I'm New to photography, need opinion on which entry level DSLR camera to begin with?

[rewired]

Since you require feedback on a user of 500D, let me give you my honest opinion.

500D Body
Pros
1) I lurve how small it is. I have large and long fingers. However, I love how my hands wrapped around the body.
2) The buttons are easily placed where I can find them.
3) It is not too heavy or light

Cons
1) Its not weather sealed. Top up a bit more, I can get a Pentax K-7. However, K-7 noise to ISO ratio is not as good as 500D
2) I wished the movie button is a separate button instead of on the rotating knob


18-200mm Lens
Pros
1) Huge focal range. Well to me, a beginner that is.
2) Quite sharp if you know how to use it.

Cons
1) Heavy. I wouldn't mind getting 18-55mm kit lens instead
2) There is barrel distortion at 18mm


I am still in the process of exploring my 500D. Had it less than 3mths.
You might want to get a second hand body and a second hand lens if you are planning to
try out. Its cheaper.

 

[gerigoh]

Hey thanks for your honest feedback about 500D.
Actually, i am concern of the gripping part. I have small hands with short fingers.
I would like a camera which is neither heavy/light. It's alright i guess.
Cos even if its light, when the lens are added on, it will be slightly heavy.
I am worry that i may not have a good grip and may not be able to handle it comfortably.
I would want to have stability in order to take pretty good photos!

 

[Octarine]

Actually, i am concern of the gripping part. I have small hands with short fingers.
I would like a camera which is neither heavy/light. It's alright i guess.
Cos even if its light, when the lens are added on, it will be slightly heavy.
I am worry that i may not have a good grip and may not be able to handle it comfortably.
I would want to have stability in order to take pretty good photos!

Then why do you only focus on Canon? Have you tried Sony and Pentax? Have a look at the most common lenses and try the camera with such a lens to see how heavy it really is. Kit lenses are very light usually.

 

[android17]

Hey thanks for your honest feedback about 500D.
Actually, i am concern of the gripping part. I have small hands with short fingers.
I would like a camera which is neither heavy/light. It's alright i guess.
Cos even if its light, when the lens are added on, it will be slightly heavy.
I am worry that i may not have a good grip and may not be able to handle it comfortably.
I would want to have stability in order to take pretty good photos!

If u hv small hands, u should try out Sony a230 and a330. Not only they're cheap (a230 with lens $600, a330 with lens $800 brand new), they're also one of the lightest dslr around and the grip is specially made for girls and guys with small hands.

Besides, the a230/330 also comes with guide mode, which will be very useful for beginners as the camera will explain to u each and every function on the lcd screen, telling u what the function does and what effects it will hv on ur photos etc.

But the main reason to get Sony is cos their dslr comes with build in image stabilizer, thus u don hv to buy stabilized lenses. For Canon and Nikon, their camera don hv stabilizer, thus everytime they buy lenses, they hv to pay extra, sometimes a few hundred more, to get image stabilizer onto their lenses. Image paying a few hundred extra everytime u buy lenses, the cost will add up to a lot.

A 2nd hand a330 with kit lens cost around $550. Not ex at all. Brand new is $800 (buy from retail shops, don buy from Sony style) and has 15 months warranty which covers body and lens cleaning as well, so its worth considering if u don wish to clean the camera sensors urself.

And it comes with a free 1 day photography course conducted by Sony

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

If u hv small hands, u should try out Sony a230 and a330. Not only they're cheap (a230 with lens $600, a330 with lens $800 brand new), they're also one of the lightest dslr around and the grip is specially made for girls and guys with small hands.

Besides, the a230/330 also comes with guide mode, which will be very useful for beginners as the camera will explain to u each and every function on the lcd screen, telling u what the function does and what effects it will hv on ur photos etc.

But the main reason to get Sony is cos their dslr comes with build in image stabilizer, thus u don hv to buy stabilized lenses. For Canon and Nikon, their camera don hv stabilizer, thus everytime they buy lenses, they hv to pay extra, sometimes a few hundred more, to get image stabilizer onto their lenses. Image paying a few hundred extra everytime u buy lenses, the cost will add up to a lot.

A 2nd hand a330 with kit lens cost around $550. Not ex at all. Brand new is $800 (buy from retail shops, don buy from Sony style) and has 15 months warranty which covers body and lens cleaning as well, so its worth considering if u don wish to clean the camera sensors urself.

And it comes with a free 1 day photography course conducted by Sony

Yeah Sony's value-for-money spiel is hard to beat.
My gf (with small hands) picked up the A230 at the Sony store, gave me a weird look, and put it back down on the table. The grip is a big letdown, in my opinion.
What good is a camera that is feature-packed, but you don't feel like using?

 

[Wild 1]

Very informative thread

 

[android17]

Yeah Sony's value-for-money spiel is hard to beat.
My gf (with small hands) picked up the A230 at the Sony store, gave me a weird look, and put it back down on the table. The grip is a big letdown, in my opinion.
What good is a camera that is feature-packed, but you don't feel like using?

Sony has 3 series of entry level dslr.

The a230, 330 and 380 has small grip, the a200,300 and 350 has medium grip and the newest a500 and 550 has a larger grip.

With 3 sizes to choose from, there will surely be one which will fit ur hand size.

I think most ppl will like the medium sized grip of the a200, 300 series.

Seasoned users will like the bigger grip of the a500 and 550.

 

[Titan10k]

Manual SLRs, rangefinders never really have a "proper" grip but people have been shooting with them for long without any complain. I find it funny now that many getting fussy because of the lack of a "proper" grip.

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

that's because i'm spoilt already...
I wouldn't even contemplate buying a rangefinder or any other camera if I found it difficult/uncomfortable to hold.

Ford couldn't make their Model T cars fast enough to cope with demand, but seriously.... who would buy one today to use as an everyday ride?
Who would even buy a 1980s Toyota Corolla to use as an everyday ride?

 

[Titan10k]

But the Minis and the Beetles still sell. This is not a matter of design evolution, but rather, of design philosophy. If you can understand the philosophy behind those, you'll understand why they are that way. Leica's latest full frame digital rangefinder M9 still doesn't have a "proper" grip. Perhaps, a little too much to appreciate?

 

[cheguthamrin]

Go search for custom made dslr to fit your specific hand then. And the sensor too and the lens too and for every other bit of other physical or technical specification to suit your needs or in this case wants. Hopefully it will suit your budget too or rather you should be prepared with limitless budget. Good luck.

I really wonder am I ignorant enough about all these matters when I first got my camera that I couldn't produce any good shots, not even one till now?

 

[roque]

The 40D is significantly larger and heavier than the others. Thus I do not recommend the 40D if you are looking for a small and light DSLR.

The 400D, 450D, 500D and 1000D are about the same size, imperceptible difference. You can handle them at the Canon showroom in Vivo.

They are all good cameras. If you can afford it, go for the 500D. If not, the 450D, then 1000D and lastly the 400D. That is how I rank them.

Be patient with the forum. Keep monitoring the new posts and I am sure you'll spot one soon. It paid off for me.

Also don't be too worried if other members are selling the DSLR body only, there are also many offloading their lenses. This gives you the flexibility to find the best DSLR body and the best lens. If they are sold as a set, if you are not happy with either of them, chances are you will have to reject them as a pair too.

 

[jackzhangxiao]

D90 or 500D

depends which brand you prefer

 

[gerigoh]

Thanks everyone for sharing your point of views!
Pls vote and suggest which camera best suits my needs!

1. I am looking for a good conds 2nd hand DSLR. If first hand offers better, why not?

2. Canon, Nikon, Sony. (Sony, comes in 3rd cos i'm afraid it will turn out like my Digital Camera. After using it for quite awhile, the photos outcome are all blurry. Seems like the lens is the issue of the sharpness. Or user problem? Winks*)

3. I have small hands. I would definitely want something which has a better grip for me to handle. I know there might not be a perfect one but at least closest to my comfort. Not necessarily a customize ones.

4. I know lens will add on weight to the body. So it's alright. I will still want to take photos and try to adopt with the weight and all in time to come. Stability can be done with a tripod stand.

5. I am unsure about the camera terms used. I need help! like what's AF(autofocus?), etc?
Someone can provide me more details in those short terms will help me alot with understanding the post in CLUBSNAP.

I am still questioning sellers and monitoring daily. Reading reviews, comparing the features/functions. But there's alot more doubts. I may want to choose afew & rent to try it out. Does anyone know of cheap rental camera shops? Pls let me know. I am grateful for kind professionals to provide feedback/advice to me! THANKS A MILLION!

 

[Octarine]

Does anyone know of cheap rental camera shops? Pls let me know. I am grateful for kind professionals to provide feedback/advice to me! THANKS A MILLION!

Not sure what "cheap" is for you. Check the Services Offered .. Marketplace.

 

[android17]

Thanks everyone for sharing your point of views!
Pls vote and suggest which camera best suits my needs!

2. Canon, Nikon, Sony. (Sony, comes in 3rd cos i'm afraid it will turn out like my Digital Camera. After using it for quite awhile, the photos outcome are all blurry. Seems like the lens is the issue of the sharpness. Or user problem? Winks*)

*faints* Its definately user problem...

most likely cause is u used too low shutterspeed, photos u took are in low light etc etc. If you donno the basics of aperture and shutter speed, using a DSLR will just make things worse...

Sony digital compact cameras mostly use Carl Zeiss lenses. Please google for Carl Zeiss lens and see how good they are...

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

2. Canon, Nikon, Sony. (Sony, comes in 3rd cos i'm afraid it will turn out like my Digital Camera. After using it for quite awhile, the photos outcome are all blurry. Seems like the lens is the issue of the sharpness. Or user problem? Winks*)

I tend to be biased towards Nikon, but even I'll admit that sharpness is definitely not lacking with a Sony set-up... Get your facts right first..
But ultimately it's YOUR purchase decision. If you prefer Canon, so be it. None of us here is going to earn any commission if you choose a particular brand.

 

[Akatsuki]

If you are gg for canon, the 1000D is so ridiculously cheap now, get 1 and try out!

But for someone starting out, i doubt there will be a significant difference between the different brands at the entry lvl range, though on a personal preference, it's a C or N for me

 

[torak]

Hi gerigoh,

just some facts about Sony.

Sony has been manufacturing digital camera sensors for years. Alot of digital camera companies, including Canon and Nikon, uses Sony's sensors in their camera. For DSLRs, Nikon uses Sony sensors in a number of their DSLR as well, the same sensors used in the Sony Alphas. And now even Pentax has started using Sony's sensors, with the latest Pentax k-x using Sony's EXMOR sensor (the same sensors used in Sony A500).

Im not sure whats the model of your Sony digital camera, but i'll assume the optic glass is made by Carl Zeiss since they make most of Sony's glasses. Carl Zeiss is a company reknowned for making high quality (and expensive) optics glass and lenses, and they're extremely sharp.

Thus Im not sure what happened to your digital camera, but maybe it is user problem, as mentioned.

 

[gerigoh]

Thank you all for providing me the information. & i am not stereotyping SONY just because of my digital camera. I won't deny the fact that i've mentioned that i am afraid if i get SONY DSLR, it might happen the same thing again. Sorry if my views & remarks has offended SONY users here. But everyone has different preference. So don't mind me.

And i am new to handling a professional camera like dslr. & am keen so that's why i'm here to find out more from everyone whose a camera handler to share with me their experience and suggestions. I appreciate whatever comments is left for me. Thanks alot!