Michaels - Introduction to Digital SLR Course

[Jamie]

I got this free course from Michael's when i bought my camera and was wondering if anyone here has done it? If so did you get anything out of it. Is it worth while or just a waste of time?

Here is what they teach you over the 3 hours....

An introductory course showing you how to best use your Digital SLR camera, its features and functions

What is a digital slr camera and how does it work?
Digital camera features, controls and functions
Understanding Resolution, Compression and File Types
Basic and Advanced Operation
Understanding the effects of the aperture and shutterspeed on depth of field and exposure
Composition and Framing
Wide angle and Zoom lenses
Connectivity: getting images from the camera to computer
All about accessories, batteries and card readers
Whether to print at home or to use a printing service
Factors that affect print quality
Questions and answers

Jamie

[phillipb]

Jamie,
I think it depends on how much experience you already have.
I certainly wouldn't pay for it, but if it's free and you have the time to spare, then why not.
I guarantee though that they will be steering you towards their services, trying to get you to print through them etc.

[Jamie]

I guarantee though that they will be steering you towards their services, trying to get you to print through them etc.

I think that goes without saying.

I also recived a $100 voucher for printing as well with the purchase, so thats covered for a little while.

Jamie

[kipper]

Jamie, I bought my first camera through Michaels and was happy with the way the salesman spoke to me. He was a polite chap from the UK, and I told him what I was aiming at buying. He steared me towards the Nikon F80 which I didn't even have in my lineup of choices. He let me play, I fell in love and I bought it there and then. Went back there to see what price they'd give me for a D70. Another chap from the UK served me. He came up with some figures, I asked him if he could do X amount as I'd seen Y selling it for that. He told me I should of told him that instead of wasting his time, I said "Thank you very much" and left. Never returned to Michaels since, and it was my choice of places to get prints (fuji printers). If you're a novice to computers and processing images (eg. photoshop), then this course might be for you. However if you've already spent 20 years with PCs, and used Photoshop a lot in that time then this course would be a waste of time for you.

[PiroStitch]

It's a free course. Just go there and you can be our reviewer

From what I've seen of your gallery though Jamie, you seem to have an excellent eye and an understanding of photography. To me, that's more important than what anybody else can teach. The rest of the stuff that you need to learn is more technical which can be taught (ie. the equipment, post processing, etc).

If you're coming from film, digital photography shouldn't be any harder as the basics are covered Either way, if you're unsure I'd say take the plunge and just go. It's a free course...even though you've probably paid for it already in the markup for the D70

[Jamie]

I think i might sign up and go along, after all its free and i have nothing to lose other than a few hours of my time.

Ill see if i can put together a quick review afterwards so others have an idea of what its all about.

Jamie