Toe in the water

[FelixIII]

My name is Felix (well, it's not really, but it's the name I want to use) and this is my first post.

I have no experience with photography beyond the most basic amateur snaps. At one stage several aeons ago I owned a Minolta SRT-101 SLR camera with one standard lens, which I used to take photographs on a trip around south-east Asia, but then sold when I got back here because I needed the money. Right now I only own a basic Canon pocket digital camera.

Despite that unimpressive history, I've always thought I'd like to get into photography in a more serious way. I googled photography discussion forums australia and this one came up, so I've joined.

The first thing I want to do is buy a camera, and the second is to take a basic photography course. One of the things I'll be looking for is advice about a good starter camera. As for courses, the Melbourne Camera Club looks good, but unfortunately they don't have a course available until August, so I may look for another one earlier.

My interests are detail and colour and composition. I'm not terribly interested in image modification techniques, although I realise that they are part of life now. I'm actually still rather attracted to photographing with film rather than digitally, but I rather suspect that there might be many practical difficulties.

Anyway, hello to everyone, and I'm looking forward to finding out who's who on the site.

Felix

[ricktas]

Welcome to AP. Pull up a chair, post some photos, learn and have fun doing it.

[FelixIII]

Thanks for the welcome, Rick.

Your signature has links to what I presume are some of your photographs, but when I click on them I get taken to a sort of general information page rather than a photograph.

Felix

[ricktas]

The links are to competitions won. As we run competitions on the site and members win one, they get a badge for their win, so when you click, it takes you to the winner announcement for that competition. Due to a clean-up we did of the site some time back. Older links will go to a general page as some of the older threads were removed.

[Mary Anne]

Hi there er Felix :action66: and Welcome to AP.. You wont need a course if you stay here and learn..
All brands have starter cameras and they are about the same I think, I would go one past the starter as they don't have things you sometimes need. :D

[Kym]

:gday: & Welcome
- lets see some photos in the main CC forums (http://www.ausphotography.net.au/forum/forumdisplay.php?5) maybe try a competition or 2 and have fun!

[ameerat42]

That's pretty comprehensive introduction, Felix. I think you'll find it quite to your liking here.
My first SLR was the bigger brother to yours, the Minolta 303 with that tack-sharp 50/1.7 lens.
Have a look at the Library topics here and jump into the fray. The key is interaction, as you've no doubt
figured out.
Am.

[extraball]

welcome :cool:

[FelixIII]

Thanks to all for the welcome.

As I said in the opening post, my pictures are just amateur snaps, but I've kept most of them and I'll look them out and see if I can find a few that are worth looking at.

And Mary-Anne, when you say "one past the basic", can you give an example or two, and maybe an indication of price-range.

I have to confess that from time to time I've been on to eBay and looked lustfully at old large-format film Hasselblads from the 1970s, and I may strike out and get one of those one day (you can get what seem to be pretty good ones, with lenses, for not much over $1,000). But at the moment I think they'd be wasted on me.

Felix

[Mary Anne]

If you are into birds or macro the entry level cameras don't have spot Metering which will come in handy for those genres.
Better off looking for the ones ending in 00 if its a Canon then the 600D I think they are up to 650D now or 0 = 60D or no 0 = 7D for cropped sensors
It all depends on how much you want to spend have a look up the top click on that Sponsors Button and have a browse at some of the camera sites
I am sure Nikon, Pentex and all the other brands have similar ones that are just as good as Canon though I don't know them :D

[Wayne63]

Welcome to AP Felix, enjoy the site and look forward to seeing some of your pics in the forums

[Bear Dale]

Warm welcome to the forum :)