Advice needed on Micro Four Thirds vs a dSLR for beginner

[crealism]

Hi,

I'm a student on a tight budget..and am looking to upgrade my current Lumix FX 36 to a more professional camera since I enjoy traveling and don't want to waste good photo-taking opportunities on a point-and-shoot..

I won't be looking to upgrade to powerful lenses at least for the next 5 years since I'm pretty broke, and am actually already quite satisfied with what my friend's Nikon D40 had to offer when I saw his photos.

I'm currently deciding between getting a Nikon D60 or the Panasonic Lumix LX3..I'm a girl so naturally I don't like the idea of carrying around a bulky camera, especially if I'm traveling in nature parks like mountains/hiking trails.

But I heard the D60 is pretty light so I'm hoping to give it a chance. My budget is about $800. The only reason why I'm considering the LX 3 is because it's small....but since the D60 only costs a bit more than the Micro Four Thirds..I'm a bit hesistant..

Based on my situation, would the LX3 or D60 be more 'worth it'? Also, any places to get good deals for the cameras I've mentioned?

Much thanks in advance! :heart:

 

[Cartman2000]

LX3 is an advanced PNS, not any part of the Micro Four Thirds system. You might as well get a D3000 if you want a DSLR, or just get the LX3

 

[liveevil]

Or you might want to look at E-P1, GF1 for micro 4/3 system. But i guess you would need to increase your budget by quite a bit. If you are ok with the size of a dslr, then any entry level dslr is fine. If not, LX3 is a good choice for a nice p&s.

 

[ziploc]

Hi crealism,

Why not drop by one of the well known camera shops and try out the D60 yourself? The D60 with the 18-55VR kit lens will fit your budget, but weight is a personal thing and it is hard for us to advise you on that, especially if we're a bunch of guys...

For info on which shop offers a good price for the D60, you can look at CS' Nikon price list.

Cheers.

 

[ziploc]

Oh btw, if you would like to get the m43 camera like the Oly E-P1, the price is around $1200-$1500 depending of the lens you're getting. The LX3 is not an m43 camera, and you can get it around $640.

 

[JW73]

When choosing a dslr, the main aim is to have better control, faster focus, interchangeable lenses( for future expansion of photography choices) and also the choice of mounting a flash gun for better indoor shots.

I would go for a dslr instead of a lx3 as u already has one compact.LX3 is a advance compact with limitation that a dlsr can overcome.

I m a Canon long time user. But if u want a smaller dslr, olympus has many small / light dslr or ep-1 choices. Go and test it out.

 

[ziploc]

Oh and, I trek a lot too. When I trek, I would usually bring along a compact camera (my old Fuji f11) and my DSLR (Fuji S5pro) + 18-200VR. The DSLR would be kept in my backpack, while the compact is in a pouch attached to my shoulder strap. For taking photos while on the move, I would just conveniently whip out the compact from the pouch infront of my chest. When reaching scenic places, I would stop, put down the backpack, take out my DSLR and shoot. It is more troublesome with the DSLR, but the image quality it produces is far better then the compact. Since you already have an FX36, you can probably do the same if you're going with the D60 option.

 

[crealism]

Oh thanks for the clarification! I thought the LX3 is a Micro 4/3 because it keeps getting compared to the Olympus EP-1. I guess I'll just take LX3 out of my consideration since it's another compact.

And thanks for the recommendation to the D3000 and the price list. Will check out the cameras.

 

[cater]

To be very frank with you, The Nikonians will ask you to get Nikon. The micro 4/3 user will ask you to try micro 4/3 models. The Lx-3 user will also do the same thing. U must go ard different threads to do research on the pros n cons of the models u like and go down to a shop and have a hands on with the cameras you like and make the final decision. After all, u will be the 1 whom is using the camera, not those that give you advise. Hope this helps.

 

[shaoken]

Just to let you know, if you're wanting to find a tele-zoom lens, Nikon range of tele-zoom lenses will be large.
Oly lenses (can be mounted to micro 4/3) like the 40-150mm lens is a very compact tele-zoom lenses.

This is the advice which I can give you since you like travelling.

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

Just to let you know, if you're wanting to find a tele-zoom lens, Nikon range of tele-zoom lenses will be large.
Oly lenses (can be mounted to micro 4/3) like the 40-150mm lens is a very compact tele-zoom lenses.

This is the advice which I can give you since you like travelling.

Are you saying that Nikon has a large range of tele-zoom lenses, or that Nikon's tele-zoom lenses are large in size?

I assume you meant the latter, though I don't think the Oly 40-150 is any smaller than a Nikon 55-200 (similar FOV) or a Canon 55-250. What exactly are you basing your point on?

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

Hi,

I'm a student on a tight budget..and am looking to upgrade my current Lumix FX 36 to a more professional camera since I enjoy traveling and don't want to waste good photo-taking opportunities on a point-and-shoot..

I won't be looking to upgrade to powerful lenses at least for the next 5 years since I'm pretty broke, and am actually already quite satisfied with what my friend's Nikon D40 had to offer when I saw his photos.

I'm currently deciding between getting a Nikon D60 or the Panasonic Lumix LX3..I'm a girl so naturally I don't like the idea of carrying around a bulky camera, especially if I'm traveling in nature parks like mountains/hiking trails.

But I heard the D60 is pretty light so I'm hoping to give it a chance. My budget is about $800. The only reason why I'm considering the LX 3 is because it's small....but since the D60 only costs a bit more than the Micro Four Thirds..I'm a bit hesistant..

Based on my situation, would the LX3 or D60 be more 'worth it'? Also, any places to get good deals for the cameras I've mentioned?

Much thanks in advance! :heart:

The D60 is almost exactly the same size as the D40. I think the newest D3000 is also that size.
D60 would be hard to find already I think.
Lots of 'upgraders' selling on BnS subforum. You should consider 2nd hand as a first step into DSLR ownership. If you decide to upgrade or give up photography, the financial pain is less severe.

 

[daredevil123]

If you decide to go Nikon DSLR route it is advisable to do the following:

1. If getting new, get the D3000. It will be hard to get a new D60 at a good discount, even though it is being phased out.

2. If getting used, get a D60. Many are selling it in BnS but look for a fair deal. Asking prices are a little ridiculous. I've seen people asking for as much as 750 for out-of-warranty 1.5 year old kit. You should also consider the D40x, which is almost identical to the D60. You can get it at a better deal used. I just sold mine with 2700 shutter count for 550, with kit lens and freebies.

 

[pinholecam]

If you can part with $800, you are not broke

As the others have mentioned, Lx3 is a compact camera and is not a u4/3 camera.

Why don't you consider a Pentax Km. Its ~$800 for camera body, 18-55mm and 20-200mm lens. Its has built in Shake Reduction on the camera body so all your lenses will benefit from it. Its also has a spot meter function and has on-body drive motor for auto focus.
Size wise, its also small for a DSLR. Overall, its within your budget, small, light and full featured.


Gd Luck, camera hunting

 

[Rashkae]

Also consider the Sony A330. Great live view, tilting screen, very user-friendly and it's small and light. Ergonomically, it really seems sized for a woman's hands.

 

[torak]

i'll recommand a sony A330 or A300.

The A330 is cheap, very very light (one of the lightest DSLRs u can find) and specially catered to beginners as the LCD will give some explanation on what the various buttons do, so this is a good way for beginners to learn.

There are some bad reviews on the A330, saying the camera hides alot of functions inside the menus instead, but do note that these are the comments by more seasoned DSLR users. The A330 is targeted for beginners, thats why Sony hides most of the uncommonly used functions into the menu instead of having the physical buttons. The ones outside are those that as a beginner, u will often use it.

What sets A330 apart from the other brands is the Image Stabiliser function, which is only found in high end DSLRs of other brand. The IS will be extremely useful for beginners.

The A300 is exactly same specs as the A330, but its more catered for users which knows how to use a DSLR (more buttons, no guiding mode). Its cheaper too! So it depends on whether the help function and the easy mode keys are useful to u anot, then choose between those 2 cams.

 

[crealism]

Thanks for all the helpful replies Never considered Sony before (more of a Nikon person), will decide between the D3000 or A330.

 

[bruno84sg]

LX3 is a powerful PnS.
Since u already said u wun get lenses in near future...
Get Olympus E620. opps... olympus user asking ppl buy olympus. hahaa
Y E620? light, has built-in IS, swivel LCD, lenses size is smaller.

 

[torak]

take a look at this clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPdy52mR6Io

It shows how Image stabilisers works.

Watch it, then u decide for urself if you will need the IS function.

Amongst entry level DSLRs, Olympus, Pentax and Sony has IS.

Image stabiliser is useful when:

* There are times when you want to take photos but can't use a flash
* When you hold a camera in your hands (vs. attaching it to a tripod) it shakes
* Longer focal length lenses (telephoto) magnify camera shake
* Low-light conditions result in slow shutter speeds — slow shutter speeds result in blurry photos. But IS can compensate slow shutter speed, up to 2.5-3.5 fstops.

Basically in low light situations, a camera with shutter speed of 1/10 will take blury pics, but a camera in the same low light conditions but with IS mode, will still take pretty clear pictures. And of cos the biggest advantage is when u r using a long zoom lens, as highlighted by the video.

Nikon has lenses which have build in IS. But of cos compared to the non IS lens, those with IS will cost more.

So think of it this way. A camera with IS will automatically give u IS on every lens u buy in future. Whereas a non IS camera, u will need to pay extra $$$ everytime u buy lens and wanted an IS function.

Pay one shot, or pay everytime in future. This is a good consideration.

 

[innerzen]

Olympus 620 and 450 is a good choice. The Kit lens has unbeatable performance.

See what your fellow photographer could do with the kit lens.


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