New to DSLR photography...hate my camera???

[tracib]

I recently purchased a used NikonD70 camera. I've been begging my husband for one for a while now and he said we can't afford a new camera.....so I said "I'll take a used one!!" Anway, I got the Nikon as my early christmas present. My problem is, I hate it. The pictures are awful. I'm sure this is all due to the fact that I have NO clue how to use it. I've read and read and read things about it and just can't get anything to look good. How long did it take you to figure out what setting to use in what siutation? Should I take a class? Just keep trying? I'm to the point where I want to go back to my Kodak point and shoot. The pictures that took were amazingly crisp and great! HELP!

Traci

[AnonymousKiwi1]

I know how you feel. I was hugely disappointed with what I got from my D90 when I first got it, after upgrading from a cool little Cannon Ixus P&S.
BUT - perservere. It could take weeks before you get something you're really happy with. Just keep trying. It was suggested to me to start out with Aperture priority mode, makes for much less dial twiddling than attempting manual straight up. Read the manaul, set yourself little tasks - try the weekly assignments. Having a project to focus on, not just randomly snapping might help.
Also, to take the pressure off yourself when you're in one of those "I can't miss the shot" situations, just switch to full auto. There is no shame it in.
It is a HUGE learning curve. A little at a time is the best way.

[nickbedford]

Trust me. A D70 is light years ahead of a compact. You just need to get used to it and learn how to use it.

[BexJarratt]

AnonymousKiwi1 has some very good advice there. I've had my camera for nearly a month and I'm still experimenting a lot and learning. About 20% of my pics are ok now, which is an improvement on when I first started using it.

I would add, try and find out if a local photography or wildlife group are doing any lessons/courses. I did one a couple of weeks ago where they told us about light levels, white balance, depth of field, and composition, equipment such as filters, etc and then showed us a lot of their photos and we critiqued them or they explained how they achieved them or would change them if they retook it, and they did a little bit about post-production. It was a local wildlife charity so it was really cheap and the tutors were both professional/semi-professional photographers, one self taught and one university graduate. Then we went out into "the field" (the nature reserve) where we were coached a bit about taking photos, both up-close and landscapes. It was really good fun and I learnt a lot.

[AnonymousKiwi1]

Can I also add that you need to take in to account the capabilites of your lens. You'll struggle in low light unless you have something capable of large (that is large opening, low f/ stop number - urk, is that one confusing when you start out!) apertures. So make sure you start out in good (probably outdoor) light. What lens do you have?

Lisa

[Biomech]

And don't forget, it's one thing to read up but it's another to understand how one thing affects another

[ravncat]

I used a D70 for several years, it's a great camera. I gave it to mu aunt and it is still functioning well. I remember having a small bout of unhappiness with it when I first got it. It's a different beast than a point and shoot, and nikons basic settings are less contrasty, less sharp and less saturated than the point and shoot I had been using. This is to give more room in post processing.

You can adjust the picture controls or learn raw ( I really recommend raw to get the most out of that camera, but you can get there in time). Dont trust the LCD for anything more than composition, it won't give you a good idea of color or sharpness and will be a bit different in brightness , try setting screen brightness to -1.

The lens and shot discipline are now alot more important, so make sure you understand handholding and focus techniques. Don't give up on it and when it starts rewarding you, you'll fall in love with it, it's a magical camera.

[RLucas]

Originally Posted by ravncat

I used a D70 for several years, it's a great camera. I gave it to mu aunt and it is still functioning well. I remember having a small bout of unhappiness with it when I first got it. It's a different beast than a point and shoot, and nikons basic settings are less contrasty, less sharp and less saturated than the point and shoot I had been using. This is to give more room in post processing.

You can adjust the picture controls or learn raw ( I really recommend raw to get the most out of that camera, but you can get there in time). Dont trust the LCD for anything more than composition, it won't give you a good idea of color or sharpness and will be a bit different in brightness , try setting screen brightness to -1.

The lens and shot discipline are now alot more important, so make sure you understand handholding and focus techniques. Don't give up on it and when it starts rewarding you, you'll fall in love with it, it's a magical camera.

I agree with this completely. I still use a D70 and I am very happy with it! You are more than welcome to check out my stream for examples. It's a mix of a D70 and a D40, but I tag most of my photos with what I used.

[inkista]

Don't worry, it's you and not the camera. And the techniques you need to learn are relatively simple ones to master. You just have to find the right information and tutorials. A class might not hurt, either. But for now, I'd say start with this one:

How to Hold a Digital Camera

And then move on to this one:

How to Take Sharp Digital Images

Those should help with the crisp. But the other thing to keep in mind is that dSLRs, by default, do not add any processing to files the way that P&S cameras do. P&S processing almost always cranks up the saturation and adds some sharpening in a one-size-fits-all processing manner. dSLRs assume you want to post-process to fit the individual image yourself, later. If you don't want to go into the post-processing stuff just yet, fixing the in-camera settings for sharpness and saturation may help make stuff look a little more like what you were getting out of your point and shoot.

[Jonbar18]

Originally Posted by tracib

I recently purchased a used NikonD70 camera. I've been begging my husband for one for a while now and he said we can't afford a new camera.....so I said "I'll take a used one!!" Anway, I got the Nikon as my early christmas present. My problem is, I hate it. The pictures are awful. I'm sure this is all due to the fact that I have NO clue how to use it. I've read and read and read things about it and just can't get anything to look good. How long did it take you to figure out what setting to use in what siutation? Should I take a class? Just keep trying? I'm to the point where I want to go back to my Kodak point and shoot. The pictures that took were amazingly crisp and great! HELP!

Traci

I know what you mean! My camera keeps cutting off peoples heads!
But really, don't worry, it's a learning curve but you'll get over it. Search around the site for some tips on taking better images.