Newb

[nspctr1]

I just purchased a Olympus E420 DSLR for general photography, family, cars, hunting pics etc. I'm new to this area as my old camera was a 2 mp sony point and shoot so this one is a bit more advanced for me. Does anyone have any tips, tricks, or articles I can/should read.

Thanks for your help.

Kevin

[Ian]

Re: Newb

Hi Kevin, welcome to DPNow.

For camera-specific tips, you might like to have a look at our other site, Four Thirds User, which specialises in Olympus and Panasonic system cameras

But do stay with us too!

Basically, I would be careful when using your E-420 if you are shooting RAW (ORF on Olympus) - if you use Auto Gradation, you risk under exposing RAW files slightly. If you are shooting JPEGs only, then Auto Gradation is fine.

You may want to switch the Noise Filter off or to Low instead of Standard as it tends to filter detail as well as noise. This only applies to JPEGs.

Which lens(es) do you have? Only go below f/8 if you need a lot of depth of field.

The E-420 is great little camera, especially for the money they can be bought for now and the kit lens is excellent.

Ian

[nspctr1]

Re: Newb

Thanks, the camera didn't come with a lens but I got a pretty good deal on a 14-42 mm but probably need something smaller like a 25 or 35 mm. As I mentioned earlier, I am a amature at best so you may need to break down the lingo in a more laymans terms. I have visited the 4/3 site and am gathering info between the two.

Kevin

[Ian]

Re: Newb

Ah! Sorry about that Kevin

Is this your first DSLR? What kind of photography interests you the most? That will be a good starting point.

Ian

[nspctr1]

Re: Newb

Yeah, my first dslr. Not sure what kind of photography interests me. That little sony has seen alot of action though through west texas, auto racing, and just general family gatherings.

[Ian]

Re: Newb

I think the big difference you will find with a DSLR is that you can take great pictures without the need for flash.

I'd use the full auto modes to start with (P on the dial), and then start experimenting with aperture priority mode (A on the dial), and choosing different apertures and seeing how that affects the shutter speed (which will still be automatically selected by the camera).

Start with ISO 100, but also experiment going up to 400, maybe even 800.

When you adjust the aperture manually, you will also notice that you can control how much of the scene is sharp focus. By limiting the focus you can be creative, limiting the 'depth of field'.

Here is an older forum discussion that may interest you:

http://dpnow.com/forum2/showthread.php?t=8068

Basically get acquainted with the camera and discover what it can do which your sony compact can't

Ian