Hello... an absolute noob here.. pls be gentle.


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zsubari

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Jul 25, 2009
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Sengkang, SG
Hi all, I got wind of this forum from a friend who is a forum member here.

A quick intro of myself:

Name: Zul
Age: 32 in a few months.
Experience in photography: very minimal... zero even, i dare say.

I have never own a DSLR camera before and only even owned 2 Digital camera in my whole life. Currently using a Pentax Optio S10, which I bought only few months back. Although I have thought of buying a DSLR for sometime, it's only after my KL trip last week, that I kinda firm up to the idea of finally getting one.

And I did some research(websites and from some friends/family) on a few cameras and I roughly have some idea on some cameras that I could get... and they are Canon 500D, SONY A330 NIKON D80, D90 and D5000.

It would be of great help if I could get some feedback about these cameras from you guys or is there a better camera which would suit me. And what should I look out for when looking for a DSLR camera?

Thanks all in advance for the help!
 

Specs wise, there is little to differentiate among the entry level cameras now. If anything, it would be the ergonomics, try to pop down to a shop and see which one you feel most comfortable about handling.
 

Hi all, I got wind of this forum from a friend who is a forum member here.

A quick intro of myself:

Name: Zul
Age: 32 in a few months.
Experience in photography: very minimal... zero even, i dare say.

I have never own a DSLR camera before and only even owned 2 Digital camera in my whole life. Currently using a Pentax Optio S10, which I bought only few months back. Although I have thought of buying a DSLR for sometime, it's only after my KL trip last week, that I kinda firm up to the idea of finally getting one.

And I did some research(websites and from some friends/family) on a few cameras and I roughly have some idea on some cameras that I could get... and they are Canon 500D, SONY A330 NIKON D80, D90 and D5000.

It would be of great help if I could get some feedback about these cameras from you guys or is there a better camera which would suit me. And what should I look out for when looking for a DSLR camera?

Thanks all in advance for the help!

notice that you've mostly picked cams with video? is that a predominant need?
 

Welcome to CS! try all your choices, hold them in your hand. ;)
 

Hi there.. seems that money should not be a problem to you... well, go to shops, try out some entry level, try some advance level, then try some full frame ones.. feel comfortable with the settings, controls and etc.. because you will use that camera for months at least.. i would suggest D90 or canon 500D.. good luck..

try out some lens too..
 

welcome to the club!

you can try maybe a beginner's DSLR kit, the D5000 or the 1000D

but if you are willing to spend abit more for a better featured cam you can try the 500D or the D90

this again depends on your budget
 

Hi Zul!! I'm new too.. ;)

My experience with DSLR is zero too!! Same thing/experience: Been wanting to buy a DSLR for ages, but have been holding back. Only after getting back from a long trip and lots of blurry concerts snaps before i decided to get one.. ;p

Been using a Sony DSC-T7 for all my snaps. I was looking at the same Canon, Sony and Nikon too. Did some research and read lots of reviews. And i did a few rounds at a few shops to hold/feel the different brands/makes/models. Nikon fits my hand well.. and in the end i bought a 2nd hand D80 from a fellow CS. :D

My advice: Go out and hold/test the cameras you're interested in. Of course, research and read lots of reviews too.. Good luck with your search and purchase bro!! :thumbsup:
 

Hi,first of all welcome to cs.Second,please please cancel D5000 from your list of candidates.It does not have a built in motor which,from my experience is really very bad.I myself have been a D40 user(also a camera without motor),Without built in motor,you cant auto-focus with lenses that do not have built in motors like the AF-D and AF ones.Which are really cheap.So you are limited to a selection of AF-S lenses to choose from which really sucked.So because of that,I have upgraded to D200.
Hope you enjoy your stay.

If on a budget,get D80 if not get D90 or D300
 

Everyone starts out as a noob. Some stay as one forever, others escape it rather quickly. Welcome to CS!

Btw, since you're a Pentax user, Pentax's new K-7 is a very fine camera, one of the best, if not the best APS-C body right now.
 

Hello...welcome.

As the bros have mentioned here, it would be good if you can go to the shops to try the cams to see which is more comfortable. Play around with the cam and see which is more user friendly to you.
 

notice that you've mostly picked cams with video? is that a predominant need?

hmmm.. actually no. video is not a predominant need. The D80 was recommended to me by a friend and the rest are from some basic research i did. Similar types I think.

Thanks all for the warm welcome! I wouldn't say money isn't an issue, but Im willing to pamper myself a bit and get me a nice camera. :D

I have basically narrowed the cameras down to the D80, D90 or 500D and went out for a bit of camera window shopping. Headed down to john 3:16 @ funan, the camera workshop @ penisula and some shops @ Sim Lim.... and I would say, most shops are recommending the Canon 500D, but I couldn't find a 2nd hand D80.

Samuel from john 3:16 was a nice bloke and let me played with the D90 and 500D a bit and I can say Im hooked on the D90! The feel of the camera is so right! Too bad, he didn't have stock of it at the moment.

I've got another question, Which shops are good shops to buy from? John 3:16 seems a good place. Samuel Gan was helpful and I feel that the after sales service would be good. And the prices are competitive. Im not sure about the rest actually... and Sim Lim seems a 'scary' place to buy from to me, although the prices I was quoted for the D90 was cheaper than the rest and they are giving more freebies along with the purchase.
 

Good pick!They give you a freebie then pressure you to buy unnecessary stuffs like filters,batteries,bags,all these at a super high price.So you gotta know what you want b4 you buy.Just stick to J316.Nothing much will go wrong.Anyway,which lens are you buying
 

Samuel from john 3:16 was a nice bloke and let me played with the D90 and 500D a bit and I can say Im hooked on the D90! The feel of the camera is so right! Too bad, he didn't have stock of it at the moment.

I've got another question, Which shops are good shops to buy from? John 3:16 seems a good place. Samuel Gan was helpful and I feel that the after sales service would be good. And the prices are competitive. Im not sure about the rest actually... and Sim Lim seems a 'scary' place to buy from to me, although the prices I was quoted for the D90 was cheaper than the rest and they are giving more freebies along with the purchase.

You are spot on :) John 3:16 gets best votes here consistently and without exception. In the end it's not just Dollars and Cents, it's also the service. Keep in mind that most shops give 1:1 exchange during first 7 days if there is a major issue with camera. Just imagine discussing such topics with Samuel or some Ah beng from Sim Lim.
There is only one shop in SLS that I can recommend: Orient Photo at 6th floor. These guys are decent and helpful, consistent prices also. Other shops are very likely to play funny games, bait you with low price quotes and come up with funny things once you signal that you want to buy. Suddenly accessories are not included (battery, charger) and will cost extra or the price is only valid if you also purchase some crappy wide angle adapters or other astronomically overpriced useless items.
 

Good pick!They give you a freebie then pressure you to buy unnecessary stuffs like filters,batteries,bags,all these at a super high price.So you gotta know what you want b4 you buy.Just stick to J316.Nothing much will go wrong.Anyway,which lens are you buying

Some shops in Sim Lim were offering the bag, 4 or 8GB SD card and lens cleaning kit for a lower price, but yeah, they are also asking me to buy extra batteries and lenses amongst others. And coming to think of it, their prices are also before GST, so after GST it almost similar...

About lenses, I didn't really think about it, but I maybe getting a wide angle lense along with my purchase. What would be recommended for normal usage?
 

For normal usage it's 18-200 but it gives you lousier results than dedicated lens like for wide angle there are the 12-24 10-24 all these and tele you have 70-200 80-200 70-300 so on so forth telling u all these are kinda useless coz first u gotta know what do u wanna shoot
 

Hi all, I got wind of this forum from a friend who is a forum member here.

A quick intro of myself:

Name: Zul
Age: 32 in a few months.
Experience in photography: very minimal... zero even, i dare say.

I have never own a DSLR camera before and only even owned 2 Digital camera in my whole life. Currently using a Pentax Optio S10, which I bought only few months back. Although I have thought of buying a DSLR for sometime, it's only after my KL trip last week, that I kinda firm up to the idea of finally getting one.

And I did some research(websites and from some friends/family) on a few cameras and I roughly have some idea on some cameras that I could get... and they are Canon 500D, SONY A330 NIKON D80, D90 and D5000.

It would be of great help if I could get some feedback about these cameras from you guys or is there a better camera which would suit me. And what should I look out for when looking for a DSLR camera?

Thanks all in advance for the help!
Bro, get a D90. If there is no stock, maybe you can get a secondhand body to play around with until newer models come out by year end and next year. The thing is you should make every effort to learn the trade and train your eye in photography. Never mind what body you might get- the experience and skill you acquire are more important for now. Just my two cents, bro.

At any rate, welcome to CS. Cheers. :)
 

About lenses, I didn't really think about it, but I maybe getting a wide angle lense along with my purchase. What would be recommended for normal usage?

Kit lens. Enough for a start and from there you'll learn what you really need. You can read the review websites (dpreview.com; photozone.de) for more information.
 

Some shops in Sim Lim were offering the bag, 4 or 8GB SD card and lens cleaning kit for a lower price, but yeah, they are also asking me to buy extra batteries and lenses amongst others. And coming to think of it, their prices are also before GST, so after GST it almost similar...

Yikes...

The kit lenses start from 18mm, 27mm after crop factor is applied. Should be sufficient for your wide angle needs for the time being, and from there you can decide if you do need something wider.

In SLS, I would only go to OP first and AP second, but do check prices before comitting.
 

if you like the feel of the d90, go for it by all means, it's solid on the photography front... though the video component you'll see mixed reviews for it.

as for lens, i think the d90 still comes with the 18-105, which would give you more versatility than the 18-55 per se (though less range if you get the 55-200 kit as well). the image quality of the 18-105 is decent throughout the range, but the 18-55 is sharper at the wide end it seems.
 

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