Ok, this is a bit of a rant and a bit of advice for all you camera loving people!! NEVER BUY YOUR VERY FIRST DSLR CAMERA THE DAY BEFORE YOU LEAVE ON VACATION! I feel better! Let me explain:
I know this guy who was going to Disney, it would be his 4 year olds first visit and he wanted to capture all the fun! So he decided to go buy a brand new SLR without ever having touched one in his life. He had been a point and shoot guy to this point! Anyhoo, he buys the camera on Monday and I happen to bump into him at Walmart on Wednesday before he leaves on Friday for the trip. He tells me about his new purchase complete with a second lens, extra batteries, memory cards and carrying case. He also tells me that it is still in the box and he has not had the guts to open it. "Besides" he says "I thought I could just pull it out of the box and shoot!"
I am trying hard not to laugh at this point! "UH, NO!" I say, "You need to attach your lens, charge your batteries and figure out your settings. Not to mention formatting your memory cards."
"Oh, I had no idea!" he says dumbfound by the minimal information I have given him. He points out the camera that he purchased and asked me to show him some pointers so, eventhough it is a Canon and I am a Nikon girl, I look over the camera, find the auto mode and tell him to put it on this setting and treat it like a point and shoot. Informing him that auto does all the work for you and he really would not have to think about it! I also told him to get out his manual and read it cover to cover!
Now, I am not against people bettering their equipment and wanting to learn more BUT what I am against is people who think it is easy just to pick up some high tech camera and expect it to behave like a point and shoot! Did I not say in one of my first Tip Tuesdays to get to know your camera? Yup, I did! OK, I am done with this rant!
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4 comments:
I have a wedding to shoot and I'm concerned about the lighting but my darling husband suggests I buy a new flash. At which I looked at him like he was nuts. He didn't get it. I told him that I can't get a new piece of equipment just DAYS prior to an event and expect to use it to its full potential.
People are like that with everything--and nowadays all those electronic everythings take time to learn. I've had a new phone for a month now and I still don't know how to use it!
I can say that I learned this lesson the hard way.
I should have tons and tins more research before investing in the camera I have.
Now we are staring at $5 or $6,000 to correct that mistake as we are moving forward into commercial.
If I had done much more research we would have the other couple of grand we have already put into lenses and equipment to get what we really need.
Of course, we are going to travel and shoot all over. We don't have plans for portraits or weddings.
At least as far as I know we don;t. But then again until a year ago I always painted and rarely even picked up a camera.
Some times you just don't know where life is going to lead you.
I am so glad I dropped by. I always enjoy your shots so much!!
I have promised myself and my family an early night if I have to chain myself up.
So I am headed for some down time!!
Wonderful advice!!
Jackie
My camera is one step down from an SLR and I kick myself daily for not spending the extra money on an SLR. That said, the easiest setting on my camera is definitely auto LOL. Though I do spend time playing around with the zillion other settings available on it. I can't believe that someone would buy an SLR and figure it was a point and shoot camera!! eeeeek!
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