Just do it.

Know Your Camera You buy the latest digital camera out there, come home, rip off the box, then proceed to fiddle with the device. You briefly flick through the hundred page camera manual and then never look at it again. Not a good idea! If you buy a digital camera, you owe it to yourself to understand its ins and outs. Learn how to control exposure, how to use different camera modes and how to use the flash.

The knowledge you gain about the camera will be invaluable when you're out in the field taking those special photos. One of the most important things you need to know about digital photography is to control the flash. Personally, I hate to rely on the automatic flash that comes with the digital camera. Depending on the situation, you need to switch off or switch on the flash. For example, when taking outdoor photos, it is sometimes good to turn on the flash to illuminate the subject, especially if he or she is in the shade. On the other hand, you can also choose to turn off the flash when taking indoor shots. Sometimes, using the flash indoors will result in unnatural skin color and harsh glare in your photos. Use the tripod this tip to all budding photographers - camera tripods are an essential tool in your photography arsenal. When will you need a tripod? Well, it's useful if you're taking shots under low-light conditions or trying to capture fast moving objects. I like to use a tripod when taking night shots city streets, for example. Always try to look for a tripod that's convenient to carry around. For personal use, you don't need a huge one - just a simple compact one that's easy to pack.

The ISO setting of a essentially camera controls it's sensitivity to light. If you're taking a photo of a still object, like a flower, then always use a low ISO setting. It allows for a longer shutter speed and produces a cleaner image. If you're shooting a moving object, like a baby playing with a toy, then a higher ISO setting of say 400 would be better. Do take note, however, that a higher ISO setting gives a faster shutter speed and requires less light. This will produce noiser photos.

Update firmware or 35-full frame

If the lens mounts are compatible, many lenses, including manual focus models, designed for 35 mm cameras can be mounted on the latest DSLR cameras. When a lens designed for a full-frame camera is mounted on a camera with a smaller sensor, only the center of the lens’s image circle is captured. The edges are cropped off, which has the effect of zooming in on the center section of the imaging area. The ratio of the size of the captured image to the size of the full-frame 35 mm format is known as the “crop factor” or “focal-length multiplier″, and is typically in the range 1.3–2.0 for non-full-frame digital SLRs.

One advantage of full-frame DSLR cameras is that lenses designed for 35 mm film cameras provide the same angle of view on the new DSLRs as that to which photographers were accustomed on their film cameras. This can be very useful with wide-angle lenses and with zoom lenses whose ranges were chosen for the full-frame 35 mm format. The full-frame sensor can also be useful with perspective control or tilt/shift lenses; in particular, the wider angle of view is often more suitable for architectural photography.

Canon and Nikon have released firmware updates for the 40D, D3 and D700 DSLRS. All three updates correct rare errors and make minor changes to camera behavior. The 40D is updated to firmware v1.1.1. The Nikon D3 moves to v2.01 and the D700 to V1.01. Full details of all the issues resolved are made on the relevant company's websites. Click here for direct links to the downloads.

Other uses of full-frame

Canon
Canon EOS-1Ds (2002)

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II (2004)
Canon EOS 5D (2005)
Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III (2007)
Canon EOS 5D Mark II (2008)

Nikon
Nikon D3 (2007)

Nikon D700 (2008)
Nikon D3X (2008)

DSLR design principles

A camera based on the single-lens reflex (SLR) principle uses a mirror to show in a viewfinder the image that will be captured. The cross-section (side-view) of the optical components of an SLR shows how the light passes through the lens assembly is reflected into the pentaprism by the reflex mirror (which must be at an exact 45 degree angle) (1) and is projected on the matte focusing screen (4). Via a condensing lens (5) and internal reflections in the roof pentaprism (6) the image is projected through the eyepiece to the photographer's eye.

Focusing is either automatic, activated by pressing half-way on the shutter release or a dedicated AF button, as is mainly the case with an autofocusing film SLR; or manual, where the photographer manually focuses the lens by turning a lens ring on the lens barrel. When an image is photographed, the mirror swings upwards in the direction of the arrow, the focal-plane shutter (2) opens, and the image is projected and captured on the sensor (3), after which actions, the shutter closes, the mirror returns to a critical 45 degree angle, and the diaphragm reopens and the built in drive mechanism retensions the shutter for the next exposure. There is often a ring of soft material around the focusing screen, which helps to both cushion the impact of the mirror slapping up and help seal the mirror box from light entering through the eye piece.[1] Some high end cameras incorporate a shutter into the eyepiece to further eliminate light that may enter there during long exposures.

What is a DSLR?

What is an SLR camera?
SLR stands for Single Lens Reflex. In the days before digital cameras, SLR cameras were the tools of professional photographers. Basically the design is such that light entering the lens is reflected by a mirror up into the viewfinder (eye-piece), allowing the photographer to see exactly what the final picture will look like.

So a DSLR (Digital SLR) is just a computerized version of the mechanical SLR, using digital memory cards and light sensor chips instead of film. SLRs also use interchangeable lens, all with different focal lengths, allowing for closeup macro photography or long distance telephoto photography.