OK, Got an coupon from Amazon and I am going to get a Phrozen Sonic Mini 8K to start in the world of 3D printing.
My first question is about the resin. Should you (or have to) use the resin sold by the printer manf? Is one brand of resin better than others for the Phrozen?
That is a great printer, it's what I have and I was a noobie as well when I got it.
You do not have to use the resin from the mfr, but I will say the Phrozen Aqua 8K is an excellent resin for models. I have used a couple others: Voxelab Transparent (windows and some other experimental models), and Ameralabs TGM-7 (which is more strong/flexible but give up a little in detail--designed for wargame modelers). And you can mix resins-- I mixed some TGM-7 with the Aqua 8K to make it slightly more flexible.
Finding the right settings is probably the biggest challenge. However, there's a database of resin settings for the PSM8K in Lychee Slicer (also recommend this software) and I suggest watching a few YouTube videos on resin calibration. There is a small learning curve but you'll be cranking out models in no time.
I recommend getting the Wham Bam flexible build plate--which makes removing models much easier, but FYI, you may need to drill/file out the adjustment slots on the building plate head a tiny bit for it to level properly--I did.
I bought nFEP film as well but have yet to install it, I'm still using the plain FEP one I started with!
I hope this helps!
-Jesse