Massive Cam noob here...

[Mystical Itachi]

Wassup guys, bout week ago i bought a Canon PowerShot SD200 @ Walmart for $300 (tax included) and a 256MB SD Card, cause i figure the 16MB one was to small for my needs.


Technology has advanced so high, now cameras have tons of options and stuff to make pictures better or create amazing effects...

Im here amazed at the pictures you guys post around here and the amazing details etc etc, my question is... are you guys like using professionals cameras that cost $500+? or can this stuff be done with my camera?

IF it can be done with my camera..
Is there a tutorial on how to take pictures from like different agles and stuff..

Like how to take pictures of a butterfly upclose, and taking pictures of lightning etc etc

One question that i keep asking my self but seems only high end cams can do this? is taking a picture of a person, but the surroundings stay blur while the person is crystal clear...i beleive ya call this portrait? how do i go on doing this with my cam?


I hope those $350 i spend wasnt a waste of money, thank you.


P.S. Whats the meaning of SLR?

[sjseto]

Im here amazed at the pictures you guys post around here and the amazing details etc etc, my question is... are you guys like using professionals cameras that cost $500+? or can this stuff be done with my camera?

IF it can be done with my camera..
Is there a tutorial on how to take pictures from like different agles and stuff..

Like how to take pictures of a butterfly upclose, and taking pictures of lightning etc etc
Try Web sites like shortcourses.com (http://www.shortcourses.com/) and betterphoto.com (http://www.betterphoto.com/) for tutorials on photography.

One question that i keep asking my self but seems only high end cams can do this? is taking a picture of a person, but the surroundings stay blur while the person is crystal clear...i beleive ya call this portrait? how do i go on doing this with my cam?

I hope those $350 i spend wasnt a waste of money, thank you.

P.S. Whats the meaning of SLR?
SLR = Single Lens Reflex. More explanation here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-lens_reflex_camera) and here (http://science.howstuffworks.com/camera.htm).

No, your SD200 was absolutely not a waste of money. It is true that there are situations which call for an SLR, or when an SLR will simply make the task easier. Being able to manually control aperture and shutter speed (although you can do that with certain compact cameras, it is much easier to do with an SLR), switch lenses, and having the option to mount an external flash, for example. And because of its larger sensor, the image quality of a DSLR will exceed that of a compact digital camera.

The SLR is a marvelously flexible tool. But it is (relatively) large, and not very discreet. Even SLR users often want a second, take-anywhere cam when they simply don't want to drag the big equipment along. That's where compacts like yours come in handy. You never know when a picture opportunity is going to happen, and a camera that you have in your pocket is going to be able to record it, not a camera that you've left at home.

There are shooting modes on your SD200 that will help you take better pictures in certain situations, like the portrait mode. When you select that mode, the camera will select a larger aperture, so you get that blurred background effect behind your subject. It won't be quite as effective as an SLR, but will usually be better than using full auto mode. It will help if you use the telephoto end of your lens and make sure that the distance from you to your subject is much less than the distance between the subject and the background.

So, enjoy your SD200. I think that the most important factor in taking great pictures is your own creativity and imagination, not the camera that you use. Some day you might want to expand into SLR territory, but I think that it will complement, rather than replace, your compact.

[Mystical Itachi]

Woa man, thanks for taking time and explaining me this stuffs..thanks for those photo tutorial links, im gonna check those when i have time so i can understand this cams better.


Thanks alot!!


Yeah i saw alot of powerful cams on walmart but the one that caught my eye was the sd200 due to the fact that was very small, and im a guy that doesnt like carrying heavy stuff around or to much stuff...i carry my keys and cause i have too (lol) , thought a 3.2 MP wasnt to bad for taking pictures of friends and stuff on the street.