Advice/guidance required

[pubrunner]

Hi All,

I'd appreciate your help and guidance.

Please be aware, that my knowledge of photography is rather limited - my only camera is that on my iPhone 11.

Where I work, some fairly old photographic equipment was found in an unused cupboard and consigned to the bin. Being something of a hoarder and a collector of 'tat', I was told that if I wanted any of it, I was free to take it.

I'd appreciate your thoughts, on whether any of the following is useful - which is to say, can any of it do anything that I can't do on my iPhone ?

The 'tat' includes :

1. A 'Flip' minoHD video - very small and compact, though I doubt it is better than an iPhone 11 (?)

2. LG 360 Cam - I'm not sure what it is for - but should I keep it ?

3. Canon EOS 450D camera (with assorted lenses). The lenses are F1.8, 18-55mm and 10-24mm.

The Canon appeals to me, though I have to confess, I'd be on a very steep learning curve in learning how to use it. Would it give better results than my iPhone ?

I'd welcome your opinions on which (if any) of these items are worth keeping.

Thank you !

[Beggarall]

I am not a Canon user but this was well reviewed when it first came out. However it is quite old (2008) but I imagine the image quality will still be better than your phone. The real question is - does it work? Does it have batteries and are the lenses clean and free from mould? However, for free it is certainly worth a play provided you haven't got to spend a fortune on accessories (like batteries, charges etc) although there are lots on eBay. Try it, take a few shots and post them up. As you will find, the phone still has the edge in terms of portability and accessibility which is why they are so popular.

[Tony1963]

As above.

I'll add that if you fancy learning about the technical side of photography, then this could be an ideal way to disappear down that road.

If you don't fancy it, I'm sure a family friend/mate/charity would take it off your hands.

Edited by Tony1963 on Saturday 10th September 16:10

[Simpo Two]

pubrunner said:

Please be aware, that my knowledge of photography is rather limited - my only camera is that on my iPhone 11.

The Canon appeals to me, though I have to confess, I'd be on a very steep learning curve in learning how to use it. Would it give better results than my iPhone ?

Unless you really want to learn the subject, then no. If you're happy with the photos you get on your phone then I'd put the lot on eBay and count your winnings

[Dark Star]

If the Canon 450d works then you have nothing to lose using that.
There should be a fully auto mode which gets the camera to do everything for you settings wise.
You will need a battery and charger to see if it works.
If you don’t want to learn/get into photography then as said someone will take it off your hands.

[StevieBee]

pubrunner said:

1. A 'Flip' minoHD video - very small and compact, though I doubt it is better than an iPhone 11 (?)

Yeah, not much value in this over your phone.

pubrunner said:

2. LG 360 Cam - I'm not sure what it is for - but should I keep it ?

You could have some fun with this. It captures 360 degree images - a bit like Google Street view. They still make it so if you don't want to keep it, you could stick on eBay and get some beer tokens for it.

pubrunner said:

3. Canon EOS 450D camera (with assorted lenses). The lenses are F1.8, 18-55mm and 10-24mm.

As already mentioned, providing it works and is clean, then this is prize amongst the batch. You'll certainly get better results than from your phone, mainly as a result of the lenses. F1.8 is very wide so you'll get some lovely, natural depth of field rather than the artificially generated version you get on a phone. Worth having a play with - may spark a new hobby (and if so we'll see you back here in a year and many £thousands lighter :-) ) or not.

[pubrunner]

All,

Thank you very much, for such helpful replies.

I'm going to persevere with the Canon, starting in 'Auto' mode. By stroke of good fortune, the camera came with a charger, a battery and one which is brand new and unused. However, I'll need to get an SD card; I believe that the speeds of these can vary - if anyone can point me in the direction of a suitable card, that would be brilliant.

Thank you for all your help - much appreciated.

[satfinal]

A normal SD card (UHS-I) will be fine. SanDisk Extreme PRO is a good choice, at the capacity of your choice.

I would say learn on Aperture priority mode imo. It's the most useful mode without having to worry about too much.

[Simpo Two]

satfinal said:

A normal SD card (UHS-I) will be fine. SanDisk Extreme PRO is a good choice, at the capacity of your choice.

I would say learn on Aperture priority mode imo. It's the most useful mode without having to worry about too much.

I agree, and there is only one variable to think about while the camera does the rest. You can work more variables in as you progress.

If you choose SanDisk buy from a reputable source to avoid fakes. I've always used Lexar, just to be different

[pubrunner]

satfinal said:

A normal SD card (UHS-I) will be fine. SanDisk Extreme PRO is a good choice, at the capacity of your choice.

I've already made my first blunder, by buying the wrong card. The Canon 450D was released in 2008 - before SDXC cards, so it is not compatible with them - and that's what I bought. I can at least, return it and get a refund.

I actually doubly blundered, by getting a 64GB card; the specs that I've found online, say that it can take a card up to a capacity of 32GB.

It seems that what I need to get, is a SDHC (32 GB) card.

[gangzoom]

There is little wrong with 450D and cheap lens. Some of the shots I got from it are still beyond the capabilities of my latest/best camera phone.

[Simpo Two]

pubrunner said:

I've already made my first blunder, by buying the wrong card. The Canon 450D was released in 2008 - before SDXC cards, so it is not compatible with them - and that's what I bought. I can at least, return it and get a refund.

I actually doubly blundered, by getting a 64GB card; the specs that I've found online, say that it can take a card up to a capacity of 32GB.

- because anything bigger is SDXC. Size and type are linked:

https://www.kingston.com/unitedkingdom/en/blog/per...

So you only made one blunder

PS If the camera has instructions, try to read them. You can't work out all the features of a first DSLR just by poking around.

Edited by Simpo Two on Wednesday 14th September 10:11

[C n C]

Simpo Two said:

PS If the camera has instructions, try to read them. You can't work out all the features of a first DSLR just by poking around.

If you don't have instructions, the user manual is available to download from Canon here.

Also a simplified guide to the camera here.

[Vasco]

Well worth using the Canon. Those lenses sound good too. As others suggest, try out the Auto settings to get a basic feel of things. That should be fine for landscapes, people, house etc. If you want to take photos of moving things like cars, animals, planes etc you'll need to use the speed settings (say, 1/500th).

[satfinal]

pubrunner said:

satfinal said:

A normal SD card (UHS-I) will be fine. SanDisk Extreme PRO is a good choice, at the capacity of your choice.

I've already made my first blunder, by buying the wrong card. The Canon 450D was released in 2008 - before SDXC cards, so it is not compatible with them - and that's what I bought. I can at least, return it and get a refund.

I actually doubly blundered, by getting a 64GB card; the specs that I've found online, say that it can take a card up to a capacity of 32GB.

It seems that what I need to get, is a SDHC (32 GB) card.

Ah, I did have a quick google around to see if there was any capacity limits, but didn't find much so just assumed it would be on a modern standard.

Still, unless you are doing fast, long bursts, or video, speed isn't so crucial.

[pubrunner]

StevieBee said:

Worth having a play with - may spark a new hobby (and if so we'll see you back here in a year and many £thousands lighter :-) ) or not.

Already, I can see this happening.

My son, who is an iPhone toting 18 year old, is very keen on using the camera. The first photos we took were very 'bright', but he's just explained to me, that this was because the camera was on a setting of 800 ISO. Of course, this will be fundamental stuff to the good folk on here and it shows that he (& I) are on a very steep learning curve.

I'm very pleased with this camera, because I feel that it is ideal for us to learn the basics of photography - I can see him moving on to something better in due course.

Oh yes, he wants me to get a tripod - can anyone recommend something suitable ?

Thank you all, for your helpful replies - it's great to have encouragement, whilst setting out to learn the basics of what is needed to use the camera.

[Tony1963]

Over exposed images could also be due to the exposure compensation dial being adjusted too high. Obviously, help videos aplenty to help you with that.

[Simpo Two]

pubrunner said:

My son, who is an iPhone toting 18 year old, is very keen on using the camera. The first photos we took were very 'bright', but he's just explained to me, that this was because the camera was on a setting of 800 ISO. Of course, this will be fundamental stuff to the good folk on here and it shows that he (& I) are on a very steep learning curve.

Great news that your son is prepared to drop his phone and try something different

A 'bright' image could just be because you're looking at it in a dark room. But if areas are bright white that shouldn't be, then it's over-exposed - eg because the camera is set to Manual exposure, or because the EV (exposure compensation) is set too high, or because the aperture ring is sticky and probably other things as well.

First, you need to learn how to assess exposure properly, not just by looking at the monitor - because in a dark room it looks brighter and in sunlight it looks darker. So I'd suggest two things to start our learning curve. One is to use aperture priority automatic exposure, which takes one factor off your plate, the other is to find the histogram display, learn how to interpret it and how to adjust exposure accordingly.

Three things control exposure: aperture and shutter speed are the most important; ISO is a third to consider but for now, maybe set it to 400 and leave it otherwise you're juggling three variables which can be confusing. Get exposure right and everything else can follow later. Also, leave it on JPG for now.

[pubrunner]

Simpo Two said:

Great news that your son is prepared to drop his phone and try something different

A 'bright' image could just be because you're looking at it in a dark room. But if areas are bright white that shouldn't be, then it's over-exposed - eg because the camera is set to Manual exposure, or because the EV (exposure compensation) is set too high, or because the aperture ring is sticky and probably other things as well.

First, you need to learn how to assess exposure properly, not just by looking at the monitor - because in a dark room it looks brighter and in sunlight it looks darker. So I'd suggest two things to start our learning curve. One is to use aperture priority automatic exposure, which takes one factor off your plate, the other is to find the histogram display, learn how to interpret it and how to adjust exposure accordingly.

Three things control exposure: aperture and shutter speed are the most important; ISO is a third to consider but for now, maybe set it to 400 and leave it otherwise you're juggling three variables which can be confusing. Get exposure right and everything else can follow later. Also, leave it on JPG for now.

Thank you very much for this very useful information - I'll do as you suggest with regard to the ISO setting.

My son would like me to get a tripod; can anyone tell me if this might represent a decent buy - My son is very tall, which is why this one might be suitable.:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Concept-Tripods-Aluminum-...

I don't really want to spend much more than that, unless there's something appreciably better.

[Tony1963]

pubrunner said:

Thank you very much for this very useful information - I'll do as you suggest with regard to the ISO setting.

My son would like me to get a tripod; can anyone tell me if this might represent a decent buy - My son is very tall, which is why this one might be suitable.:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Concept-Tripods-Aluminum-...

I don't really want to spend much more than that, unless there's something appreciably better.

I’ve no idea about that tripod. It’s not a make I recognise.

What is he planning to photograph that requires a tripod?
One thing to be very wary of at this early stage is buying stuff just because you think you need it. And then after a couple of hours of use it sits at the back of a cupboard for years.

I’d advise learning to master a lot of the basics first. You need to know what you don’t know!