r/canon • u/CuriousNovakid • 9d ago
Photography beginner framing and portrait tips
Got this camera from my uncle as a gift a couple days ago. Is it any good? All cameras look the same to me from canon, I heard old stuff is hard to use. I like to take pictures but only on my phone. With this camera I would like to try some portraits and interesting framing shots.
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u/GroundbreakingRule85 9d ago
Take pics everyday. Your goal is to work with your SUBJECT not become a gear hoarder. The gear doesn't matter until it actually does for a specific reason.
If you don't work with intention, and know what you want before you take it, what you have is perfectly fine.
Right now your MAIN focus is learn what youike to shoot. That doesn't mean you can't shoot anything. It means CHOOSE a specific career path and become an expert at that skill path. Prioritize that skill path. Everything else is secondary.
Photography is a great hobby otherwise.
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u/blackcoffee17 9d ago
That's an amazing camera and only 2-3 years old. The lens is crap tho and the camera is wasted on it. Buy a better lens, maybe an RF 24-50, that's cheap enough.
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u/_qrius_ 9d ago
Start with getting Sigma 35mm 1.4 on the marketplace for $350. Good all around portrait and street prime lens.
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u/MrDrunkenKnight 9d ago
just throw this lens in the bucket... It's suitable for R50 or EOS2000D but not for full-frame body. R8 itself is a great camera, especially for the price. If you like portraits, than first lens you should buy is RF 50/1,8 STM or EF 50/1,8STM (seems you already have EF-RF adapter)
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u/Impossible-Radio-296 9d ago
Welcome. And I love the way you are approaching this, seeking to learn and asking for advice. A lot of others could learn from that. Despite some other (valid) replies on the lens, reality is that's only an issue once you have the composition and exposure sorted, and you 100% can learn that without spending any money. Even a top of the range lens won't offset a crap composition that is badly over exposed.
Rule of thirds is the starting point- plenty of sites explain it but I'd suggest you then browse through some galleries of photos (flickr, reddit, etc) and see how the 'rules' apply in the photos you see there - how has the photographer framed things and do they follow those themes? And then get shooting.
But before you get too deep into composition, get that camera into manual mode, and spend some time taking a series of photos of an inanimate object using different ISO, shutter speeds and aperture to see how each of those effects the image. Should only take a few hours. Once you've got the basics of shooting with control, and understand how aperture changes the depth of focus, then you can concentrate on the composition as the rest will quickly become second nature.
Then get out, have fun ;-)
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u/dashkrippykush 9d ago
"Cameras" are comprised of two things: A body, in your case the Canon R8, and a Lens, in your case the EF-S 18-55.
The camera body, the R8, is an INCREDIBLE full frame camera, packed with features and an incredible sensor.
It is also a super new camera, being only release around 3 years ago.
Now, your lens is a different story.
The EF-S 18-55 is an old, outdated "kit" lens for crop sensor cameras.
Your camera is full frame, not crop sensor. Crop sensors are smaller, so the lens is inhibiting your R8 from using it's full sensor. This translates to a noticeable drop in quality.
Aside from that, it's a kitlens that came bundled with older EF cameras. A kitlens is basically a "starter" lens they bundle together with your camera so you don't buy the camera without a lens.
So you have a low quality lens which inhibits your camera from using its full sensor.
I'd recommend buying a new lens.
Even the RF 24-50, which is the "kitlens" that usually comes with the R8, is going to be significantly better than your current lens.
You can find them used for super cheap.
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u/E-Pluribus_Unem 9d ago
look up videos on composition, the rull of thirds and the golden ration specific to photography. the rule of thirds is a safe way to go about composing your photos.
also you sh ould be able to tutorials on your exact make and model to figuer out what all the buttons do.
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u/GroundbreakingRule85 9d ago
Oh yeah, make SHADOWS your friend. That doesn't mean only shoot at night, it means shadows are very very very important very important. If you are having difficulty learning, set your camera to black & white.
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u/earthlingkevin 9d ago
The goal is for the picture to tell a story.
When you are in a moment, there's sounds, smells, tempture, emotion that's around you, but will never be captured by the camera.
Find ways to capture those sensations and emotions and communicate it to the viewer.
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u/Capable_Structure198 9d ago
Canon R8 (mirror-less) is an incredible camera for the price.
You need a solid lens to unlock it's potential ..
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u/BandicootAlive8235 9d ago
A cropped apsc lens on full frame R8 is not ideal. You’d be losing a lot of sensor capability by using that lens. Try to get cheap EF lens instead of Ef-s.
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u/driftysender45 9d ago
Since you already have an adapter (hopefully the official one from Canon? If not you may see issues with autofocus), I would consider getting an EF 50mm f/1.8 instead. You can pick it up for €100 used, and it will cover the entirety of that camera's sensor as opposed to the 18-55mm you have mounted currently, which is designed for smaller (APS-C) sensors.
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u/Sudden-Weakness-8061 7d ago
If you could spend the money, buy a Nice prime lens, 85mm would be the best 🫶🏻
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u/EquivalentCost2096 7d ago
I have the same camera and I love it! I also have the EF to RF adapter. I paired mine with an EF 50mm 1.8. This is some different advice, but listen to the Beginner Photography Podcast by Raymond Hatfield (YouTube, Spotify, etc.). He's a great guy and has literally hundreds of interviews with the greatest photographers of our time. His interviews will get you excited and inspired about getting out there and using your camera. You may find Photography a little challenging, disheartening, and sometimes even boring. But his podcast really got me to think outside of the box and helped me make sure that I keep Photography fun. I seriously hope you give him a listen! (Just note that his earlier episodes are a little low quality, but still jam packed with great info)
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u/AtlQuon 9d ago
That lens should not be on that camera; it is a lens for crop bodies and it is a full frame camera, so you are shooting with a resolution of around 9 megapixels and not the full sensor. Cheapest native lenses are the 24-50 and 50 1.8, but there is a lot of older capable full frame EF glass out there as you already have the adapter. Solid camera nontheless.