Preferred DSLR Choice ???


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ikandarp

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Dec 11, 2007
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Hi,
I am novice to DSLR world and looking for DSLR camera with cost of S$2000 aprox. with no preference of for new or old camera bodies.

I have shortlisted two brands Canon & Nikon. Can you please share your suggestion, experience with this brand and which model is better.

Also what should I look while buying old body?

I prefere to have Image Stabiliser in body and I do general photography (snapping anything anytime).

Please help.

Thanks in Advance.

Kandy
 

OMG you may have just ignited Canon & Nikon users debate. Why don't you browse photo sites like http://www.photosig.com and see the difference in images for yourself. Personally, Canons are much much easier to use.
 

OMG you may have just ignited Canon & Nikon users debate. Why don't you browse photo sites like http://www.photosig.com and see the difference in images for yourself. Personally, Canons are much much easier to use.

Haha, "ignited Canon & Nikon users debate."
Check this site out. http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/nikon-vs-canon.htm
I only tried nikon, so cannot really judge.
But, i'm satisfied with my nikon. :)
 

Hi,
I am novice to DSLR world and looking for DSLR camera with cost of S$2000 aprox. with no preference of for new or old camera bodies.

I have shortlisted two brands Canon & Nikon. Can you please share your suggestion, experience with this brand and which model is better.

Also what should I look while buying old body?

I prefere to have Image Stabiliser in body and I do general photography (snapping anything anytime).

Please help.

Thanks in Advance.

Kandy

Like what other bros said, if in-body IS is a must, you will need to look into other brands such as Sony, Pentax etc. Canon and Nikon prefer to have VR/IS built into their lenses. You will also need to research for any reported problems with the particular model(s) you are interested in getting and check on the spot if possible. Shutter count may be less of a concern than most people think as most DSLR have a pretty high shutter life but one with < 10K will still be preferred. Check for any physical damages and moulds, especially if they are not stated by the seller.

But please try out the cameras physically and NOT listen to what most of us say with regards to the handling/ergonomics/UI. Some may say Canon is easy to use and other prefer Nikon etc but it will be you who is gonna be holding the camera. In my case, I have tried Canon, Nikon and Sony and ended up getting a Nikon D80 (and later D200) despite Canon having more updated primes, lower noise at higher ISO and slightly cheaper top zooms, simply because of the handling and ease of use.
 

go to the shops and try the camera out, only one will feel right in your hands
you will feel the force flow and be drawn to sign on the dotted line.

all the cameras are good provided you know what you are doing, a more expansive camera will not get you a better picture
in fact some members here with P&S cameras outshine those with DSLRs.
 

Hi,
I am novice to DSLR world and looking for DSLR camera with cost of S$2000 aprox. with no preference of for new or old camera bodies.

I have shortlisted two brands Canon & Nikon. Can you please share your suggestion, experience with this brand and which model is better.

Also what should I look while buying old body?

I prefere to have Image Stabiliser in body and I do general photography (snapping anything anytime).

Please help.

Thanks in Advance.

Kandy

go to the shops and try the camera out, only one will feel right in your hands
you will feel the force flow and be drawn to sign on the dotted line.

all the cameras are good provided you know what you are doing, a more expansive camera will not get you a better picture
in fact some members here with P&S cameras outshine those with DSLRs.

Agree~:thumbsup:

But may the Dark Force by with you~;p
 

Build in IS in the camera's body? Here are some choices for you:

Sony A100
Konica Minolta 5D or 7D
Pentax K10D/K100D.
Olympus E-410/510

Do check out the pros & cons of each system. Personally I've used the KM5D, 7D, a short stinct with the A100 and now the latest A700. The KM/Sony cameras are pretty good and with the A700 it's a great improvement from the past I must say.

Handled a Olympus E500 which is the older bro of the E510 which does not have build in IS. Not too bad a cam but I still prefer the KM/Sony.

Haven't really used a Pentax before so can't comment on that. But the pricing is really good for a new set.

Having said that I would recommend the Sony A100 or the KM 7D (semi pro body). A 2nd hand set would cost you a fraction of your budget only and you still have a big chunk of what's left for a decent dry cabinet and maybe an upgrade of lenses in the Buy/Sell section. :)
 

i think e410 dun have built in IS.. the more expensive e510 has.. =)

to ts -> i suggest (just suggest) you rent a system or meet up with slr-using friends to "try out" before your (i consider) a big investment.. sometimes even if you handle the camera in the shop the feeling will be quite different when you are out shooting with the camera..
 

remember, you are buy a system, so can't really decide your choice on just one particular model of camera of a brand, you also need to consider the accessories, future upgrading, future development of the brand etc,

unless you only just want one camera and one lens and stop there.
 

Half of the people here will recommend Canon, the other half, Nikon. You will be back to square one. Not sure...:dunno:
 

Go try it out yourself...

ONLY u will have the answer in the end.
 

erm... mind if i share my experience with you?

First to give a general advise, when looking at the DSLR, don't just look at the camera as a "end point" as in buy already and thats it... no its actually the START of if... its a totally different from prosumers... you can't "upgrade" prosumers... unless u buy a totally new body... DSLR allows u to change this change that... by bye buy! (BBB)

Feel the cameras which are entry level like what our bros have already given u... feel the weight cause that is the MINIMUM weight you'll be lugging around if you're going to be shooting as and when. And if you're more into night shots and such... you may wanna get those cameras which performs better with higher ISO.

Each brand has its pros and cons. of course canon and nikon are the more famous brands, but for entry level DSLR its all getting very competitive. pentax, olympus, sigma, sony, fujiflim...etc, are all very good cameras too.

Look at the range of items u will get. Items like Flash light, Lens, Tripod, Batteries, Dry box, camera bags, cleaning equipment, flash cards, EXT HDD... (cause now your pictures are bigger and more precious)

And lastly... HAVE FUN!!!
 

Consider at least three things: sensor, "capability enhancement", and lens

1. Sensor

Sensor Type. Most are CCD/CMOS-based sensor implementing the Bayer filter. Only alternative to Bayer is Sigma Foveon sensor. Do some reading to know what meets your needs for today and tomorrow, or maybe just for today.

Resolution/megapixels - again almost all are equivalent

Conclusion here is most DSLR gives equivalent performance here and thus will not be a major resolving/distinguishing criteria.

2. "Capability Enhancements": These are things put into the body to assist or to enable your photography. Some more important ones are:

Autofocus (not applicable if you rely more on your eye to manually focus):

- Minimum contrast: Most autofocus are passive autofocus where contrast is the key factor in the algo, with some needing more or less contrast (Note: the lens used affects autofocus capability.)

- Accuracy, ie it focuses where you intend to focus. Multipoint autofocus do better here, as in single point AF you need to offset and hope your DOF is sufficient.

- Speed, also continuous AF

Exposure Metering (again not applicable if you meter manually with your eye)

- Accuracy and availability of various metering modes, eg spot, but I think this will not be a distinguishing factor with most DSLRs.

IS/VR: useful for low shutter capture, expands your handheld capability envelope

Noise Level/Reduction: Some are better, some are less so. Can be a distinguishing feature.

Others:

- Live View. Makes it more convenient for some kinds of creative photography.

- Dust Reduction/Removal. An indirect capability, as it eases maintenance, and so more up time for the camera and less maintenance expenses.

Lens: I think this is the most important factor. Body come and go, but lens almost always stay, and they can be more expensive than the body by 2 times or more.

Quality. Most OEM lens are superb but you pay for them if you want the quality; and also at that level, prices are also about the same for any camera brand.

Third Party Lens. Canon and Nikon by being most popular have the largest third party support, which means cheaper lens. Quality-wise they may or may not approach that of the OEM's.

So I suggest you work backwards, ie dont think of body first, but of the lens and work back to some compatible body, available today. But if you are complete newbie to SLR photography then this backward route maybe hard.

But a start point is to know what you want to shoot, eg if you want to shoot insects, you need macro lens, birds, then super long telephoto, sceneries, then wide angle, etc. And then why are you shooting? To make nice pictures of your girlfriend or boyfriend, to sell the pictures, or just for web use? Or maybe just to acquire an SLR experience?

OK, to be realistic, most of us didnt start this way too. This is speaking from hindsight. My experience was getting something with most bang for the buck, and then realised I'm stuck cos I'm hooked on the lens.

And then again, what camera you used may not really matter anymore these days, for almost any camera can do any shot you want to do. The "critical path" or "weakest link" right now is more in the photographer than in the camera.

As a parable, a good carpenter can make any furniture with just a single chisel, albeit not just any carpenter can do that; but someone without any idea what a chair is can do nothing, or more accurately, nothing novel or creative, even if he has latest computerised controlled, knowledge-embedded, AI assisted, 24/7 helpline, all-in-one furniture making machine.
 

Dun forget to look at the other accessories like Flash system, remote releases, etc...

these can also be an influence for some.
 

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