Completely noob to this camera game

[Soda Popinski]

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.

[howielong]

How are you shooting the camera. Via manual mode or auto or any of the semi manual settings?

I'd suggest picking up an external flash if you will be shooting indoors, I find flashes to be one thing that is always good to have. I'd also suggest learning how everything works first before getting extra gear and what not. But thats just me.

[97TurboDSM]

I think he said he was on auto. I find often that the camera doesn't know what it's doing and learning how to use all the settings separate from one another will really help you

[The Captain]

Screw the stock flash...especially at night when you use a tripod, let the camera just take a real long exposure...trust me it'll look better.

Screw "Auto" mode. You picture look a little grainy, so i can only assume the "auto" mode detected darkness and upped your ISO to an unnecessarily high level. I don't know too much about your specific camera, but i'd say try to stay at a 400 iso max to keep the quality up.

It looks like your white balance is off in the last couple too.

[namdoogwerdna]

Pop,

Before you do anything else, look into some online articles about shot composure, the rule of threes, and basic techniques. One thing that bothered me about your pictures is that the entire car wasn't always in the frame. I don't know if that's just because you were taking snapshots or what, but when the bottom of the lip or the corner of the bumper is cut off it kills the shot.

I would also suggest shooting in manual for a while, just play around with it and take pictures of random stuff. That way you are bound to mess up, but you learn what you did wrong and you are able to correct it for the next time around. I know that helped me immensely. I wouldn't worry about flashes and stuff just yet. For filters, a circular polarizer would work wonders for the car shots, and I would invest in a nice tripod as well.

Good luck, and have fun with it!