F/Stops... Aperture... Focal Length? What is all this stuff?

[Damon]

Hey Everyone,
I'm planning on taking up photography as a hobby. As with most things, I'd like to learn about the terminology and methodology involved before I make a decision on what to buy (currently considering a Canon S1 IS (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/canon_s1is.asp)). I've been cruising the 'net, but can't find a good source for definitions, examples, etc. Optimally, I would like to read about aperture and see examples of how it affects the image.

Care to lend a hand and toss me a few links? Thanks! :D

[paultakeda]

http://www.photoxels.com/tutorial_aperture.html

[Tom (aka Godzilla)]

Here's another one for ya....

dpreview.com's glossary... (http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/glossary)

[68TurboBug]

I manage a camera store in South OC, hit me up if you need help...ill get you where u want to be

[mario]

I manage a camera store in South OC, hit me up if you need help...ill get you where u want to be
what store? have i heard of it?

[krakkaNW]

yeah what store????

[mitssn]

I manage a camera store in South OC, hit me up if you need help...ill get you where u want to be
Cool---There is a lot of Photography buffs on here. Post up about your store and it'll probably send some business your way---

[Damon]

Thanks for all the links, guys. I like the pictures and comments in this forum, but was lost on the terminology.

Any opinions on my camera choice of Canon S1 IS?

[paultakeda]

Your choice of camera depends on what you want and how much you want to pay for it.

Choosing a fixed lens camera means deciding on the limitations of that lens. Some want as much zoom as possible, others don't care as much but do care about how wide the lens can get.

The size of the lens is also important, and this is where the whole megapixel obsession really gets my goat: it doesn't matter how much higher than 3 megapixels you get in a camera if the lens is the size of a dime. High pixel images where a 5x5 cluster of pixels is the same black spot does not a high resolution image make.

That said, the S1, spec-wise, is a good choice for learning. Not sure about image quality... that tends to suffer when you create a camera with a large zoom range (this one is 38-380mm, 35mm-equivalent). Also, the lens bottoms out at 38mm (35mm-equiv.), which may not be as wide as you might want if you want to do landscape photographs (or as a casual party camera where a group photo in an enclosed space may be hard to get. The lens speed is decent particularly since it has such a large zoom range (f2.8 wide, and only f3.1 at 10x), but only goes up to f8.0 -- still, that's impressive for a consumer/prosumer hybrid.

As to features, you have enough buttons and their functionality to achieve full manual operation, so that's not a problem.

Image quality is okay, and it only saves in JPEG format so any post-processing you do will result in more data loss, so this may be a deal breaker for you.

It looks like a good learning camera.

I would go to a camera store and get your hands on a range of cameras, see which ones feel right to you. There are many cameras that will fit your bill, spec-wise. But ultimately, it's a judgement call on your part.

In a camera that only produces JPEG files, it's important to be satisfied with how the camera processes the image (professional cameras can be used in RAW mode, allowing you to work with the image with digital darkroom software, so in that particular case, how the camera process JPEGs is not as important).

How the images out-of-the-camera appeal to you, and how the controls feel to you, will be the deciding factor.

For my own taste, I find Canon consumer camera images not to my liking. Sonys are sharp but artificial, Nikons are good enough, but I am very partial to Olympus colors, so I would look at the C-765 before the S1 IS (as a personal preference only, you decide how you want to prioritize).

Both cameras use EVFs, which is better than a regular viewfinder on these cameras because of parallax with the lens (what you see through the viewfinder is not what the lens sees). The EVF shows you what the CCD is capturing, but it also has the disadvantage of not being a real viewfinder. This can be debated, but to be honest, I'd take an EVF on any non-SLR camera over a crappy real viewfinder with parallax issues. Hell, on ultra-compacts, they've finally realized that any VF is pointless and they just need to make the LCD screen bigger.

But if you're really planning on making this a fairly serious hobby, I would invest in a dSLR. If you don't want to spend the cash you can start slow with an older model. This is where I am, I use an Olympus E-10 with a fixed lens. It was a $2000 camera in 2000, but you can snag one on eBay for under $400 these days. Many professionals use it as a backup, or simply refuse to let it go (or its bigger brother the E-20) simply because the lens is ridiculously good (f2.0 wide, f2.8 zoom, max f11, covering 35-140mm 35mm-equiv).

[Tom (aka Godzilla)]

dpreview.com (http://www.dpreview.com) is a good place to find in-depth reviews of digital cameras. Here's the specific review for the Canon S1 IS. (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canons1is/)

[paultakeda]

The Triumvirate:

DPReview (http://www.dpreview.com/) - Canon S1 IS (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canons1is/)
Imaging Resource (http://imaging-resource.com/) - Canon S1 IS (http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/S1IS/canon-powershot-s1-IS-A.HTM)
Steve's Digicams (http://www.steves-digicams.com/default.htm) - Canon S1 IS (http://www.steves-digicams.com/2004_reviews/s1is.html)

[madajb]

Hell, on ultra-compacts, they've finally realized that any VF is pointless and they just need to make the LCD screen bigger.

The problem with using the CCD as a viewfinder is it encourages that awkward "Arms out with camera at shoulder height posture" which in a small camera emphasizes shake and results in blurry pics.

-ajb

[paultakeda]

Ultra-compacts are a market where shake isn't a problem because the flash will go off. ;)

Of course, you can just learn to keep your hands steady (locking elbows to the side works).

At this point most of those cameras have IS built-in, too.

[A4wheelin]

I've been in love with photography for a long time now, but just recently bought my first "good" camera. I researched for about 6 months before I decided to get the Canon Powerhot G6. This camera is amazing. It doesn't have the 10X zoom that one you're looking at has, but it has a full range of manual functions that would be good for learning the ins and outs of photography. Whatever you do, go to a camera store and actually hold whatever camera you're looking at in your hand and see how it feels. It's more important than you think. Good luck, hope I helped a little.

[Damon]

Everyone helped alot. After playing around with some cameras this weekend, I found that Canon for a good price. Now, I have to learn all the features (long owner's manual).

I took this goofing around. I was pretty much at the end of the 10x optical zoom. It focused more on the chair legs than the dog, but I'm please with my purchase!
http://www.imagedump.com/index.cgi?pick=get&tp=250835

[68TurboBug]

Cameraland in South OC... sorry that i didnt reply earlier...i have been gone for a little bit!!! PM if u guys need anything