I bought my first decent camera on sale from Wal-Mart this week. I got myself a good deal, bought the demo model which was 10% off and it's in great condition.
I bought a Sony DSLR A200k (Alpha 200) and so far I love it!
But the pictures I've been taking always come out way too dark. I have no idea where to start. The lens that came with it is nice, but seems very basic. I've seen pictures some of you have taken with HD photos and they come out amazing. I'm wondering what kinds of filters or lenses you use for closeups of people, dogs, etc. I've seen so many amazing pictures of cars where you can see every crisp detail, etc. I have mine set at 16:9 but the car always comes out darker than it looks in the viewfinder and I can't see the crazy looking images that seem to come out on some of you guys (and gal's stuff).
The camera has 10.2 MP and 35 (or maybe higher) optical zoom, manual and auto-focus, all kinds of ISO stops, some really neat features (so it claims) and I have a tripod and everything. I guess I just need a push in the right direction as far as "must have" filters, lenses and accessories.
the cam didn't come with much, only a neck strap, covers, cables and software. The tripod is a universal one and cost me 70 bucks... it's fairly medium duty.
Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. I'd love to start snapping pics at events and maybe my own dog once in a while =)
Here's an example of how the pics have come out when setting the camera to "auto."
Outdoor: setting sun for lighting, and camera auto flash:
Outdoor @ about 5 PM: no flash
Indoor @ 7:00 PM with flash, and tripod mounted lighting, floursecent lights and a lightbulb in the ceiling of my garrage.
Other pics that came out bad:
What kind of lights, filters, lenses should I be looking for. Don't worry about money, but I'd like to keep it under $1000 if I can.