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Now y'all know that I just got a new camera that weighs 1.65 lbs with the battery on it. More than that, you folks also know that I am very much an amateur. Because of that I do want to ramp up my skills and am reviewing some free online tutorials/classes and following up their "assignments". It would help if I had a tripod to do this since I don't want to have to practice not shaking the camera as well as practice the technique I am currently trying. I mostly will be taking the shots around the house,not lugging everything to Mt. Everest. As such, I need something lightweight, short enough to take pics at tabletop level, and no more than 5' fully extended cause that's how tall I am!
Are there better free online sites than others? I'm also exploring books to read. Not to say that I'm not reading the manual (but you guys have to admit those put you to sleep!).
Suggestions for both tripod (don't want to pay top $$$$ - remember, bibit is NOT a pro) and FREE (as in no $$$ ) online classes?
Check ebay for tripods, you might want to consider monopod as well, just something different.
As far as online tutorials, hmm, i personally don't know any right from the top of my head, but i might google some for ya...
You can also subscribe to a photography magazine, i love my Popular Photography that i get monthly, there are bunch of others as well. Something to think about.
If you're going to be using a tripod frequently, I highly recommend finding one with a ball head vs. a pan head. I started out with a pan head, and while it served its purpose as far as stability goes, it was a pain in the rear to set the head exactly where I wanted it. There were three different knobs to unscrew, position the head, then tighten the screws again. It was pretty time consuming.
Around the first of this year, when I embarked on Project 365, I decided it was time to upgrade. In addition to wanting a ball head assembly, I also wanted a tripod that could almost completely flatten, so I could get the camera as close to the ground as possible for certain macro shots.
This is the system I went with. The ballhead has a pistol grip - just squeeze the trigger, move the head where you want it, and release - all in one fluid motion. The legs can be spread out completely, and the center post removed, so that you can put the tripod almost flat on the ground. This really came in handy when I took this shot:
I realize that this is probably out of the price range you were thinking of, but I just wanted to throw it out there. If you look on B&H's web site, you will see that there are a lot of different tripod systems out there in all price ranges.
Oops! I forgot to address your question about online lesson sites.
This site has many online tutorials that may help you out. They also have a tips newsletter that you can subscribe to.
I haven't taken any tutuorials or lessons per se, but when there's a specific subject I'm interested in photographing, I'll Google that to find tips. When I became interested in macro photography, I took a local workshop. No, it wasn't free ($65), but it was money very well spent. It lasted three days, included a field trip and two days classroom. Simply having a live instructor helped tremendously. She was able to give me feedback on what I was doing wrong, as well as what I was doing right. It was in her workshop that the light bulb finally went off regarding aperture - something I had been struggling with for a long time. (The fact that a large aperture number actually means the aperture is small was SO confusing for me.) Now, instead of turning the dial on my camera and viewing it as a crap shoot, I know what to aim for.
Katie - the tripod you posted can only carry cameras lighter than 1 lb. Mine is already 1.65 with no extra lenses on it so it just won't do.
Claire - I looked at some of the tripods at B&H where I got the camera, but you're right! The price is about that of any good P&S! Until I can come to even close your calibre, I would have to pass on that one. Thanks also for the site link. I have so much more to learn. This morning, I was totally stumped. I was trying to practice one of the lessons in the online site I found...said to set ISO to 100, f16 and speed at 1/250. I just cannot get that exposure correctly to take a picture in broad daylight on a manual setting. I fooled around with the EV compensation setting...still no cigar! I know the only way I can figure out my camera is to keep reading the manual, trying what it means in various combinations of aperture/speed/light/distance/white balance, etc. and a million other permutations to get the best setting. I even tried to bracket it, but it really only worked at shutter priority. Oh well...I'll figure it out somehow!
In the end I ended up with a MX 2000 Full size tripod with a bonus case and quick release panel, with 2 ball settings and a weight hook at the bottom. It's maximum height is 61", collapsing to 23", not ideal but will do for now. It also takes as much as 3 lbs so that should be safe enough for my camera even with additional converter lenses.
While I am excited to shoot and post here, I just cannot embarass myself completely. I have to get beyond mediocre but if the itch is really there, I still have my backup 3 MP. If I can count on the Leica lenses, then it shouldn't be too shabby to post!
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) online classes?
$12.97
