Get your head round exposure and how aperture, shutter speed and iso work in relation to one another, really is the key to getting the photos that you want
Don't agree about the Understanding Exposure book, hardly mentions the histogram which is another vital aid to getting well exposed photos. I always recommend this book Exposure it might say landscapes in the title, but have never read anything which explains exposure better
I think I have a lot of learning ahead of me 
, so you guys recommend starting on aperture priority?? Why is this may I ask.
Basically, aperture, shutter speed and ISO all affect the exposure of your photos.
ISO is the sensitivity of the sensor. The higher the ISO, the more sensitive the sensor; so the less light you need, but the more "noise" / interference you get on the final shot.
Aperture is how wide open the lens is. For complicated reasons, the lower the aperture number, the wider open (sometimes referred to as "faster") the lens. Shutter is the length of time you expose the shot for. Assuming a fixed ISO for simplicity, the wider the aperture the faster the shutter for a given shot.
Imagine filling a bucket from a hose; to fill the bucket, if you have a narrower hose (aperture) you have to run the tap for longer (shutter speed) to fill the bucket, and vice versa. And, if you have a smaller bucket (higher ISO), you need less water (light) to fill it.
So why wouldn't you just shoot wide open all the time? Because aperture directly affects 'depth of field' - how much of the shot is in focus. The lovely portrait shots you see with the face pin sharp and the background all blurry, that's with a wide open aperture. Too wide however, and you'll have someone's eyes in focus and their ears blurred(*). As an aside, a longer zoom lens will also give you a shallower DoF.
In Av and Tv mode, you directly control the Aperture or Shutter respectively, and the camera automatically adjusts everything else around it to try and get a decent exposure (this was the bit I didn't get and was the 'eureka' moment for me when I got my 450D). Which you use depends which you need control of.
For sport shots say, you may need a short exposure to freeze action, or a longer exposure to add motion blur (shooting streaky waterfalls perhaps). In this case you'd shoot in Tv mode to get the effect you're looking for. For day to day walking around in good light conditions though, you'll generally want to control depth of field and speed will be less important. For this reason, Av is the default position for many people, but it does depend wholly what you're shooting.
Read the Canon FAQ link above - it covers all this in better detail and accuracy than I could hope to explain.
(* - bad example, humour me)
Basically, aperture, shutter speed and ISO all affect the exposure of your photos.ISO is the sensitivity of the sensor. The higher the ISO, the more sensitive the sensor; so the less light you need, but the more "noise" / interference you get on the final shot.
Aperture is how wide open the lens is. For complicated reasons, the lower the aperture number, the wider open (sometimes referred to as "faster") the lens. Shutter is the length of time you expose the shot for. Assuming a fixed ISO for simplicity, the wider the aperture the faster the shutter for a shot.
Imagine filling a bucket from a hose; to fill the bucket, if you have a narrower hose (aperture) you have to run the tap for longer (shutter speed) to fill the bucket. If you have a bigger or smaller bucket (lower or higher ISO), you need less water (light) to fill it.
So why wouldn't you just shoot wide open all the time? Because aperture directly affects 'depth of field' - how much of the shot is in focus. The lovely portrait shots you see with the face pin sharp and the background all blurry, that's with a wide open aperture. Too wide however, and you'll have someone's eyes in focus and their ears blurred(*). As an aside, a longer zoom lens will also give you a shallower DoF.
In Av and Tv mode, you directly control the Aperture or Shutter respectively, and the camera automatically adjusts everything else around it to try and get a decent exposure (this was the bit I didn't get and was the 'eureka' moment for me when I got my 450D). Which you use depends which you need control of.
For sport shots say, you may need a short exposure to freeze action, or a longer exposure to add motion blur (shooting streaky waterfalls perhaps). In this case you'd shoot in Tv mode to get the effect you're looking for. For day to day walking around in good light conditions though, you'll generally want to control depth of field and speed will be less important. For this reason, Av is the default position for many people, but it does depend wholly what you're shooting.
Read the Canon FAQ link above - it covers all this in better detail and accuracy than I could hope to explain.
I wasn't talking to you, manual boy.
(-:
(EDIT - edited slightly for clarity)
My advice would be to just get out there and have fun with it, and when the weather's pants have a look online for some ideas for things like water splash images which can be done in the comfort of your kitchen.
I'd also recommend Talk Photography, a great place for all sorts of advice and inspiration.
Have fun! 
I advise to buy one of these books
Had bought a similar book but on the Canon G10
for my daughter.
This guy takes you through assignments whilst learning your camera
Take a look at link.
I didn't say it was. However, I'm not about to buy a NEW LAPTOP to run a single piece of software. Are you mad?
sorry yes. i buy laptops to run just 1-2 pieces of specific software. (capture1/photoshop)
Chris
For macro photography you can quickly get started with a set of close up or diopter lenses. This is basically the equivalent of using a magnifying glass. Stick them on your Christmas list, they are great fun.
They screw on to the front of your lens just like a filter. You need to buy the right size for your lens, which for your kit lens will be 58mm. There are plenty on eBay, but I got mine cheaper from my local camera shop.
It is pretty much essential to use a tripod, as it is impossible to focus and frame such a tiny area if the camera is wobbling about.
Also if the thing you're shooting is moving about (e.g. an insect on a branch) then you might need to use a fast shutter speed, and hence a wide aperture to get enough light in. This is where your kit lens might struggle, as the aperture can only go as big as f4 or f5.6. I guess this is where a proper macro lens will be more suitable, but then you're talking more cash.
Have a read of this
http://photonotes.org/articles/beginner-faq/lenses.html#closeup
can i suggest the books by Scott Kelby? As a new owner of a d70s i got hold of the complete guide to the d70 by Thom Hogan and frankly shat myself at the technical nature of his work. it was very thorough but very technical and whilst it was sinking in, i didn't have any real understanding of how to take pictures with the camera, more an understanding of how the camera worked.
The Scott Kelby books are written in plain english (i expect some people will hate them)but each page covers one topic and its focussed on taking good pictures.
Might be a marmite thing but i really liked it and it has given me good ideas and enthusiasm for getting out there.
^^ I would second the Scott Kelby books. I've got one that is more to do with Photoshop, than photographic techniques, but it is easy to follow. He does have a 'style' that some people don't like, but I quite like the light hearted approach.
Talk Photography for tips on shooting, processing and everything else camera related.
Lightroom for image processing, its very easy to use.
A HQ UV filter to protect the lens.
Do a 'photo a day' blog.
Try not to shoot in Auto, you won't learn much.. If you are not sure on the correct settings, set it to auto, see what it comes up with, then set it back to Av/S/P/M and use those settings and go from there.
Try not to shoot in Auto, you won't learn much.. If you are not sure on the correct settings, set it to auto, see what it comes up with, then set it back to Av/S/P/M and use those settings and go from there.
Well so far there's a lot of info, tips and links with this thread!! Darn confusing lol. Guess its just trial and error...
Just had the Scott kelby book and it's great, very easy to follow thanks
Look at the subject and decide what's important.
A building, for example, f number somewhere in the middle as you want a reasonable depth of field, get the composition right. Then play to get the right shutter speed.
A fast moving object. Shutter speed is more important here, first set the shutter speed to 1/250sec (for example) then look to get the correct f number.
Or to paraphrase: use Av to set the aperture for the building, and the camera will do the playing about to get the right shutter; use Tv for the fast moving object, and the camera will faff about and get the aperture right.
Maybe you'll find that the light conditions won't allow you to take a decent photo based on the above, that's chapter 2.
Then you should venture towards 'M'
If I were you zokes, I'd actually leave it on auto. You'll find things a lot less complicated and you'll use a lot less of your significant brain power.
Not quite sure why that's needed, D_S. Telling a novice to use the most complicated setting on his new purchase doesn't make much sense IMO, especially when settings such as Av and Tv exist to save the faffing.
I'm fine without the photography hints though, I reckon I can use a camera well enough for my purposes. But thanks for your concern, it's touching...
TBH, I don't think that using the manual setting is complicated as you're only dealing with two parameters. Complicated would be the introduction of ISO, bracketing, high speed synched flashes and special effects from the camera and not photochop, using photochop etc, etc.
I would like to think that the OP has a certain level of intelligence, unless of course he rides a single speed fixie and drives an automatic car.
I'll try to explain my point of view.
A lens is an entry point of light and in any given conditions there is a quantity of light.
For the sake of argument lets think of light in squared metres, 4m2 for example.
Taking a square shape we need 2X2m to arrive at 4m2, correct?
Using any fixed parameter you will always leave with the same shot, given the conditions (4m2) are the same.
But we also know that:
2x2=4
1X4=4
0,5X8=4
etc.
So, by playing with the aperture I have to play with the shutter speed and based on the example we now have 3 different looking shots for the same level of light. And that is the key to understanding how a camera works and how to visualise what you want before taking the picture rather than taking a picture and with a bit of luck being able to say that's nice.
Bearing in mind that there is no correct or incorrect way, this is my simple understanding.
nice camera - my advice is just to enjoy - for now. The kit lens is OK but will limit your ability to take some of those really fancy pro looking shots. having saisd that, fancy lenses wouldn't be my first upgrade. (a polarising filter and an external flash would be) I'd take a look at some online photography tutorials to get to grip with what you should be able to do with our new toy.
try writ out a list of types of photo you want to take , Im stuck on music gig photos at the moment. http://www.pjkimages.tumblr.com but have captured some nice(imo) motorsport,party,wedding and people shots.
Oh and keep an eye open on ebay for lense bargains. I have an adapter for EOS to 42mm screw lense which means cheap old fashioned lenses are easy use. Take some photos and post them here .
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