What easy to use camera?

[Mike Buckley]

Much of it is not as obvious as we might think it is.

I would change that to none of it is obvious. I'm thrilled for her that her new baby will be such great motivation for getting comfortable with her camera and then perhaps post-processing if she also gets into that. Even so, there is a little bit of me that feels sorry for her that she has to endure the frustrations of the learning curve. If she's really lucky, she never shot a film camera and doesn't know how easy it used to be to learn the basic mechanics of taking a picture.

[William W]

I think that's excellent progress.

I think that if she does choose a DSLR and the price point is about equal, that there would be additional benefits for her choosing Canon over Nikon.

I also think that a mirror-less kit would be a better choice, but that's with the benefit of experience: it occurs to me that many of her 'biases' (I mean bias from ignorance) have been addressed/corrected by the rewarding chat that you had with her.

You accompanying her to a shop where she could have a play with a mirror-less camera kit and providing encouragement and confidence and explanations (explanations apart from the sale staff 'explanations') might just be a bigger gift for you to give her than the Camera itself.

Good Luck

WW

[DanK]

Much of it is not as obvious as we might think it is.

Indeed. When I was learning to use an SLR, they were very simple. One had a shutter speed dial and an aperture ring. If you were lucky, you had a meter, although each brand typically had only one type of metering. This made it very simple to learn the basics. The "exposure triangle" lacked the third dimension, unless you changed films, and the tradeoff between shutter speed and aperture was physical. Very simple.

My advice to newbies, which runs counter to what most people suggest, is that when you are ready to try to learn how to manage exposure, you forget almost all of the features of your camera and shoot in manual, initially at one fixed ISO, or alternatively in Av or Tv, but never in auto. Then, just like in the old days, you actually see what is happening. Change the shutter speed, and the indicator moves in one direction. Change aperture to move it back to center.

[Adrian]

It will be interesting to see how she gets on over the weekend. There is bound to be some influence from her partner (who knows nothing as well). I am not against using auto mode for beginners: mainly because sometimes it is better to get the shot rather than miss it fiddling with settings. It has taken me a good year to get my wife to work out how to get her camera optimised for the likely settings she needs before she goes out into the busy street / indoors to a cathedral/ wherever. It's all practice and understanding. It is surprising really how much value can be had now for about £450 with a very decent SLR and a couple of kit lenses. More than enough capability for most people who just want to take pictures they can be proud of.

Learning processing will be easy. We have photoshop, lightroom, indesign etc in the office and her assistant did a fine art degree and is familiar with PS so we can get her sufficiently up to speed on that pretty fast as she is computer literate.

[William W]

. . . It is quite interesting watching someone get used to an SLR. . . For a total novice, a lot of time is spent trying to work out what to do. Much of it is not as obvious as we might think it is.

I would change that to none of it is obvious. . . getting comfortable with her camera and then perhaps post-processing if she also gets into that.

. . .My advice to newbies, which runs counter to what most people suggest, is that when you are ready to try to learn how to manage exposure, you forget almost all of the features of your camera and shoot in manual, initially at one fixed ISO. . . you actually see what is happening. , ,

. . . Learning processing will be easy. We have photoshop, lightroom, indesign etc in the office and her assistant did a fine art degree and is familiar with PS so we can get her sufficiently up to speed on that pretty fast as she is computer literate.

I have taught Photography at College; more recently I tutor High School Students in preparation for their matriculation exam - these 17~18 year old students are studying Art and their main medium is Photography.

Essentially they are good Artists; talented and driven; and most have quite sophisticated Cameras and all have been using DSLRs for at least three or four years . . .

I have been tutoring this particular Subject for about 5 years, two or three (new) Students each year: the greatest challenge is in educating them how to become better PHOTOGRAPHERS . . . to do that one has to get them to unlearn "I will fix it in post".

WW

[xpatUSA]

If she's really lucky, she never shot a film camera and doesn't know how easy it used to be to learn the basic mechanics of taking a picture.

Indeed . . I went from a Praktica MTL3 to a Nikon D50 (via a Kodak EasyShare P&S horror) and it was quite a jump for this old man . . .

[Adrian]

Bill - I couldn't agree more that "fixing it in post" is a bad habit that far too many photographers fall into. I am not a teacher but when I am helping people with photography my approach is to try to get them to see the shot in their mind and then take that shot with the camera. This means getting as close to the mental image as possible, by setting up the camera properly, composing and framing the shot. Processing for me is best when it is minimised and simple.

One of my medial and marketing team was the exact type of person that you describe. She was forever cutting out segments of images, adding backgrounds and so on and came to rely on this "fix it" approach rather than just getting it right in the first place. I dislike doing a lot of PP.

What I am going to try to do with my HR manager is show her exact how to get good photos of her baby, using mainly natural light, not blinding the child with flash, using some easy to remember and simple to replicate settings for a couple of different scenarios.

[Mike Buckley]

What I am going to try to do with my HR manager is show her exact how to get good photos of her baby, using mainly natural light, not blinding the child with flash, using some easy to remember and simple to replicate settings for a couple of different scenarios.

Such an invaluable service for a beginning photographer! You could visit her home and show her why certain places would tend to produce better photographs than other places.

[Adrian]

Ha! I have a business to run you know! We will be doing her tuition in lunch hours, in the office, using a baby simulator (anything really). And others who want to acquire some skills can participate. We will be covering the basics: JPEG and Raw, aperture settings, shutter speed, ISO, exposure, rule of thirds, how to shift focus points, basics of processing in lightroom, how to save stuff properly, how to keep your lenses clean. And: getting ready for the shot well before taking the shot!

[William W]

. . . I am not a teacher but . . .

Ha! I have a business to run you know!

Many similar skills and personal attributes are required for either task to be successful.

. . . We will be doing her tuition in lunch hours, in the office . ..

Generosity is one of those attributes.

WW

[Adrian]

This made me smile Bill. We cannot usefully take secrets to the grave. If we know things it is incumbent upon us to pass them on to those who come after us. As time passes, generosity becomes easier. I also think that those of us who choose to teach (or guide or share) often get more out of it than the pupil. To give an example, in my business we have a necessity for staff to acquire technical skills and pass exams. We have built a mentoring scheme and to make this happen I have had to set an example. One of my "students: is a 20 year old whom we originally hired as a receptionist just before she turned 18. She is now taking exams in asset securitisation and I am sure she will have achieved her final professional qualifications before she is 22 or 23. I was told this was a waste of my time, but my view is that she will make a great success of her career as she has more determination and just as much intellect as a good many people with degrees. My hope is that she will do the same for someone someday when she is running a business. We all need open minds.

These things are small and in many ways I envy teachers for the ability to influence so many people and make such a difference. I lack the saintly patience required usually. If our HR manager develops a new skill or enthusiasm, then maybe she will pass it on to her son or daughter and a few lunch hours and some notes to help and remind her will have been time well spent.

[Adrian]

Further discussions have ensued. My colleague is wondering if an SLR is a bit too big and heavy for her, especially if she has two lenses. This is quite a common female perspective I find, as I have been showing her assistant how to use our office Canon 6D with a 24-105L on it usually, and she finds that heavy as well. She asked me if I carry my similar camera around on holiday and was surprised when I said yes. We have all got used to small pointed shoots and of course our phones, so a larger camera seems anathema to many. My wife started off with the "its too big and heavy" perspective as well, but she got used to it and now she can work a camera properly and swap lenses like a pro, it doesn't cross her mind.

Anyway, I digress. It turns out that apart from Leica there are no bricks and mortar camera shops near where we work or near where my college lives, so it is quite tricky to try things out without a major shopping expedition. As she is 7 months pregnant, braving the Christmas shoppers does not appeal. However, as I am a pretty good customer of a camera shop in Surrey, they are going to send me a couple of suggestions to try out along the lines of the Sony Alpha 6000 or similar. This camera used to be around £650 but can now be found for £375 with a 16-50mm lens. It has a decent sensor, comparable with the consumer grade small DSLRs and though I have only used one once, I found it pretty good.

Colin from the camera shop is sending me a bridge camera too. I have no experience at all of those. Anyway, it does mean we can go and do a meaningful comparison when they arrive. This is a brilliant service actually and a good differentiator from the internet shopping alternative. He sometimes sends me lenses that I have expressed interest in: no obligation and never asks for money up front. As result I have bought practically all of my L glass from him and at least three camera bodies. Whilst he cannot always match internet prices, he does tend to give me the odd 32Gb SD card or whatever.

Thinking back, one of the cameras I used a great deal was a Leica X1. It went everywhere with me and although it was fixed focal length, I was happy with it as a walk around camera. I bought it second hand and somewhat regret selling it (at a profit as it happens). Maybe a modern version of something like that is all she needs (not Leica obviously - way outside her budget).

[davidedric]

i think your colleague is very fortunate to have such caring co-worker.

Good luck.

Dave