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Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 01:01:51 No.3346672 View View Reply Original Report

Quoted By: >>3346696 >>3346889 >>3346948 >>3346985 >>3346992 >>3347027

I am a very new photographer and I have only a small amount of money to initially invest in equipment. After doing scant research I went ahead and bought the Nikon COOLPIX B500 as pictured.

I know that many of you use DSLR and mirrorless cameras most, if not all, of the time. For those of you that either own this camera or have worked with less sophisticated cameras do you have any tips for better shots?

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 01:05:42 No.3346673 Report

Quoted By: >>3346674

Well camera's like that do not have a big sensor so I would stick with using it with either good light or get a small tripod for stationary stuff.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 01:07:44 No.3346674 Report

Quoted By: >>3346988

>>3346673
I bought a tripod with it but it turned out to be made of essentially tin foil. Any decent tripod recommendations?

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 02:15:09 No.3346696 Report

Quoted By: >>3346759

>>3346672
Learn the difference between a photo and a snapshot. Ignore 99% of /p/ posters who think everything other than their favorite photo is a snapshit. I usually draw the line at "Is this something a mildly autistic high school girl with an iphone would post on instagram?" as being a snapshit.
Learn how to compose a shot and when to bend the rules. Learn to use your gear properly so your shots are well exposed and in focus (protip: don't let your highlights blow out. Your camera might have a setting where you can check this quickly in the image review.) Don't worry too much about color when in the field since you should be fixing up colors in post. Don't rely too much on zoom, instead move closer, farther away, and around your subjects. Look at photos you like and try to imitate them on a technical level. Read guides. Don't be afraid of a little bit of noise. Don't be satisfied with your shots. Ask yourself how you could do better.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 04:25:15 No.3346759 Report

Quoted By:

>>3346696
Not the poster but this is genuinely some great fucking advice

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 10:43:37 No.3346889 Report

Quoted By: >>3346890

>>3346672
>do you have any tips for better shots
Yes, the other half of the work is done in post processing. Learn Photoshop / Lightroom / Exposure / whatever.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 10:45:01 No.3346890 Report

Quoted By:

>>3346889
P.S.
by "whatever" I mean "whatever software allows you to tweak highlights/shadows/contrast and separate colors"

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 12:33:35 No.3346948 Report

Quoted By: >>3346952 >>3346955

>>3346672
I would go with Sony. That is what Chosis uses and he's one of the more successful photogs on this board.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 12:36:22 No.3346952 Report

Quoted By:

>>3346948
Don't forget to add lying, deceitful, scamming and ban evading

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 12:43:23 No.3346955 Report

Quoted By:

>>3346948
If by successful you mean "successfully permabanned on /p/ for boasting about stalking little girls" you're not wrong.

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO 50---14s.jpg, 116KiB, 600x800

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 13:17:36 No.3346985 Report

Quoted By: >>3347012

>>3346672
Just admit it, you bought the first thing that looked like a professional camera. Now you're getting shit pics so you turned to ever friendly /p/ for advice.
Bad news is that most probably you'd be better off with old Canon Rebels or even with some point and shoots. Same priced zs60 has a viewfinder that your cam lack and a lot better lens at shorter focal distance. This is why you ask for advice before you buy a cam.
Good news, you've bought a zoom cam. You've fantastic magnification range. Use your cam longer ranges and learn composition that way. Getting a good shot isn't easy, but if you stick to it, it is immensely rewarding.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 13:19:27 No.3346988 Report

Quoted By:

>>3346674
Order a q666 or such from ali. There are also carbon tripods but since you're on a budget, you probably just want alu.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 13:26:42 No.3346992 Report

Quoted By:

>>3346672
A flash hotshoe helps a lot on worse cameras that suck indoors or in lower light.
And I guess you can try editing your RAWs. Or shoot tits, it still gets attention.

But overall, coming from a superzoom: You're shit out of luck. Shitty gear just does not record much detail and generally sucks until you upgrade, and obviously you can't compensate for lack of properly recorded information unless you paint it into the image, which isn't really a plan. Save for a much better lens + IL camera.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 13:54:34 No.3347012 Report

Quoted By: >>3347017 >>3347018

>>3346985
Well, no. I bought it because it was on a very good sale and the reviews of it weren't negative at all.

I didn't come into it thinking that I was going to take award winning photos. Rather, I wanted something that was cheap but would still get the job done while being moderately comfortable to hold.

I initially thought that the lack of a viewfinder was going to intensely bother me at the beginning but it really doesn't. The screen is hinged in a way that it moves into positions that are comfortable to look at.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 14:14:45 No.3347017 Report

Quoted By: >>3347104

>>3347012
It was on deep discount because nobody wants it. The only people who buy bridge cameras are clueless noobs or over 30 boomers. They're basically marketed at idiots who don't know any better with tiny sensors and bargain bin prices.

In saying that just Google the rule of thirds and start applying it to your photos. Also don't shoot in auto mode, learn how to shoot manual. And if it has the option, shoot in RAW and learn how to post-process in Lightroom or Photoshop.

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO sensor1-Nikon-Coolpix-B500.png, 24KiB, 720x280

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 14:20:51 No.3347018 Report

Quoted By: >>3347024 >>3347027

>>3347012
You bought a phone camera sensor shoved into a DSLR shaped body. Congratulations on your stupid purchase. You may as well have stuck with your phone as the image quality will be identical.

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO 0631b.jpg, 216KiB, 1500x1500

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 14:41:20 No.3347024 Report

Quoted By: >>3347026 >>3347059

>>3347018
Sensor's not that bad. It's immediately below inch sensors, and being new brings a lot to the table as well, but cam really isn't the best choice at all for beginners. I mean, entry dslr's with kit lenses go for same cash, and you can get raw shooting pointandshoots as well. ZS60 shoots raw, has better battery, f3.3 as opposed to f4. It'll be worse at longer end, like all pontandshoots, but raw alone will outweigh everything at wider focal distance. Invest a little more and you can get tg-5. Watertight and f2 lens. Or even first Sony's rx100 with inch sensor. All new, not even looking at the used market.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 14:51:11 No.3347026 Report

Quoted By:

>>3347024
That sensor will extremely bad for anything other than extremely bright conditions. In low light the camera will fall apart like all cameras of that sensor size. It'll be borderline unusable, noise all over the dark areas and a grained out unusable image. The only reason I can think that OP bought that camera is because he's a noob and was sold on the meme zoom distance and bargain bin prices.

I agree about the RX100 though, you can get an RX 100 III or IV new for very cheap and a 1" sensor is at least a sizeable jump up from a phone camera. Plus it'll be portable and not autistic looking like bridge cameras which have all of the bulk with none of the low light performance.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 14:54:16 No.3347027 Report

Quoted By:

>>3346672
Return that shit anon. You can literally get an APS-C camera with a lens for under $200 used. Pic related is in AUD and it's equivalent to about $140. It's going to be old and shitty but still a thousand times better than the garbage you just bought. As >>3347018 pointed out, the image quality is going to be smartphone tier or potentially even worse.
Buy a q666 tripod off ebay or aliexpress for $50, some chink flash for $30, a diffuser for $8, a remote for $5 and an SD card for like $20. Learn the exposure triangle, download lightroom, watch some tutorials, always shoot raw and don't touch the global saturation and vibrance sliders, always use HSL. Then shoot until you save up enough money to upgrade your gear. A better camera won't magically make your photos better, but it's near impossible to get anything usable out of a 1/2.3" sensor.

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO 1420079942531-framesize_sensor_s (...).jpg, 416KiB, 1060x786

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 15:03:00 No.3347035 Report

Quoted By:

If OP is scratching his noggin wondering why we're all talking about sensor size...

The bigger the sensor the more light gathering ability. So a bigger sensor means more potential to use the camera in poor conditions without a noisy image. that's why your camera is a lemon on deep discount.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 15:57:43 No.3347059 Report

Quoted By: >>3347087

>>3347024
If the sensor is about the same size and quality as the one in my smart phone then the $86 price tag is quite acceptable. That said, I take photos in the day, bright daylight and all. With that said, if I already take photos in the day with an accompanying slave flash then I don't have a whole lot to worry about in the light department.

I would eventually like to get a DSLR or a mirrorless kit but at this point in time I don't have the means to justify the expenditure.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 16:57:40 No.3347087 Report

Quoted By: >>3347091 >>3347100

>>3347059
You can justify wasting $86 on a piece of shit camera that's no better than your phone but not $120-130 on a good used kit? Maybe less if you're patient.

Seriously, you sound like you're desperate to justify this (bad) purchase to yourself. Do what I did and buy an older Sony Nex camera. They're still good with crisp 1080p 60fps video and the ability to adapt old lenses onto them (if you're thrifty like me you can buy vintage lenses for a few bucks). An M42 to Nex adapter will cost you $5 and then you can use thousands of old lenses you find in thrift shops.

Look on eBay and look for prices of Sony Nex 5n or the 5r/5t. I sold my 5N body recently for how much you paid for that shitty camera. You'll get the advantages of a larger sensor (low light, good depth of field) for not much cash. It'll be a better place to start as a beginner than that thing.

Another cheap option is the original Canon M, they're very cheap and if you use Magic Lantern firmware you can add in features that modern cameras are only now getting. Often <$100 on ebay.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 17:06:35 No.3347091 Report

Quoted By: >>3347095

>>3347087
I'll add I could afford all of that (Sony Nex 5n + kit lens + adapter + vintage lenses) while unemployed and on benefits so if I could afford it then, you can too.

They also has the added benefit of being extremely compact and light, no need for the bulk of a bridge camera.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 17:10:45 No.3347095 Report

Quoted By:

>>3347091
Forgot my image

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 17:18:49 No.3347100 Report

Quoted By: >>3347104 >>3347137 >>3347141

>>3347087
I am not really trying to justify it. I bought it, I like it, and it works well enough for me to feel rather satisfied with it.

It is a very quick way for me to produce nice prints, both for sale and to test, instead of having to use my large format camera to produce a negative.

I am not in a place to comment on my finances or yours but this is not an affordability issue. I do not want to invest a large amount of money unnecessarily into a hobby. So far your advice hadn't really been helpful and you haven't provided any tips at all so I don't think you need to continue recommending gear.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 17:24:24 No.3347104 Report

Quoted By: >>3347111

>>3347100
You bought it and you like it because you don't know any better. By your own admission you're "very new" to photography which means you've probably not used many cameras or know much about them. Of course if you don't have any experience you'll be impressed by a bridge camera. You'd be impressed by anything. You probably hit the zoom button in store and said "wow it zooms in!". That's the stage you're at.

We aren't giving you this advice to troll you or make you feel bad. We all make bad purchases early on. We're trying to explain to you, as experienced photographers, WHY that camera is bad and not suitable for a beginner but you're not willing to listen because you can't admit that you wasted your money.

Also I'm the guy who gave you advice earlier >>3347017 so don't act like a passive aggressive dick to me. I'm taking time out of my day to help you and unlike the clerk in the camera shop, I'm not lying to you to make a sale.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 17:41:31 No.3347111 Report

Quoted By: >>3347149

>>3347104
I am very new to photography as an art I should say.

I've done photography as a study in chemistry and to this day I still mix my own emulsions, make my own contact prints or enlargements, and just experiment with the chemical processes behind photography as a whole. With that said, I would consider what I have done so far to be more practical photography in that what I do I can deconstruct and apply to further projects.

What you are not doing is giving advice on equipment, which would be unwarranted even if you were as I was not asking about what I should have bought. You are instead just hyping pre-owned gear that you believe I should have invested in. Personally, I don't really care what I should or should not have bought or shopped for or poked around for at Goodwill. I wanted some help on how to better compose photos and the likes.

Whatever narrative you have to construct in your head to make me seem like the ignorant consumer and you the vastly superior professional is your business. Just do everyone a favor and stop projecting.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 18:38:22 No.3347132 Report

Quoted By:

what an awful thread, everybody go home

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 18:44:00 No.3347137 Report

Quoted By: >>3347142

>>3347100
>nice prints
>for sale
Go ahead and post one of your shots. Please.

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO p info.jpg, 3MiB, 5000x3183

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 18:46:12 No.3347141 Report

Quoted By: >>3347162

>>3347100
Honestly dude, it is very hard to give precise pointers for what you have. Most of the stuff we're used to has pasm control scheme on the dial, this thing command dial is filled with scene mode stuff. Not going to diss you off like most of the people here. Sensor sizes are overrated, you can go far on a quality low size sensor, and decent glass, which you have. It's perfectly possible to shoot great pictures simply with what you have. Though raw ability would be much preferred for postprocessing, you'll have some room there as well. Just know that you've a zoom cam. It's designed to give best possible magnification for the price range. Good stabilization will be vital, so you'll get as little motion blur as possible on longer focal distances. Shorter not so much, should be able to get good shots handheld. Now look up your manual and toy with your settings until you find a ways to adjust aperture, shutter and iso. Forget everything else, and study how they work. Not going to write a manual on these, but together with focal distances (camera zoom) they work exactly the same on what you have, as on the big cams, so you can easily look up beginner's vid tutorials, read up net articles or any kind of book dealing with any kind of digital camera, and come back with everything you'll need.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 18:46:43 No.3347142 Report

Quoted By:

>>3347137
Prints as in things like cyanotypes, van dyke brown prints, salt prints, etc. There is almost no end to people who will buy a nice peroxide washed cyanotype at small vendor markets.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 18:50:25 No.3347149 Report

Quoted By: >>3347155 >>3347157

>>3347111
Since you're a chemist, how would you feel if somebody walked up to you with a $1 bottle of hydrogen peroxide he bought for $5 and asked advice on how to become a good chemist with only this bottle? Because that's sort of what you're doing right now.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 18:55:00 No.3347155 Report

Quoted By:

>>3347149
"Don't you dare tell me I should have bought a fully featured chemistry set, I don't want to invest a large amount of money into a hobby unnecessarily!"

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 18:55:28 No.3347157 Report

Quoted By: >>3347161

>>3347149
Probably show them what they can do with that bottle of peroxide and why it does that so that they have a basic foundation they can then build off of when they are ready to advance.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 19:02:15 No.3347161 Report

Quoted By: >>3347165

>>3347157
Then watch as they get angry because they can't make nuclear bombs with it.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 19:06:14 No.3347162 Report

Quoted By:

>>3347141
This, it's difficult to give advice when the camera doesn't have any of the features a modern camera should have like aperture priority, shutter priority, RAW shooting. For instance, we could talk about manipulating depth of field for subject separation but the tiny sensor + slow lens on that camera means you can't really achieve any depth of field .

I agree that sensor sizes are overrated - I still like playing with older small sensor cameras like the Fujifilm X20 - but these cameras aren't made for freedom of expression or serious work. They're made to appeal to brainlets with their scene types and limitations. There isn't even RAW support so you can't really learn post-processing. You're stuck with whatever JPG the camera spits out.

https://cameradecision.com/review/Nikon-Coolpix-B500
CONs
No External Flash Shoe
No Touch Screen
No Built-in Viewfinder
No RAW Shooting
Max Sensitivity only ISO 3.200
Heavy Body: 541
No Manual Focusing
No Environmental Sealing
Slow Lens at Wide: f3.00
Slow Lens at Tele: f6.50

I guess just borrow some books on composition out of your local library and learn what you can, OP.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 19:07:43 No.3347165 Report

Quoted By: >>3347172 >>3347181

>>3347161
You don't seem to have the greatest ability to comprehend what is being said here.

I have been clear multiple times that I am aware that this camera isn't going to produce the most stunning, high quality images. No where am I asking how to become a professional with this camera. I have been very realistic with my abilities, my equipment, and my expectations.

I do not want a mirrorless camera. I do not want a DSLR. I do not want any other type of camera or gear you are trying to peddle. I am not asking how to take the most amazing shots. I am not asking how to recreate works to the same level of quality.

I asked for people who use these types of cameras or people who have used them how I would go about getting better shots and in general working with photography in a more artistic way.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 19:15:30 No.3347172 Report

Quoted By:

>>3347165
So you ignored the sticky, ignored the gear threads, assumed we're trying to shill even though everyone has recommended buying old used gear, don't want a DSLR even though you bought a phone camera in a DSLR shaped body, and don't actually want to take good shots. But you DO want somebody to teach you to be artistic with a broken tool. And you have to autism to act condescending to everyone telling you you fucked up (which make no mistake, you did) while ignoring the advice you seek. Did I get that all right or are you gonna try and act high and mighty on an anonymous image board?

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 19:21:39 No.3347181 Report

Quoted By: >>3347194

>>3347165
>No where am I asking how to become a professional with this camera.
Sorry, but you said earlier you plan to use it to sell prints. How is that not the definition of professional? If you're making money off the camera or you plan to then surely image quality and shooting RAW is of some importance as you're creating a product with it. Even if they're sold at a small town market. Right?

Nobody here uses bridge cameras, we mostly meme about them being for old fat pedos in their '40s with their super zoom range. The Nikon P900 is a pedo meme around here, it used to have a general where people would meme about using it to spy on children from the moon. You'd be better off asking DPreview if you want specific advice tailored to bridge cameras.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 19:37:24 No.3347194 Report

Quoted By: >>3347238 >>3347634

>>3347181
I use it to take quick pictures of scenes where it would be inconvenient to set up and expose film in my large format camera. From there I print out a negative and use that to produce mainly contact prints such as cyanotypes and salt prints which don't have the sharpest quality as is.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 28 Aug 2018 20:33:53 No.3347238 Report

Quoted By: >>3347634

>>3347194
>there's someone in this day and age that started with film, and is completely clueless about digital.
Must say I'm intrigued. Got any shots of your work? No need for precise scans, or anything, just liked to see what you're getting.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 29 Aug 2018 14:34:37 No.3347634 Report

Quoted By:

>>3347238
>>3347194
This, interested in seeing some of your work.

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