quizas Loc: Seattle, WA

I am a real novice. I have taken photographs of vacations, family, etc for years, but have started thinking about composition, lighting, editing, etc, only in the past couple of years. I have a waterproof point-and-shoot, a Canon D10 that was a Christmas present before a trip to Australia that would include snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. We take major trips about twice a year, recently Egypt and Jordan, and I make photo books when we return. I am looking to learn more about photography and upgrade to a camera that has more zoom and better images.

hookedupin2005 Loc: Northwestern New Mexico

Cameras do not have "more zoom"(unless it is a point and shoot). But the lenses do... I would suggest going to a camera store and looking at the DSLRs/mirrorless inventory, and get a feel for what you want. You can also research online...B&H, Adorama, Keh, are the top online stores.

quizas Loc: Seattle, WA

Thank you. I need to learn the terminology to communicate more effectively. What I meant was I would like to take better shots that focus on an object or scene in the distance.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

I recommend Tony Northrup's "DSLR Book How to Create Stunning Digital Photography" it is pretty much my favorite. In e-book (Kindle, Nook and on Tony's site in different formats) you have links to over 14 hours of on line video tutorials. Yes, he can be a bit of a showman and Know-It-All but so are other people.

http://northrup.photo/product/stunning-digital-photography/

When it comes to cameras: Canon has the largest "world" of lenses and accessories and a great many people feel they are better in the hand and menus/controls are easier to use. Nikon comes in next and often beats Canon on the tech side, at least in lab tests. Sony, Panasonic and Olympus also have their believers. Actually all the major companies make very good cameras and it is hard to get a real lemon from any of them. The mirrorless cameras are getting better and more common and tend to be smaller and lighter, here is where the three smaller companies tend to be the leaders but Nikon and Canon are getting into the game in a big way also. Not as many dedicated lens choices yet*, but you can often use the DSLR lenses with adapters.

*Lenses for these cameras can also be much smaller and lighter - but at present more expensive due to low sales numbers compared to DSLR lenses.

Study, look stuff up, go to stores and actually look at and feel the choices. Maybe join a local camera club or take an Adult Shool or Community College course.
But enjoy and good luck on the journey.

quizas Loc: Seattle, WA

Thanks for the tip, robertjeri. I will check out that book. And I like your suggestion about going to camera stores and getting the feel of cameras. Will do that.

illininitt

When you do upgrade....get a Canon T7I! Team it with a Canon 10-18 and Sigma 18-250 and be set for life! Canon T7I is almost impossible to learn.....it's waaaaaaaaaaaaaay over my head but lucky me it has Auto!

Nature_Shooter Loc: Chesterfield Missouri

Welcome! Looking forward to your posts and pictures. Happy shooting!

repleo Loc: Boston

Size and weight are important for travelling. Unless you are going to invest quite a bit of time and effort to learn about the exposure triangle and depth of field you might be better sticking with a long zoom P&S or bridge camera. The new Panasonic ZS200 sounds like a great long zoom pocketable camera - complete with 1" sensor, viewfinder, manual control and RAW if you want to dabble in 'getting off auto' and doing some post processing. Everything you learn about composition, lighting and editing will be just as applicable to a ZS200 as a $3000 DSLR or mirrorless. Even if you eventually 'graduate' to a larger ILC, there will always be a place for a good pocketable P&S

quizas Loc: Seattle, WA

Thanks for your post. I am not sure I would have the patience to learn about the exposure triangle and depth of field. I know I want a camera that is relatively uncomplicated (though I do like to do some things manually rather than just shoot on Auto all the time) and fairly light for travel. And cost is a consideration. I did look at info on the Panasonic ZS200 and that looks interesting. Will check that out again when it's been reviewed.

quizas Loc: Seattle, WA

Sorry, the above was in response to another poster.

quizas Loc: Seattle, WA

Whoa, sounds like more camera than I am ready for; several steps up for me now. But, serious question here, if one only uses auto, is it worth getting all that camera? I mean, if one doesn't use all the features, would less camera do just as well? That is part of my quandary. I really don't see myself stopping to make lots of adjustments when taking travel photos or grandchildren pictures. But I do want good images and the ability to get better images of things at a distance than I can get now.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

1. if you click "quote reply" we know exactly who you are replying to.
2. you have to remember that the simpler the camera the less it has to offer and usually the lower end the sensor is, except a few fairly expensive high end pocket cameras, they have good sensors.
3. the mid range and higher end cameras all have Auto (the camera makes all decisions about exposure) and ether P or Scn modes where the camera has presets designed by pros who work for the camera company but you can change some of those presets as you learn how things work. But the simple ones seldom have the controls or they are through menus and very slow to operate.
4. most of us do not change settings etc for every shot, we have our choices preset depending on what we are photographing and concentrate on composure and deciding when to take a shot. Example: Birds around my feeders in good light: I set the shutter speed (slower for sitting birds, faster for flying birds or humming birds), I set the f-stop for my depth of field and light conditions, I personally put the ISO on Auto, have the AF set to what I need/want and then concentrate on zooming and composing.*

A compromise is a bridge/super zoom camera. They have layouts and controls similar to the interchangeable lens models but have a fixed lens with a mild to very long zoom range. They also get pretty good quality images. Look here: http://www.pcmag.com/roundup/348745/the-best-bridge-cameras About the cheapest good quality bridge cameras (they are a "bridge" between pocket point and shoots and the interchangeable lens models) are in the $500 to $700 range. They are bigger and heavier than the pocket cameras, but do more and are smaller and lighter than the DSLRs and other interchangeable lens models.

My wife uses a Canon SX50, the previous model to the SX60 on that pcmag review.

* Composition is one of the most important things you can learn to make your photos better and more interesting. I never thought about it but just did what felt right and happened to do well at it. When I started studying photography seriously I started to think about it and my shots improved. I taught my wife a few of the simpler rules and the first time we went out after that I heard her muttering (as she went over her results) "Why didn't someone tell me this stuff 40 years ago?" - Hmmm? I wonder who she was talking about? It had never occurred to me she didn't know the rules of composition.

MikeMck Loc: Southern Maryland on the Bay

Welcome!

JoeB Loc: Mohawk Valley, NY

Hello, welcome to UHH.

JoeB

joehel2 Loc: Cherry Hill, NJ

Welcome to the forum.