Can't Decide On A DSLR Camera

[snipershoots]

Recently, i started to have an interest in Photography and so was looking around for a DSLR camera. Also, I asked some of my friends who also has an interest in Photography about what DSLR camera should I get in order to learn more about Photography. Some said Sony's A330, others said Canon's 500D and also, some said Nikon's D3000. I have look through the details of the above mentioned cameras and thought that all three are quite similar to each other. Also, i went to shops and tried it out and felt that all were easy to handle. Now, what I would like to ask is:

1. What should I be finding in a DSLR Camera?
2. Does any of the above mention DSLR Cameras have any significant advantage over the others?

Hope to hear some opinions

 

[sagiluck]

if your budget < 1000 , sony a230,a330 will be the most ideal choice given u best value over money. its good for beginners too

 

[snipershoots]

if your budget < 1000 , sony a230,a330 will be the most ideal choice given u best value over money. its good for beginners too

True, Sony has cameras with the best value for money. However, i wouldn't mind paying a little more for either a Nikon D3000 or Canon 5000D if they have much better functions/specs/etc.. than Sony's A330.

 

[Rashkae]

True, Sony has cameras with the best value for money. However, i wouldn't mind paying a little more for either a Nikon D3000 or Canon 5000D if they have much better functions/specs/etc.. than Sony's A330.

Read the specs and compare. Autofocus in liveview is fastest on the A330. Also, the A330 has 9 autofocus points, and has a built-in autofocus motor so you can use any a-mount lens, even the old minolta ones.

If you can stretch your budget a *little*, the new A500 also looks very good and is a bit beefier.

 

[android17]

True, Sony has cameras with the best value for money. However, i wouldn't mind paying a little more for either a Nikon D3000 or Canon 5000D if they have much better functions/specs/etc.. than Sony's A330.

Nikon d3000 has better specs and function than Sony a330?

Pray tell in what way is the d3000 better?

Or u r joking right lol

 

[Dominum]

Sony's liveview has the fastest AF ever. If that is important to you then sony is the right way to go. However the A330 is pretty small and isn't really comfortable unless you have really small hands.

Another point, don't worry too much about canon having wayy more lenses than sony. I highly doubt you'd buy all of them. For normal use every brand is fine.

 

[Reportage]

Recently, i started to have an interest in Photography and so was looking around for a DSLR camera. Also, I asked some of my friends who also has an interest in Photography about what DSLR camera should I get in order to learn more about Photography. Some said Sony's A330, others said Canon's 500D and also, some said Nikon's D3000. I have look through the details of the above mentioned cameras and thought that all three are quite similar to each other. Also, i went to shops and tried it out and felt that all were easy to handle. Now, what I would like to ask is:

1. What should I be finding in a DSLR Camera?
2. Does any of the above mention DSLR Cameras have any significant advantage over the others?

Hope to hear some opinions

Seriously if you want to make a living in photography now,

in my opinion...currently the Canon 40D and Nikon D300 are good choices if you have no prior dslr experience. Their build is pretty good and versatility in just about every field of photography plus lens are easily available.

They are also cameras that you will grow into since they have as much feature sets as their more expensive cousins....and if you feel bored, switch to M and look at the Custom Settings to explore even more versatility.

All thats left is for you to develop the skills to use them. If you dont need so much camera power, there are of course the more consumer oriented models like the 500D and the D90.

 

[Galdor]

Seriously if you want to make a living in photography now,

in my opinion...currently the Canon 40D and Nikon D300 are good choices if you have no prior dslr experience. Their build is pretty good and versatility in just about every field of photography plus lens are easily available.

They are also cameras that you will grow into since they have as much feature sets as their more expensive cousins....and if you feel bored, switch to M and look at the Custom Settings to explore even more versatility.

All thats left is for you to develop the skills to use them. If you dont need so much camera power, there are of course the more consumer oriented models like the 500D and the D90.

OMG! I think I better get a Canon or Nikon if I want to make a living in photography now. So I will be guaranteed solid pictures if I use the 40D or D300 is it? Sorry for my noob question.

 

[rgy1993]

aiiite

i've held this in too long looking at so many of these threads... time for a lecture! ahah
right... i've seen too many newbies fall into the trap when starting out photographjy on a dslr of techyness... no other word to describe it at the moment... simply put they get obsessed with buying better gear to believe that they can take a good photograph... but honestly you dont... I myself started out on a crappy little yashica super2000 nearly 7 years ago, and used it for at least 3 years before upgrading to a digital slr... it had 1 metering mode, completely manual controls and the most techy thing on it was a timer...
so yeah... don't fall into the trap of simply thinking that you always need new equipment to take a good photo...

as for buying a new camera, honestly... all the brands are practically the same nowadays, each one strives to improve and in the end... there really is no difference... sure Sony might offer best bang for buck at the moment, but then Canon will come back with a bigger better faster HD video, and then nikon will return with a new improved help menu system or somethin... honestly their all practically the same..
The best thing to do is just head to a legit camera shop (if they don't let you try before you buy walk the hell out, their probably scamming you), try out each camera and see which feels best. If you don't enjoy using your camera your not gonna want to shoot with it... simple as that. I myself found I was most comfortable with a canon so i got that when i moved to dslr, others might find it with nikon... but hey brands dont matter right?

hope that helped...
cheers.

 

[Reportage]

OMG! I think I better get a Canon or Nikon if I want to make a living in photography now. So I will be guaranteed solid pictures if I use the 40D or D300 is it? Sorry for my noob question.

Not really..good pictures depends on how the photographer makes use of whats available.

Canon or Nikon because plenty of rental shops that cater to these 2 brands. In some(most?) cases, not cost effective to buy lenses(as well as equipment) which will not be used often on jobs. Not all working photographers can afford to buy lenses so rental is the next best option as long bank account is enough to cover in case anything happen to the rented equipment.

 

[KeeFy]

Each brand has it's own advantages and weaknesses. There is no right and no wrong, but the most important thing is to know your own style and find the system that works for you.

EG: Sony = Fast AF, Canon with Digic 4 processors = slightly better ISO noise, Oly = smaller sized, etc etc. I'd go out on a limb and say there are significantly more nikon and canon users in Singapore, which translates to making it easier to borrow lenses to try from friends and buying 2nd hand.

Do ample reasearch, get a rough idea and most importantly set your budget. Know what other extras you'd want to get. EG: Tripod, remote, drybox, lenses. As a newbie, you can't go wrong with any of the major brands. Most importantly is to grab a system and start shooting and enjoying what you do.

 

[KeeFy]

OMG! I think I better get a Canon or Nikon if I want to make a living in photography now. So I will be guaranteed solid pictures if I use the 40D or D300 is it? Sorry for my noob question.

Rhetorical question? :bsmilie::bsmilie::sweatsm:

 

[stunna88]

Hmmm since i suppose u've come to ur decision to get either a330 or d3000 or 500D, it's better to juz concentrate on these, rather than accumulating ur list.
quick one:
a330 fast live view... u shooting using live view often? R u comfortable with the grip?
d3000 11AF points... is it gonna benefit u? (for me, i mostly use 1 point unless shooting moving subject). Guide mode, u find it useful?
500D good video capabilities... u shoot video often? 15MP & new digic4 processor... if image quality is ur concern

the rest u can compare at dpreview.com

 

[eow]

if u are freelancing ,u dun need a 7d or d3 to make a living...much less a 40D,50D or D300(s)with the fellow photogs killing among themselves charging low fee for wedding and free shoot for event...as long as u cheap n free...u will be wanted.

if u are purely hobbyist...by all mean go for the latest gear...look we have sec school kids owning 1 series bodies and rich hobbyists who can spend 10k worth of equipment just for self gratification.... it all up to u.

 

[eow]

if u are on a budget... the current sony alpha camera is the most value for money cameras around
doing 100% and more of what the other brands can do at a lower and pocket friendly price.

 

[twisted illusion]

Recently, i started to have an interest in Photography and so was looking around for a DSLR camera. Also, I asked some of my friends who also has an interest in Photography about what DSLR camera should I get in order to learn more about Photography. Some said Sony's A330, others said Canon's 500D and also, some said Nikon's D3000. I have look through the details of the above mentioned cameras and thought that all three are quite similar to each other. Also, i went to shops and tried it out and felt that all were easy to handle. Now, what I would like to ask is:

1. What should I be finding in a DSLR Camera?
2. Does any of the above mention DSLR Cameras have any significant advantage over the others?

Hope to hear some opinions

1> for me, consistent and smart automatic exposure... ( i feels nikon does it best )
2> for me, 1st nikon -> canon -> 3rd sony (personal preferences)

 

[android17]

this is a comparison of the functions between Nikon D3000 vs Sony A330. D3000 was my choice of DSLR initially, thus i read up alot about it. However end up i bought a Sony, cos the A330 can do so many things that the D3000 cannot do (unless u invest more money into buying lens with motor drive and Vibration Reduction), yet there isnt anything the D3000 can do that the A330 cant:

Bracketing: Nikon D3000 No : Sony A330 Yes
One of the most basic function of a DSLR. Im shocked that the D3000 cant do exposure bracketing! This is a great function for beginners. Unlike pros who can determind exposure correctly most of the time (but not always, sometimes they use bracketing too), beginners are very poor in judging exposure. As such the exposure bracketing will be a godsend function when they are in doubt of the correct exposure. D3000 lacks this function. A330 has it.

Live View: Nikon D3000 No : Sony A330 Yes
Again, a great function for beginners. Pros who have used DSLR for donkey years will have no issue with using the OVF all the time. However for a newbie coming from a PnS, having a live view will be very good. Im not saying u have to use Live View all the time, but its good to use in alot of situations. And in certain positions, using live view will be more useful than using OVF. For example when taking Over the Head shots, there is absolutely no way u can use OVF. But u can still use the live view, especially since the A330 has a tiltable LCD screen.

Image Stabalisation: Nikon D3000 No : Sony A330 Yes
IS modes can reduce handshakes, compensating around 3 fstops of light. Thats good enough reason to have IS mode. The 3000D does not have IS build into their camera, thus you have to buy lenses which has IS build into it. But these lenses typically cost more than non IS lenses. The A330 comes with IS build into their camera, as such ALL lenses which they use becomes an IS lens. This is a major cost savings. Do you wanna pay extra money to buy IS for all your lenses?

In Body Auto Focus Motor: Nikon D3000 No : Sony A330 Yes
As the D3000 does not come with a build in AF motor, they can only use auto focus with AF-S and selected AF-I lenses. These lenses will thus cost more than similar lenses which do not require in lense AF motor. Besides cost, it also reduces the selection of lenses which the D3000 can use. Of cos you can still AF lenses which dont have in lense AF motor with your D3000, but they will only be usable in manual mode. If u buy an AF lens which cant AF with your camera, you are either insane, or u are too rich.

Wireless Flash Transmitter: Nikon D3000 No : Sony A330 Yes
Sony DSLRs comes with a build in wireless flash transmitter. The Nikon D3000 does not have this build in, so you have to buy a wireless transmitter which cost an additional few hundred dollars. Not everyone will find this a neccessary function, but if one day u need it, u will be glad that u dont hv to spend a few hundred dollars more to buy a transmitter.

The Sony A330 comes with build in AF motor, so you can be sure they can work on all AF lenses. And do note that Sony alphas can use ALL Konica Minolta AF lenses. As such in terms of lens selection, the A330 actually has more lenses to choose from. Thus the lack of in body auto focus motor actually makes it cost more money in the long run, and also lessen the choice of AF lenses selection.

Price:
Nikon D3000 RRP $988
Sony A330 RRP $899
Sony A230 RRP $699

Im including the A230 here because it is identical to the A330, except it doesnt have Live View. So if you dont think you require live view, u can get the A230. Not only is it alot cheaper than the D3000, it has all the other benefits listed here.

So seeing all the facts above, its up to you to decide which camera is better.

PS: The Nikon D3000 is using a Sony CCD Sensor, which is the same as what is inside the A230 series... infact there are a number of Nikon cameras using Sony sensors.

 

[snipershoots]

just wondering, whats a wireless flash transmitter? thats something new =D

 

[Soupayam]

where can i get the a330 kit for the cheapest price in singapore?

 

[albertsy2]

I just bought a DSLR a few months ago, but I've been taking pictures for 9 years now, using PnS digital cameras, and some of those had manual controls, so I knew a little bit about apertures and shutter speeds and ISO before buying. Anyway, my feed back is this.

Get the lens that you need for the photography that you like. No point getting macro lenses if you like landscapes and street photography, for example.

The kit lenses are not very fast. Usually the largest aperture is f/3.5. Faster lenses are usually expensive. Save some $$$ for such lenses if you want to take pics in dim light. This is the main reason why I bought a DSLR in the first place.

Handholding technique is the most important basic thing to master.