A Sad Day

[Superangel]

Hi guys

Today I listed my DSLR on eBay :( It's a sad day for me, because I bought it with such excitement and high hopes, but I just don't have the time or energy needed to put into it.

I was just wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences? I used to shoot really nice photos with my point and shoot, but after I upgraded, I never really found that same joy.

It seemed I spent more time playing with settings than taking pictures. Of course there's always a learning curve, but I never seemed to make much progress (plus there's the added peril of all the expensive lenses and accessories!).

In the end, my work and family life mean I don't have the time needed to purse my DSLR hobby. Anyone else out there like me?

Superangel

[Rooz]

its quite common actually. either selling or its chucked into a cupboard to collect dust. you probably never found the same joy cos, as you said, you were too busy playing with settings rather than taking pictures.

if its so sad...why sell it ?

[Superangel]

Hi Rooz

Ha, I hope it's more common (misery loves company ;))

As for selling, I don't like hoarding things I don't use, so if someone else can get better use of it, than I think that's a good thing. Sadly I'm not rich enough to give it outright to one of my friends or family, so eBay it is :)

I hope in the future I'll be able to find time to pick up photography again and take the time to learn to use a DSLR properly. Until then, I guess it's back to P&S :(

[Anthony]

I am getting very dispondent as well. Unless its a very sunny day I always seem to need to use a tripod to do what I want. I suppose I should increase the ISO more as I try to stay on 100 or 200.
I do not seem to be taking any nicer photos than I did through my A650IS.
I need to find somebody local who is more compatant than me and go out with them for a while and see how they do things.
I have thought about evening classes but the ones I have been on in the past for other subjects have been full of people who have even less idea than me - book them selfs onto an intermediate course and would have trouble on a beginners course - or keep asking stupid questions and slow the class to a crawl. I suppose I might find somebody in the class to work with though and learn together.

I always hang on to items and never use them again so I think its good to ebay them - I still have my Pentax ME Super that I stopped using over 20 years ago ?

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

You can put a DSLR into auto mode. Then you don't have to think about taking photos except to pick the focus point. Then you just have a bulky point and shoot with a slightly better lens and no shutter lag.

I hated the delay from pressing the button to getting a shot on my old P&S.

Good luck with the sale, as Rooz said you're in good company, heaps of people buy and then give it up. It is a time consuming hobby.

[Csae]

I do not seem to be taking any nicer photos than I did through my A650IS.

I think thats the most common reason for selling the newly picked up dslrs.

[cdifoto]

My Fuji P&S is better at exposures than my Canon dSLR is when both are in P mode. I'm pretty sure Fuji programs more smarts into their little digis so they're basically idiot proof.

[DonSchap]

Hey ... pretend AUTO was not available ... and think just how good the shot really was, when you finally got it right! :D

The DSLR is a fine quality tool, meant to used with different tips (lenses) and light sources. If your not willing (or able) to put up with learning these, also ... yes, there is another way.


Your door awaits you ...


53908


Many have passed before ... simplicity has its own reward.

[Elisha]

My little guy is all over the place right now so he's a tough model. But I generally have no time to go out for dedicated shooting sessions anymore since the guy I used to go with has a new job now and his days off are very conflicting with my schedule. But I still take the camera out with me on my days off even if I end up not taking any pics.
Haven't though of selling it yet. In fact I'm thinking of buying more....

[fotogmarc]

I feel the pain. All winter long (too cold) I was waiting for spring to get out and shoot everything, then got sent away for work and came back at the end of June, now it's too hot. The sacrifices we make for art. :rolleyes:

[Gopher]

I think there's some ego in "going manual".

A friend who's a mom of 3 and as non-technical as they come absolutely loves the Olympus kit she got 4 years ago. She's never taken it out of "A" mode. It beats the hell out of any P&S. Her photos are fantastic!

I'd suggest getting a Sony or some other with IS in the body, that has a kit with a couple of good zoom ranges, and just leave it in "AUTO". When you're over this slump and confident in the camera; try for "P" mode (but don't mess things up by fearing high ISO). If the camera has an Auto mode that will go up to ISO 800 or 1600 then let it. Most DSLRs are OK at ISO 1600 these days. Most P&S aren't. Fuji pretends to be but it's all fake looking (IMO).

No matter how much "smarts" some P&S may have, nor how geared it might be to being "dummy proof", it lacks the big-sensor advantage.

[Rooz]

I think there's some ego in "going manual"..

there's some ego in anything you want to actually do well. thats one of the things that drives success.

[Gopher]

there's some ego in anything you want to actually do well. thats one of the things that drives success.

Or failure.

[cdifoto]

No matter how much "smarts" some P&S may have, nor how geared it might be to being "dummy proof", it lacks the big-sensor advantage.
True enough. But the "big" camera that's never brought along has no big sensor advantage. Let's face it, taking a dSLR or bridge sized camera along everywhere requires a certain dedication to the task. Otherwise it's just a burden.

I'll happily use my phone's camera if I must, because it's available and recording some sort of memory.

[Csae]

Or failure.

Yes, trying to be good at anything will meet with failures at some point.

I believe "Ego" wasn't the proper word, but "Pride" but might be suited.

Am i proud that i can tell my camera what to do better then its auto mode?

Hells yes.

[Rooz]

Or failure.

imo fear of failure and striving for success are 2 completely different mindsets and approaches. striving for success is what is required in learning photography because failures are inevitable. in fact your failures outweigh you're successes; thats why "great shots" are so rewarding cos they dont "just happen". alot of time, hard work and setbacks go into getting them regularly.

if failure is frustrating to the point where you give up, this is the wrong hobby.

[Gopher]

Guys. I have and use a P&S. It has it's place. Don; I have it mainly for the reason you said. My 8MP Droid Incredible camera does a great job for those impromptu "car crash" shots.

I'm just trying to say that some (many) newbies to DSLR prematurely leap into the matrix of setting-override and wind up with more bad photos than the soccer mom standing next to, get discouraged, then bail on the whole DSLR package and leave behind all their DSLR Auto-mode advantage.

[cdifoto]

Guys. I have and use a P&S. It has it's place. Don; I have it mainly for the reason you said. My 8MP Droid Incredible camera does a great job for those impromptu "car crash" shots.

I'm just trying to say that some (many) newbies to DSLR prematurely leap into the matrix of setting-override and wind up with more bad photos than the soccer mom standing next to, get discouraged, then bail on the whole DSLR package and leave behind all their DSLR Auto-mode advantage.
I don't disagree with any of that. :)

I actually slapped my 1D II into P mode the other day to get some random snaps of my nephews running around. I knew the P&S wouldn't be fast enough but I wanted to enjoy their company instead of spending the whole time being Mr. Photog. So even if you know what you're doing, it's okay to let the machine do some of the work.

[K1W1]

Hi guys

It seemed I spent more time playing with settings than taking pictures.

Do DSLR's have settings?
I'm going to have to find that manual I never read now. :mad:

[tim11]

.....
It seemed I spent more time playing with settings than taking pictures. Of course there's always a learning curve, but I never seemed to make much progress (plus there's the added peril of all the expensive lenses and accessories!).......

The peril of expensive lenses and accessories is foreseen and should be considered even before a DSLR is bought.

As for settings I only use fully manual whenever I can like when doing portrait or scenery shots; that is when I have the luxury of time to adjust the buttons. Other times I use Aperture mode. I could use P mode but I choose A from habit. The only things I change are aperture to my liking and ISO.
You can also always select one of the scene modes which is most convenience.

[Gopher]

The peril of expensive lenses and accessories are always foreseen and should be considered even before a DSLR is bought.

As for settings I only use fully manual whenever I can like when doing portrait or scenery shots; that is when I have the luxury of time to adjust the buttons. Other times I use Aperture mode. I could use P mode but I choose A from habit. The only things I change are aperture to my liking and ISO.
You can also always select one of the scene modes which is most convenience.

I go manual when it's likely the camera will get it wrong (eg: back-lighting or reflective surface showing sun-glints).

It's actually less fiddling than other methods and more sure to get the expected result.

Av Mode is great for most non-flash situations in changing light where you want to control DOF. On Canon however; ETTL flash in Av does not behave as one would expect.

Lenses; haha. No kidding.

<boring story>
I shot with a very experienced wedding shooter this Saturday (30 years experience, many hundreds of weddings) and he shot with a consumer Nikon (D40 I think) + just 2 lenses (f3.5-5.6 consumer standard zoom + 10mm fisheye). His only "fancy" gear was a flash bracket. Then he shot the entire wedding in Av mode. I was surprised.

He goes for good reflexes and composition (plus a very pleasant disposition).

I'm post processing now and he only shot 20 photos of the ceremony. I think I'll use most of them. Only 240 photos for the entire thing. Most look fabulous.

Some people are just not gear-heads. Others are. It doesn't seem to impact their actual photographic ability / results that much.

I have 11 or 12 expensive lenses, 4 expensive bodies, 4 flashes, etc. If I had to stick with my old 30D + 2 lenses I doubt I'd get much different results for most circumstances - I'd just miss the thrill of mounting a 135L!
</boring story>

[D70FAN]

Giving up on SLR's is not a recent phenomenon... digital or film.

I got a great deal on my SRT101 and 3 lenses that way. $225 including a bag and filters. In 1979 that was a great price. A few years later picked up a Minolta 7000 series for a little more from a guy who gave up as well.

Gotta love it when people give up on SLR's... "D" or not.

Actually, I'm sorry it didn't work out. But we do appreciate your sacrifice.

[Rooz]

lol x2
:D:D:D

[student]

In my eyes having a DSLR is like driving a stick shifted car.
In the beginning its hard to learn and you struggle a lot. But if you got to a certain point it is just fun and you would never want to change back to automatic transmission vehicles (although they have their advantages too).
....Actually I was talking about cameras :D

[cdifoto]

In my eyes having a DSLR is like driving a stick shifted car.
In the beginning its hard to learn and you struggle a lot. But if you got to a certain point it is just fun and you would never want to change back to automatic transmission vehicles (although they have their advantages too).
....Actually I was talking about cameras :D
And then you get older and just don't feel like shifting anymore.

Heck I've only been driving for about 15 years now and can't stand anything but an automatic...just because the "fun" wears off once you get a daily commute with lots of stop-and-go traffic. In other words, there comes a point when you just want to arrive.

[missy0614]

I feel the same way and I am using this forum as a confession. I have been taking pictures for years but always used the P&S.

I wanted a camera that took fast shots because the LONG delay between shots was not good for what I do with the standard P&S cameras. I need the speed of taking many shots very quickly. I do large virtual tours of homes - exterior and interior.

I bought a Nikon D70, extra flash, lens, etc... and love the speed when you take the shots but I just don’t know how to work all the settings and dont have the time to learn. I work long hours.... This camera is just too complex - I constantly have to brighten pictures even in AUTO mode. I have learned things reading this forum that AUTO mode is not the best but....

TODAY is a brand new problem, which is why im posting this. I took pictures of a beautiful house in the country. I took about 300 shots and they are ALL almost WHITE - and this is a first.

I have to go and retake them all. :eek:

For about a year its worked just fine - so I must have hit a botton on the body because I never change the settings within the menu. I have always had to brighten pictures a bit when using the AUTO setting but still they come out rather nice. Does anyone know which button I must have hit or does my camera need service?

I just want a P&S camera that takes clear shots with a fast speed!!! Any suggestions?

I feel awful posting this on a forum where I know that most of you are all professionals but I just can’t do it right now.

I am going to attach a picture so you can see what it looks like...

HELP

[David Metsky]

TODAY is a brand new problem, which is why im posting this.

You should start a new thread for your specific problem, not just add a post to an existing unrelated thread.

[SpecialK]

You should start a new thread for your specific problem, not just add a post to an existing unrelated thread.

And also your attached images should be no wider than 1000 pixels. We can't see the whole thing without more clicking, and text runs off the screen. No one likes scrolling sideways.

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

What they said, however to answer your question I bet one of 2 things
-you hit a button that switches to spot metering. Grab your manual and work out how to restore it to matrix metering.
-you hit a button for exposure compensation and made it "+"
-you put it in manual "M" instead of automatic "P" mode like usual.

[D70FAN]

As with the your post on the thread you created before...

I've had my D70 since introduction in 2004. It has been, and continues to be, a great tool.

At one point the exposure control unit failed. It took a few weeks to get it replaced (don't remember the cost), but has been working fine since then (about 4 years ago).

But first, go into the menu, custom settings (3rd menu down), and reset to factory settings. For help on settings and menu's I suggest you read Jeffs review of the D70.

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/nikon/d70-review/

See you back at the original thread.