to rest on something, i'll see soon about getting one of the big things if the little un dont work good.

---

Aah I remember seeing those socket things. Cool.

On another note be careful with the camera on the little tripod and make sure it can hold the weight of the camera. You don't want to be claiming on your house insurance if it falls over.

Good luck with your new hobby!

2nd shot is a cracker. Love the way it's composed :0

I'd be very wary about the mini tripods. I don't think they're designed with SLR cameras in mind although you might be ok.
You can pick a full extendable tripod for not much money nowdays as a starting point.

thanks for the advise the tripod was a few quid from dealxtreme, so if its crap no harm done really.

just waiting on some new lenses but im liking playing about with the camera as it is, still to find some good content to shoot it finding the time to just go out and about with it. but i will at some point.

had a play this morning with some more shots, im beginning to think im going nerdy setting up sweets to shoot lol, the missus just shook her head at me in that " ok whatever" kind of way. they dont understand caveman mentality "man with new tool must use" lol.

shots below, again if you see anything i should be doing but am not let me know, too light too dark ect....

again cropped and sharpened in PS.

nikon d40 18-55 lense


http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/4...0223333uz2.jpg


http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/1201/dsc0232pz8.jpg

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/329/dsc0235hc3.jpg

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/8929/dsc02299qw2.jpg

again maybe not the best content again but id have to go out and find somewhere and im just shooting in and around the house till i get a chance.

been playing again trying to get my first water droplet pics, i dont think there bad considering im new to it and i dont know my way around the camera yet, it was trail and error but i wont learn any other way.

http://img367.imageshack.us/img367/3892/dsc0253cj9.jpg


http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/6272/dsc0279qo8.jpg


http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/6937/dsc0288fi3.jpg


http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/8049/dsc0293pu2.jpg

as before cropped and sharpened in PS.

Great start your DSLR work m8.

The D40 & D60 lose out on AF points (3 each over the Canon 1000D having 7, 400D 9) but you getbused to it easy enough.

Well done.


Paul.

Great start! :D

great start keep going

What iso are the water drop shots done with? just wondered as they seem quite grainy? maybe they're crops though?

Got the D40 myself and i love it, im sure you'll enjoy using it.

What iso are the water drop shots done with? just wondered as they seem quite grainy? maybe they're crops though?

Got the D40 myself and i love it, im sure you'll enjoy using it.

Some nice interesting shots there. I have just bought my first digital SLR camera yesterday. So I have lots to learn too. :)