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Gents... what a thread this is!!

I have a Canon 760D which I have been using for taking pictures of family. Mostly of my kids. The goal is to have high quality images.

I also use the camera to take pictures when I tour on the motorcycle. I used to be somewhat knowledgeable a very long time ago. But with time, I have forgotten most of what I had learned. These days, I leave the Aperture and Shutter Speed selections to the camera and just choose modes like portrait or landscape. Also, I try to fiddle with white balance settings to get what I think are amazing photos; but which in reality are either very average, or downright hideous photos.

So, my questions are as follows:

Considering that I take mostly photos of family, and the occasional landscapes, I need a set up that produces good results for close up photography and also some wide angles. So...

• Which camera?
  
  
• What lens / lenses?
  
  
• What’s the optimal budget?
  
  
• Where can I go to learn to take better pictures. Particularly about how to better use the lighting around me, and also how to handle low light situations? I am very fond of night photography. But, the low light photos turn out grainy and have royally pissed me off.

Thank you

Cheers

Most important is what you want to capture in image.
The best Camera usually is the One you have till you feel to have mastered it and need an upgrade.

Though Vario-Zoom are considered quite handy for different type of photographs, a fixed focal length generally produces better portraits. You have not mentioned the lens you currently use.

Budget - as in our regional language saying "Jitna Gud daaloge, utna meettha hoga" (the more sugar you add, more sweeter it would be). But at one stage, it is not the Glass (Lens) that matters, it is the Eye behind the Camera that counts.

Check YouTube for different topics by various experts. It is recommended to grasp just one topic, practice it and move to next topic. It would be better than reading all the books and then going for practical.

I hope experts in the forum can guide you better.

If pics are grainy, look at ISO settings. Do not keep it at auto. Take back control from your camera. All the fun is in controlling things, right? For low light, start with ISO 1000. And then play with shutter speed and aperture.

For a daytime landscape, ISO 400, 1/120, and play with aperture. Once you understand how the image comes out with different settings (shutter speed, aperture and ISO), reconsider if you really need to change equipment.

Also, for daytime outdoors, UV and CPL filters make a difference in several conditions - at least, a lens hood.

You have an APS-C camera - apparently a 24.x MP one, so probably a competent one.

Your camera is capable enough to take the images you want. Of course, there are many better cameras out there none of which are cheap. Check this DPReview buying guide if you want to upgrade. IMHO, anyone buying a camera in 2020 should go for mirrorless.

Which lenses do you have currently? Some fast primes (28/1.8, 50/1.8, 85 1.8) can definitely help you in portraits and low light photos.

Budget can be anywhere between Alto LXI to Swift ZXI, it's a costly hobby:D
The link above has some budget options too, check them out. Keep provision for Tripod, Flash, Bags.

Canon's youtube channel, Canon India websites have good tutorials. Also sites like Photography Life, Cambridge in colour etc. If you have access to LinkedIn learning, it has great tutorials too. Shooting RAW and post-processing will help you in reducing noise/grains.

Several members have already chipped in with various answer to all your questions, including this one. I would like to add something here based on my own preference and experience.

The internet and YouTube is a great place to learn lots of stuff. I still use it a lot for just about all my hobbies and interests. When it comes to photography I have always enjoyed workshops and courses to. F2F in small group, talking about photography, getting feed back on your individual work I always found extremely valuable and enjoyable. There must be all sort of photography courses and events going on in Mumbai. Or perhaps join a photo club. I joined the Royal Photographic society about 4 years ago and it was the best decision ever. My photography has improved considerably.

One of the most difficult things for almost any photographer is to rate his/her own photograph. Why do you like it, what do you like in an image, what least, how to improve. Finding a few people that want to have regular sessions with you over a period of time, providing real constructive feedback, is probably the best and quickest way to improve your photography. Getting consistent, constructive feedback on the internet is almost impossible.

So look around, ask around, see if you can get a few (free?) introductory lessons and get snapping!

When we lived in Delhi, I joined several organisations, really worthwhile. They would organise various events, help you with photography, post processing, organise competitions etc. Good fun and very interesting!

Enjoy

Jeroen

There are several Photography related forums on Facebook which critically analyze your Photos and give advice besides showcasing others photos with Exif. These are equally educative as you get to see more of works by other Photographers.

I use Nikon, but it applies to cameras of all makes. Just that Nikon has a fantastic RAW processing software for free. I would suggest that

1. Use RAW and process them with Canon Software. It may be bare bones, but RAW will give you the dynamic range to recover shadows and highlights, which is difficult with jpeg.
https://in.canon/en/support/0200583602/1

2. Do not use AUTO mode

3. Set ISO to 400 that is sufficient for most cases. Once your proficiency grows, you can select the ISO to suit the lighting.

4. Set the camera to Aperture Priority. With the kit zoom, I set aperture to f8. For portraits with a prime it is f1.8.

5. Set the focus mode to AFC (continuous servo)

6. Set the metering to MATRIX (or its Canon equivalent)

7. Set Focusing to single point. I usually use the centre point.

Now that you have set the camera up, point at the image, and see what shutter speed is indicated. With image stabilizing, speed down to 1/30 sec will give reasonable images.

Start shooting people, birds and scenery. Process the RAW images and play with shadow recovery, exposure compensation and other goodies in the software, and unless you have motion blur your images will look much better.

Sure, but it is down to preference and what works best for you. I don’t get a buzz from Facebook. I find it is a good place to get inspiration, see others work, but less in-depth approach. It makes a difference when you are talking F2F to a knowledgeable person for five minutes or so on one image, then reading some comments thrown onto a FB page. The amount of information and interaction you get F2F can not be compared to comments to an image on the Internet/FB.

But whatever floats your boat, make you happy, each to its own. I would say, make a dedicated effort to try both, see what works. You might end up using the internet and go and do the occasional workshop or so.

I do on average 3-5 photography (F2F) workshops every year. I like to learn new techniques and look for workshops that bring me something new. Even if the topics is not my genre perhaps. Spend a day on Macro Photography a few months ago. Very interesting, don’t think I will do much macro, never have. But trying out different techniques, hearing experts talk about it, I find interesting and always useful. I like to think it still adds to my overal skills as a photographer.

I also like the social aspect of getting together with others. Photography is a bit of a solo hobby. Begin amongst fellow human being discussing photography makes for a nice change.

Currently F2F interaction are a bit problematic of course. The RPS has gone virtual and in fact is holding more workshops, talks and meets than ever. Our local chapter used to meet once a month. We are now doing it bi-weekly in a 1,5 hour long Zoom Meeting and attendance has never been high. It turned out to be a very good and practical format.

When it comes to photography there is no good or bad approach to learning. Everybody needs to find its own way. But in general, or rather as usual, I would say; keep an open mind to all options, try them out, give them a fair chance, see what works for you.

We are staring up our F2F meetings here in the Benelux once again. This very evening I am meeting the organisers of the Pelt festival in Belgium. Our RPS Benelux Chapter will be participating in next years exhibition. Another way of enjoying your photography, help organise events!

This October we hope to have our first F2F two day documentary workshop. Looking forward to that! No amount of internet browsing can come even close to that.

Enjoy

Jeroen

Yashica - my wife had a classmate with this name, whose father was of course a photographer.

I don't know when it began to be a thing, but auto-ISO on cameras where a range can be specified works wonderfully, especially if it can be combined with preferred minimum shutter speed.

They are all tools, to be used in the appropriate places, and with the appropriate restrictions.

For my classical concert photos, which is the vast majority of my pics (pre-corona :( ) the light is not that great, and I need...

No motion blur (except when I specifically want some) which means... high shutter speed which means... wide aperture (and the limited depth of field is usual fine for what is essentially portraiture) which means... Maybe slightly higher ISO.

So really, there is little to think about. I know that, up to 1600 ISO, I will only get noise in areas like flat background-curtain colour, where it doesn't matter. At 3200, I will start to see some noise in shadow areas of skin. I'll increase to that if I have to. With minimum shutter at 125th or even 250 for someone with a lot of microheadwobble it's set and forget with auto-ISO 100-1600.

Until I take the camera to the outside world, when all the settings have to be rethought, and I'm still learning.

Olympus have stopped making cameras.

I will miss them. Superb quality. The OM1 was the first compact SLR.

Though Olympus OM 10 was one of the most successful Camera in their line up.

Regarding news of their stopping, I do not think so. As per this

https://www.diyphotography.net/olymp...o-coming-2020/

They are firmly in other fields like Electron Microscopes and Imaging

Indeed, Olympus Cameras is no more Olympus.

Olympus have sold their camera division, to an investment company. It was not clear to me whether that sale would include any use of the Olympus name on any further cameras and kit that might be produced.

This sale was just a week or three ago: the article is from March. The axe fell.

Olympus is indeed still a huge company, very big in Scientific and medical instruments. Olympus is far from dead. The camera division: remains to be seen.

https://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/karnata...-epson-2263156

Seriously, you cannot make this stuff up :)

Some more questions got this group.

How often does one service a DSLR?

Do you guys give yours to a shop for service, or do it yourself?

If you give it out, how much does a general service of the body and a kit lens (18 to 135 mm) cost?

Can anyone point me to a good place for Canon DSLR service in the Powai area in Mumbai?

Thanks