Confused Newbie - What Should I Do?


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TheREALThing

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Dec 9, 2009
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Hi all,

Wonder if anyone can help me here? I'm a noob and I have 2 options now on buying my 1st set of DSLR. Either I start small with a smaller investment on the discontinued Canon 450D or should I plunge in for the Nikon D90? I have held both cameras (in the shops) before and is comfortable with both although I prefer the Nikon D90.

I did not include the Canon 500D because I'm not willing to pay the extras for the little upgrades over 450D. I understand a bit weird here cos Canon 450D is not really in the same category as the Nikon D90. I understand that when we choose the brand, we dun just buy the camera but the entire system. I'm ok with either Nikon and Canon as I believe both are great. I have shortlisted 2 offers here below, pls advise.

The Camera Workshop (Pennisula Plaza)
Canon 450D/Kissx2 @ S$895 with 18-55mm kit lens, uv filter, 4gb card and bag

Camera Talk (Pennisula Plaza) (Shop is along the main road facing Pennisula hotel)
Nikon D90 @ S$1450 with 18-105mm kit lens only.
 

? I have held both cameras (in the shops) before and is comfortable with both although I prefer the Nikon D90.

I did not include the Canon 500D because I'm not willing to pay the extras for the little upgrades over 450D. I understand a bit weird here cos Canon 450D is not really in the same category as the Nikon D90. I understand that when we choose the brand, we dun just buy the camera but the entire system. I'm ok with either Nikon and Canon as I believe both are great. I have shortlisted 2 offers here below, pls advise.

The Camera Workshop (Pennisula Plaza)
Canon 450D/Kissx2 @ S$895 with 18-55mm kit lens, uv filter, 4gb card and bag

Camera Talk (Pennisula Plaza) (Shop is along the main road facing Pennisula hotel)
Nikon D90 @ S$1450 with 18-105mm kit lens only.

In bold is your answer.

As for the shops... GOODNESS!!! You really think "Camera Talk", in the con-shop chop-tourist heaven of peninsula plaza, is giving you the "real" price? Please look at the nikon price thread in the Pricelists section to see the prices from the recommended, honest shops. PS: In Peninsula Plaza, Cathay is "recommended" but you have 2 great options (John 3:16 and SRL Revolution) in Funan.

Camera Workshop is a good place, but for that price you can get a brand-new camera from another brand, or get a much better deal on a 450D/500D from the marketplace here on CS.
 

After my 5D, 24-70L and 70-200/4L IS were stolen, I've settled with a second-hand 450D kit. Still have a few primes with me though.
When it comes to taking pictures, 450D is every bit as good as D90.
 

y limit yourself to these 2 options?

Other than canon and nikon, there are oly, sony, pentax.... all offering good cameras. but since u shortlisted N&C...
 

Do u mind 2nd hand? haha.. i guess you'll be better off getting 2nd hand items.. the depreciation cost has been absorbed by the owner...

with your budget, u can get a... Canon 450D, 40D, 500D maybe 50D.... as for Nikon... there are more options too...
 

y limit yourself to these 2 options?

Other than canon and nikon, there are oly, sony, pentax.... all offering good cameras. but since u shortlisted N&C...

Hi Chiangkxv,

True la, many good camera brands out there. But thinking too many will only make a noob like me even more confused than ever. Jus N&C alone is giving me headaches liao. hmm.. how to i go to the marketplace in CS huh? can someone pls post a thread for me? thanks.
 

Oh yes, I really dun mind a 2nd hand in good condition. That's y i went to The camera workshop in the 1st place. too bad they dun have the 2nd hand for the models i have in mind and I was offered brand new ones.
 

Hi Chiangkxv,

True la, many good camera brands out there. But thinking too many will only make a noob like me even more confused than ever. Jus N&C alone is giving me headaches liao. hmm.. how to i go to the marketplace in CS huh? can someone pls post a thread for me? thanks.

Here

$1450 for D90 + 18-105 is too true a price for real even with GST embedded.
 

since you prefer nikon then go with your preference

to buy used or new? i would say it depends on the difference in price, if it was just a little different, i would buy it new

how much would you pay to eliminate the risk, it is entirely up to you


btw welcome to the dark side
 

I think you better buy the D90 since you like it.

Btw, you went to Camera Talk and The Camera Workshop?? :bigeyes:
I think you better cross the road to Peninsular Plaza's Cathay Photo, would be more reliable.
Or maybe you can go to Funan to buy from 3:16, Harvey Norman, South-Asia Computer etc.? :dunno:
 

Oh ya, I did went to everyone of the shops that you guys mentioned. hmmm, the price from Camera Talk does appears too good to be true, so I din really ask more and just left after salesman told me the price.

As for The Camera Workshop, seems that they are the only shop that is still selling brand new Canon 450D/Kiss2. AP and John are really patient and nice. come to think abt it, think better buy from those recommended by CS instead of trying my luck with those dodgy shops.

If I go for the Nikon D90, should I just buy the body only and buy another lense separately? eg. nikon 35mm f1.8 or 10-24mm? (My cousin has the 18-105mm so issit wise to share?) Please advice?
 

If I go for the Nikon D90, should I just buy the body only and buy another lense separately? eg. nikon 35mm f1.8 or 10-24mm? (My cousin has the 18-105mm so issit wise to share?) Please advice?

you can share.. and it's wise to share but would your cousin lend this 18-105 lens to you 24/7? There is a reason why the Manufacturers included 18-105 or 18-55 as kit lenses.
 

Oh ya, I did went to everyone of the shops that you guys mentioned. hmmm, the price from Camera Talk does appears too good to be true, so I din really ask more and just left after salesman told me the price.

As for The Camera Workshop, seems that they are the only shop that is still selling brand new Canon 450D/Kiss2. AP and John are really patient and nice. come to think abt it, think better buy from those recommended by CS instead of trying my luck with those dodgy shops.

If I go for the Nikon D90, should I just buy the body only and buy another lense separately? eg. nikon 35mm f1.8 or 10-24mm? (My cousin has the 18-105mm so issit wise to share?) Please advice?

18-105 is a convenience lens..35mm prime or 50mm prime are performance lens..lots of bros buy the d90 with kit lens then later sell in market because they "outgrow" their convenience lens and decided to buy performance or specialty lens (the ones with max aperture f1.4 to f2.8, 18-105 max aperture is only f3.5 at 18mm and f5.6 at 105mm)

are you the type of guy who will stick to a convenience lens? or do you see yourself upgrading and delving deeper into photography?

I have some friends who bought the d90 and stuck with their kit lens only, some friends upgraded their lens and bought f2.8 zooms, they just sold their kit lens in the market, there are so many bros selling 18-105 kit lens you can get one as low as 250$.

if you're really tight on a budget and you really want the d90, my suggestion is to just buy the body only and buy a 2nd hand 50mm f1.8D prime (this prime is so cheap, almost everyone I know that has a nikon in body motor has it!) and you can just borrow and swap lens with your cousin, this way both of you can benefit and experience the pros and cons of a zoom lens vs prime lens..btw 50mm prime on a DX cam like d90 is quite tight, you'll end up with portrait shots of just one person most of the time, so don't expect to get good group shots or landscape shots with the 50mm prime..
 

I did not include the Canon 500D because I'm not willing to pay the extras for the little upgrades over 450D.

Bro, the changes are quite significant.

Digic4 chip + better screen + video capability
 

Nikon D90 compared to Canon 450d/500d, no point comparing specifications as they are quite similar. Even got you also cant tell, compare iso, compare IQ same lens, what can you tell? Unless you go microscopic :p, the difference cant be seen.

The thing you should take note is the handling and characteristics of the camera.

Example - the spot metering/image rendering/access to information. This are like the most distinctive part of the cameras, you should compare the differences and take note on what you wanted.

Lens sharing, is up to you and your cousin preference. If you are new to DSLR, why go buy a specific lens? You already know what type of pictures you want to take? Borrow you cousin lens for a few days straight and find what type of pictures you like and the range you use most, then whack your own lens better.

You need to understand your own self preference, what you want to take, what lens suited to you. Its a learning curve not something you can jump straight into so slowly la.

I am new to photography fyi, i just gotten my DSLR 2 days back a D90. Hope what goes in my mind is of help to you. Its unbiased opinion!
 

Oh ya, I did went to everyone of the shops that you guys mentioned. hmmm, the price from Camera Talk does appears too good to be true, so I din really ask more and just left after salesman told me the price.

As for The Camera Workshop, seems that they are the only shop that is still selling brand new Canon 450D/Kiss2. AP and John are really patient and nice. come to think abt it, think better buy from those recommended by CS instead of trying my luck with those dodgy shops.

If I go for the Nikon D90, should I just buy the body only and buy another lense separately? eg. nikon 35mm f1.8 or 10-24mm? (My cousin has the 18-105mm so issit wise to share?) Please advice?

Just use the 18-105 kit lens for now. It is a very good lens, not a "convenience lens" like some other mentioned here. Very capable in itself. Learn on it and get good.

Get lenses when you hit the wall in the photos you want to take. No point buying lenses before you know how and why you need them. Do not believe talk that say certain lenses are "performance" or "convenience" lenses. Different lenses have different capabilities, and different characteristics. Meaning you use a certain lens for a certain purpose, to create/achieve a certain effect. True that some lenses are made better than some other, but lenses are not like car parts where you can easily say one has more performance than another, when they are not even meant to do the same thing. Apple and oranges really. Lenses are more like brushes to a painter. Different sizes, angles and hardness of the bristles give you different effect. Some are cheap, some are expensive, some are made better than others, but hard to say one "perform" better than another in absolute terms.
 

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HI Guys...I'm a Newbie and hope I can Share with you guys on this thread...
To TheRealThing...
I do agree very much with what Inverse and Daredevil123 are trying to explain. I had a Sony a200, cheap but also compatible with the Canons and Nikons. Was using Kit Lens and tried very hard to understand the functions and uses of the camera and pictures I like. From Protraits to Landscapes to Macros. To me each Picture needs a different lens to capture the Eyes of the Public to envy your Shot. I understand now that with different lenses on the camera, it has nothing to do with How Great your shot is. It Still Depends on How Creative you are with the Camera. It's best you get a Camera to your Budget and Upgrade yourself as you go about Understanding more of what you want in a picture and what the Functions are and also the lens you want with what pictures you want to take. I have lenses here, cheap ones but not bad on Quality, if you want to borrow. I am willing to lend it to you, FOC, provided it fits your Camera Mount, so you know what shots you like and can decide on what lens and Camera to Upgrade to.
Hence don't want to Bore all in here so all for now.... Cheers and Choose and Spend Wisely
BTW... Have Upgraded recently to an Alpha a900 with a 24-105 f3.5-4.5 and also bought a Sigma 70-200 f2.8(cheaper than a Sony Version but Great Quality) for Sports, Wildlife...etc etc
 

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