I just recently got the Canon Rebel XTi and 2GB CF card Link. It is mostly for school but I want to start taking more photos for manipulating and all that stuff being that graphic design is my major and I am sick of using stock photos. My problem is that there are to many damn settings on the dial and I always think I selected the right type but then the picture is either way to dark(even with flash) or super blurry.

I heard that RAW mode is the way to go when taking pictures but I don't know why and it just seems like an unnecessary step because I then have to convert them to JPG anyways. So I really need some tips from people who know what they are talking about and maybe can recommend anything else that I might want to get for it that will make life easier, like a certain lens or something. Thanks for the help Guys & Gals.

 

Basic SLR Photography:

1. The f-stop controls your depth of field and how much light is being let into the camera. The larger the f-stop number, the longer your depth of field (that is, the more things progressively further away from your camera will be in focus), but the smaller the amount of light being let into your camera (pictures will be overall darker). The smaller your f-stop number, the shorter your depth of field, (only things close to your camera will be in focus), but larger the amount of light being let into your camera (your pictures will be overall brighter).

2. Shutter speed controls the duration of time your shutter remains open, that is, the duration of time the camera's sensor "sees" the image. Fast shutter speeds will freeze motion, slow shutter speeds will give your pictures motion blur.

The best thing to do is set up a scene to take a picture of, and then try it at each f-stop, then at different shutter speeds, then a combination of both.

 

If you are just a beginner in amateur photography, don't even give RAW a second thought. It'll come in handy later, but for now it is nothing you have to worry about.  

I myself love playing around with the Av and Tv settings for different results. The best thing about a digital camera is you can test all you like! Looking at the exif data for each pic gives you a clearer idea of what it is you want or not want to be doing with the settings.

Also, with the Rebel Xti, there is probably a little slip inside the box somewhere that has great links and advice about SLR photography via their Canon site. (Mine did, but I can't remember the link  ) It had some pretty good tips in there!  

I'd send you the PPS that from the customer courses I do, but since they're not english I doubt they'd be of much help  

 

This is a pretty good site:
http://www.webphotoschool.com

They do have some basic free lessons, but they also sell a lot of them. I'm not a pro, but I did spend a year doing technical support for Olympus. RAW is something you should wait to build up to. Think of RAW just like as the name implies, raw, undone. You as the photographer will have the freedom to adjust many of the camera setting post-production on RAW photos and they will give you the best quality photo. But like it was advised, work your way up to it.

 

Thanks guys! I will hope I will be able to play with it tomorrow and do the F-stop and shutter speed play around and see if I can gather anything from the link. I will definitely stay away from raw for now, at least until I am able to judge and choose the right settings for each take. Um I had read somewhere that certain SLR's can be kept connected to the computer and photos will automatically transfer to the computer, has anyone heard of or done this?

 

Olympus had professional software that with their top of the line E-1 camera. Since I have left Olympus support, they have a new version of their professional software, Olympus Studio 2.0, and a new pro DSLR, the E-3. I'm not sure if these features are the same. With the E-1, you could take pictures with the computer and view them on the computer.