Prosumer Advise needed

[contacted]

Hi Guys,

Do apologise that if this kind of related thread has been posted before. :embrass:

Here goes, I currently own a Ixus 300 and wish to upgrade. I thought over the areas of Prosumer and dSLR. I was prepared to invest into dSLR but after serious consideration, I gave up the idea.

So I'm currently shopping around for a Prosumer, need some reccomendations. What are the best rated Prosumers around the range of 1K. Quite interested in the Canon PowerShot G5, anything around that price range but offer better 'specs' or 'functions'?

Appreciate any advise given ;p

 

[nightwolf75]

guess the same kinds of questions everyone will be asking u later. so, might as well get the ball rolling.... ;p

a) wat are you shooting? people, insects, landscapes ....etc. wat u want to shoot will determine wat u need to buy. go to dpreviews.com or steves-digicams.com to do u homework on wat cameras might be suitable for u. after dat, go and try-try the cams at places like harvey-norman or safe.

b) budget? 1K might get u a slightly lower end pro-sumer cam. think the canon 1s is going for like $1.5k (?). not very sure. but, at a certain point, u'll have to decide which is more worth it for u - pro vs dslr, since both will be abt the same, at the start-up costs....

c) upgrading - why i highlight the 'start-up costs' is becos, sooner or later, u'll be thinking of upgrading. for pro-sumers, unless u're happy with wat u're shooting, chances are u'll think of going dslr (dats how i got started on this slippery slope.... :bsmilie: ). at 1k+, very little separates pros from dslr. the costs starts to add up when u think of upgrading, esp for dslr. buying lens, more lens, flashes, filters, bags, tripods, storage cards.... etc....etc.... never ending cycle. sooner or later, u'll be hit by a strange disease called 'CSBuyletis'...... (ie Clubsnap BUY LEH TIS.... :bsmilie: ).

so, think and choose wisely. if u dun wish to blow a wad of $$$, be it pro or dslr, u can try hunting for a 2nd-hand on buy/sell.

hope dat helps? :sweat:

 

[espn]

Dude, you don't need a DSLR to upgrade, consider a basic film camera with basic lens to kick off. You can upgrade the lenses in long run and then when you feel very rich and think it's time for you to move on to digital, you just need to switch bodies only

A prosumer can do the same, but I feel a SLR is a better learning ground for you.

 

[contacted]

guess the same kinds of questions everyone will be asking u later. so, might as well get the ball rolling.... ;p

a) wat are you shooting? people, insects, landscapes ....etc. wat u want to shoot will determine wat u need to buy. go to dpreviews.com or steves-digicams.com to do u homework on wat cameras might be suitable for u. after dat, go and try-try the cams at places like harvey-norman or safe.

b) budget? 1K might get u a slightly lower end pro-sumer cam. think the canon 1s is going for like $1.5k (?). not very sure. but, at a certain point, u'll have to decide which is more worth it for u - pro vs dslr, since both will be abt the same, at the start-up costs....

c) upgrading - why i highlight the 'start-up costs' is becos, sooner or later, u'll be thinking of upgrading. for pro-sumers, unless u're happy with wat u're shooting, chances are u'll think of going dslr (dats how i got started on this slippery slope.... :bsmilie: ). at 1k+, very little separates pros from dslr. the costs starts to add up when u think of upgrading, esp for dslr. buying lens, more lens, flashes, filters, bags, tripods, storage cards.... etc....etc.... never ending cycle. sooner or later, u'll be hit by a strange disease called 'CSBuyletis'...... (ie Clubsnap BUY LEH TIS.... :bsmilie: ).

so, think and choose wisely. if u dun wish to blow a wad of $$$, be it pro or dslr, u can try hunting for a 2nd-hand on buy/sell.

hope dat helps? :sweat:

Guess mostly I'll be taking mostly People and Landscapes.

I'm not going beyond the 1.2K range, if not I might as well go for a dSLR.

So will staying with my Prosumer for about '2 years'? :dunno:
But I guess the Canon G5 is still in the range of compact and not prosumer...

 

[contacted]

Dude, you don't need a DSLR to upgrade, consider a basic film camera with basic lens to kick off. You can upgrade the lenses in long run and then when you feel very rich and think it's time for you to move on to digital, you just need to switch bodies only

A prosumer can do the same, but I feel a SLR is a better learning ground for you.

thanks for your insight, guess film doesn't appeal to me :embrass:

would like to stick with digital... ;p

 

[mpenza]

So will staying with my Prosumer for about '2 years'? :dunno:
But I guess the Canon G5 is still in the range of compact and not prosumer...

whether you'll stay with the prosumer or not depends on your interest and whether you could withstand the temptations with increasing performance yet declining prices of DSLRs

 

[nightwolf75]

Guess mostly I'll be taking mostly People and Landscapes.

I'm not going beyond the 1.2K range, if not I might as well go for a dSLR.

So will staying with my Prosumer for about '2 years'? :dunno:
But I guess the Canon G5 is still in the range of compact and not prosumer...

1.2K range and below? might be tough. but, yah, canon's prosumers are slightly under 1.2K (RRP). i think nikon's 8-series pros, and oly's camedia pros are abt the same price.

but, consider mpenza's comments. he's got a point abt the dropping prices. if wat the rumours said are true, both canon and nikon might be launch a slew of cams closer to yr end. and, rumours again, new budget dslrs from canon and nikon might emerged.

so, if u not in a hurry, hang on for a while till sitex 2004 at yr end b4 buying?

 

[contacted]

1.2K range and below? might be tough. but, yah, canon's prosumers are slightly under 1.2K (RRP). i think nikon's 8-series pros, and oly's camedia pros are abt the same price.

but, consider mpenza's comments. he's got a point abt the dropping prices. if wat the rumours said are true, both canon and nikon might be launch a slew of cams closer to yr end. and, rumours again, new budget dslrs from canon and nikon might emerged.

so, if u not in a hurry, hang on for a while till sitex 2004 at yr end b4 buying?

thanks mpenza and nightwolf...

guess waiting till the end of the year should still be acceptable :sweat:

currently comparing between canon g5, nikon 5400 / 5700, sony f717...

looking forward to Sitex :kiss:

 

[zekai]

friend, the G5 is a very powerful prosumer camera... infact the age old discontinued G2 still trash the IXUS 300 everyway anywhere...LOLz

FYI, I use the G2 for small scale commercial product shoot now.

 

[tokrot]

why not get oly 8080 if your budget allows. The reviews are good.

 

[contacted]

why not get oly 8080 if your budget allows. The reviews are good.

8080 is above budget, rather invest in a dSLR.

Want to stay low for the moment, what are your views on the Nikon 5700?

 

[tokrot]

8080 is above budget, rather invest in a dSLR.

Want to stay low for the moment, what are your views on the Nikon 5700?

If u are newbie, forget about 5700... Because learning curve is deep for this camera. Moreover, this cam has slow focusing problem esp in low lights. If u can tolerate it, good for you. On the other hand, this cam produces great pics

 

[contacted]

If u are newbie, forget about 5700... Because learning curve is deep for this camera. Moreover, this cam has slow focusing problem esp in low lights. If u can tolerate it, good for you. On the other hand, this cam produces great pics

I do want a Camera with a learning curve, but I guess 'not that deep.

So I guess the Canon G5 is a good choice?

 

[ricleo]

I would recommend the Sony F717, still my cam of choice, produces excellent results, and one of the most highly rated 5MP prosumer cameras in terms of user ergonomics(swivel lens) image quality and low light focus(laser holographic focusing system) :thumbsup: . http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonydscf717/

 

[ricleo]

oh yah, one more point to add. If you are planning to stick to this camera for 2 years, why worry about a "too deep a learning curve"? A camera with more advance functions would allow you to grow more in terms of techinical expertise?

Anyway, the major points that separate Prosumers from consumers in terms of function are the abilities to control shutter speeds, aperture size, EV, WB manually. All prosumers will require knowledge and usage of these settings manually. If you get a prosumer and only use the auto mode, then you are better off just sticking to a consumers? So drop the "not too deep" learning curve mentality Just my personal opinion.

 

[Belle&Sebastain]

if you are comfortable with the canon system, and more or less thinking about G5, i say go for it!

the DSLR system, is not just that simple, in terms of $$$$.

 

[KLCHUA]

if you are comfortable with the canon system, and more or less thinking about G5, i say go for it!

the DSLR system, is not just that simple, in terms of $$$$.

I totally agree. You should just go for the G5. Noticed that you mentioned it in a few post liao. Looks like its where your heart is. Go with your heart.

DSLR is really not that $imple. I started with a DSLR body and kit lens and thought that's all I will spend... within 3 months, I've acquired two "L" lenses, 3 filters, tripod, 2 CF cards... AND two Crumpler bags to carry these toys... :sweat:

 

[contacted]

I totally agree. You should just go for the G5. Noticed that you mentioned it in a few post liao. Looks like its where your heart is. Go with your heart.

DSLR is really not that $imple. I started with a DSLR body and kit lens and thought that's all I will spend... within 3 months, I've acquired two "L" lenses, 3 filters, tripod, 2 CF cards... AND two Crumpler bags to carry these toys... :sweat:

Indeed my heart says G5...now waiting for some quotations to come back to me for the best deal.

 

[Belle&Sebastain]

Indeed my heart says G5...now waiting for some quotations to come back to me for the best deal.

i saw a new displayed set at carrefour suntex two weeks going for $999.

 

[Minoxman]

I totally agree. You should just go for the G5. Noticed that you mentioned it in a few post liao. Looks like its where your heart is. Go with your heart.

DSLR is really not that $imple. I started with a DSLR body and kit lens and thought that's all I will spend... within 3 months, I've acquired two "L" lenses, 3 filters, tripod, 2 CF cards... AND two Crumpler bags to carry these toys... :sweat:

So it's the camera's fault? Or your fault?