Questions from a New beginner venturing into DSLR

[kenneth lim]

Hi Bros,
From the photos that you guys posted, I am thinking of venturing into the DSLR from my current simple camera... however I don't know how and cost of doing so...
Therefore please render me some advice, I do understand that this might be a silly question ...
1) Which brand?
2) What model?
3) What's the likely cost?
4) If I buy new or buy second hand, what do I consider :bigeyes: ...
5) Any other factors that I should consider??

Thank you for sharing in advance and do drop your views....



Regards,
Kennth

 

[Bee Hedge]

It is really a question of....
1) Your budget?
2) What you intend to achieve going into SLR

 

[memoryAN]

1) Which brand?
- There's an advtmt on SBS buses saying 70% using Canon. There are gd pts for diff brands. Your priority?

2) What model?
- What's your budget?

3) What's the likely cost?
- Erm... how far are you willing to go? :think:

4) If I buy new or buy second hand, what do I consider ...
- If you're new, consider getting someone to help you QC.

5) Any other factors that I should consider??
- Ans. by Bee Hedge. Do you enjoy looking at photos or/& taking photos?

Gd luck.

 

[ltma]

In addition to spending your money on the camera, CF and other accessories related to dslr, consider the investment you need to make on other things such as your computer (memory, speed, etc). This can easily cost you at least 2-3K if your system now is not adequate.

 

[sehsuan]

any brand is good, but it would be easier to borrow or loan items from friends if you're using major brands like nikon or canon. of course, there are people using other "minority" brands such as pentax, minolta etc.

be prepared to shell out 4 to 5k for a very BASIC system.

 

[majere2sg]

1) Which brand?
Nikon, Canon, Fujifilm or Olympus.
2) What model?
D70,D100 (Nikon), 300D, 10D or the upcoming 20D (Canon), S2Pro, Upcoming S3Pro (Fujifilm), Olympus E1
3) What's the likely cost?
$2000 to infinity
4) If I buy new or buy second hand, what do I consider :bigeyes: ...
Warranty, shutter count etc

 

[kenneth lim]

Hi All,
Thanks for your valuable feeback,
- Looking at the threads, I see people giving up their DSLRs pretty quickly e.g. 300D or 10D or D70... Why?

- Since Canon is the 'most used' brand, why? What makes it so good?

- Looks like I will need to prepare 1-2K, however looking at situation, I am thinking of getting a second hand DSLR to make my money worth, is getting a second hand worth or getting a first hand??

Thanks again... Hope I do get my first SLR soon without much difficulty...

Regards,
Kenneth

-

 

[sehsuan]

reason why some people give up on the digital slr is because, they found out they're only made alive by the buzz of having the latest toy in town, then later realizing their photos are pooped, and giving up the notion of improving. but of course, there are others with genuine situations, such as financial problems etc.

ask yourself, if you have a particularly strong interest in a style of shooting, be it informal, street, sports, fashion or whatnot. if you have something that you are deeply motivated in, you will be able to do fairly well in that field of photography. i wouldn't dare suggest that i'm anywhere near the word "good", but having a sporting background helps me to shoot sports, and understand them.

 

[Belle&Sebastain]

Hi All,
Thanks for your valuable feeback,
- Looking at the threads, I see people giving up their DSLRs pretty quickly e.g. 300D or 10D or D70... Why?

- Since Canon is the 'most used' brand, why? What makes it so good?

- Looks like I will need to prepare 1-2K, however looking at situation, I am thinking of getting a second hand DSLR to make my money worth, is getting a second hand worth or getting a first hand??

Thanks again... Hope I do get my first SLR soon without much difficulty...

Regards,
Kenneth

-

if you only have 1-2k, i suggest you stick to other formats then DSLR, cos really its not enough, barely.

a more proper budget with good lenses to cover 28-200, lights, tripods, electic dry cabinet, memory cards will mount to 4-5k easily.

 

[foxtwo]

dun mind me asking, wats ur current simple camera?

 

[kenneth lim]

dun mind me asking, wats ur current simple camera?

My current camera is a Olympus C5050, its a great camera but probably Sehsuan is right, I must find myself a particular strong interst in...

However based on experience, does anyone thing that this camera of mine could bring me to somewhere? Or this camera is just a normal camera that could limit me and I should find a decent DSLR....

I had invested ~ 2K+ and I am thinking to leverage current equipments...
I do have a dry cabinet, Tripod, and much equipments...
So does it mean that I will still need to fork out another 4-5K? or from leveraging old stuff, I could save some cash??

Looking at the comments in this forum, I see a Canon D20 seems to be the next 'in' thing, is it a good entry for me? Value for money?

Again, Thanks for all the bros viewing and providing valuable feedback..

Regards,
Kenneth

 

[sehsuan]

one thing for sure, the C5050 is a good camera for scuba diving. check out the underwater section in clubsnap to find out more

another reason is... selling off the 5050 is going to be a MASSIVE loss. so i suggest you keep it. i still have my c4040 with me, solely for diving purposes (that's provided i have the $$$ to go diving again...)

 

[foxtwo]

However based on experience, does anyone thing that this camera of mine could bring me to somewhere? Or this camera is just a normal camera that could limit me and I should find a decent DSLR....

if u have not reached the point where u find ur camera limiting u, I don't see why there is a need to upgrade. I would weigh needs vs wants carefully here.

But everyone is entitled to their own opinion,

 

[acetylcholine]

i cant help but feel ken is buying a 20D or a dslr because it's hip or everyone is buying 1. :nono:

 

[2100]

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/notcamera.htm

:bsmilie: Don't take it too seriously.

 

[Witness]

probably tell yourself what your C-5050 cannot do for you then compare it to wat a DSLR can do for you...eh and maybe even wat a film SLR can do for you...

1) start slow...perhaps film??? when u learn enough about SLRs then decide if DSLR is wat u want

2) borrow the DSLR u desire from a friend....use it....see wat it can do for u and if it suits your needs etc...and if it justifies the price u are going to pay....

juz my 0.0000000000000002cts....

Cheers!

 

[dkw]

My current camera is a Olympus C5050, its a great camera but probably Sehsuan is right, I must find myself a particular strong interst in...

However based on experience, does anyone thing that this camera of mine could bring me to somewhere? Or this camera is just a normal camera that could limit me and I should find a decent DSLR....

I had invested ~ 2K+ and I am thinking to leverage current equipments...
I do have a dry cabinet, Tripod, and much equipments...
So does it mean that I will still need to fork out another 4-5K? or from leveraging old stuff, I could save some cash??

Looking at the comments in this forum, I see a Canon D20 seems to be the next 'in' thing, is it a good entry for me? Value for money?Regards,
Kenneth

If you feel you have a limited budget, then start low (buy used) and go slow (accumulate accessories slowly). If you have never shot with an SLR before, then it will take some getting used to. Right now, you can probably buy a used Canon 300D + Kit lens (still under warranty) for little over 1K. That would be an inexpensive and low risk start. You can slowly grow your lens collection and other accessories if your appetite for that kind of shooting increases.

As far as brands go, they are mostly capable cameras. However, as a beginner, I do recommend that you either stick with Nikon or Canon, as they make up >90% of the DSLR market. More users mean you can more easily get rid of your equipment if you want to exit, and there will be more people to advise and help you if you run into trouble.

Just my $0.02.

Cheers,

 

[kelster]

My current camera is a Olympus C5050, its a great camera but probably Sehsuan is right, I must find myself a particular strong interst in...

However based on experience, does anyone thing that this camera of mine could bring me to somewhere? Or this camera is just a normal camera that could limit me and I should find a decent DSLR....

Looking at the comments in this forum, I see a Canon D20 seems to be the next 'in' thing, is it a good entry for me? Value for money?

hmm...I also have a C5050...and had been leveraging it for more than a year liaoz...bottom line when you see those great pics that ppl post...hvta take note that its the person behind the cam that took the great pic...maybe our C5050 have some limitations compared to the versitality of an interchangable lens sys...but its sufficient never the less to teach us how to take pics...exposures...compositions...

heh...forgive me for being frank lah...from the line of questions you have...its looks more like you're branching into DSLR cos of the equipment instead...why not explore the C5050 more before taking the plunge?...its gonna be a hell of a investment if you pump in 5K worth of equipment and not using it to the fullest potential...our C5050 is a very good cam lah...grow with it 1st lor...heh...

just my 2 cents bro...

 

[kenneth lim]

Sure Bros...
From what the feedback, it seems that I've got sometime left for my C5050 before stepping into DSLR... That might be a good too... Let me re-evaluate my current standings and move on... Thanks for all the valuable feedback, I appreciate and will use it wisely...


Regards,
Kenneth

 

[kegler]

Needs VS Desire

Seems like ur "Needs" has won the battle.... for the time being...