Digital camera help.

[Fz6Sa]

Well, here it is. Another question, do you guys store it with the lens on or off?

I use a Nikon D80,- and NEWER take the lens off unless it's necessary!! Dust is a camera's worst enemy, - and you don't want to give dust a chance to get inside the housing, unless you have to.
So my advice would be: Store it WITH the lens on, and only take it off to attach another (different) lens.

 

[sxty8goats]

Thanks for the input guys. This is exactly what I'm looking for. My current camera is is a point and shoot that serves me very well, but am looking for something to take awesome pics. I visit a lot of pretty cool places every year and would love to have awesome photos of them.

"Really awesome pics" come from more than the camera, read "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson. Best intro to photography book ever and a good read. It will go a long way to improving your images. Less than $20 on amazon.

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-Photographs-Digital-Updated/dp/0817463003/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253216640&sr=8-1]Amazon.com: Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition) (9780817463007): Bryan Peterson: Books[/ame]


I'm a Canon guy, Both Canon and Nikon make great cameras and have great lens systems. You can't go wrong with either. Go to your local BB and hold them in your hands, feel the controls and see what you like. Then buy one online and save a few hundred dollars.

The main reason I recommend Canon to people just starting out is the auto focus features. Canon puts the auto focus motor in their lenses. Nikon puts the auto focus motor in some of their lenses and some of their camera bodies.

In the lower end Nikon DSLRs, there is no 'in body' auto focus motor. Nikon's prime lenses do not have auto focus motors in them. So if you go with an entry level Nikon and want the sharp images a Prime will get you, you will have to manually focus the lens. Prime lenses do not zoom, they are a single focal length. They are faster (Shoot in less light/ have wider apertures.) and sharper than zoom lenses. Zoom lenses have adjustable focal lengths "70 - 300mm Tele Zoom" for example.

 

[sxty8goats]

Well, here it is. Another question, do you guys store it with the lens on or off?

On always... you want to eliminate any dust, contaminants into the camera's sensor and mirror as much as possible.

sweet and congrats! happy shooting.

Truth. Dust and dirt are your enemies. If you get dust on the sensor, it will show up as off color discs on the image. Mostly noticeable in uniformly colored large areas like the sky.

Sorry about the late post above. didn't look at the thread date. info is still good though, check out the book.