New to it all... Help! (Page 2): Oh boy! Those articles are great! I think a mirrorless camera is best for me.... It appears you can have lenses like DSLRs.... is that a must? Is there...

Kbose

Oh boy! Those articles are great! I think a mirrorless camera is best for me.... It appears you can have lenses like DSLRs.... is that a must? Is there an all around all purpose lens?
I checked out TechRadar's full review on the Canon M50. I think its the best fit for me. I don't want to get overwhelmed with all the lens options.
But I kinda like the Nikon D3500.... So many choices!

Earnest Botello Loc: Hockley, Texas

Welcome to the Hog, enjoy.

jack schade Loc: La Pine Oregon

Welcome to the forum.

Jack

photophly Loc: Old Bridge NJ

Welcome to the Hog 🦔

Blenheim Orange Loc: Michigan

Kbose wrote:

Thank you
When I said DSLRs seem needy... It's all the lenses, knobs, & settings. I've always been under the impression if I go the DSLR route I will need to take classes.
Can you point & shoot with DSLRs? Am I making them much more complicated than they are?

Ha! Lenses, knobs, & settings?? Who pays attention to any of that?

To drive a car you need to operate the steering wheel, the brake, and the accelerator. You then need to practice, and figure out where you want to go. Cameras are no more complicated, and so much more fulfilling imho. Aperture, shutter speed, ISO, then aim, focus, shoot. You can learn the basics in no time. Easy peasy! Then it is just practice and figuring out what you want to photograph and how.

Mike

Kbose

🤣🤣 well I got an Olympus.... And a lens.... Honestly, I didn't understand 3/4s of what the guy was saying.... But he says I'll be just fine and I'm excited to learn about it all... Honestly, I don't know what ISO or aperture is.... When I say I'm new... I'm premature baby new.... Super new.... But I'm excited!!! I've been loving all the feedback & links people have shared!
I'll be photographing my hair clients.... So portraits?!

Blenheim Orange Loc: Michigan

Kbose wrote:

🤣🤣 well I got an Olympus.... And a lens.... Honestly, I didn't understand 3/4s of what the guy was saying.... But he says I'll be just fine and I'm excited to learn about it all... Honestly, I don't know what ISO or aperture is.... When I say I'm new... I'm premature baby new.... Super new.... But I'm excited!!! I've been loving all the feedback & links people have shared!
I'll be photographing my hair clients.... So portraits?!

You will do fine.

Aperture is how big the opening is set on the lens, expressed as a ratio to the length of the lens - f/5.6, f/8 etc. Lower numbers are bigger openings, and that means more light coming in to the sensor. The bigger the opening the more shallow the depth of field (how much of the image is in relatively sharp focus.) For portrait work you will probably be using wider apertures.

Shutter speed is how long the shutter is open and the sensor is exposed to light. Slower shutter speeds let in more light but will nit freeze motion as well. For portrait work this won't be critical.

ISO is the sensitivity of the sensor. Low numbers means less sensitive, but usually better quality images. For portrait work you will probably not need to go to higher ISO values to compensate for low light.

Together, ISO, the aperture and shutter speed determine the exposure of the image.

OK that is the difficult tech part.

Mike

Kbose

So lower aperture & low iso for me to begin with correct?
Thank you much for explaining it!

Blenheim Orange Loc: Michigan

Kbose wrote:

So lower aperture & low iso for me to begin with correct?
Thank you much for explaining it!

Yes. Wider apertures are more flattering for faces (softens things) and wider apertures blur the backgrounds so that they aren't a distraction. You will probably be setting the aperture and the ISO and leaving them, and then adjusting just the shutter speed to get the proper exposure. That is a place to start and then experiment from there.

Mike

Blair Shaw Jr Loc: Dunnellon,Florida

Welcome and watch Youtube videos and reviews on line to narrow your selection to type and manufacturer , then get to a camera store and try out as many as you can to get familiar with it's abilities.
And you can even rent cameras for a weekend to sample them out on a real shoot. Rent various lenses as well to see what works for you....take your time and enjoy the learning curve.

Blenheim Orange Loc: Michigan

Kbose wrote:

🤣🤣 well I got an Olympus.... And a lens.... Honestly, I didn't understand 3/4s of what the guy was saying.... But he says I'll be just fine and I'm excited to learn about it all... Honestly, I don't know what ISO or aperture is.... When I say I'm new... I'm premature baby new.... Super new.... But I'm excited!!! I've been loving all the feedback & links people have shared!
I'll be photographing my hair clients.... So portraits?!

The OM-D E-M5?

I bet he sold you a zoom lens too, didn't he, "so you can cover everything."

Mike

Kbose

Hahahaha I got the Mark III
The kit came with a lens and he sold me the 25mm f1.8 lens.
Did we do good?

Blenheim Orange Loc: Michigan

Kbose wrote:

Hahahaha I got the Mark III
The kit came with a lens and he sold me the 25mm f1.8 lens.
Did we do good?

You bought a prime lens! You made my day. That should be a great lens. I will say that I think the 45mm might be a better choice for portraits.

I think you did very well.

Mike

Kbose

Yay!!!! I took some pretty good pics of my crazy Boston Terrier & was really pleased! I have never taken a great clear picture of her. I'm going to let the battery charge and play around. Maybe I'll get a good picture of the hummingbirds..

jpgto Loc: North East Tennessee

Welcome, enjoy, have some fun