Buying My First DSLR... I NEED HELP!

[lesliekoh]

whoa! i'm speechless to have so much replies. gosh. i don't know where to start man. well, personally i prefer canon (no offenses to all other users ) but i'm looking at other brands as well.

it seems that the dry cabinet/box & UV fliter is DIE DIE MUST HAVE items according to the replies

well, i went to canon showroom a few days ago and the salesperson was explaining to me that if i'm thinking this as something i would continue doing, i should consider 40D with Kit II because eventually you will wanna upgrade the body as well and Kit II's lens have Image Stabilizer Unit i think... something like that.

but as you all know, 40D w/ Kit II ain't really cheap so i'm just asking you guys for more opinions on what model/brand to get

really appreciate all the help i'm getting

according to sytan81, he mentioned that his kit set wasn't ideal enough. so i'm thinking, should i aim a body and a different lens set instead of going for the usual "package" kind?

Cheers,
Leslie

 

[blowblue]

if you want to get the speciality lens that you "might" want, you can get it straight away.

But do you know what you really need? There might be scenarios where you get something expensive and then you realise that you don't need it or hardly use it.

I don't know canon lens well, but if you can get a lens that is one step up higher than the kit lens, that's ok. Since, I've heard certain kit lens could be hard to be sold away in case you want to upgrade. The canon lens that is one step higher can be sold one year later if you realise that this is not what you need.

Personally it's better to start with all rounder lens like what syntax said...but i dont necessarily agree that you should get 18-250mm. Something between 18-70mm or something around that range should be adequate. Better to start economize in your first purchase (i.e. don't buy expensive lens), as you might later realise that photography is not your hobby.

As a beginner usually you want to explore wide angle shots (shooting landscapes) and portraits (shooting friends etc). In the meantime you can read up in the following link for reviews on canon lens or any other 3rd party distributors.

http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/showcat.php?cat=27

 

[blowblue]

Thank you.

He's not saying that only Nikon and Canon DSLRs are good. Rather, he's saying that due to the popularity (and that's a fact. You can't deny it) of these 2 brands, accessories and everything else are plentiful. Help is also more readily available. That was his point, NOT that Sony, Pentax, etc are not good.

 

[sytan81]

whoa! i'm speechless to have so much replies. gosh. i don't know where to start man. well, personally i prefer canon (no offenses to all other users ) but i'm looking at other brands as well.

it seems that the dry cabinet/box & UV fliter is DIE DIE MUST HAVE items according to the replies

well, i went to canon showroom a few days ago and the salesperson was explaining to me that if i'm thinking this as something i would continue doing, i should consider 40D with Kit II because eventually you will wanna upgrade the body as well and Kit II's lens have Image Stabilizer Unit i think... something like that.

but as you all know, 40D w/ Kit II ain't really cheap so i'm just asking you guys for more opinions on what model/brand to get

really appreciate all the help i'm getting

according to sytan81, he mentioned that his kit set wasn't ideal enough. so i'm thinking, should i aim a body and a different lens set instead of going for the usual "package" kind?

Cheers,
Leslie

you might not want to get the 40D as I've always seen it as a rather high-end model.. as implied by its price as well.. for starters like myself, it won't make me a good photographer overnight..

get an entry level one (e.g. 400D for Canon, A100 for Sony, D60 for Nikon) as suggested by the rest.. after maybe 2 yrs of learning and practicing and confirming that photography is for you, then get a higher-end model..

the IS feature, as suggested by the salesperson, is a feature found on some lenses.. it is true that it is more important to have if you shoot without tripods or if you shoot fast moving subjects.. it's not a must-have if your hands are stable enough.. however, you don't need to get the kit II to be able to get that kind of lenses.. you can also get them from BnS here, which I'd recommend you to do so instead.. the lenses are cheaper and are potentially better than the one in the kit II..

go google a bit on IS (Canon), VR (Nikon) and SSS (Sony).. if you think that you really need this, then go for a Sony Alpha as their cameras have this built-in to their bodies, which means every single lens enjoy this feature.. you don't need to spend more to get an IS or VR lens..

to decide between the brands, read here.

 

[Galdor]

you might not want to get the 40D as I've always seen it as a rather high-end model.. as implied by its price as well.. for starters like myself, it won't make me a good photographer overnight..

get an entry level one (e.g. 400D for Canon, A100 for Sony, D60 for Nikon) as suggested by the rest.. after maybe 2 yrs of learning and practicing and confirming that photography is for you, then get a higher-end model..

the IS feature, as suggested by the salesperson, is a feature found on some lenses.. it is true that it is more important to have if you shoot without tripods or if you shoot fast moving subjects.. it's not a must-have if your hands are stable enough.. however, you don't need to get the kit II to be able to get that kind of lenses.. you can also get them from BnS here, which I'd recommend you to do so instead.. the lenses are cheaper and are potentially better than the one in the kit II..

go google a bit on IS (Canon), VR (Nikon) and SSS (Sony).. if you think that you really need this, then go for a Sony Alpha as their cameras have this built-in to their bodies, which means every single lens enjoy this feature.. you don't need to spend more to get an IS or VR lens..

to decide between the brands, read here.

I agree with you bro. An entry level cam is good enough to do the job. Anyway the A100 has been replaced by the A200 already. Get the A300 or A350 better, got live view which should be very familiar to those upgrading from a compact cam. I like the in-body image stabiliser too. I have shaky hands so it's very important to me and the best part is that every single lens that I mount on the body will have this great feature.

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

woah.... would like to point out that image stabilisation doesn't help with fast moving objects. To capture a fast moving object, you MUST use a relatively fast shutter speed. Image stabilisation allows you to use a lower shutter speed than what is normally achievable, so it is not useful for fast-moving objects.

the IS feature, as suggested by the salesperson, is a feature found on some lenses.. it is true that it is more important to have if you shoot without tripods or if you shoot fast moving subjects.. it's not a must-have if your hands are stable enough.. however, you don't need to get the kit II to be able to get that kind of lenses.. you can also get them from BnS here, which I'd recommend you to do so instead.. the lenses are cheaper and are potentially better than the one in the kit II..

 

[sytan81]

woah.... would like to point out that image stabilisation doesn't help with fast moving objects. To capture a fast moving object, you MUST use a relatively fast shutter speed. Image stabilisation allows you to use a lower shutter speed than what is normally achievable, so it is not useful for fast-moving objects.

actually, I see it as a yes and no..

if light is sufficient, then no issues with shutter speed being high..

if light is insufficient (as with most cases during rainy/cloudy weather), then you cannot afford to go on high shutter speeds cos the subject and background may be blackened out.. plus, if you're doing panning or zoom creep shots to create that kind of "motion-blurred background with sharp fast-moving F1 car" effect, you can't use high shutter speeds.. this is where IS, VR and SSS come in handy to help you knock a few stops off that shutter, yet keeping the subject sharp..

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

what shutter speed do you think is appropriate for a panning shot that creates the "motion-blurred background with sharp fast-moving F1 car effect" ?

 

[sytan81]

That would depend on the speed of the subject and the distance you are from it.

But generally,
Bladers/Cyclists: 1/15 - 1/60
Motorcars: 1/60 - 1/125
F1: 1/125 and above

 

[labla]

you may want to look at chaotic's guide I think that it's pretty helpful. If I were you i think that the 450D will be a good choice for a beginner its way cheaper too