Looking for an entry level SLR...

[blurboiboi]

hihi... i am thinking of getting an entry level SLR body to have a feel of what's like using such cams b4 deciding whether i should use a DSLR... which brand n model you guys out there recommend??..
canon - EOS series... nikon - F series... or minolta - Dynax series...
I heard nikon lens are the sharpest among them... canon has more lens choices, and should be really considered if I were to get a 300D in the future... minolta has the cheapest lens among these 3... .??..

thanx for reading this thread..

 

[espn]

You might want to decide on film or digital before you consider plunging in. Maybe can rent a system and try out first before deciding. Each has it's good points.

For the SLRs, can consider Nikon F75 or the Canon EOS300v. DSLRs just get the cheapest will do, for hobbyists it's more then enough. 1D and D2* is out of leagues :bsmilie:

 

[frisky]

hihi... i am thinking of getting an entry level SLR body to have a feel of what's like using such cams b4 deciding whether i should use a DSLR... which brand n model you guys out there recommend??..
canon - EOS series... nikon - F series... or minolta - Dynax series...
I heard nikon lens are the sharpest among them... canon has more lens choices, and should be really considered if I were to get a 300D in the future... minolta has the cheapest lens among these 3... .??..

First of all, Minolta don't only have the cheapest lens among the 3, for the same price you will also are getting the best camera by far. Unless you are really very particular about something, all of them will give you a good choice of lens, and the major third party lens maker also makes for all 3 mount. As Minolta is less popular compared compared to the other 2, 2nd hand price are almost ridiculously low. You can get a older series pro/semi pro body, a decent 24-85 or similar lens, pls a good flash for 1k or less. Nikon or Canon will not be able be offer such value.

That being said. All 3 system do have their unique features, and if one of those are important to you, you might have little choice. Also Nikon and Canon have DSLR available at this point in time, while Minolta's is only expected next year, without any official annoucement at this point of time.

Frankly, from quite a number of people who have consider the 300D, many of them either upgrade to 10D or skip the 300D totally, due to its lack of features.
That should be a point that you should consider too. If you intend to get a low end DSLR soon then canon is about the only option at this point of them. Further down, I would expect Minolta to come up with strong opposition. Pentax could be another alternative, but the availabilty of lens and other accessories are a little lacking........

Of course, the first question you should ask is what do you want to do use the camera for and think along that line.......

 

[Zerstorer]

One thing to consider is what do you find inadequate in your current digicam that you want to upgrade. From your posts, it seems that you have not yet understood how to properly utilize your digicam in most situations. Some of the questions you posted recently are actually covered in the S602 manual if you tried reading it carefully.

 

[blurboiboi]

thanx for the info espn n frisky..
Zerstorer... u r right, I am still not able to fully utilize my current cam, one reason is becos of shortage of time, schooling u c... but holis are coming... can't wait to start shooting again...
want to jump into SLR or DSLR for 2 main reasons... lack of zoom in my 602 n DOF... actually wanted to jump straight into DSLR but resale value for 602 is really too low... so thinking of getting a SLR instead n use 602 concurrently... while waiting for DSLR bodies pxs to drop, keke...
damn... it is an addictive but expensive hobby...

 

[Zerstorer]

Be careful of the upgrading trap. Getting an SLR and lens can be a potentially expensive business that does not guarantee you better results. Try to learn as much as you can with your current camera first.

 

[frisky]

thanx for the info espn n frisky..
Zerstorer... u r right, I am still not able to fully utilize my current cam, one reason is becos of shortage of time, schooling u c... but holis are coming... can't wait to start shooting again...
want to jump into SLR or DSLR for 2 main reasons... lack of zoom in my 602 n DOF... actually wanted to jump straight into DSLR but resale value for 602 is really too low... so thinking of getting a SLR instead n use 602 concurrently... while waiting for DSLR bodies pxs to drop, keke...
damn... it is an addictive but expensive hobby...

My opinion is that you should shoot more with your 602 before deciding.
602 do have a reasonable long zoom range, if you make good use of it.

Since you have not used SLR before, the expense and handling of flim might not be something you want to deal with.

 

[lavenderlilz]

Zerstorer... u r right, I am still not able to fully utilize my current cam, one reason is becos of shortage of time, schooling u c... but holis are coming... can't wait to start shooting again...

Since ur holidays are coming u might like to spend that time reading ur manual & utlising ur current camera to its fullest?

want to jump into SLR or DSLR for 2 main reasons... lack of zoom in my 602 n DOF... actually wanted to jump straight into DSLR but resale value for 602 is really too low... so thinking of getting a SLR instead n use 602 concurrently... while waiting for DSLR bodies pxs to drop, keke...
damn... it is an addictive but expensive hobby...

Since u say its an expensive hobby - u might want to reconsider getting a DSLR or SLR for that matter.

Cons against the DSLR - expensive and that is just the body u r talking about. Lens? That is another story altogether - costs & more costs.

Cons against SLR - Film costs are not cheap if u intend to shoot alot. Plus if u press the shutter wrongly - u can't delete it. Furthermore, one roll of film has only 36 exposures. Dun get me wrong - I still like film but it can be especially expensive if u press the trigger without thinking too much about it & the shot is wasted. Not to mention the money wasted in developing it....

 

[espn]

Hey bub, going to D/SLR doesn't means you get more zoom. It means you need more $$$$ to get longer zoom, longer zoom means more $$$$.

The 602z is a wonderful camera, outgrow it first, then move on. It's a world of difference from DC and D/SLRs. If you're very unsure, go for a SLR, it should keep you busy for a year or two.

 

[ericp]

Be prepared to be seduced by the instant-on, fast response from an SLR, even an entry-level one, compared to your S602Z

Before you know it, you'll be moving towards the deep, dark abyss called the "DSLR World" :devil:

Been there, done that ...

 

[fooey]

You might want to decide on film or digital before you consider plunging in. Maybe can rent a system and try out first before deciding. Each has it's good points.

For the SLRs, can consider Nikon F75 or the Canon EOS300v. DSLRs just get the cheapest will do, for hobbyists it's more then enough. 1D and D2* is out of leagues :bsmilie:

Go straight for canon... and i'll bet you'll be more than satisfied

 

[mpenza]

a good lens (without the body) could easily cost twice the cost of the S602Z bought brand new and weight 3 times as much.

if you want to add on zoom for your S602Z, consider getting the Olympus TCON17 which costs ~$135-140. this extends your zoom to around 357mm.

 

[frisky]

Go straight for canon... and i'll bet you'll be more than satisfied

Then the next thing is you cry over how much you have spend. Be careful about making recommendations like this. What works for you might not work for others, esp if there is little information on the intended use.

 

[yowch]

Following from Zerstorer, Frisky and Lavenderlilz:
I have used my S602 for wedding photography, and that is, the main photographers. No doubt, there are people out there who can afford $1000 photgraphers who are using D1 or 1D, but that's where I help out. So far, the results are good enough at 4R for the few jobs that I did.

In another perspective, in Europe, many professional studio photographers are using the S602 to augment their film shoots.

I have seriously considered the flexibility of DSLR, but for now, the S602 seems to be good enough for me. The thought of buying a body ($2500), a good wide angle of 28mm equivalent, meaning 17mm ($1000) and the corresponding accessories ($500), and more harddisk/CD/DVD to store all the RAW files ($500) comes to a total of $4500 or thereabout.

I'll stick to my S602 ($1800 with accessories) for now. I am just a hobbyist, and training to shoot better. I know the limitation of the S602, and with this knowledge, I know how I can do better when I DO buy a DSLR.

Actually, I have been using SLR and TLR for quite some time.