Buying my first camera system

[cutecdo]

No problem. Glad to be able to help. remember some of the stuff will be freebies from the shop. So you may not have to pay for some of these items. Always bargain.

You can do anything you want, question is if the result will be good. Personally, I feel that stacking filters is not a good idea if stacking them do not serve a specific purpose. Even when I do night photography, I take off all my UV/protector filters. This is because, every piece of additional glass in front of your lenses can degrade your image quality. It can also cause ghosting and flare. In certain situations, I stack filters, but this is ONLY when I use the cokin P filter system, and ONLY when the situation demands that I use more than 1 filter to achieve a certain effect. One thing I always tell myself: Less is More. Keep it simple. This is just my personal opinion. Others may have a different approach.

Free filters may or may not be the best. Most of the time, free stuff are less than spectacular. Shops run a business, they want to maximize profit, always remember that. I gave you a link to the good brands in a previous post in this thread. Read it up.



Lenses meant for FF (full frame, like 5D, 1D) can also be used on cropped sensor cameras like the 500D. It is harder the other way round where lenses made for cropped sensors when used on full frame cameras have the tendency to cause serious vignetting.

Is it not that EF-S lens are physically locked out from mounting on EF mount cameras?

 

[Nikonnew]

thanks for all the info, guys..
yeah DP review got quite confusing, i tried reading thru it all, but the intro and conclusion, pros/cons parts were the most helpful.. and yeah, ive pretty much decided on the camera im buying.. now im just asking stuff about filters etc.. thanks for the info on the filter system.. i guess i dont need one right now and the aperture talk is getting a bit confusing.. i'll try undrestanding it though
EDIT: and talking about reviews, wat are the other reputed sites that i can go thru for reviews, such as DP?

you could also drop by TK foto and check out the price there, i find the shopping experience there more pleasant than allan

 

[daredevil123]

Is it not that EF-S lens are physically locked out from mounting on EF mount cameras?

Like I said, I am not a Canon user. I am talking from a N standpoint where all cameras are using F mount, and all lens from the 70s till now are mountable. My bad.

 

[cutecdo]

Like I said, I am not a Canon user. I am talking from a N standpoint where all cameras are using F mount, and all lens from the 70s till now are mountable. My bad.

I'm not a canon user either. TS is most likely buying a canon camera and you did quote the 5D and 1D cameras when you were explaining about EF-S and EF lens.

Just want to make sure TS don't buy all EF-S lens expecting to use them on canon's full frame cameras in future.

 

[daredevil123]

I'm not a canon user either. TS is most likely buying a canon camera and you did quote the 5D and 1D cameras when you were explaining about EF-S and EF lens.

Just want to make sure TS don't buy all EF-S lens expecting to use them on canon's full frame cameras in future.

TS please note. EF-S lens cannot b mounted on 5D or 1D.

 

[heshanj]

TS please note. EF-S lens cannot b mounted on 5D or 1D.

thanks yeah, i think u kinda implied that before, so no worries so basically, even if i was gonna upgrade, i'd be better off buying EF lenses now, coz they can be used on my 500D too..
btw, i was wondering how much it'd be to buy the canon EF-S 18-55mm kit lens separately? coz i noticed the kit prices for the 500D are generally over SGD1200.. but i think i can get the 500D body for 1000.. can i buy the lens separately for less than 200? just wondering if i can actually save from not buying the kit, lol.. i noticed people selling the 18-55mm lens on the buy/sell thread for around 120.. is it recommended to buy a brand new lens? cheers

 

[gunawan]

Heshanj,

My opinion:
If you are on budget, get either the 500d or the 40d & avoid the 50d: 500d and 40D CHEAP and GOOD Value. 500d has movie recording and digic 4, but 40D feels better with weather seals, much better controls, but digic 3, but then again, one of the fastest in its class at 6.5 fps.

Kalau kamu kaya, 5d markii aja.

 

[heshanj]

thanks! i hadnt really considered the 40D.. i will check it out too! but like ive mentioned, ive pretty much decided on the 500D.. how bout my question on buying a used lens from someone on the boards? recommended?

 

[heshanj]

oh, and one more thing: can someone recommend me any good stores that i could check out? who give good prices too, preferably lol.. i noticed alan photo at funan gives good prices, but someone on this thread said that other places give better service, i believe? coz i'd like to get a good price, but i'd also like a decent buying experience... i've been to some stores in sim lim that are kinda unfriendly.. please let me know, appreciate it!

 

[papaho]

oh, and one more thing: can someone recommend me any good stores that i could check out? who give good prices too, preferably lol.. i noticed alan photo at funan gives good prices, but someone on this thread said that other places give better service, i believe? coz i'd like to get a good price, but i'd also like a decent buying experience... i've been to some stores in sim lim that are kinda unfriendly.. please let me know, appreciate it!

This info is easily available..

John 3:16
Cathay photo
MS color

IMHO, these shops probably's has a pretty good price across the board.. it helps to buy from the shop that is most convenient to you , recognize the sale man you buy from and go back to him when you need other accessories (if his service is ok).. often its worth it to strike a rapport with the sales man.. he may give good discount in time to come or inform u where there are price adjustments.

 

[heshanj]

thanks bro! yeah, i saw some of these stores, in the price guides etc, but i wanted a personal recommendation on a couple.. so thanks!

 

[NewbieInCS]

18-55 kit lens usually lower value. That is why it is actually cheaper to buy body alone and then buy kit lens from market place. However, the prices you are looking at for USED kit lens and please make sure you are getting the IS version of the 18-55 kit lens.

I think you will save about $50 buying used kit lens, which IMHO is not worth it because 1. it is used and 2. as a newbie, you probably can't quite test or check the lens yet. Nonetheless, many people keep their kit lens like in NIB condition because they just keep it in the dry cabinet most of the time:bsmilie: So it will be great if you can get a copy of those type.

CP e-quote will probably give a good price.

The best thing you can do is to go to the reputable shops and ask them from price quote. Usually street price for all these stuff is +/-$30. If price is too cheap and good...then something is probably different...

 

[heshanj]

thanks ^^
btw.. i notice now that the canon 50D is beyond my budget, and the 500D is around the right pirce.. but now i also noticed the nikon D90.. i think i can afford this camera (body first, at least), if it is really worth the extra money..

i havent researched it much yet, but from briefly scanning, i noticed that it has 12MP compared to 500D's 15MP, which may not be that much of an issue, im guessing?
and also that the D90 has a pentaprism, whereas the 500D has a pentamirror viewfinder, which is quite a big difference according to wat i hear..

however,i noticed the D90 is about a year old, am i right? in the DSLR world, does this matter? is there any technology or feature that the D90 does not have? im guessing no again, but please help me out here.. the basic topic im asking now is "500D vs D90" in a nutshell, and would either make a difference to a newbie, who does not wish to upgrade for quite a while! thanks

 

[daredevil123]

thanks ^^
btw.. i notice now that the canon 50D is beyond my budget, and the 500D is around the right pirce.. but now i also noticed the nikon D90.. i think i can afford this camera (body first, at least), if it is really worth the extra money..

i havent researched it much yet, but from briefly scanning, i noticed that it has 12MP compared to 500D's 15MP, which may not be that much of an issue, im guessing?
and also that the D90 has a pentaprism, whereas the 500D has a pentamirror viewfinder, which is quite a big difference according to wat i hear..

however,i noticed the D90 is about a year old, am i right? in the DSLR world, does this matter? is there any technology or feature that the D90 does not have? im guessing no again, but please help me out here.. the basic topic im asking now is "500D vs D90" in a nutshell, and would either make a difference to a newbie, who does not wish to upgrade for quite a while! thanks

D90 body only is out of stock all over Singapore. And it has been so for several weeks. The only option available to get a D90 is with the kit lens option. Demand for D90 is so high that there are little or no freebies when you get the D90 nowadays. Please factor all these into your buying decision and strategy.

Anyway, here is the comparison. Everything you need to know is all in there.
http://www.digitalreview.ca/content/Canon-Rebel-T1i-EOS-500D-Compared-to-Nikon-D90.shtml

By the way, most of the answers here you can also find on your own faster than posting questions here. I googled "500D vs D90" and the above is the first or 2nd link I see. Google is your friend. Use it.

 

[heshanj]

thanks again, daredevil!
i actually found that comparison too.. but i just wanted to ask u guys thru experience if it was truly worth the extra money.. however, i cannot afford the kit at the moment, and i even checked the marketplace over here, at clubsnap, and didnt find a single D90.. and if the body has been out of stock for so long, i will stick with my original choice of the canon 500D..

 

[daredevil123]

I am thinking of getting a D90 myself. But if I get it, I will get it with the kit lens. The kit lens have a good range which is good for travel.

One thing, you mentioned you cannot really afford the D90, and you want to buy the body first. It is not wise to spend your money to the limit. When getting a DSLR system there are many other things you need to buy like:

Dry cab/box
camera bag
Blower
lens cleaning kit
tripod
UV/protector filters
spare battery
Memory card(s)
etc etc etc... and the list goes on.

Be prepared to spend anywhere from 100-300 more on basic accessories. Some may come as freebies. So factor all those in.

 

[maestrokk]

Wow,
Guys, this is my first post and after reading this thread, i feel i have learnt so much!

Thanks all!

 

[heshanj]

that is true, daredevil.. i'd really be stretching myself if i go for the D90.. the only reason im even looking at it is coz i've been reading lots of reviews, and many reviewers point out a lot that the canon 500D seems to be lacking.. i guess i should realise that it is basically an entry-level DSLR, and im at that level, so i shouldnt really notice the finer details lacking in the 500D.. i just hope the 500D will satisfy my needs for at least a couple of years good luck on getting ur D90

and maestrokk, haha.. im glad my thread helped u out too, bro!

 

[daredevil123]

that is true, daredevil.. i'd really be stretching myself if i go for the D90.. the only reason im even looking at it is coz i've been reading lots of reviews, and many reviewers point out a lot that the canon 500D seems to be lacking.. i guess i should realise that it is basically an entry-level DSLR, and im at that level, so i shouldnt really notice the finer details lacking in the 500D.. i just hope the 500D will satisfy my needs for at least a couple of years good luck on getting ur D90

and maestrokk, haha.. im glad my thread helped u out too, bro!

Remember one thing, even if it is lacking by a lot, which it is not, you will not see the difference until you are pushing the limits of the camera. And that difference will only show in certain specific situations. Most of the people who owns the D90 are not even shooting at 50% of the camera's capabilities.

In the end, every camera system has its pros and cons. You just have to live with them, and work with them. The N vs C argument will never end. Just buy what is in your budget. Stop thinking of how lacking it is. I can assure you, by the time the camera is replaced by another model, you will still not be shooting at each camera's maximum capability.

 

[heshanj]

again, thanks! u've really helped me decide.. cheers!