newbie here...help please!!

Pranav

Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2006
Messages
23
Location
India
I'm planning to buy a new DSLR for myself from Malaysia in a week's time. Since I'm on a limited budget, I'm restricted to either the Canon EOS 1000D or the Sony Alpha 200K.

What d'u guys think about that particular Canon?Any sort of suggestions/recommendations/help would really be appreciated.

Thanx a bunch! :)
 
I'll quite myself from this post.

One good choice would be the Olympus E-520 w/14-42 & 40-150.

This lands at 699CAD at Henry's (the only camera shop I know of in Canada..)

If you don't feel the need for the 40-150 at first, you could of course just get the E-520 w/ just 14-42 for 599 CAD.

The advantages of these two packages are in body image stabilisation, wireless flash control with flash units that support this (FL-36R and FL-50R from Olympus, plus a couple of units from Metz). Grip has good size compared to comparable rivals. It's user friendly, and a good starter package. At high ISO, it's not as good as other models from other producers, but it's not bad. Olympus bundles the best kit lens in the business, together with Pentax.

From Nikon, you've got the option of getting yourself a a D40 w/18-55 for 419 CAD.

This is a classic, and has been a great asset for beginners for a couple of years now. Still a great camera. Is let down somewhat by not having built in IS, and it hasn't got wireless flash control. It's only got 6 megapixels, but that's not something you'll really miss. I'd consider this one.

For a little more, you could get the Nikon D60 w/18-55 VR at 599CAD.

This has 10mp and the lens has VR. With Nikon, image stabilisation is not in the body, but in the lens (the same is true with Canon). This means it can be perfect for each lens, but also means you won't get IS in all your lenses.

Also keep in mind that you need lenses with the designation AF-S (Nikon) or HSM (Sigma) to get auto focus with both the D40 and the D60. This is not very important these days, as Nikon has released several AF-S lenses the last years.

Pentax strides into battle with the K-M. The Pentax K-M w/18-55II lands at 649CAD.

It's a competent camera, with a very good kit lens (only paired by the Oly 14-42), built in IS and overall good handling. Consider.

Canon is also worth considering, coming up with the Canon XSi w/18-55IS, jumping you budget at 749CAD.

It's a good camera, the kit lens is of decent quality, it has IS, the IQ is excellent. Some people find the grip uncomfortable. I am one of them. Nothing more to say, it's a good buy, as long as the grip fits your hands.

A little cheaper, we find the XS w/18-55 IS at 599CAD.

It's much the same, but has lower resolution (10 vs. 12 mp) than the XSi, has a cheaper feel and isn't as quick. Same kit lens.

Last, but not least, we find Sony.

The Sony a350 w/18-70 comes in at 649CAD[/url].

This camera has a very good live view system, allowing you to use the screen as a viewfinder in a much better way than all other brands. The same is true for the a300 w/18-70 which is only 599CAD. The only difference is the resolution (15 vs. 10 mp).

Sony is getting better and better by each model they release, and the system has wireless flash and built in IS. Worth considering.

So, I hear you ask. What do I recommend?

I recommend you get into Henry's (or some other good shop, who am I to advice Canadians as to where they should buy cameras in CANADA :p), tell the sales guy that you're looking into the models I've linked to, and try holding them. All these models will give you excellent image quality, and all the brands offer great lenses, so it's all down to comfort. Feel the grips, and deciede which feels best in your hands.

Hope I've been of some help. :)

These are answers to another user, but I think they should fit well with your needs as well. Keep in mind that the prices are from Canada, that some of these kits might be unavailable where you live, and so on and soforth. But the general price level, and the general availability should fit the bill.
 
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I think Canon would do it for me, for some reason I just don't like that sony. But as many of my much more proffessional colleagues would say - it depends what you want to do with it.
 
3 more advices that I can give you:
#1 if you get the nikon D60 don't bother for the 18-55 VR kit, the normal 18-55 does the job very well even at 55mm, there's no need for stabilisation. I got the lens without the VR and it's just perfect, only at longer focal lengths do you need VR.
#2 get to a camera store and play with all the cameras there and see witch one fits you best; consider these points: grip, how comfortable you are when holding the camera, menu ease of use, lenses and other stuff
#3 if a friend of yours has a DSLR within your price range, ask him to lend it to you for a short period of time - that's why I got myself a D60.
 
alright...thanx a ton, guys! will tell u in a few days what the outcome is. ;)
 
3 more advices that I can give you:
#1 if you get the nikon D60 don't bother for the 18-55 VR kit, the normal 18-55 does the job very well even at 55mm, there's no need for stabilisation. I got the lens without the VR and it's just perfect, only at longer focal lengths do you need VR.

I can hand hold a sharp shot at 1/15s at 54mm (EFL108mm) with my E-3. IS is a very good thing to have with a standard zoom, believe you me.
 
At first, i actually was planning to buy the sony H50 point & shoot. With some persuading it looks like dad'll get me a DSLR. But one thing that I've noticed is that these point & shoots have 15x-20x or even higher optical zooms & a DSLR with an 18-55mm lens will only give about 3x or 4x. Since I've played around too much with point & shoots in the past, will I have any problems with this tiny zoom?
 
Quality > quantity.
 
It's true, you know..

Another point is that you can crop and achieve better quality with the dSLR and a good lens.

Also, zoom doesn't tell you how close you get to a motive, An 18-200 superzoom lens for a dSLR has 11x zoom, while a 70-300 only has 4,3x zoom. But the 70-300 gets you closer to your motive.

Generally speaking, if you're after photographing things that are far away, your best deal is to get a specialized lens.

A 70-200 will normally be superior to a 70-300. And a prime 200mm will be superior to a 70-200. In theory, at least, as there's alway the question of individual lenses, Some primes are sharper than some zooms, and some zooms are sharper than some primes.

But start of with the kit zoom, and see what you end up feeling you need.

:)
 
The only 2 digital cameras I've ever had are: a samsung a402 and now my Nikon D60 - I was afraid too of the shock when switching from a p&s to a DSLR but believe me these entry-level models are so user-friendly you'll enjoy them in 5 minutes. And as Nomix said, if you need big ass zoom get a big ass zoom lens like a 55-200 or 70-200.
 
That's not bigass zoom, 150-500 is bigass zoom. :p
 
When you start to look like this with your new lens
photo.php

you know you're in trouble :lol:
 
That's not bigass zoom, 150-500 is bigass zoom. :p
200-500/2.8 is a big zoom.

Me, I think a 400/2.8 is big enough for one person, and that's just 1x zoom. :|

When you start to look like this with your new lens
photo.php

you know you're in trouble :lol:
Indeed. When you spend the value of your photo gear on a new car once a year because your photo gear is so heavy it breaks the car once a year, then you're in trouble.

It's a bad circle..
 
alrighty then...now I really am getting this schoolboyish excitement about getting my new camera (which, come to think of it, should be just 5 days away)!

:D
 
Good luck, and just play around with it. ;)

Take lots and lots of images, try thinking why you do different things, then do them.

And buy a good photography book. :)
 
The smartest thing I've read in a long time: Leica for a year.

Favorite quote from the article:
"A year with a single Leica and a single lens, looking at light and ignoring color, will teach you as much about actually seeing photographs as three years in any photo school, and as much as ten or fifteen years (or more) of mucking about buying and selling and shopping for gear like the average hobbyist."

Get a simple camera, get a single fixed lens (he says, "Pick a single-focal-length 50mm, or 35mm, or 28mm. It doesn't have to be a 'good' lens?anything that appeals to you and that fits the camera will do.") and learn how to work it.
 
alright everyone...I'm leaving for Malaysia eaaaarly 2moro morning & I'll be visiting Singapore & Sri Lanka as well. I'll be back home on July 1st; so catch u guys then...thanx a HUGE bunch for everything! :thumbup:
 
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