taking care of your camera/gear - how?

[Photography~girl~]

okay...HAPPY AMAZING news you guys!!!!!! AHHHHHHH. i'm just about bouncing off the walls.(almost.)
This evening my parents surprised us kids(i have three other sibs) with "i love you" gifts. Wellllllll, my first gift of the "two parter" was this amazingly cute hat. So here i am...assuming the next larger box contains snowboard gear.(not gunna complain about that) Well i open up the box, remove the towel which was covering the things and saw "Canon REBEL XSI". AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was so happy - i cried( i hardly ever cry when i get gifts.) I DON'T HAVE TO USE MY POINT AND SHOOT ANYMORE! (and that smilie is just not big enough....lol)
heh. as i'm sure you can tell, i'm a tad excited.

ANYWAY! to move onto the point of this thread. they also got me the Rebel gear bag/starter kit(which came with an extra battery and UV filter), and of course memory cards.
So i was wondering - how do you keep your gear?
Like, do i keep the lense on the camera? Do i keep the battery in the camera? how about the memory card? Does the UV filter ALWAYS stay on my lense? (all when not in use of course) and other suggestions you have about keeping my gear&camera.

So! I'm thrilled - and have some nice reading to do tomorrow. I'm sure it'll take lotsa pratice to fully understand my camera and actually have "good shots"(for i will prolly never have it on green square.)
Thanx in advance - and thanx for all the help you've all given me thus far.
a.k

[hw771230]

Congrats AK,

It looks like you have a lot of fun and learning heading your way. My tip for the day is to use a tripod, it will pay off tremendously in sharp pics.

As far as your question about keeping cameras when not in use. I almost always keep a lens on the camera. I also always have a charged battery in it. Then again my camera is never in storage. As for the UV filter, well this is something some will disagree with me on, but I never use them anymore. I use the lens hood instead of the filter for added protection. I have these filters for all of my lenses, but never use them anymore. If I were in a sandy or really dusty environment I might use one, but not in any other place I can think of. It would also be a good idea to keep the camera in a bag or case of some sort, as this will protect it from dust, and from banging around.

Just my thoughts

Caleb

[Edd]

Hi AK,

As Caleb said Congradulations, and I feel so happy for you and look forward to seeing those images as you take those first few shots.

I have UV filters on my lenses but I understand that their main job is to protect the lense.

I usually give my camera a good clean every couple of weeks and just keep a general eye open for dust.

Don't charge the battery unless your going to take photos, apparently charging and not using will reduce the life of your battery.

Sit down in the evenings and read the manual and play with the camera and all its different settings, they will take a while to get used to and when you should use them. But with lots and lots of practise you'll get there.

Okay now get that card formatted and get out there girl !!!!!!

Ed

[noreturnphotos]

Wooo-whoooo! Way to go Mom and Dad!
Congrats AK!
One thing I have done is to grab the silica packets out of the shipping and put them in my gear bag(s). Helps keep the moisture at bay.
I use a uv filter on all lenses just cuz they are to hard to come by and the most important part of your gear!
My 02's worth.
Heres to seeing your new Work!
Royce

[bob_r]

Congrats, A.K.!!!

One thing I would suggest is to test your camera with and without the UV filter. Some of the cheaper one will impact the quality of your image. If you see degredation, I'd remove it. I use filters on mine, but only quality ones.

Looking forward to your pics with the new camera.

[jk]

Congrats AK!

My two cents worth - I always have my UV filter on (unless I am using my polarizing filter) and almost always the hood. Camera is always locked and loaded as they say. It goes just about everywhere with me, everyday to work - can get some pretty good sunset shots while riding the ol' public transportation! I have been told my numerous sources - put your camera in a plastic bag after shooting in the cold when you bring it inside the warm house - Michigan right? Let the condensation form on the bag not the camera. Have fun with it!!

JK

[Bonish Photo]

Congrats A.K.!! SOunds like that was the present of a lifetime with your photography addiction

We always keep batteries in our cameras and actually always leave the cameras on, but set the sleep mode to shut everything down after one minute of not touching any buttons.

I've always been amazed at how long the battery will last this way, and you'll never miss a shot because your camera wasnt turned on.

As for UV filters, I agree with Bob, I keep one on each of my lenses, but moved up to the more expensive brand names because I was noticing some degradation with the cheaper ones. B&W, Tiffen, Hoya are all good names. Just shot a few shots with it on, then remove it and take the same shots with the same settings and see if you can notice a difference.

Cant wait to see some shots!

[Photography~girl~]

Thank you all for the congrats! I've been playing and reading all day.(not all day, had to volunteer this afternoon...seemed to go on FOREVER!)
Right now its just a little "hard" getting used to where everything is at(not to mention a bit overwhelming...so many things!)...I press the "set" button just out of habbit when i want to change ISO or shutter speed(i had to go to my menu in the P&S.) And every once and a while mom will hear me go "Ohh! that's cool!" hahaha.

I have a lovely bag made for the Rebel that i was also given! Woopie! And my UV filter brand is Canon - i assume its a good brand. lol. But will heed to your advice, and take photos with and without it on.
As for a tri-pod...I'll just say: my birthday is in May........
On the Tripod topic - I'm still unsure of which type of head to get! opinions?

And to JK - Yes i live in Michigan(brrrr). and thank you for that advice! Its great to know! My P&S fogged up more then once after a chilly day outside.

I thank you again for all your pro advice on keeping my camera and its things. And I took look forward to my photos as well.

a.k

[oTTer]

speaking of tripods...
I inherited one a few years ago that turned out to be broken. I bought another one a few months ago, and I haven't figured out how to lock the swively thing the camera mounts onto. I was in my bathroom at 3am trying to get a shot of the full moon, so suffice it to say, it wasn't a priority... I did snap a couple of pictures, but I'd really need one of them remote trigger jobs so my finger isn't moving the camera. I am tripod deficient... any differences in brands, etc? I got this one to mount my plein air box on but tried my camera on it.

[Bonish Photo]

This is what weuse and seem to like it alot. The Grip action ballhead is really fast and quick when it comes to panning with action stuff

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/5 ... lack_.html

I think we're going to get another set of legs but I need to save up for a Gimble Head for the big 400mm. Something I'm not looking forward to dropping money on The head alone is as much as some of my other lenses!

Bogen/Manfrotto make some really nice stuff and I'd recommend them

[jk]

I am with Pat on the B&H photo & Manfrotto. I have a Manfrotto with a ball head. Love it. Got them both from B&H and my 70-300 Nikon VR lens from them. Super speedy FREE shipping on those items.
JK

[Tom B.]

Ak --

VERY NICE! I am excited for you! Have Fun and enjoy the learning experience!

I also leave my UV filters on, and agree that you should invest in quality filters. They are an added piece of protection for your lenses. Plus, I use the hood as well on my lenses. Prevention is the key to prevent frustration and additional costs to an already rather costly endeavor!

I too have a Manfrotto Tripod and Grip head. These are GREAT!! My tripod also extends to 72" - which is nice...

I leave the batteries in, and have another set of batteries ready to go, if needed. I clean the lenses and the filters after shooting in dusty or dirty environments. I can't stand to see specs on my shots because I did not take the time to clean the lens!

Just adding my thoughts....Good luck and can't wait to see some images from you and your new eyes to the world!

Tom B.

[Photography~girl~]

Thank you Pat, Jk and Ed for the info about the tripods! I will deff be looking into that!

I want to get outside SO BAD! few days ago it was rainy, then the next day it was like FREEZING and a white out(so bad dad had to stay home from work...though i didn't mind that. lol.) And today i wanted to get down to the lake to catch the sunset(i guess last night was amazing when my parents went to the 'store'...and i missed it. *sigh*) But today is cloudy and i'm not sure if i can make it down there(plus its snowing...again.)....hopefully tomorrow will be nice. I wanna get out there sooo bad!