DSLR for beginner ?

[kriegsketten]

Hmmm.. if her school photography club uses Nikon, it'll be better to get a Nikon. she can use flash and accessories from her school.

All brand produce decent cameras. its up to one's preference when selecting a camera.

Wholesomely agreed, that would be the most sensible thing to do, all in the name of sharing and learning. It is probably why they recommended the D90 - so that you can borrow a great number of lenses and flashes belonging to the club (things that you don't have to spend upfront apart from the body and simple lens). I don't think D5000 would be as versatile and limited choice of lenses that can be fitted to it.

If you chose to be a non-conformist to the club's recommendations, would you lose out in the learning? Unless of course you can afford to buy ALL the lenses and accessories you need on your own... :thumbsup: (yup, very cost saving indeed!)

 

[3in1c]

TS, my friend's son also met with similar situation. I would suggest getting something affordable to start with. She has to prove her interest and commitment to warrant further investment, that is with or without sponsor.

Hm...7-8 months have passed, my friend's son is doing part time to earn a new lens. My friend sponsoring some? I dont know, his call.

 

[ahbian]

Buying second hand DSLR won't be easy - you'll need experience to check for faults, dust, ant nests, fungus and etc. For most of the ppl here who have exp, no doubt they can tell what's worth buying what's not. But for inexperienced ones, it's best to get someone (in the know) to tag alone (not that convenient either isn't it?).

Apart from the D90, my second choice might be the K-x for the more affordable option. Although I haven't had the chance to feel it myself... But judging from raving reviews from all over the internet, there must be some truth in it.

No need to dig a hole if you have a simple PnS for daily use, but if you're in a Photography club... Urm I'll pass you the shovel myself! :bsmilie: There's the stigma that PnS are mostly for pple who don't know how to shoot... and you want to bring that to the club... Once through the door, you'll feel the inclination to step behind the door...

The reason why I think a PNS is not suitable is because it takes away much of learning about more settings and controls; in which case will make her experiences in the photography club less than it could be. Not because people with PNS cannot shoot.

However, again, I cannot agree on the idea getting certain gear because of fear of stigma, it exists because we propagate it.

 

[Edisonn]

From a jc student point of view, i think you shouldn't act on impulse and get her a d90 straight away. It doesnt mean that when you join photography club, you have to get dslr.
Besides, photography club is well-known to be a slack CCA. Even if she gets a DSLR, she won't use it much other than school events, which is like 3-4 times a year.
Its presence is more or less unnoticeable. It doesn't sounds as great as it seems.
You have to ask her if she really is interested in photography. Or else, getting a D90 for her just to shoot national day parades for school is a waste of money.
TS, i suggest you think twice. Don't get a camera just because she is in photography club. Besides, those seniors are nothing more like me. We are just 18 years old, we don't know much. To us, D90 is one of our dream cameras. Many of our parents don't even get us a camera when we want it. Perhaps, because of that, they want her to get a D90 just for them to play with. Your daughter may become a puppet as a result.
Believe me, if she is really interested, she will scrimp and save and get a DSLR. You don't have to get it for her yourself.

Not worth the money to get a d90 for her just because she is in photography club. Trust a student's instinct.

Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[tehzeh]

From a jc student point of view, i think you shouldn't act on impulse and get her a d90 straight away. It doesnt mean that when you join photography club, you have to get dslr.
Besides, photography club is well-known to be a slack CCA. Even if she gets a DSLR, she won't use it much other than school events, which is like 3-4 times a year.
Its presence is more or less unnoticeable. It doesn't sounds as great as it seems.
You have to ask her if she really is interested in photography. Or else, getting a D90 for her just to shoot national day parades for school is a waste of money.
TS, i suggest you think twice. Don't get a camera just because she is in photography club. Besides, those seniors are nothing more like me. We are just 18 years old, we don't know much. To us, D90 is one of our dream cameras. Many of our parents don't even get us a camera when we want it. Perhaps, because of that, they want her to get a D90 just for them to play with. Your daughter may become a puppet as a result.
Believe me, if she is really interested, she will scrimp and save and get a DSLR. You don't have to get it for her yourself.

Not worth the money to get a d90 for her just because she is in photography club. Trust a student's instinct.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Erm no.

That may be the case for your school, but it isn't for mine. So it's not really 'well-known'.

 

[kaixiang]

From a jc student point of view, i think you shouldn't act on impulse and get her a d90 straight away. It doesnt mean that when you join photography club, you have to get dslr.
Besides, photography club is well-known to be a slack CCA. Even if she gets a DSLR, she won't use it much other than school events, which is like 3-4 times a year.
Its presence is more or less unnoticeable. It doesn't sounds as great as it seems.
You have to ask her if she really is interested in photography. Or else, getting a D90 for her just to shoot national day parades for school is a waste of money.
TS, i suggest you think twice. Don't get a camera just because she is in photography club. Besides, those seniors are nothing more like me. We are just 18 years old, we don't know much. To us, D90 is one of our dream cameras. Many of our parents don't even get us a camera when we want it. Perhaps, because of that, they want her to get a D90 just for them to play with. Your daughter may become a puppet as a result.
Believe me, if she is really interested, she will scrimp and save and get a DSLR. You don't have to get it for her yourself.

Not worth the money to get a d90 for her just because she is in photography club. Trust a student's instinct.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Is this true? It feels like someone saying the chinese orchestral only plays their instruments 3-4 times a year during school events and competition. Or that the soccer team only competes for 2-3 weeks every year. Are you actually part of the club or just saying this as an outsider? To get good at anything, you need to practice a long time before the actual event/competition.

Making her split the price is a good idea though. It will test how much she really wants this. In any case, even if she loses interest down the road, you are not gonna lose the entire amount invest. You can either take over and sell it to recover 50-70% of the cost.

 

[brapodam]

school events, which is like 3-4 times a year.

School events occur very often...3-4 times a year means either your school is really sad and doesn't do anything but study, or that it doesn't trust your club and hires professionals to shoot school events. Small things like inter-school math quizzes also require event photographers, in case you were thinking school events only consisted of national days.

DSLRs are good for people going into photography because they can do more than what PNS cameras can do...Because PNS cameras always use wide angle zoom lenses and have small sensors, DOF effects are rather minimal and can only be seen at close-up focusing distances.

While I agree with you about not getting D90 just because she's in a photography society, a D90 is definitely a good camera and if budget allows it, she should buy it. Investing in good camera equipment is always a good idea if you are really passionate about photography and buying inferior equipment just because it's cheap and easier to convince your parents to buy isn't going to help in the long run. Like how now I wish I had a D90 because my D5k just has an inferior grip and no AF motor.

TL;DR: DSLRs are more flexible and one should always get the best equipment that his/her budget allows. This does not mean spending on a D700 and not being able to get lenses, however. Invest in good equipment if, and only if, one is truly passionate about photography.

 

[pinholecam]

Die liao, then must transfer out of JC and find another that has a proper "PHOTOGRAPHY" club and not a "camera" oriented one... :bsmilie: Just kidding! It is inevitable that one club will have a brand preference over another, be it Sony, Nikon, Canon, or Pentax... So how? If they recommend K-x, you must buy Sony. If Canon, you buy Panasonic. If Samsung, you buy China brand.... Getting weirder and weirder... I peng also... :bsmilie: Endless debacle leh... Easy lah, forget photography club, join CSClub! Even more pengsang!

Photography is about aesthetics through knowledge and composition aided with controls over ISO, shutter speed, aperture. Any camera any brand that has such controls will suffice.

 

[iamatyc]

Thanks everybody for all the great enthusiastic suggestions and advices; 3 pages within 24hours of my post. wow !
I really appreciate all of them... but please do not quarrel because of sharing your views. It's all for the good of the beginner to this great hobby.:cheers:

I do have the reservation about her seniors' suggestion as it could be their aspirations to have a D90 and it will be good for a junior to have one for them to try out.
But I also do not want to kill her budding interest with photography if the camera I bought for her does not allow her to 'communicate' with her peers.

Her club is using Nikon D80, but there are only 4 to be shared among 20 club members. I think I will ask her to check out the accessories in her club that can be loan.

Next, I will bring her to a shop to try out. Can anyone recommend a friendly and trusted salesman or camera shop who will not mind us spending hours testing out his cameras ?
Please email me at "iamatyc-buy@yahoo.com.sg"
But I have bad impression of those at Lucky Plaza.... kena con many years ago. :sweatsm:ha ha

Many Thanks to all of you. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[brapodam]

Then go there try and then buy from elsewhere

I don't really have much experience with salesmen and shops, but MS Color at AMK Hub seems to be flooding with salespeople sometimes (there was once I walked in and then like 10 salespeople started staring at me cuz I was the only one in the shop), so you might wanna try there. Competitive prices too, if you compare to things like Cathay Photo.

 

[zac08]

with modern days tech, u cant go wrong with any of the camera brand like Can, Oly, Sony, Pen, Nik.

thing i personally will consider are :

1) what is the common brand of camera her club mates are using? the fact that getting the same brand, they can share gears, feel for themselves before buying any stuff or even not buying cause they can share.

2) buy new of used gear?

3) $$ to invest in dry box, tripod, head, editing software etc.

:thumbsup:

Use the same as the club, then can share gear, the cost will not be as high then as if you are using a totally different system. When you learn more and understand it better, then invest in the gears for yourself properly...

I did that when I was starting out.

 

[miaoteh]

Thanks everybody for all the great enthusiastic suggestions and advices; 3 pages within 24hours of my post. wow !
I really appreciate all of them... but please do not quarrel because of sharing your views. It's all for the good of the beginner to this great hobby.

I do have the reservation about her seniors' suggestion as it could be their aspirations to have a D90 and it will be good for a junior to have one for them to try out.
But I also do not want to kill her budding interest with photography if the camera I bought for her does not allow her to 'communicate' with her peers.

Her club is using Nikon D80, but there are only 4 to be shared among 20 club members. I think I will ask her to check out the accessories in her club that can be loan.

Next, I will bring her to a shop to try out. Can anyone recommend a friendly and trusted salesman or camera shop who will not mind us spending hours testing out his cameras ?
Please email me at "iamatyc-buy@yahoo.com.sg"
But I have bad impression of those at Lucky Plaza.... kena con many years ago. :sweatsm:ha ha

Many Thanks to all of you. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

and go to the "nikon price guides" in the "Price Guides" section to have a rough idea of the market price of the gears you are buying,
NOTE: those are just guides, do not use this to ask the shop "eh but CLUBSNAP SAY this this this price leh.." etc.

then scroll down to find a list of contacts and address of reputable shops recommended by most CSer here, most of them can let you try their gears, and beware, yes those are "reputable" shops, but do your homework before going down, research on the market price of the gears you are buying first, and do not buy any extra items that the sales person recommend you. you can get conned anywhere. :bsmilie:

 

[kriegsketten]

Nah, no worries.... Some of us wanna "propagate" a few stigmas, while others want the stigmas de-propagated... Nothing to flame about really, just a few smoke bellowing from differing opinions. :bsmilie:

We're cool! Lol. Take a chill pill, all!

Glad that you did some homework on her CCA club, that will definitely help you decide better.

As for recommended stores, I'm not sure many stores will let you fiddle with their equipment for HOURS (half an hour maybe) without buying... Why not try out the Service Centers? I know Canon has a center at Vivocity (opposite GV cinemas) that has several of their models for you to get accustomed to. I did try there, so I know. If I recalled correctly they have 7D, 50D, 550D, and 500D (maybe 450D as well). I'm not sure about Nikon SC, maybe those who know may be able tell you? As for the rest, Pentax, Sony etc... Not sure. I believe Sony has an outlet at Orchard Central which displays all their equipments. You might wanna try your luck there as well.

 

[Anhur]

I feel that one of the most valid point being raised here is what is the brand recommended by the club or what is the major brand used within the club so your daughter may leverage on the existing equipment during her learning.

I also think the recommendation for you to bring your daughter to a camera shop to pick up something she likes is very good. So often, we feel that we need to make the decision for the children because we cannot trust them to make the proper one themselves. But sometimes, we will be surprise by how much they really know and it shows that you respect them as an adult and that is worth way more than anything you can buy for her.

Your daughter should take some responsibility by deciding for herself what she needs or want. In fact, I will encourage you to ask her to pay a portion of the purchase. This will make her think more about what she needs. If she is really interested in learning about photography, she will enjoy this opportunity to research on the camera she need. It will be her initiation to photography

 

[undergrd]

I think you might want to consider a 2nd hand D80 for a start. Though it may be a 2nd hand but at least it is a camera which is in the pro series. Price wise is quite affordable too.

Furthermore, I think a D80 can continue to serve both TS and child for a few years to come. Also, if she intends to invest in lens, she can consider both motorized and non-motorized version...

 

[kriegsketten]

Then go there try and then buy from elsewhere

I don't really have much experience with salesmen and shops, but MS Color at AMK Hub seems to be flooding with salespeople sometimes (there was once I walked in and then like 10 salespeople started staring at me cuz I was the only one in the shop), so you might wanna try there. Competitive prices too, if you compare to things like Cathay Photo.

Wahseh, you actually don't mind 10 vultur...ahem... I mean salesmen staring at you? :thumbsup::thumbsup: tok kong man! :bsmilie:

If I don't see any other customers in the shop, I'll take a banana and split... 10 pairs of eyes can burn through skin man! :bsmilie:

 

[denniskee]

Your daughter should take some responsibility by deciding for herself what she needs or want. In fact, I will encourage you to ask her to pay a portion of the purchase. This will make her think more about what she needs. If she is really interested in learning about photography, she will enjoy this opportunity to research on the camera she need. It will be her initiation to photography

:thumbsup:

may i suggest that TS get his daughter to check up on the spec, price, package for various camera, lens, tripod, flash. if she is not even interested to do that herself, than:think:

lets face it, she is in JC, she has computer, she joint photography club, i see no reason what so ever that she cant do research.

 

[lonarciso]

..great daddy, bravo!

welcome to the Club!

 

[giantcanopy]

Use the same as the club, then can share gear, the cost will not be as high then as if you are using a totally different system.

good advice zac08.

iamatyc, i would not be too bothered by people slamming certain models over preference for their own models. D90 is pretty capable, and intuitive, and will definitely fulfill her hobby and grow from there.

ryan

 

[ovaltinemilo]

Though all cameras can be used for photography learning purposes...in my opinion, I think using a DSLR tends to make the learner more serious and more into the learning.. I had my compact for years, but I seldom used the manual mode, even when I used the manual mode, there was quite alot of limitation which would not facilitate to learning photography...and most of the time then, I din understand most of the settings....compact mentally was to "just snap" for me...a more expensive(but don't go extreme) will make the child put in more effort in learning and exploring the different settings... In the first place, don't put off the club in school as slack or wat, measure ur child's enthusiasm to your desire to buy one for her....I have friends who started in JC yrs ago and now I get wowed so much by his wedding photographs that he takes for others...end of the day, photography is still a fun and satisfying hobby which helps to nuture and cultivate...definitely good to start early if can...