Introduction and question

[chrisal]

Hi everyone, I've just brough home a Nikon 5100... it's been about 14 years since I've had a SLR and now have to learn how to use my new toy... any suggestions on the best place to start?

I'm hoping to try some of the assignments - I've been tempted before, but put it off.
Al C

[autofocus]

Many of the same tenets that applied to film photography still apply to today's dSLR's. So, your experience from the past should help you. When it comes to things like aperture settings and shutter settings and manual settings...all pretty much the same. ASA is now ISO, and both share the same parallels..sensitivity to light, and their respective trade offs as it's increased. You now have a histogram to help you with getting correct exposures...a good thing to learn and to use. Also, the joy of instant gratification in seeing your results. Exposure latitude is more critical than what it was for film..more like what chrome/slide shooting was. For the most part, you will need to learn some editing program to really reap the best results from your digital photographs. This could be your most difficult transition to make as some programs, like Photoshop, have steep learning curves. So, re-learning to use your new DSLR camera should be the easiest transition you will be faced with. I would say the best thing to do is to shoot lots and lots, and re-learn as you go