1st DSLR soon (hopefully)


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TWL1203

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Oct 5, 2007
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Hi dear 老教 and experts,


I am new to the forum, was doing researching on DSLR and came across this forum.. damn.. i must say it is really good and resourceful especially for a newbie like me. :D


I am actually looking for a DSLR for both my school and my hobby. So after much considering, i finally decide to get one myself.


My maximum budget is $2000. (Had to borrow from elder sister and all my savings to get this T_T ) And after quite some reading and researching through google and some forums, i decide to go for Nikon D80.


As still a noob... (only used DSLR like less than 6times T_T ) i will get the following:

- Nikon D80 kit

- 30L dry cabinet

- 2gb memory card (Maybe)

- Lens cleaning cloth?

- Tripod (Hopefully can be within my budget T_T )

- Camera bag
(forgot to include this important item) :p

(Do i need a UV filter?)


I hope brothers here can give me advice on the setup and can the listed items be within my budget of $2000?


Nikon D80 kit (18-135mm) - ($1780~$1980) | $1780 (John, Jun07 - relaxxjaxx & geekgeek) | $1670 (AP-F, w/o GST, Jul07 - alvin123) | $1800 (John, Jul07 - alvin123)


This is all i know T_T, but am not sure for the rest of the items, would really hope to be enlighten by the brothers here.


Thank you very much.

Liang


P/s: The camera will mainly be used for landscape, night shoots, humans, some macros.
 

Hi dear 老教 and experts,


I am new to the forum, was doing researching on DSLR and came across this forum.. damn.. i must say it is really good and resourceful especially for a newbie like me. :D


I am actually looking for a DSLR for both my school and my hobby. So after much considering, i finally decide to get one myself.


My maximum budget is $2000. (Had to borrow from elder sister and all my savings to get this T_T ) And after quite some reading and researching through google and some forums, i decide to go for Nikon D80.


As still a noob... (only used DSLR like less than 6times T_T ) i will get the following:

- Nikon D80 kit

- 30L dry cabinet

- 2gb memory card (Maybe)

- Lens cleaning cloth?

- Tripod (Hopefully can be within my budget T_T )

(Do i need a UV filter?)


I hope brothers here can give me advice on the setup and can the listed items be within my budget of $2000?





This is all i know T_T, but am not sure for the rest of the items, would really hope to be enlighten by the brothers here.


Thank you very much.

Liang


P/s: The camera will mainly be used for landscape, night shoots, humans, some macros.


as for dry cabinet - unless u are going to buy more lens( think it thru seriously) if not u can just stick wif 30L

2GB SD card is ok

i recomend lenspen 10 bucks IIRC

tripod is a necessity for night shot ( suggest u save up abit and dun get those veri cheap one, coz they may not be sturdy)

Yes you will need a UV filter if u are doing outdoor landscape. UV filter prevent ur pic hafing that blue cast caused by UV radiation
 

as for dry cabinet - unless u are going to buy more lens( think it thru seriously) if not u can just stick wif 30L

2GB SD card is ok

i recomend lenspen 10 bucks IIRC

tripod is a necessity for night shot ( suggest u save up abit and dun get those veri cheap one, coz they may not be sturdy)

Yes you will need a UV filter if u are doing outdoor landscape. UV filter prevent ur pic hafing that blue cast caused by UV radiation

Hi Ion bro,


Thank you for replying so promptly and the advice and infomation about the items :)


Can i check with you roughly how much is a 30L dry cabinet? And i heard there is analog and digital?


Which is better or cheaper? :)


Thank you so much :)

Liang
 

Hi Ion bro,


Thank you for replying so promptly and the advice and infomation about the items :)


Can i check with you roughly how much is a 30L dry cabinet? And i heard there is analog and digital?


Which is better or cheaper? :)


Thank you so much :)

Liang
cheapest 30L is ard $90-100+... no point if you shoot often or keeping it in air-conditioned place... save the $ to get a tripod, a good start will be slik dx-series, cheapest is slightly over a hundred and should be good enough for d80 kit until you upgrade to lens heavier than 1.5kg
 

cheapest 30L is ard $90-100+... no point if you shoot often or keeping it in air-conditioned place... save the $ to get a tripod, a good start will be slik dx-series, cheapest is slightly over a hundred and should be good enough for d80 kit until you upgrade to lens heavier than 1.5kg

Hi ExplorerZ bro~


Thanks for replying my doubts :)


I do not have air-con at home T_T and i may shoot like once or twice a week. So i think i need a dry cabinet. Where can i buy this? Or do i buy it as a bundle when i purchase the camera? Is there such a thing as bundle package for DSLR?


Ahh... thanks for the tripod recommendation too ^^ I guess i check out the various models soon. Or perhaps if there is a bundle sales again, i could ask the sales guy to recommend me a cheap one.


Thanks

Liang
 

the prices of nikon products are *usually* sold at a premium over other brands.

if you're on a budget, perhaps giving brands other than the "big two" a look may yield a more favourable purchase (i.e. better value), and thus leaving the balance for other stuff, or to simply save. :)

one very good example would be the pentax k100d, which is seriously good bang-for-buck. another option would be the olympus e510. happy shopping and shooting.
 

yes, the premium is passed on to you due to massively aggressive advertising =) =) =)

in any case, the UV filter, as advised by IONSOON (who is perhaps, slightly misinformed) is mainly to protect whatever lens you buy, for the front element
nothing to do with reducing blue cast - this is only applicable at high altitudes, the effect will not be apparent in singapore as a whole, even in mount faber

to save money, you might consider using a DRY BOX instead of a dry cabi, but in the long term it will be more economical and makes more sense to get a dry cabi of course
for landscapes and night shoots you'd definitely want a TRIPOD, you can start off with slik sprint pro, but i guarantee you the tripod head included will not last very long
another option is the ppcp v2 tripod, available at ppcp here
i'm using it currently and it is good bang for buck

if you get a k100d super, while being 6 mgp only, the noise control is superb, you get IMAGE STABILISATION (meaning you don't have to buy VR lenses like nikon users have to - nothing wrong with that, but if price is your concern like it is for me then well the choice is clear), you can save the money and buy other lenses

most kit lenses will not allow you to shoot macro very well

for a budget of $2000, assuming you take k100d super with kit, that's about $900
dry cabi ~$100? probably less
tripod ~$100
assorted accessories, filters, etc ~$150
camera bag (good one from lowepro or what) ~$100
$1350 so far, still got $650 to bbb

if macro is your interest then you can get a good dedicated macro lens by expanding your budget slightly
if not you might as well get what i planned to do initially
sigma 70-300 macro (a bit soft, but can be sharpened to look ok) ~$290
10-20 (uwa, very highly recommended by a lot of magazines/sites) $720 grey

as compared to just $1700+ for the d80, shrug
but if you have had your mind settled on nikon then there is nothing to say, i guess, just providing a comparison for you
 

although i using canon but i think other than d80, pentax k10 is also a best buy. in fact, i would pick that over the d80 anyday.
 

Hi Bro,


Thanks for replying. :)



yes, the premium is passed on to you due to massively aggressive advertising =) =) =)

in any case, the UV filter, as advised by IONSOON (who is perhaps, slightly misinformed) is mainly to protect whatever lens you buy, for the front element
nothing to do with reducing blue cast - this is only applicable at high altitudes, the effect will not be apparent in singapore as a whole, even in mount faber

Ahh~ thanks for increasing my knowledge again :)


to save money, you might consider using a DRY BOX instead of a dry cabi, but in the long term it will be more economical and makes more sense to get a dry cabi of course
for landscapes and night shoots you'd definitely want a TRIPOD, you can start off with slik sprint pro, but i guarantee you the tripod head included will not last very long
another option is the ppcp v2 tripod, available at ppcp here
i'm using it currently and it is good bang for buck


Yeah i think i will get a dry cabi for long term storage. For tripod, i think i will wait awhile after i have become more familiar with the camera. :)


if you get a k100d super, while being 6 mgp only, the noise control is superb, you get IMAGE STABILISATION (meaning you don't have to buy VR lenses like nikon users have to - nothing wrong with that, but if price is your concern like it is for me then well the choice is clear), you can save the money and buy other lenses


Thanks for the recommendation and comparison bro, but im afraid i cannot get a 6mgp camera cos i am often required to print out A2 size for my projects (2pid sch... waste money T_T ) So i think i will get a 10mgp camera that can last me for a long while..


most kit lenses will not allow you to shoot macro very well


Ok noted and thanks for the advice, i think i will take it slowly first, familiarise myself with the basic setup first before i get other specialized lense :)


for a budget of $2000, assuming you take k100d super with kit, that's about $900
dry cabi ~$100? probably less
tripod ~$100
assorted accessories, filters, etc ~$150
camera bag (good one from lowepro or what) ~$100
$1350 so far, still got $650 to bbb

if macro is your interest then you can get a good dedicated macro lens by expanding your budget slightly
if not you might as well get what i planned to do initially
sigma 70-300 macro (a bit soft, but can be sharpened to look ok) ~$290
10-20 (uwa, very highly recommended by a lot of magazines/sites) $720 grey


Yeah this is a very good sum up of items bro, but T_T i think a 6mgp print will be rather pixelated on an A2 T_T


as compared to just $1700+ for the d80, shrug
but if you have had your mind settled on nikon then there is nothing to say, i guess, just providing a comparison for you


Really thanks bro, I really appreciate all your comments and advice and comparisons, learnt about combinations of body and parts. :)


Thanks alot bro,

Liang.
 

actually , i would advice D200. it would be better to spend a little bit more, but in the end, gets much better satisfying photos, i mean metering on D200 is great and it uses CF i think? And for D200 5fps and have true mirror-lock up feature, i dont think you will want to upgrade again, unless to D300 of course.


For D80, you will find you will want to get D200 sooner or later. I dont know what you would choose in the end, but i am hanging on strong and recommend D200.
 

yes, the premium is passed on to you due to massively aggressive advertising =) =) =)

in any case, the UV filter, as advised by IONSOON (who is perhaps, slightly misinformed) is mainly to protect whatever lens you buy, for the front element
nothing to do with reducing blue cast - this is only applicable at high altitudes, the effect will not be apparent in singapore as a whole, even in mount faber


to save money, you might consider using a DRY BOX instead of a dry cabi, but in the long term it will be more economical and makes more sense to get a dry cabi of course
for landscapes and night shoots you'd definitely want a TRIPOD, you can start off with slik sprint pro, but i guarantee you the tripod head included will not last very long
another option is the ppcp v2 tripod, available at ppcp here
i'm using it currently and it is good bang for buck

if you get a k100d super, while being 6 mgp only, the noise control is superb, you get IMAGE STABILISATION (meaning you don't have to buy VR lenses like nikon users have to - nothing wrong with that, but if price is your concern like it is for me then well the choice is clear), you can save the money and buy other lenses

most kit lenses will not allow you to shoot macro very well

for a budget of $2000, assuming you take k100d super with kit, that's about $900
dry cabi ~$100? probably less
tripod ~$100
assorted accessories, filters, etc ~$150
camera bag (good one from lowepro or what) ~$100
$1350 so far, still got $650 to bbb

if macro is your interest then you can get a good dedicated macro lens by expanding your budget slightly
if not you might as well get what i planned to do initially
sigma 70-300 macro (a bit soft, but can be sharpened to look ok) ~$290
10-20 (uwa, very highly recommended by a lot of magazines/sites) $720 grey

as compared to just $1700+ for the d80, shrug
but if you have had your mind settled on nikon then there is nothing to say, i guess, just providing a comparison for you

thanks for enlightement

additionally, if u wan to get a dry cabinet, u can get from digihub, ( not advertising for them), cash on delivery, quite fast. call today send tmr, 5 yrs warranty.
 

Hi bros,


Thank you for the replies. D200 is much over my budget T_T. So i think i would stick to D80.


30L Digihub Dry cabinets:

1- http://www.digihub.com.sg/ProductList.aspx?Bg=1&ProductID=110 (DB-036)

2- http://www.digihub.com.sg/ProductList.aspx?Bg=1&ProductID=103 (HD-30)


Is there any difference between the above 2 cabinets other then 1 is digital while the other is analog? Which do you bros recommend?


Thank you

Liang :)
 

thanks for enlightement

additionally, if u wan to get a dry cabinet, u can get from digihub, ( not advertising for them), cash on delivery, quite fast. call today send tmr, 5 yrs warranty.

liang, please do not be bugged by the megapixel myth. hope that helps.

Wow Schon brother,


Thanks for the link, increased my knowledge again :)


Thanks :)

Liang
 

I'm using the DB-036, so far so good. As to which is better, I think most people would take digital panel lah, easier to read.

Happy hunting!
 

I'm using the DB-036, so far so good. As to which is better, I think most people would take digital panel lah, easier to read.

Happy hunting!

Hi bro,


thanks for the reply :)


Where do you get the dry cabi? and how much did u paid for it? :)


Thank you

Liang
 

$99 without delivery. Do go with some forms of readily available transport! :)
 

$99 without delivery. Do go with some forms of readily available transport! :)

Ahh i see. Thanks for the info ^^ will go and buy it within these few days. :)


Thank u,

Liang
 

For school and hobby??

So I presume you are interested in phototaking and intends to continue.

Everybody has different advice, here's mine:

For brand : Go for the big two. Yes, they may have spent on advertisement which may push cost up a bit, but there must be good reasons why main pro-photographers use them. Many good lenses available, blah blah blah... Well, if you decide to buy/sell, you'll find many in the B&S section, compared to other brands. I would think the brand will continue in the future, instead of being taken over by others or discontinue.

For body : whichever bodies you can get hold of, try them first. Don't end up not liking and then changing system, which would cost you unnecessarily. Depending on your budget, can spend a bit more which also saves on future upgrading. Consider second hand?

For lens : don't rush to buy many lenses, get one first (kit lens?) and eventually you'll know which range suit your shooting style. Again, consider second hand? It'll save you quite a bit.

For tripod : If can borrow, use it first. I find myself using very times just simply it's too hassle to carry around. If possible, hold off current purchase and buy better ones.

Well, bottom line is, read through everyone's advice and decide for yourself.
 

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