Low Cost DSLR?

[cpuer]

Hi All,
I am tight on budget. But really like to start some more serious photo taking. I have an old A40, but this thing is very slow in low light situation, focusing is so slow that most of the time I missed some wonderful chance of taking a nice pic. Faster focusing is one of the main reason that i wanted to see if I should start DSLR now.

Now I have found D50 is one of the lowest price DSLR. Is there any more that I should consider? I am not so concerned with lens, as I don't think I will spend lot's of money on extra lens.

My photog skill is really low, if photog can be ranked according to our school system, then, i am probably at P2 or P3 now

See some of my pics

http://www.flickr.com/photos/92688336@N00/141824442/

http://static.flickr.com/46/140605681_b671ff7834.jpg?v=0

http://www.flickr.com/photos/92688336@N00/140605682/

TIA

 

[slooow]

nice pics
can be better

and i think you should start with D50 or D70s and concentrate on lense...
imho lense is everything...

 

[jdredd]

Hi All,
I am tight on budget. But really like to start some more serious photo taking. I have an old A40, but this thing is very slow in low light situation, focusing is so slow that most of the time I missed some wonderful chance of taking a nice pic. Faster focusing is one of the main reason that i wanted to see if I should start DSLR now.

Now I have found D50 is one of the lowest price DSLR. Is there any more that I should consider? I am not so concerned with lens, as I don't think I will spend lot's of money on extra lens.

My photog skill is really low, if photog can be ranked according to our school system, then, i am probably at P2 or P3 now

See some of my pics

http://www.flickr.com/photos/92688336@N00/141824442/

http://static.flickr.com/46/140605681_b671ff7834.jpg?v=0

http://www.flickr.com/photos/92688336@N00/140605682/

TIA

dont sell yourself short. no one started off being a pro.. many of us are still also beginners.

you are mistaken if you think you dont need to spend money on lenses. lenses are in fact as important, if not more important than the body, becaues they will last you for many many years, whereas bodies will come and go.

whilst the kit lens that normally comes with these cameras are generally of decent quality, and good for general photog, landscape, street work etc, their relatively smaller apertures mean they arent so good for low light photography and of course, they have limited reach in terms of focal length.

the D50 is a good starting camera. wont go wrong with that if you are starting out. but i suggest you go and handle it, and try out other makes too, see which one you like the look/feel of.

 

[cpuer]

thanks guys for your comments and very fast response.

My brudder in hk is a avid nikonian, so I am constantly kena psycho by him. That's why i started my search in Nikon 1st. And I found D50 is the lowest. I saw Aaron Photo is selling this std unit at $1166. Bargain Sity is at $1300+ with more "freebies". I guess if I stick to D50, my future option to get Nikon lens are almost unlimited, right?

1000+ is a big sum to me, so i don't really want to think of the lens now.

So besides D50, what other option do i have? Canon 350? That one is more ex.

 

[tdubs]

dont sell yourself short. no one started off being a pro.. many of us are still also beginners.

you are mistaken if you think you dont need to spend money on lenses. lenses are in fact as important, if not more important than the body, becaues they will last you for many many years, whereas bodies will come and go.

whilst the kit lens that normally comes with these cameras are generally of decent quality, and good for general photog, landscape, street work etc, their relatively smaller apertures mean they arent so good for low light photography and of course, they have limited reach in terms of focal length.

the D50 is a good starting camera. wont go wrong with that if you are starting out. but i suggest you go and handle it, and try out other makes too, see which one you like the look/feel of.

So True....If you going to buy a DSLR... Later on.. you will spend more on lenses than on the body...thats what I sometimes call the hidden trap of DSLR's....after you buy it... need to spend hell more on lenses;p

 

[ExplorerZ]

thanks guys for your comments and very fast response.

My brudder in hk is a avid nikonian, so I am constantly kena psycho by him. That's why i started my search in Nikon 1st. And I found D50 is the lowest. I saw Aaron Photo is selling this std unit at $1166. Bargain Sity is at $1300+ with more "freebies". I guess if I stick to D50, my future option to get Nikon lens are almost unlimited, right?

1000+ is a big sum to me, so i don't really want to think of the lens now.

So besides D50, what other option do i have? Canon 350? That one is more ex.

since one of the main factor of getting dSLR is low light focusing, lens is of cos a factor you must look at as well, not just body. lens with smaller aperture generally doesn't do that well in low light focusing compared to fast lens. they hunt more as well.

if you are not going to spent on lens, my recommandation is to get a better point and shoot. a dSLR be it cheap or expensive with kit lens alone is sort of handicap. and yes it will be better to get nikon since ur brudder is a nikonian, in the future got any problem at least some1 will ans u. :thumbsup: you can even borrow some nice lens and get psyco from him :devil:

 

[kcuf2]

thanks guys for your comments and very fast response.

My brudder in hk is a avid nikonian, so I am constantly kena psycho by him. That's why i started my search in Nikon 1st. And I found D50 is the lowest. I saw Aaron Photo is selling this std unit at $1166. Bargain Sity is at $1300+ with more "freebies". I guess if I stick to D50, my future option to get Nikon lens are almost unlimited, right?

1000+ is a big sum to me, so i don't really want to think of the lens now.

So besides D50, what other option do i have? Canon 350? That one is more ex.

if you really desire to learn photography, i feel D50 is a better choice than the canon 350D. Thats because it has more functions than the 350D in which u can toy with and trial and error to learn. An example would be spot metering and u can have it in D50. Not to mention, the flash synch speed is 1/500s.

Another consideration u have to take into account is the memory card. I believe ur A40 uses SD card rite? thus u can use back ur old memory cards :thumbsup: While ppl may say memory is cheap, i know that when one is on tight budget, the price of even the cheapest memory card kills..

One more would be ur brudder is a nikonian, next time u can buy/borrow his lens or accessories from him!!! U can borrow from him to learn ur photography, isnt that very important for one who is on tight budget? And u can try out the lens before u decide u love it and then u go buy it. Rather then u buy then find it not nice then u sell it at a loss later on. and not to mention, he will teach u all the things a nikonian should know!

And lastly, Nikon is one of the giants in this photography industry, u wont go wrong with it.. and also, the Buy & Sell got lots of nikon lens and accessories on sale!

So after reading this, does that make u a nikonian now? ;p

[btw if u go and buy the D50, dun go and buy from the shops outside, go and buy from the mass order in here, they are better priced. i believe u can get D50 at $1000+ here instead of $1100 or $1300 outside in shops

 

[jdredd]

thanks guys for your comments and very fast response.

My brudder in hk is a avid nikonian, so I am constantly kena psycho by him. That's why i started my search in Nikon 1st. And I found D50 is the lowest. I saw Aaron Photo is selling this std unit at $1166. Bargain Sity is at $1300+ with more "freebies". I guess if I stick to D50, my future option to get Nikon lens are almost unlimited, right?

1000+ is a big sum to me, so i don't really want to think of the lens now.

So besides D50, what other option do i have? Canon 350? That one is more ex.

the 350D is more ex, but it offers more than the D50. and picture quality from the 350D is same as its big brother the 30D... which is a 2k+ camera..

but, if ur brother is nikonian, i would stick with a nikon. that way u guys can share lenses, which is a big saving for you.

 

[grumpy]

thanks guys for your comments and very fast response.

So besides D50, what other option do i have? Canon 350? That one is more ex.

since yr brudder nikonian, good to get nikon and can borrow some of his lenses

another option is to get 2nd hand lor, that's what I did, got a good deal for a good condition 2nd D70. In my case, it's still cheaper than a new D50. The "savings" I got is enough to buy lens or flash, but I am holding back since I am beginner and also low on cash

 

[cpuer]

wah you guys are so fast, come back from my toilet break and a few more posts liao. haha.

Ok, I will stick to Nikon D50(new). Or a second hand D50/D70 with a slightly better lens. :think:

Unfortunately my brudder is in HK, so he can only pyscho me, but wont be able to borrow any of his nice lens. :angry:

I used to own a film based low end EOS, when i took out the old pics and looked at them, i really like those pics with nice DOF. So i thought switching back to D-SLR will give me much better pic quality than my current humble 1st generation A series. Which basically only work under a very bright sunlight.:angry:

 

[solarii]

hmmm may I suggest the following for a beginner like yourself:

http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?t=198205

Provides up to date info on choosing a system, budgeting as well as other related accessories you'll need. Many newbies buy dSLRs only to realise that they need other "must-have items", but are short on cash due to poor budgeting and the good old "I didn't know I need that".

Yes this is advertising but for a good cause. Frankly, I wished there was something like this when I started out. Would have save me some and made life easier

 

[DeSwitch]

if you really desire to learn photography, i feel D50 is a better choice than the canon 350D. Thats because it has more functions than the 350D in which u can toy with and trial and error to learn. An example would be spot metering and u can have it in D50. Not to mention, the flash synch speed is 1/500s.

My Canon 350D must be a special edition then cos I have spot metering and I can go beyond 1/500s and still use flash (FP mode)

The choice is still yours. But if yr bruder is using Nikon, you should stick to Nikon so that you can borrow his lens and acessories. It also easier to learn from him.

 

[cpuer]

Just finished msn with my brudder in hk, haha, he is giving me his 24-85mm ED Nikon lens. is this a good lens? Looks like I am going to get a Nikon D50 for sure.

Anywhere I can get a D50 body only? The regular places like AP, CP will let me buy just the body?

 

[Hexlord]

hmmm may I suggest the following for a beginner like yourself:

http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?t=198205

Provides up to date info on choosing a system, budgeting as well as other related accessories you'll need. Many newbies buy dSLRs only to realise that they need other "must-have items", but are short on cash due to poor budgeting and the good old "I didn't know I need that".

Yes this is advertising but for a good cause. Frankly, I wished there was something like this when I started out. Would have save me some and made life easier

I agree with Solarii on this

 

[ExplorerZ]

Just finished msn with my brudder in hk, haha, he is giving me his 24-85mm ED Nikon lens. is this a good lens? Looks like I am going to get a Nikon D50 for sure.

Anywhere I can get a D50 body only? The regular places like AP, CP will let me buy just the body?

not sure about the lens, but i don think it is possible to find new body ONLY package in singapore. guess you got to buy with the kit lens and maybe sell it or try using it. you might like it! :thumbsup:

 

[tdubs]

My Canon 350D must be a special edition then cos I have spot metering and I can go beyond 1/500s and still use flash (FP mode)

The choice is still yours. But if yr bruder is using Nikon, you should stick to Nikon so that you can borrow his lens and acessories. It also easier to learn from him.

mm i think the 1/500 that he said was about flash sync with the shutter speed and not the shutter speed itself
Flash sync of most canon camera only goes to 1/250...

 

[zcwnfx]

why not D70/D70s?

have u handle D50 or D70s b4? maybe you got to go and feel it first...

i think they feel a bit differently....

personally, i would go for a quite new D70s rather than a new D50.....

 

[EOSFILM]

why not D70/D70s?

have u handle D50 or D70s b4? maybe you got to go and feel it first...

i think they feel a bit differently....

personally, i would go for a quite new D70s rather than a new D50.....

i second zcwnfx's suggestion to go for a used d70 or d70s... i seen a few d70s going around for $800 odd...which is quite a good deal actually. U can pay abt $100 for the D50 18-55 kit lens (which is quite a decent lens for a beginner) and there you go, $900 for a great body and decent lens to start off with. later on, if you are still keen to pursue further, you can then think about building up your lens collection i would personally recommend the 24-85 AFS which is a really good buy.

 

[EOSFILM]

FYI, I also started off with the A40...fantastic camera to begin with...but once u touch a DSLR, along with all its creative features to explore, you will never want to go back to compact P&Ss!

 

[blive]

Just finished msn with my brudder in hk, haha, he is giving me his 24-85mm ED Nikon lens. is this a good lens? Looks like I am going to get a Nikon D50 for sure.

Anywhere I can get a D50 body only? The regular places like AP, CP will let me buy just the body?

Well, like the others say, you could consider 2nd hand in B^S, where there should be some sales for the body only.

You really should go down to the shops and test both the D50 & D70/D70s to see which one you like, then decide on which to buy new/secondhand.

Personally, I like my D50 & 18-55mm kit lens, cause its light and simple to use. Use it most of the time too. Check out ken rockwell review http://www.kenrockwell.com for his review on the D50 & kit lens.