Need recommendation for a DSLR camera

[ovaltinemilo]

Make sure you are armed with some information on features and prices, so you're not suckered into buying things at inflated prices.
All the best in your search! If you are unsure about anything the salesman recommends, walk away and find out about it first...

good advice! TS, do adhere to these advice and keep us updated on what model after you have bought it k..ask your husband to join CS when he gets started with the hobby and we can share/discuss;p

 

[pinholecam]

Thank you for the warm welcome!
to be honest, when I set aside my budget of $1300, I actually did not give the accessories any thought! So i may have to re-evaluate my choices and set aside the recommended amount for accessories.
Shows you how much of a goon I am, huh! :bsmilie:

I will definitely DEFINITELY avoid Sim Lim and Peninsula.
What about places like Harvey Norman and Best Denki? Or should I avoid them too?
i just thought it'll be less intimidating, rather than to walk in to CP and the like!

Also, yes! I will certainly give this forum and its other threads a more thorough read and do my homework before I venture out into the shops! :bsmilie:

Thanks again for being very helpful!

I think daredevil and ZeroCoolastra already cleared up the gap I made when I gave my advice. There are very good shops in Sim Lim and Peninsular as listed by daredevil. Best and Harvey are the ones to go browse only .

Best to avoid Harvey Norman or Best Denki. These stores are selling at much higher prices. Go take a look at this list. Most of the shops in there are ok. Before you buy anything, it is imperative that you call as many stores as you can to get price quotes. This way, you will be more prepared and in the know.

For me there are a few stores I go mostly.
TK photo (Funan 2nd flr),
SLR Revolution (Funan 5th flr)
Orient Photo (Sim Lim Square 6th floor)
Cathay Photo (Peninsular)

Actually it's almost as initimidating, walking into somewhere like Harvey Norman instead of Cathay Photo.
The DSLRs are usually out of reach, and you'll need assistance to get at them.
Worse, you'll be fed with horrible BS from the moron posing as a knowledgeable camera salesman.

Make sure you are armed with some information on features and prices, so you're not suckered into buying things at inflated prices.
All the best in your search! If you are unsure about anything the salesman recommends, walk away and find out about it first...

 

[flyygalicious]

Best to avoid Harvey Norman or Best Denki. These stores are selling at much higher prices. Go take a look at this list. Most of the shops in there are ok. Before you buy anything, it is imperative that you call as many stores as you can to get price quotes. This way, you will be more prepared and in the know.

For me there are a few stores I go mostly.
TK photo (Funan 2nd flr),
SLR Revolution (Funan 5th flr)
Orient Photo (Sim Lim Square 6th floor)
Cathay Photo (Peninsular)

Oh thank you for the list of stores!
cant help noticing Mustafa Centre is listed! :bsmilie:
can they really be trusted? are their prices competitive?
anyone bought a camera from there before?

 

[flyygalicious]

Actually it's almost as initimidating, walking into somewhere like Harvey Norman instead of Cathay Photo.
The DSLRs are usually out of reach, and you'll need assistance to get at them.
Worse, you'll be fed with horrible BS from the moron posing as a knowledgeable camera salesman.

Make sure you are armed with some information on features and prices, so you're not suckered into buying things at inflated prices.
All the best in your search! If you are unsure about anything the salesman recommends, walk away and find out about it first...

lol! you're right!
and thank you for the advice!

 

[flyygalicious]

good advice! TS, do adhere to these advice and keep us updated on what model after you have bought it k..ask your husband to join CS when he gets started with the hobby and we can share/discuss;p

oh most definitely!
i will let him know too how helpful everyone has been here!

 

[daredevil123]

Oh thank you for the list of stores!
cant help noticing Mustafa Centre is listed! :bsmilie:
can they really be trusted? are their prices competitive?
anyone bought a camera from there before?

Not all stores in the list are 100% trustworthy. You still need to do your homework.

The stores I listed in my previous post are quite trustworthy so far.

Mustafa is ok sometimes for certain things. You need to be tracking prices to know if the one thing you are eying is a good deal or not. And plus, they can do credit card financing. But I never liked the idea of credit. Cannot afford, don't buy.

 

[rockdhop]

All entry level DSLRs from Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax, Olympus and etc are able to take quality pics and they are within your budget.

It all depends on what your hubby likes.

I am envy of your hubby. hahaha

i am also envy of your hubby . LOL

 

[rockdhop]

since both you and your hubby are newbie in DLR, the first thing you should consider first and formost is: "Will my hubby want to carry this 1kg piece of equipment around?"

my suggestion is to bring your hubby for "window shopping" at places like Courts Tampines where they got a few demo sets. just pretend to causally browse through the demo set and let him feel the thing in his hand. then ask him with a doubltful tone if he really willing to take it out in all family outings (since taking pics of your kid is the prority, i bring mine to playground just to shoot my son), coz if he not too willing then chances are it will turn into a white elephant. i always find reasons/excues to bring my DSLR out, others find reasons/excues to NOT bring it out.

if he is willing to do it:
get the cheapest entry-level from any brand, no point be bothered by the spec and function coz both of you wont fully understand and appreciate what we throw at you. to be safe is either nikon or canon coz you can find 2nd hand lense all around easily. when his skill outgrow the camera then upgrade from there where he already know his shooting style and preference.

lastly, kudo to you for being a loving wife. in my case, i've been planning and saving up for some time for my DSLR. my wife surprised me by buying it first, then often to cover for the remaining balance which i have yet to save up.

hi there. i am also new in this dlsr thingy as well. but i see that owning a nikon or canon seems to be more expensive because the lens (which ppl usually upgrade and change) cost higher due to the IS and VR element in it.

the other day when i was at courts trying out the canon 550D, i was very attracted to it because of the picture quality it produce, the "good sense of holding" on my hand, and the user-friendlyness of the system. but when the salesman told me that in future when i wants to upgrade the lens,i have to get lenses with IS. and that means a higher price to pay for the lens in future.

 

[Alan Chan]

hi there. i am also new in this dlsr thingy as well. but i see that owning a nikon or canon seems to be more expensive because the lens (which ppl usually upgrade and change) cost higher due to the IS and VR element in it.

the other day when i was at courts trying out the canon 550D, i was very attracted to it because of the picture quality it produce, the "good sense of holding" on my hand, and the user-friendlyness of the system. but when the salesman told me that in future when i wants to upgrade the lens,i have to get lenses with IS. and that means a higher price to pay for the lens in future.

must get IS? hmm i dun think so, but i'll leave a canon user answer this. at least nikon dun a model that "have to" use a VR lens. salesman may not know his stuff.

the choice of lens is the key different when choosing nikon and canon as they have the widest range, pls correct me if i'm wrong. IS or VR is only important for longer lens while handheld. the technology has only been around for 2 years i think, so price should drop more when the technology matures.

if you are really into photography and wish to improve your skills, buying either a nikon or canon might save you some money coz even the kit lens are of good value and can be used with your future upgraded body. not to mention the amount of 2nd hand lenses you can find here under them.

 

[HelloNiHao]

must get IS? hmm i dun think so, but i'll leave a canon user answer this. at least nikon dun a model that "have to" use a VR lens. salesman may not know his stuff.

the choice of lens is the key different when choosing nikon and canon as they have the widest range, pls correct me if i'm wrong. IS or VR is only important for longer lens while handheld. the technology has only been around for 2 years i think, so price should drop more when the technology matures.

if you are really into photography and wish to improve your skills, buying either a nikon or canon might save you some money coz even the kit lens are of good value and can be used with your future upgraded body. not to mention the amount of 2nd hand lenses you can find here under them.

IS/VR/SSS is not a must but it is useful.

Ok, I ask you, so what if Canon and Nikon have the widest range of lenses? Please do not get offended, but seriously, so what? Users will feel better? Then? Will they be able to obtain and use all the lenses? If they aren't able to do so, then the widest range of lenses does not matter. IS/VR is important for slow shutter speed which will cause the handshake to be more obvious. It does not only apply to telephoto lenses. It applies to something as small as a 50mm f1.8. The price will drop but it will still be more expensive than those w/o VR/IS as the prices drop as a whole.

If you are really into photography and wish to improve your skills, buying any brand (Nikon/Canon/Sony/Pentax/etc) will give you awesome photos. Let's be real, the kit lenses nowadays are above decent quality.

P.S. Sony has a lot of Konica Minolta lenses which can be found in the 2nd hand market.

 

[daredevil123]

hi there. i am also new in this dlsr thingy as well. but i see that owning a nikon or canon seems to be more expensive because the lens (which ppl usually upgrade and change) cost higher due to the IS and VR element in it.

the other day when i was at courts trying out the canon 550D, i was very attracted to it because of the picture quality it produce, the "good sense of holding" on my hand, and the user-friendlyness of the system. but when the salesman told me that in future when i wants to upgrade the lens,i have to get lenses with IS. and that means a higher price to pay for the lens in future.

Actually the debate of lens based or body based image stabilization is still going on. You can read some opinions here:

http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/digital/image_stabilization.html

And one more point not in the link, is that with in-lens IS, you can see the effect of the stabilization in the viewfinder. You can't see it if the IS is in the body of the camera unless you switch to live-view (not sure if this is the case for some sony bodies as they use a secondary sensor in the VF to show LV).

In the end you must decide what is more important to you. For me, I am not really into VR (I'm on nikon system). I only have 1 lens that has VR and that is the cheap 55-200VR. When using the long end, I sometimes turn VR on, and it is very helpful. But so far, I did not really miss not having any VR for any of my other lens. I just have to make sure my technique, stance, settings are better.

 

[daredevil123]

IS/VR/SSS is not a must but it is useful.

Ok, I ask you, so what if Canon and Nikon have the widest range of lenses? Please do not get offended, but seriously, so what? Users will feel better? Then? Will they be able to obtain and use all the lenses? If they aren't able to do so, then the widest range of lenses does not matter. IS/VR is important for slow shutter speed which will cause the handshake to be more obvious. It does not only apply to telephoto lenses. It applies to something as small as a 50mm f1.8. The price will drop but it will still be more expensive than those w/o VR/IS as the prices drop as a whole.

If you are really into photography and wish to improve your skills, buying any brand (Nikon/Canon/Sony/Pentax/etc) will give you awesome photos. Let's be real, the kit lenses nowadays are above decent quality.

P.S. Sony has a lot of Konica Minolta lenses which can be found in the 2nd hand market.

It really depends on the individual's needs. Canon makes a very very wide range of long primes/zooms, which are very handy for some professionals. That is why you see many sports photographers using Canon. In the end it comes down to what the users need in terms of lens availability.

But for most hobbyists, any major brand out there Pentax, Sony, Olympus, Nikon, Canon has all the lenses that covers 95-00% of the needs. Professionals, on the other hand, is a different story all together.

 

[HelloNiHao]

It really depends on the individual's needs. Canon makes a very very wide range of long primes/zooms, which are very handy for some professionals. That is why you see many sports photographers using Canon. In the end it comes down to what the users need in terms of lens availability.

But for most hobbyists, any major brand out there Pentax, Sony, Olympus, Nikon, Canon has all the lenses that covers 95-00% of the needs. Professionals, on the other hand, is a different story all together.

I agree. And TS doesn't sound like she/he is getting a camera for a professional. :bsmilie:

 

[daredevil123]

I agree. And TS doesn't sound like she/he is getting a camera for a professional. :bsmilie:

Unless, TS's husband will want to go into birding in the future. Then the lens selection will matter a great deal.

 

[HelloNiHao]

Unless, TS's husband will want to go into birding in the future. Then the lens selection will matter a great deal.

I think the best is to just get a decent camera and start learning (I don't know whether this is her objective or not). If he wants to go into birding or astrophotography, he can always change the system, assuming that he hasn't had too many lenses. It's still better than worrying about so many things and in the end, he got something that's long term, but complicated to use. That's not good at all, imo.

 

[ovaltinemilo]

I think the best is to just get a decent camera and start learning (I don't know whether this is her objective or not). If he wants to go into birding or astrophotography, he can always change the system, assuming that he hasn't had too many lenses. It's still better than worrying about so many things and in the end, he got something that's long term, but complicated to use. That's not good at all, imo.

Yup, don't think too far yet:bsmilie:

 

[Alan Chan]

IS/VR/SSS is not a must but it is useful.

Ok, I ask you, so what if Canon and Nikon have the widest range of lenses? Please do not get offended, but seriously, so what? Users will feel better? Then? Will they be able to obtain and use all the lenses? If they aren't able to do so, then the widest range of lenses does not matter. IS/VR is important for slow shutter speed which will cause the handshake to be more obvious. It does not only apply to telephoto lenses. It applies to something as small as a 50mm f1.8. The price will drop but it will still be more expensive than those w/o VR/IS as the prices drop as a whole.

If you are really into photography and wish to improve your skills, buying any brand (Nikon/Canon/Sony/Pentax/etc) will give you awesome photos. Let's be real, the kit lenses nowadays are above decent quality.

P.S. Sony has a lot of Konica Minolta lenses which can be found in the 2nd hand market.

i'm just making suggestions, my 2cts, all my sentences are neutral and with words like "I think" and "might" which suggested i'm not certain.

rockdhop mentioned about canon must use IS from salesman which i think its incorrect and responsed to that.

you are right about the range of lens, but again i was suggesting, not claiming my word is the law. the user may not need some lens by canon or nikon, then again who says he wont in future? which road to take or which brand to buy is to their own preferences, i'm merely making suggestions.

 

[Alan Chan]

In the end you must decide what is more important to you. For me, I am not really into VR (I'm on nikon system). I only have 1 lens that has VR and that is the cheap 55-200VR. When using the long end, I sometimes turn VR on, and it is very helpful. But so far, I did not really miss not having any VR for any of my other lens. I just have to make sure my technique, stance, settings are better.

but the salesman's claim of "must buy IS lens" for 550D is untrue right?

 

[jed091270]

We should also remember that the best way of taking good photos is based on your skills and knowledge. Some people think that they own the best and most expensive lenses but they do not have the skills. To TS, after buying your hubby's 1st DSLR. practice with the kit lens first then upgrade if you have imroved your skills already. Just my .0002 cents!!!

 

[Alan Chan]

We should also remember that the best way of taking good photos is based on your skills and knowledge. Some people think that they own the best and most expensive lenses but they do not have the skills. To TS, after buying your hubby's 1st DSLR. practice with the kit lens first then upgrade if you have imroved your skills already. Just my .0002 cents!!!

i cant agree more. i bought my D90 last dec with 18-105 kit lens, and only got a 50mm/1.8 after 4 months. my next lens, and probably my last, would be a wide angle one if i ever get around to save up enough for it.