So I got my nikon d40x a few mnths ago and im addicted! Im always wanting to learn new things to try and do and figured there might be a few others ou there in the same boat. I wanna make a list of things people should try to learn and actually go out and do. So if u think of something add it.

Ill start with the first most basic and simple.
1) learn ur camera and get out of auto mode shooting and manually adjust ur settings

 

^is that the only tip/advice? im pretty new too and only shoot in manual mode. auto mode is boring and only comes out like a point and shoot cam.

 

learn to focus yourself

buy a prime lens or one near it (for nikon guys there is a super cheap 50mm F/1.8 you can get that is super sharp).

also, if you own a nikon, learn to deal with the fact that the focusing screen is pretty much useless...

 

*Put some money into a couple decent lens
*Use correct filters for situations.
*Try many different angles on subjects to learn light angles.
*READ YOUR MANUAL
*BUY A TRIPOD

 

50mm is a great all around lens!

 

indeed it is. use it once and you will wonder why you have a tele-photo

it was what we were required to have in my photog class back in college, and it was the first lens i bought when i got my DSLR (has barely left the camera since i got it too!)

 

More info on this lens please? I have the D40, so i think i need an AF-S lens?

 

The 50mm is a 1.8 or you can find the 1.4(not needed) for about 120.00 from bhphoto.com or try ebay. Trust me, you will love it. I use it for almost everything, even the macros are awesome. Def a first buy.

 

Here is a shot taken with the 50mm. I havent loaded that many to photobucket. I need another hosting site, photobuckets compression sucks.

 

+1 on the 50mm lens. you can pay extra for the f/1.4 but you will definitely love this lens. since its fixed.. it forces the photographer to explore new angles. this was also my first lens. most bang for your buck lens out there..

 

Definitely all good tips.

the many different angles tip is very important...this is supposed to be fun too, so don't just take the same picture that everyone else is taking.

 

here is a good read for when to use and what type of filter

http://www.natureworkshops.com/filter_usage.htm


The best tip of all, PRACTICE in all type of lighting conditions

 

I actually found my own host and set up my own site. 300gb of storage and 300gb of bandwidth for <$7 a month.

 

^ Not a bad idea. I might look into that. I hear good things about jalbum.net.

 

just search for the nikon 50mm lens, i bought mine from amazon.com. also, with the D40 you are severly limited with which lenses you can use... at least for the time being.

and most of the lenses that you can use are very expensive. with that body, i would suggest the kit lens, the 50mm i suggested, and the 55-200mm VR lens. you could get the 70-300mm VR lens if you want, but its still rather expensive in comparison to the 55-200mm and the extra zoom isnt that much more... the 200mm zoom will work great for snapshots and general walking around, as well as some decent night time exposures. it lacks a bit of zoom to get some good exposures of the moon, but it should work to pascify you for the most part.

 

you mean you can find the 1.4 for about $120 more than the 1.8?

i paid about $120 for my 1.8 from amazon, they had the 1.4 for about $240 iirc.

 

That's what I use. Check out sdnphoto.com

 

Thats what I meant, sorry if I wrote that confusing.