I've lusted after a DSLR camera for as long as I can remember, but to be honest, I really couldn't justify splurging out on something that would probably end up lying in the bottom of a drawer. Getting involved in the blogging world gave me a brilliant excuse to finally invest in one. I want to be able to take lots of fancy, arty shots to add to my blog posts! I didn't want to spend a fortune on a camera that I had no idea how to use or if I would even enjoy using it, so, when O found a second hand one on Gumtree, we decided it would be a good idea to buy an older (cheaper) one to get familiar with before splurging out on a new shiny one. I do have my eye on a lovely Canon, but have to control myself until I get to grips with my Sony!
Now, let me begin by saying that I have no camera experience whatsoever, other than pointing and shooting (usually with my phone). Luckily O is pretty good with stuff like this and I have a few buddies who have helped me out. Oh and none of my blog photos, as of yet, have been taken with my DSLR because I still haven't bought a card reader to transfer my photos on to my Mac. I'm rubbish, I know!
So, say hello to my Sony DSLR-A200!
It's about 5 or 6 years old I think. The lady that we bought it from said she used it for a forensic photography (??) course and then never used it again. It's honestly as good as new. The only issue we had with it, is that it seriously smelled of smoke! Horrid, I know. When we got it home, we threw out the Sony camera bag and strap and cleaned the camera itself. We bought a new snazzy Lowepro bag and I've ordered a new strap. So it's all shiny and is smoke free now. The camera also came with some filters and a tripod (vlogging?!), we seriously bagged a real bargain.
I've picked up some tips from O over the last few weeks and have been searching online for other tricks and guides. I was very lucky to get some helpful tips from Rosie of Cider with Rosie, which I think I'll share in another blog post, as I've rambled on quite a bit for today. Everything I've learned so far is very basic, so if you're a camera pro, you'll probably want to skip my next few blog posts!
Do you have a DSLR? Which model? Any tips would be appreciated! :)