newbie photographer starting up

[jiaklormee]

hi sifus here,

i'm a newbie here planning to plunge myself into photography...i have a budget of around $700, inclusive of camera and accessories (mainly dry cabinet and tripod)....currently set my eyes on a prosumer cam, the fujifilm s6500fd for $560 including a 1GB card from an infamous shop among CS ppl, which i plan to purchase on sat....now i need recommendations on a small dry cabinet and a budget tripod....any recommendations or comments on the cam and my setup? should i go for other newer models? any other things i should purchase also?

thanks!

[night86mare]

Yay, another prosumer user - I used to be one, so I can give you a comparison of the 6500fd versus other models (though the other models might be of the older range).

Not sure about price; but here are the pros and cons of the 6500fd compared to other cameras:

Pros-
1) Has wide angle 28mm, IIRC
2) Good low light performance, nothing else can match in this category
3) Good image quality due to low noise, almost the same as 2) but when I look at my older photos taken with my prosumer in the past even at ISO 80 there seems to be a lot of noise in the shadows
4) SLR like feel, no zoom switch, very much like using a DSLR so if you upgrade eventually you'll be more used to the handling style

Cons:
1) For such a long focal length due to wide zoom range, no IS is eek, you would probably need a monopod or tripod if you plan to shoot far
2) xD card is painful, especially when the most common media is still CF and SD, if you don't mind though..
3) EVF also not the best, there are better out there

This is when comparing to prosumers in its class, e.g. the Sony H series, Canon SX series, Panasonic FZX series, etc. If compare to DSLR then have a lot of other considerations. For that, just read my thread here for more info as to the considerations of prosumer VS DSLR.

If you are the sort who might consider getting DSLR in future, then buy a medium size dry cabinet - you'll need it for your lenses and all that.

Tripod - budget good one will be Slik Sprint Pro, about $80-$90 depending on where you get it, with a ballhead. Light too. And definitely can handle your setup, easy to use and setup.

[JohnnyM]

Originally Posted by jiaklormee hi sifus here, i'm a newbie here planning to plunge myself into photography...i have a budget of around $700, inclusive of camera and accessories (mainly dry cabinet and tripod)....currently set my eyes on a prosumer cam, the fujifilm s6500fd for $560 including a 1GB card from an infamous shop among CS ppl, which i plan to purchase on sat....now i need recommendations on a small dry cabinet and a budget tripod....any recommendations or comments on the cam and my setup? should i go for other newer models? any other things i should purchase also? thanks!

Do you know already what you want to shoot with your camera and what you have been shooting all this time with your PnS/camera-phone?

That aside, Carrefour has a pretty good selection of reasonably priced dry cabinets and most of the bigger ones include free delivery. I bought my tripod from there as well and for the very cheap price I paid for it, it does what it's supposed to do reasonably well for my needs.

Do approach some of the more reputable shops for recommendations or browse the threads here if you need more advice. The higher end tripods can get quite expensive and it might not make financial sense if you don't intend to use it frequently.

[jiaklormee]

thanks for all the comments here....i plan to shoot mostly scenery photos and also the fireworks in the upcoming festival....and the equipment(excluding the dry cabi) will most probably go with me to a 2mth trip to beijing on oct...

[JohnnyM]

Originally Posted by jiaklormee thanks for all the comments here....i plan to shoot mostly scenery photos and also the fireworks in the upcoming festival....and the equipment(excluding the dry cabi) will most probably go with me to a 2mth trip to beijing on oct...

Sounds like you would do good a camera that can do wide/ultra-wide (<28mm) either via lenses or converters. Shooting fireworks also probably means you'll want to have a tripod and a remote shutter release. I would recommend a second hand dSLR or bump your budget up a little and get a new entry level one.

Not sure how your logistics will go, but if you're going to China, it might make better sense to buy the dry cabinet there and ship it back on your return, instead of hauling it back and forth.

I'll probably be shooting the Friday show, and I know just the place to aim. Let me know if you're coming if you wanna shoot together.

[jiaklormee]

i know...but i got limited budget you see....still a student...so i thought a prosumer would be a better choice...then i move on to dslr when i got the $$ and necessary skills...

[tunghk]

actually budget wise, advise you to get a used DSLR if you are not in a hurry. I have bought 2 used DSLR (olympus E500 kit) from CS B&S for $600. And I must say its quite a good cam even for serious photographer... With that, you will still have $100 to get your tripod.. As for dry cabi, maybe start with a dry box and silica first. Or wait 1-2 months before get a dry cabi. Fungus will not grow overnight dont be too worry..

[jiaklormee]

the reason why i don't want to consider dslr YET is because i know i will keep on spending on lens/flashes as time goes buy....i may consider that when my finance status is better....

[JohnnyM]

Originally Posted by jiaklormee the reason why i don't want to consider dslr YET is because i know i will keep on spending on lens/flashes as time goes buy....i may consider that when my finance status is better....

All the more you should be getting a dslr. At least then you have the option of buying accessories as your proficiency outgrows your equipment.

[night86mare]

If you are a student, consider your own financial situation properly and don't listen to everyone here. Remember, Clubsnap is to be taken with a pinch of salt.

I'm an advocate of the prosumer --> DSLR route, I know a lot of people who just withdrew their interest halfway, believe me it's a huge waste of money if you've invested in loads of lenses. So consider what I said in the thread, whose link was given in my last post.

And have a mind of your own. Only you can decide.

[jiaklormee]

Originally Posted by night86mare If you are a student, consider your own financial situation properly and don't listen to everyone here. Remember, Clubsnap is to be taken with a pinch of salt. I'm an advocate of the prosumer --> DSLR route, I know a lot of people who just withdrew their interest halfway, believe me it's a huge waste of money if you've invested in loads of lenses. So consider what I said in the thread, whose link was given in my last post. And have a mind of your own. Only you can decide.

one of the reasons i've decided on prosumer....i've set my mind on it, getting it tmr....but for tripod and dry cabinet....i'm still at loss.....

[night86mare]

Originally Posted by jiaklormee one of the reasons i've decided on prosumer....i've set my mind on it, getting it tmr....but for tripod and dry cabinet....i'm still at loss.....

Tripod with a tight budget can look at the one I mentioned; PPCP here also has quite a decent tripod for the price, perhaps $140+ seems a lot but generally there is the logic that buying something with inferior quality might end up costing you more in the end.

Don't have to get dry cabinet right away, can always just get a simple dry box (~$20 to $25) and use Hungry Hippo, which will last you quite a while. Make sure your hygrometer on dry box stays around 40-50% most of the time, will rise when you put your equipment back in it after a shot but should go down.

[Lmodel]

I'm not sure why you did not explore the possibility of getting a resale DSLR (e.g. Canon 350D, Nikon D70s, etc.) For a Nikon D70 with kit, you can find it reasonably priced in the range of ard $700.

Despite being only a 6MP, it should be more than sufficient for your usage. The kit lens (at 18-70) should be sufficient for a start (at least good enough for scenary and fireworks). A person is always limited by his/ her own budget and thus, it may not be necessary that one will keep spending on getting more.

The sensor are much bigger than those in the prosumer and you'll be surprised to know how much differences there are between a prosumer and a DSLR. Else, you will soon be asking what most newbies are asking "Why is my P&S/ prosumer not able to produce a blur background with a sharp subject (herein termed as bokeh)".

You actually lose more by buying and selling, which I believed many of us here have the painful experience. I'd suggest that you save up another $100 or so and go straight into a DSLR.

Last piece of advise, you can get very good equipments at very good price in our Buy & Sell section.

Good luck.

Cheers

[jiaklormee]

thx alot guys...got my 6500fd yesterday....happy user now...