Digital SLR Photography Courses specialise in helping beginners and intermediate photographers to get the very best from their digital SLR cameras.

"Thanks for a most enjoyable & informative day. It answered all my questioned plus many more. Considering lunch was included I thought it was really excellent value for money." David Stone

Course Location & Timings

 

Dates: February to November 2012

Timings: 09.45am - 5.00pm

Address: 25 Westerby Lane, Smeeton Westerby, Leics, LE8 0RA

Telephone. 0116 2796906

Price: £135

Lunch: Included

 

Nature = Nature & Bird Photography Course at Rutland Water. Oakham

 

Photography Course Timings

 

9.30 -10am Arrival, coffee & biscuits 10.00am camera settings & theory

12.30 -1.00pm light lunch (included)

1pm-3pm Practical photography

3pm-4pm Review photographs

4pm-5pm Photo-editing Demonstration

5pm Questions & course feedback

 

DSLR Course Requirements

 

Digital SLR Camera

Extra lenses - optional

External flashgun - optional

Fully charged battery and / or a spare

Empty memory card

Any other kit you need explaining

change of shoes if wet.

 

Please ensure you have a fully charged battery as we will be using your camera a lot and batteries do to tend to run out.For batteries and cards at huge discounts visit

www.mymemory.co.uk

 

Is it worth buying Sigma or Tamron Lenses

It's always nice to have the dedicated Nikon lenses on your camera and in the ideal world it would be good to stick with the branded lenses. In reality though you can often get a similar Sigma or Tamrom lens for about 2/3rds of the price.

I personally don't have a problem with buying non Nikon lenses as I've owned and used Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 EX and a Sigma 70-200mm 2.8 EX for the past two years without any problems.

What about other Flashguns

I must admit though I do have some non Nikon lenses all my flash guns are Nikon branded. I haven't tried other makes so I can't comment but I suppose It's because the price difference isn't so large as it is with lenses. I use my flashes a lot with the Nikon Creative lighting system which I think works really well. I don't think I would feel confident using other brands.

If anyone has tried them in a multiple flash setting I would like to hear your comments.

Camera Buying Guide - Nikon

This section is dedicated to helping you choose a Nikon camera outfit and it is divided into four sections: Amateur, Enthusiast, Semi Pro and Professional. - See the Canon Camera Buying Guide

Standard Lenses
Each session will list a suggested camera for that level and offer advice on suitable lenses and flashguns. Most amateur models tend to come with a 18-55mm zoom as standard but as you get higher up the price scale it is more common to buy a body only and a separate lens.

Flash photography with the built in flash
The flash built into amateur cameras is of very low power so I have also suggested suitable flashguns which can be purchased when funds allow. These units all have swivel heads which will allow you to bounce the light off a ceiling or wall for a softer light. This subject is covered in great depth on the Portrait Photography Course

Which Amateur Nikon DSLR Camera should I buy?

Buying an amateur digital SLR is still an expensive commitment and it can be daunting as to which one to choose. The main players are Canon and Nikon with Pentax, Sony and Olympus all offering credible, good value alternatives. If extra lenses are important then Canon and Nikon offer a greater choice of branded and compatible options.

Nikon D5100

I have chosen the Nikon D5100 because it is a very easy to use camera with a excellent display and because of it's adjustable LCD live view screen. This large swivel screen allows the user to take photographs from low or high angles by tilting the screen to suit. I also like the excellent display which shows the aperture setting as a graphic as well as a number which is much easier for beginners to understand. If you want to save a few pounds you could also take a look at the D3100.

Lenses
The Nikon D5100 camera comes with the 18-55mm f3.5-4.5 zoom as standard at about £480. This is a good starter lens but the user soon tends to feel the need to buy a telephoto to get closer to objects. The usual choice here is the Nikon 55-200mm and this is often bundled as a Twin Lens Kit for about £700. A more flexible alternative is the Nikon 18-105mm starter zoom lens for about £230.

If you can afford the £500 then I'm a great fan of the excellent Nikon 18-200mm F3.5-5.6G IF-ED AF-S VR II DX Lens super zoom This should keep most amateurs happy for the majority of photography assignments and will save you having to buy another zoom in the future. Sigma and Tamron also offer less expensive versions of the superzoom.

The Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/sigma_18-200_3p5-6p3_os_n15/

The Tamron AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC LD Aspherical (IF) MACRO review
www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/tamron_18-270_3p5-6p3_vc_n15/

Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED AF-S VR DX
www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/nikon_18-200_3p5-5p6_vr_afs_n15/

Which Enthusiast Nikon DSLR Camera should I buy?

NIKON D90 with the 18-105 F3.5/5.6G ED VR is a good enthusiast starter kit for about £780. Personally I would probably buy the D5000 above and put the money save towards the excellent Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED AF-S VR DX wide range zoom lens.My recommendation is to save money by purchasing camera body only and investing in one of the, Nikon, Tamron or Sigma wide range zooms listed below. Your initial outlay will be greater but in the long run you will save money, weight and a huge amount of time swapping lenses.

Which Semi Pro Nikon DSLR Camera should I buy?

The NIKON D300 or D7000 tend to come as a body only so your options to go with this are the Nikon 18-105 F3.5/5.6G ED VR or the excellent Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED AF-S VR DX wide range zoom lens or the The Tamron AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC LD Aspherical (IF) MACRO

If you are planning to take pictures semi professionally then you will probably require wider aperture lens so you can take pictures in low light indoors without using flash. You could look at the Nikon 17-55mm f2.8 AFS DX G IFED at about £1000 or less expensive alternatives are the TAMRON 17-50 f2.8 VC Nikon (about £400) or the SIGMA 17-50mm f2.8 EX DC OS HSM NAF at about £650.

If you need a wide aperture telephoto then your choices are the
Nikon 70-200 f2.8 G ED VR II £1600
Sigma 70-200 f2.8 EX DG OS HSM DAF £1300
Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 HSM II MAC DG NAF £670
Tamron 70-200mm F2.8 DI SP Nikon fit £620

Which Pro Nikon DSLR Camera should I buy?

You have several options here depending on your budget and any previous lenses you may have. If you already have a Nikon DX format camera and lenses the these DX lenses may not be suitable for a full frame D700 or D3 camera. If you are committed to the smaller DX format then yo may be better off with the D300 above.

If you are starting fresh or you need the extra quality, especially in low light, offered by the full frame format then look at the Nikon D700 at about £1700 if you are on a budget. If you are into sports photography the nine frames a second Nikon D3S at about £3500 is the best choice but if you want the ultimate in quality go for the 24 mega pixel D3X.

If you are sticking with the DX format D300 your lens options are as above but if you are opting for the FX format your options are more limited.

If you are planning to take pictures semi professionally then you will probably require wider aperture lens so you can take pictures in low light indoors without using flash. You could look at the Nikon 24-85mm F2.8-4D IF at about £520.

If you need a wide aperture telephoto then your choices are the
Nikon 70-200 f2.8 G ED VR II £1600
Sigma 70-200 f2.8 EX DG OS HSM DAF £1300
Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 HSM II MAC DG NAF £670
Tamron 70-200mm F2.8 DI SP Nikon fit £620

Which is the best flash gun to buy?

I'm only going to comment on the dedicated Nikon flashguns as I have never used the other brands.

Nikon SB600 Speedlite About £229.00
This Speedlite uses Nikons latest i-TTL metering technology for spot on exposures, It's a powerful but sensible priced main flash for general photography. The SB-600 also offers fully automatic exposure control when used in groups with other SB-600 Speedlites, controlled either by a Master SB-800 or the new Commander function of the new DSLRs like the D300, D700 and D3s.

NIKON SB900 Speedlite About: £325
The powerful and versatile Nikon SB900 Speedlite is a professional i-TTL Speedlite compatible with the Nikon Creative Lighting System (NCLS). These means it can be used in a multiple flash set up with other SB900s or SB600 to allow for several creative lighting scenarios for portrait or product photography. The power output and exposure can be controlled through the pop up flash and CLS menu on the Nikon D300 and D700 or by another SB900 or transmitter on the D3s.

Please Contact Us If You Have Any Questions

email - glen@digitalcameracourses.co.uk or call 0116 279 6906

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