What dslr to buy currently? (Buy by end Oct 2010)


johndoe2

New Member
Sep 15, 2010
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Hi i'm new to this forum!!

I was intending to upgrade from my PnS lumix to my first dslr for my overseas trip to japan during Nov 2010, so have to buy by the end of Oct 2010.
Weather will be cold, rain, dust might be expected.
Will expect to do a fair bit of video recording as well.

Currently my budget is capped at ~1.6k, any recommendations?

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Have looked at several cameras released recently, namely..
Canon 60D - out of budget and not within timing
Canon 550D - could be considered but might be slightly out of budget
Nikon D7000 - out of budget and not within timing
Nikon D3100 - could be considered
Nikon D90 - was recommended by some friends who had the same
Pentax K-7 - unsure of going with pentax
Pentax K-5 - not within timing, was just released?
Sony Nex-3 - could be considered
Sony Nex-5 - could be considered but might be slightly out of budget
Sony a33 - could be considered
Sony a55 - seriously considering, was captivated by the video posted by one of the bros here, really poisonous think i got infected with BBB :lovegrin:
http://vimeo.com/groups/alpha/videos/14826647

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Just read that a55 is available in SG...
was thinking of getting it with the following items... ideas?
a55 body + kit2 18-250 (does it have SAM?) + 50mm 1.8
2 x batteries, 1 x 16gb MS card
carry bag, tripod, screen protector

should i get a dry cabinet or just a dry box would do?
as for the weather, rain and dust should i get a UV filter or lens hood or both??

lastly anything else should i look out for?
 

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you are lumping sony NEX with a whole string of dslrs, and even the sony translucent mirror things?

please be clearer on what you want. as of now, you seem like a headless chicken running around thinking of considering everything that you have heard of... how to advise like that?
 

Hi i'm new to this forum!!

I was intending to upgrade from my PnS lumix to my first dslr for my overseas trip to japan during Nov 2010, so have to buy by the end of Oct 2010.
Weather will be cold, rain, dust might be expected.
Will expect to do a fair bit of video recording as well.

Currently my budget is capped at ~1.6k, any recommendations?

--------------------------

Have looked at several cameras released recently, namely..
Canon 60D - out of budget and not within timing
Canon 550D - could be considered but might be slightly out of budget
Nikon D7000 - out of budget and not within timing
Nikon D3100 - could be considered
Nikon D90 - was recommended by some friends who had the same
Pentax K-7 - unsure of going with pentax
Pentax K-5 - not within timing, was just released?
Sony Nex-3 - could be considered
Sony Nex-5 - could be considered but might be slightly out of budget
Sony a33 - could be considered
Sony a55 - seriously considering, was captivated by the video posted by one of the bros here, really poisonous think i got infected with BBB :lovegrin:
http://vimeo.com/groups/alpha/videos/14826647

---------------

Just read that a55 is available in SG...
was thinking of getting it with the following items... ideas?
a55 body + kit2 18-250 (does it have SAM?) + 50mm 1.8
2 x batteries, 1 x 16gb MS card
carry bag, tripod, screen protector

should i get a dry cabinet or just a dry box would do?
as for the weather, rain and dust should i get a UV filter or lens hood or both??

lastly anything else should i look out for?

Welcome to CS:)

For your $1.6K budget,please remember to set aside some($200-$400) for accessories like dry cabinet/camera bag/memory card etc...
 

wow, one whole list . . .anyway i am a Nikon person . . . :)

D90 is awesome but its replacement is here . . . which you consider out of budget.

Then go for D90 then as the price has drop quite a bit.
 

Sony always come up with funny play and packaging but not practical. This is what they can do to squeeze into the market dominated by Nikon and Canon - to draw attention of somebody who want something different from Nikon and Canon.

I'm looking at your list and only believe that D7000 is the only camera to go. It's a legend in the making. I think the price difference is worth it and also won't be so significant compared to those Sony cameras. Sony are not cheap though.
 

quite true, since i am really a total newbie at this.

Currently I only have the budget set and targeting at probably an entry level dslr to learn.
So I was just looking around to filter those within my budget.
As a newbie at photography, I have not much idea to the exact difference between them to seperate them as a dslr either.
I really do not mind having the mirrorless cameras or 4/3s as they have compact size that is better for travelling.

I'd probably have to start with what i intend to shoot first?
I intend to shoot mostly outdoor, landscape, some night shots and portraits.

at the end of it, I am also unsure what to go for that's why I am asking for bros out there for advise. :eek:
 

Why end of October? Might as well wait till end of year when ppl start to sell their D7000 because of D700 replacement :D
 

I'd probably have to start with what i intend to shoot first?
I intend to shoot mostly outdoor, landscape, some night shots and portraits.

All the cams you mentioned can be used for those stuffs you mentioned. Maybe you should narrow down you list of cams to 3 ... then it will be easier for the members to try tell you a bit more. Right? The list has stuffs like "unsure of going with pentax" ... you can't possibly get a bunch of Pentax users to come tell you what's good about Pentax. Right? :)
 

All the cams you mentioned can be used for those stuffs you mentioned. Maybe you should narrow down you list of cams to 3 ... then it will be easier for the members to try tell you a bit more. Right? The list has stuffs like "unsure of going with pentax" ... you can't possibly get a bunch of Pentax users to come tell you what's good about Pentax. Right? :)

i could, but if he won't listen, he won't listen. if he wants to find out, he will find out easily.. :)

anyhow... for NEX versus sony translucent mirror versus usual dslr (even range different here):

NEX smaller, IQ ok, battery life not that great, limited range of lens currently
sony translucent mirror, i don't know much... but seems like better for video
usual dslr is just usual lor, depends on brand, more versatility for lens... but larger and heavier... the higher end the models, the larger and heavier they get.
 

Yes, D7000 is a fantastic camera based on the specs.
But it will be in singapore ~end Oct/Nov with ~2k SGD pricing which is out of my budget.

As for pentax, I have read that the previous model was a fantastic entry level camera.
But was worried with the lens available, servicing as well as the video quality captured as it didnt seem that well.
 

Canon 550D with EF-S 18-135mm IS Lens - ~$1450 - already available
Nikon D3100 with 18-55mm Lens - ~$945 - Soon? Oct?
Nikon D90 with 18-105mm VR Autofocus Lens - ~$1403 - already available
Sony SLT-A55VL with SAL18250 - ~$1599 - already available

Ok, filtered down to these 4 as advised.
Really sorry about the big list as I was trying to get thru the thinking process along the way
:sweatsm:
 

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hmm...my personal experience is...forget about Sony, Pentax and whatever micro four third cameras. Micro four third are small and cute but they are not cheap and image quality is no where near DSLR. Olympus Pen 2 can easily cost u $1500. So just focus on Nikon and Canon. Their quality are assured.

Then it drives down to your budget. Since you just started this hobby, it's better to buy a mint condition camera from 2nd hand market to try out first. I would suggest D90 as your starting point.
 

hmm...my personal experience is...forget about Sony, Pentax and whatever micro four third cameras. Micro four third are small and cute but they are not cheap and image quality is no where near DSLR. Olympus Pen 2 can easily cost u $1500. So just focus on Nikon and Canon. Their quality are assured.

Then it drives down to your budget. Since you just started this hobby, it's better to buy a mint condition camera from 2nd hand market to try out first. I would suggest D90 as your starting point.

Forget about pentax? I've seen some very stunning shots taken with pentax dslrs.
 

hmm...my personal experience is...forget about Sony, Pentax and whatever micro four third cameras. Micro four third are small and cute but they are not cheap and image quality is no where near DSLR. Olympus Pen 2 can easily cost u $1500. So just focus on Nikon and Canon. Their quality are assured.

Then it drives down to your budget. Since you just started this hobby, it's better to buy a mint condition camera from 2nd hand market to try out first. I would suggest D90 as your starting point.

so none of the other brands' quality are assured...

oh dear, i must have been using some pok kai rubbish for the past 3 years.. dear me.
 

If video is as important as still photos then go for the Canon 550D - Why? Because it does all the frame rates that the 7D does, at similar bitrates (bitrate is important - the Sonys do it at 17mbps - double check this). The 550D has full manual control, and an audio jack. You'll need a fast SDHC card - Class 6 is good enough. I suggest using canon lenses as well. If you can wait and spend also take a look at the 60D.

This is a serious video tool - video can only be shot most of the time with a tripod. Video needs even more thought as it's 24/25 frames per second. Video like photography also needs light. If you're not going to edit the footage, add music or even colour grade then don't bother spending that much on a video capable dslr. Canon currently rules the roost in the video DSLR market. Panasonic I would say comes in a close second with the GH1/GH2 (these 2 very capable cameras unfortunately have a lower bitrate - 17mbps).
 

Haha...sorry bro...maybe I'm just a die hard Nikonian...very sorry for creating the mess here. :cry:
 

so none of the other brands' quality are assured...

oh dear, i must have been using some pok kai rubbish for the past 3 years.. dear me.

No offense bro...don't take my words so seriously. I'm just a die hard Nikon fans anyway.
But I saw your photos before. Your photos show that the most important is the photographer, not the camera ;) :thumbsup: