DSLR - Choosing A Camera

[Chuah]

Bro divemuster/aikliang,

Thanks for the detail writeup. It is better to be now then to regret for not asking before I buy. I have basically decides to keep my compacts for all weather use and buy one dSLR that I like really like... Any recommendation for a decent dSLR <RM10K? I prefer Nikon or Canon but will look at others if it is a real deal.

Bro moey, get the Canon EOS 550. Read this review: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos550d/

Why not consider Canon EOS 7D for budget <10K

[moeyhc]

Bro storm,

Thanks for the link. It is rather hard to read reviews when the reviewer starts comparing various models of the same make. Do I need to know everyone of them to understand what they want to tell me? Can't they tell me what this camera can do under A, B, C & D conditions and how well it is doing it. They are just going round comparing this camera to that and how well this function compare to that.... I'm lost as I have no idea what the other cameras are. Today I read reviews to find out the obvious/known problems before buying. No offense to the reviewers, they have a family to feed too...

My photography teacher once said "Your pictures must tell the story of a real life situation. Having a camera and pushing a button does not make you a Photographer." Using Black n White picture to represent real life... he must be kidding... As teenager we have a hard time understanding gray scale set aside composition and etc... But, we truly enjoy our 'Hobby'... Cheers!

[silverbeauty]

Bro Moey, here are some prices as published during Comex IT show Singapore 2010 which is going on till Sunday

[moeyhc]

Bro SB,

I was checking out your Comex post and chance upon the Asus HD media player... now more flying away... Thanks for the post.

p/s:- The Nikon d90 with 18-105mm lens is selling S$1688.00... I was offered RM3388.00 during last week Pg Photofest.

[aikliang]

bro moeyhc, nikon is one of the better dlsr in the market, the other is canon. but nikon is the preferred brand amongst the professional. if you look at the press photographers, nine out of ten will be using nikon. other brands are olympus, fujifilm.

the rrp for d90 is RM 3,888.00 (with AF-S DX Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR); RSP RM 2,988 (body only) (from nikon website) http://www.nikon.com.my/products.php. so at RM3388, that's already rm500 discount.

the best thing i can suggest as with some bros earlier recommendation is to have the cameras side-by-side and do a comparison. the other alternative is to join a camera club and ask the members and feel the cameras that they are using. they can also point you to shops that give good service for your photography needs.

[moeyhc]

Bro aikliang,

Will keep in mind the advice given. Will also look out for a photography club in my area.

Thanks n Have a great weekend

Cheers!

[bluebear]

Hi moeyhc - silverbeauty, wwloon, aikliang, divemuster, vash_h and others have given good advice. My personal advice on choosing a dSLR:

1. Try before you buy - see if you can find someone kind enough to loan you one to try out for a few days. You may find something or feature that really annoys you. Don't just try out at the shop. There are enthusiastic photographers who are willling to share their advice and equipment with you...

2. You'll get what you pay for. For example, the Nikon D300 is definitely a better camera than D90. But only you can decide if you can live with the shortcomings of the less expensive model. I have a Nikon D80 and the exposure calculation is all over the place in high contrast conditions. Some say it is an excellent model (when it was released) and I should have the patience to "play around with the manual settings". But how long can you ask someone to hold their pose while you twiddle with the metering settings etc? Try doing that while the bride and groom are walking up the church aisle...

The equipment quality these days are disappointing - and I'm not referring to the entry-level models. The Nikon 18-200mm lens I bought in 2007 for ~RM2600 only lasted 2 years. In contrast, my Nikon film camera and lenses are still working after 20 years...

I've given up on dSLRs and gone back to prosumer cameras...

[divemuster]

Bro moeyhc,
IMHO, you cannot go wrong with a DSLR body but with the lens that you choose. Any major camera makers these days produces great results.. some excellent like Nikon and Canon. Should you decide to go for the entry-level DSLRs, drop the kit lens that comes with it and consider investing the money for better quality lenses... some 3rd party lenses produces excellent results w/out breaking your bank.

Just to give you an idea, I own a Canon 50D and stick on a Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 as standard. These gives me excellent images even in low lighting. My advice if you want really good creative shots are not to use lenses that have too broad range eg. 18-200mm. These are good for carrying for holidays but does not give you the sharp, crisp & high-saturated images that you would desire.

If you like, can check out the results of some images in my blog:
http://cybershack.blogspot.com

Cheers with your evaluation!

[aikliang]

bro moeyhc already

[tuah]

bro moeyhc already

It's easy to solve this prob.. Just give the to the kid.