My nikon 3500d set up (noob advice wanted) any good?

[adadrian]

so i've heard that nikon is a good brand and my father used to shoot on nikon's back in the film days with outstanding results so im quite partial to them. anyway as i've started up into DSLRs i got a 3500d and a tamron lens. i kinda didn't know what i was doing as i don't know much about DSLRs at all. so any good for a n00b like me? opinions ? p.s budget is limited only way i got these packs was my local store was having a massive sale close down sale,


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[Bear Dale]

I have no personal knowledge of this body, but a quick Google search shows that it rates highly -

https://www.google.com/search?client...iz.kCLRUpBuFgQ

[ameerat42]

Here's a single article/review on DPR for that camera:
https://www.dpreview.com/products/ni...rs/nikon_d3500

You have not made a big mistake if you have got yourself that kit.
The lenses will cover most situations from moderately wide to medium telephoto.
There is a slight "gap" in the focal range between 55mm and 70mm, but that is
quite livable-with. (For eg, I have the following: 8-16mm, 30mm and 50-500mm,
and I am still alive )

Time to decide what lens to use for what photography and try some/post them/
ask for CC/.../...

[John King]

Congratulations . Enjoy your lovely new kit!

The very best camera is the one you have!

That kit will reward you with excellent photos.

Some of my very best photos were taken with my Olympus E-510 and its two kit lenses.

My later and more expensive cameras give me a somewhat greater shooting envelope - at far greater cost, with a relatively small improvement in my actual photography. ...

[arthurking83]

Quite a few moons ago I did a quick(HaHa!) tute on metering and how it (sort'a) works, why it's stupid, and how to use it(ie. understand the modes).

Can't help with when to use it, because all situations vary too much to give a straight up answer on what's better.

But I think as long as you understand the difference between each mode, as long as you understand what exactly you're trying to achieve(in terms of exposure).

The old tute is HERE.

Something I've realised with newbies (to any thing in life) .. don't overwhelm them with variables.
With cameras more complex than smartphones and P&S cameras with little to no user input, the two variables that seem to overwhelm the newbie are exposure and focus.
'Composition' is a personal preference and you develop that as you gain more personal experience of your own.

But the tute I did, in response to a question I got in a PM, gives a basic rundown on the metering modes most cameras have. Not specific to DSLR, nor mirrorless, some P&S cameras have them ... etc.

The short version of the tute(which is very loooooong!), is that you can get the same exposure using all the different modes of metering, using the cameras ability to calculate the exposure itself(which is by far the best way to do metering).
I used to see many people try to grapple, and/or boast that they use manual mode .. which I've always thought a waste of time except in very specific situations.
So the tute is strictly centred around using the cameras ability to calculate metering, not your ability to guess the correct exposure 100% accurately 100% of the time.

My preference is to use spot metering almost all the time, and this is due to what I tend to photograph.
It'd be silly for me to advise you to also shoot using spot metering mode, not knowing your photographing style or preference.

If none of the content in the tute makes any sense(and I suggest you try it for yourself), just ask what/how/why, either back here or in the thread itself.

Once you're more confident with the one aspect of operation of the device, then move on to the next aspect, which I think will be focus(modes), and how to get the best out of them.

[Bensch]

A nice setup that will serve you well, enjoy

[John King]

Good article, Arthur.

You are right about different cameras working differently. I do not trust matrix metering very much on my E-1 (c.2003) and E-510 (c.2007), yet it works well on my E-30 (c.2008). Works even better on my E-M1 MkI (c.2014), and better again on my E-M1 MkII (c.2016).

I am always telling people that they need to understand how the metering modes affect exposure on their camera/s. In the case of Olympus, there are five modes - matrix, centre weighted average, centre spot, high key and low key. Also to understand when they should use each mode.

An understanding of how each affects exposure, then how exposure compensation affects each of the modes is a core competency in becoming a competent photographer IMNSHO.

[adadrian]

Great advice thank you

[1sikxt]

So now that you have had camera for a while how have you found it what your experience with it so far

[adadrian]

So now that you have had camera for a while how have you found it what your experience with it so far

Excellent love it, but got that itch to upgrade now! Still getting great results though.

[GorgeWalker]

I've also just started out, and on the exact same camera as you have posted. This is peak hour at our house so I'll come back to this thread tonight as I'd like to share a few things with you that I felt were huge leaps for me, personally that made big differences, particularly on this setup.

For now though, I really recommend watching the following: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xGLVztDoxE

Was a really easy to watch walk through of the camera, including a deep dive into the menus and recommendations of how to set it up (his opinion of course, wouldn't take it as gospel).

[GorgeWalker]

Ok - looks like you've moved on from this camera so you won't be needed any help? That was quick lol!