which dslr should i get for starters?

[geraldkhoo]

time for brand war

what do you base this on sia, you make this sort of statement is asking for it, i bet you all the brothers will come in and whack you soon

there are all sorts of lenses more than 20 years old that work wonderfully also you know

every brand has its own strengths and weaknesses, just make sure you are clear on them, ts, which weaknesses you can live with, which ones you cannot, and choose system base on that

Brand war! Brand war! Brand war! Brand war! :bsmilie:

Yes... every brand has its strengths and weaknesses... and even though I am a Nikon user... I also know that the Canon body is currently better in low light situations. So, this is just my opinion in this

 

[metallilan]

this is probably a good read for the newbies.. http://photo.net/equipment/building-a-digital-slr-system/

 

[geraldkhoo]

this is probably a good read for the newbies.. http://photo.net/equipment/building-a-digital-slr-system/

That is a really good article! Thanks for sharing :thumbsup:

 

[Randius]

this is probably a good read for the newbies.. http://photo.net/equipment/building-a-digital-slr-system/

I've read that article a couple of times and the author seems to strongly suggest against the kit lenses.

 

[sotohp]

time for brand war

I'm going to make another sweeping statement and ask "Why are wars always started by men?" Ok, I'm kidding! Please don't wage a war against me.

One other question - So, you guys wouldn't recommend starting off with the kit lens?

Are you going to say it depends on what I want? Hmmm... because I don't know what I want yet. I'm trying to read up as much as I can and there's just so much information! I think it's going to take a while before I decide what to get...

Bear with me... thanks.

 

[geraldkhoo]

I'm going to make another sweeping statement and ask "Why are wars always started by men?" Ok, I'm kidding! Please don't wage a war against me.

One other question - So, you guys wouldn't recommend starting off with the kit lens?

Are you going to say it depends on what I want? Hmmm... because I don't know what I want yet. I'm trying to read up as much as I can and there's just so much information! I think it's going to take a while before I decide what to get...

Bear with me... thanks.

My opinion is to forget the kit lens and go with a f/2.8 lens. If I had known what I know now about photography, I would have taken the route I'm recommending, and not waste the money, time and energy with kit lens. Of course there are people who would say, "Don't waste money until you know you want to upgrade..." but I feel now that the amount spent can be better spent.

Have a look at recent Comex Nikon bundles that comes to about $1400, and they throw in a whole bunch of freebies, like Crumpler bag, flash, dry-cabinet vouchers, etc. With that amount, the question to ask is whether we are buying for the freebies, or for the system. Maximize the dollar for the best picture you can produce (and not the best freebies), then buy the additional stuff along the way, e.g. tripod, flash, etc.

A friend and I just recommended another friend to get a body and a f/2.8 lens, and he see's the world of difference from day 1. BTW, for all you Canon supporters... my friend bought the 40D + 17-55 f/2.8 lens. He soon went on to buy a 2nd hand Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 lens, which now almost completes his system.

 

[pat33]

thinking of finally getting my hands on a dslr and exploring photography at a deeper level.
what would be a good equipement to get started on?

should i get a canon 400d with the S18-55 lens or the S17-85 IS? or should i get a 2nd hand 350d and play around with that first? i haven't had any experience using dslr cameras and currently own an ixus 60.

thanks for your advice!

ask yourself what you want out of photographyand what area of photography you want to explore... if you are happy just taking good pics there are many good compact 10M CAMERAS OUT THERE i survived with my olympus C3040 for many many years before upgrading to a nikon system recently. If you want to be creative and take photography to another level then a dslr might not be a bad idea, then there is always the question of balancing "What you need and what you want? " Better to get a good compact with good accessories then a dlsr with accessories that will limit your ability to take good photos. you have to figure this one out... and resist the temptation to follow the crowd.

 

[night86mare]

I'm going to make another sweeping statement and ask "Why are wars always started by men?" Ok, I'm kidding! Please don't wage a war against me.

One other question - So, you guys wouldn't recommend starting off with the kit lens?

Are you going to say it depends on what I want? Hmmm... because I don't know what I want yet. I'm trying to read up as much as I can and there's just so much information! I think it's going to take a while before I decide what to get...

Bear with me... thanks.

hahaha i would recommend starting off with kit lens - why
1) cheap, value for money, usually, depending on brand - i would suppose if you won't be extremely anal about optical quality being new
2) it is a good range, 18-55 is the most common kit range, and it lets you have good wide angle to normal telephoto, why not
3) this range would suffice for almost anything, only limitation is no macro, and also extreme telephoto cannot, but you will be able to find out from range of 18-55 what you like shooting, and then expand your lens collection from there

My opinion is to forget the kit lens and go with a f/2.8 lens. If I had known what I know now about photography, I would have taken the route I'm recommending, and not waste the money, time and energy with kit lens. Of course there are people who would say, "Don't waste money until you know you want to upgrade..." but I feel now that the amount spent can be better spent.

why forgo? unless you are PROFESSIONAL and need to make huge prints, kit lens suffices for almost every beginner, it is my opinion that everyone should get it, can sell later at not such a big loss

better than buying expensive stuff that you might dump later on

here are some photos taken with the kit lens from pentax, at web size, frankly no one really cares, also if you get a sharp copy you can't deny it's very worth the small amount of money you are paying

from infrared photography

to telephoto night shots

to street

to sunrises

to even larger insects

i always do not understand why all the gearheads are against the kit lens, especially when you aren't going to blow up pictures until it fills up your entire wall; if you are, you would be buying more expensive lens already, since it should be your livelihood, or you have extreme fascination in large prints

not saying the kit lens is perfect, but frankly, it isn't rubbish, so please, don't talk about it like it's rubbish

 

[pat33]

hahaha i would recommend starting off with kit lens - why
1) cheap, value for money, usually, depending on brand - i would suppose if you won't be extremely anal about optical quality being new
2) it is a good range, 18-55 is the most common kit range, and it lets you have good wide angle to normal telephoto, why not
3) this range would suffice for almost anything, only limitation is no macro, and also extreme telephoto cannot, but you will be able to find out from range of 18-55 what you like shooting, and then expand your lens collection from there


why forgo? unless you are PROFESSIONAL and need to make huge prints, kit lens suffices for almost every beginner, it is my opinion that everyone should get it, can sell later at not such a big loss

better than buying expensive stuff that you might dump later on

here are some photos taken with the kit lens from pentax, at web size, frankly no one really cares, also if you get a sharp copy you can't deny it's very worth the small amount of money you are paying

from infrared photography

to telephoto night shots

to street

to sunrises

to even larger insects

i always do not understand why all the gearheads are against the kit lens, especially when you aren't going to blow up pictures until it fills up your entire wall; if you are, you would be buying more expensive lens already, since it should be your livelihood, or you have extreme fascination in large prints

not saying the kit lens is perfect, but frankly, it isn't rubbish, so please, don't talk about it like it's rubbish

agree.... i hv the D80 with 18-135 kit, sigma 10-20 and the nikon 70-300VR, i use the 18-135 70 percent of the time. 10-20mm i use for landscape 20 percent of the time and the 70-300VR for kiddy portraits and nature photography 10 percent with the help of the canon 500D macro adaptor for insects.

 

[pat33]

hahaha i would recommend starting off with kit lens - why
1) cheap, value for money, usually, depending on brand - i would suppose if you won't be extremely anal about optical quality being new
2) it is a good range, 18-55 is the most common kit range, and it lets you have good wide angle to normal telephoto, why not
3) this range would suffice for almost anything, only limitation is no macro, and also extreme telephoto cannot, but you will be able to find out from range of 18-55 what you like shooting, and then expand your lens collection from there


why forgo? unless you are PROFESSIONAL and need to make huge prints, kit lens suffices for almost every beginner, it is my opinion that everyone should get it, can sell later at not such a big loss

better than buying expensive stuff that you might dump later on

here are some photos taken with the kit lens from pentax, at web size, frankly no one really cares, also if you get a sharp copy you can't deny it's very worth the small amount of money you are paying

from infrared photography

to telephoto night shots

to street

to sunrises

to even larger insects

i always do not understand why all the gearheads are against the kit lens, especially when you aren't going to blow up pictures until it fills up your entire wall; if you are, you would be buying more expensive lens already, since it should be your livelihood, or you have extreme fascination in large prints

not saying the kit lens is perfect, but frankly, it isn't rubbish, so please, don't talk about it like it's rubbish

and i feel i have to add one more, having the a lot of "best & latest " equiptment does not gurantee good photos..... good photos is what makes photography fun, enjoyable and the drive to do magic with what you have.... my dslr macro shots is no where near what some the members here can achieve with their compact digitals with the right accosseries and techniques .