Moving On To DSLR

[kzone]

Hi guys,

In 2004, I came here looking for advise on what SLR I need to start this hobby and thru your advise & recommendations, I got the prosumer Nikon 8400 instead. I had a wonderful 2 years with the cam & take many memorable pictures with it. Fm the neighbouring mountain peaks to valleys & grasslands of China, forts of India as well as many parties, it has served me well.... Believe that all newbies should start with a prosumer before moving on to SLRs. That way u can slowly grow to use the "manual" functions of the prosumer

Now I feel the need to upgrade my skills & equipment. I'll be enrolling in a basic photography course this Jan and hope to get a DSLR by Feb 07. I do not have a preference for brand at this moment. From reading through this forum & other overseas sites, I'm currently looking at the Pentax K100D. Would appreciate your advise on what other value for money DSLRs I should consider to start my journey into the world of SLRs... Thanks.

 

[Youhong]

Get a well known brand many people are using... Such as Canon and Nikon... Borrowing of stuff is also easier!!! And not forgetting about combining powers!!! ;p

 

[Galdor]

Think there'll be some new models coming out soon. Pentax is good. Do look around before jumping in cos you'll be buying the whole system not just the cam.

 

[FilterFunk]

since you mentioned about getting your new cam by Feb 07..
you might to wait till its Mar 07 as thats when there are new models from the diff camera companies launching new stuff

 

[kzone]

wouldnt new models be expensive? After how long its initial launch would be the "sweet spot" to get a cam?

 

[Galdor]

It really depend bro. Like Sony now is having a Year End Sale, so the price of the A-100 has gone down and it's like the A-100 has just launched for a couple of months. It's definitely worth getting now.

 

[kzone]

Ic... is getting 2nd hand recommended? I see lots of "new" D70s being sold... alot of ppl recommending this cam but at the same time, many disposing it. Not trying to affect the sale of those cams but can any past user of the D70 share why you guys sold it off so fast?

 

[FilterFunk]

just my $0.02..
with my earlier post about newer models.. i am actually refering to the existing models will definitely drop price..

whether to get a 2nd hand body or not its up to you actually. depends on various factors such as cost, functions, condition, usage etc..

as for the D70s being 'dumped', i guess its due to many users of this particular model from nikon waiting for the D80 model to launch ? (maybe abit disappointed? D80 is a SD card only model)

result? sell their existing D70s and upgrading to the D200 but again there is nothing to stop them to get the D80 too.. (provided they dont find changing to SD a hassle). imo, the D80 is more like an upgrade for existing D50 users and those who are buying an above average dslr model for the 1st time.

oh yes, do correct me if i am wrong.. 1 thing is for sure, you wont go wrong with the established brands

 

[kzone]

Noticed that quite a number of new models are using SD now. I prefer to stick to CF so that I can continue to use my 2x1GB cards... are my options limited to past models now?

 

[zac08]

Noticed that quite a number of new models are using SD now. I prefer to stick to CF so that I can continue to use my 2x1GB cards... are my options limited to past models now?

Well, the beginners cams are in SD for the moment. But the slightly older ones which are just as good (D70s, etc) are still encamped in CF. And dun forget the Pro bodies like D2X, D2H... still in CF.

But if you are going on to the higher MP count cameras like a 10.2Mp cam, 1Gb may not be enough. Esp when you are going to shoot RAW, or RAW+Jpeg...

 

[arpinkor]

Ic... is getting 2nd hand recommended?

2nd hand has it's advantages, besides the obvious price. Usually, you can get some extras which you would have to buy yourself like say, an extra battery or in the case of lenses, a UV filter. Also, if you get it at the "sweet spot" (meaning old enough for the teething problems to have surfaced and been repaired by the 1st owner, but not old enough to be obsolete or worn out), it can be a good bargain.

Noticed that quite a number of new models are using SD now. I prefer to stick to CF so that I can continue to use my 2x1GB cards... are my options limited to past models now?

Personally, I wouldn't let the memory card slot type limit my choices. Memory cards are cheap nowadays (not like a few years back). Other features like the placement of the controls and the handling are much more important.

 

[kzone]

After reading around, I've narrowed my choices to Nikon D80 & Pentax 100K/10K.. I prefer Nikon cos I'm quite familiar with the controls having used the 8400 as well as the bigger viewfinder. But the features on the Pentax especially the image stabiliser is very tempting... how usefull is the IS in a SLR? This will be my 1st SLR...

 

[Galdor]

Personally, I find the build in IS is very, very good. As I do not have steady hands it has helped me alot. Anyway, I'm using the Konica Minolta Dynax 7D which has a build in AS in the cam also. So all my lens comes in IS. :bsmilie: :thumbsup:

 

[skelanton]

Hi guys,

In 2004, I came here looking for advise on what SLR I need to start this hobby and thru your advise & recommendations, I got the prosumer Nikon 8400 instead. I had a wonderful 2 years with the cam & take many memorable pictures with it. Fm the neighbouring mountain peaks to valleys & grasslands of China, forts of India as well as many parties, it has served me well.... Believe that all newbies should start with a prosumer before moving on to SLRs. That way u can slowly grow to use the "manual" functions of the prosumer

Now I feel the need to upgrade my skills & equipment. I'll be enrolling in a basic photography course this Jan and hope to get a DSLR by Feb 07. I do not have a preference for brand at this moment. From reading through this forum & other overseas sites, I'm currently looking at the Pentax K100D. Would appreciate your advise on what other value for money DSLRs I should consider to start my journey into the world of SLRs... Thanks.

trust nikon or canon
you would not regret....
and see who are your kakhis and what are they using, this is expensive hobby, if your kakhis using canon i suggest u use canon too since the advantage is u can exchange lenses with all your kakhis

but i always advice all my friend to use canon or nikon, these 2 big brand whom people always use and trust...
...in my humble opinion

 

[kzone]

Y didnt Nikon & Canon include image stabilisation on their body? It couldnt possibily just because to sell their IS lenses rite?

 

[westwest1]

Y didnt Nikon & Canon include image stabilisation on their body? It couldnt possibily just because to sell their IS lenses rite?

marketing marketing...

 

[zac08]

Y didnt Nikon & Canon include image stabilisation on their body? It couldnt possibily just because to sell their IS lenses rite?

It's not as good as lens stabilisation....

I believe they (Nikon and Canon) did mention on this before. If they had RnDed and thought camera stabilisation is better, they would have done so... but the fact is, they found it was better on the longer lenses only.

 

[dr34mc4st3r]

It's not as good as lens stabilisation....

I believe they (Nikon and Canon) did mention on this before. If they had RnDed and thought camera stabilisation is better, they would have done so... but the fact is, they found it was better on the longer lenses only.

then again on shorter range, chance of blurred images compared to tele lenses is smaller

 

[kzone]

getting a VR lens is quite ex rite? so economically, better to have the stabilisation at the camera?

Btw, if i do get the D80, does it mean that I'm restricted to DX lenses?

 

[fireframe]

Btw, if i do get the D80, does it mean that I'm restricted to DX lenses?

No, you can use any F-mount lens.