DSLR Reccomendations

[kaixiang]

Chill bro Kaixiang, let's not start a war.

The reason why people choose canon is because of Ken Watanabe :bsmilie:
okay obviously im joking but you get the drift.

The only reason why I'm advocating the purchase of the K-x is simply because for it's price, in the DSLR class. NOTHING comes close.

As mentioned with the Pentax, you aren't limited to just 5... wait a minute yes its 5... its 5 decades of lenses for you to play around with. ::lovegrin:

Yes no doubt, the 550D is an excellent camera its a stripped down 7D.

Oh one more thing, check out the Pentaxian community in CS

The Pentax users seem to be a bunch of really nice people :thumbsup:

 

[henry soh]

Hi, D550 has gold award from dpreview.com. Body @ $1200/-

 

[lonarciso]

welcome to CS & happy shooting!

 

[whiteshades]

welcome to CS & happy shooting!

TS haven't even buy camera. :dunno:

 

[daredevil123]

if you want to take nice photos where the background is blur, you'll want a good "portrait lens". This means a lens with as large aperture an aperture as possible (especially at the tele part of the zoom range). Image quality at the tele part of the zoom range will also be important. If you have money to splurge, some recommendations for Canon are here: http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Canon-Lenses/Canon-Portrait-Lens.aspx. For cheaper alternatives, go to a shop that would let you try out the lenses until you find out which one you like, read the lens reviews on Amazon.com or sites like www.the-digital-picture.com, dpreview.com. The kit lens might provide "acceptable" background blur at the far end of the zoom, but you'll have to try it out to decide whether it's "acceptable" enough for you. I don't think Pentax provides as large a range of lenses (i only saw 5 choices of lenses on dpreview.com) as Canon.

In terms of the chip, i've used Digic IV (on a 500D) and i find it's really really good (not sure how the Prime II with the K-x compares). I get some really good night shots+flash with the Digic IV engine.

In terms of image stabilization (IS), Canon IS lenses provide about 3-4 stops of image stabilization which I think would be better than the K-x which provides stabilization on the body. Of course lenses with image stabilization are usually considerably more expensive (but the difference is probably quite small for Canon kit-lens).

Get the K-x only if budget constraints are important for you. Otherwise get the 550D. There's a reason why people choose Canon.

There are many reasons why people choose Canon, or choose Nikon, or choose Sony, or choose Pentax. There is no "best" system for everyone. Everybody's needs are different, and different systems offer different advantages. Technology wise, I believe most major brands are at pretty much at par. Pentax K-x represents a lot of value, as it is using the same sensor from the D90/D300(s)/A500. What is different in these different models is how the engineers choose the image processing algorithms. So far, it seems Pentax has a winner here, with some independent testing sites citing better high-ISO noise performance than the D300 and 7D. I'm not taking sides, but just saying what has been talked about over and over again in this and other forums. But seriously, the 7D and D300 have much more advanced features and performance in other areas. In the end, most of us will not notice the differences in IQ. We look at pictures as a whole. Pixel peeping is not art.

In terms of lenses. Pentax actually has a huge range of lenses (if you included the old used lenses). The wonderful thing about Pentax is that all K mounts are usable on the current models. Giving the Pentaxians tons of choice. Canon on the other hand offers a lot of fast long primes, thus making Canon a popular choice among sports photographers. But Canon did not have the best reputation when they dumped an entire lens mount and left many users hanging a couple of decades ago. Nikon is pretty much neutral. Almost all old lenses can mount, but only some features are supported on some models. Sony is also very backwards compatible as their alpha line has the bloodline of Minolta. Many old minolta lenses are still available in the secondary market and can be mounted and used on the Alphas.

There is no perfect system, if you ask me. But we all work with what we have. But for the TS, I think Pentax is a good start due to the price point. Major bang for the buck.

 

[night86mare]

There's a reason why people choose Canon.

there's a reason why i dig my nose, but i don't have to tell you.

why don't you dig my nose and find out for yourself why people dig my nose? :bsmilie:

 

[KeeFy]

There are many reasons why people choose Canon, or choose Nikon, or choose Sony, or choose Pentax. There is no "best" system for everyone. Everybody's needs are different, and different systems offer different advantages. Technology wise, I believe most major brands are at pretty much at par. Pentax K-x represents a lot of value, as it is using the same sensor from the D90/D300(s)/A500. What is different in these different models is how the engineers choose the image processing algorithms. So far, it seems Pentax has a winner here, with some independent testing sites citing better high-ISO noise performance than the D300 and 7D. I'm not taking sides, but just saying what has been talked about over and over again in this and other forums. But seriously, the 7D and D300 have much more advanced features and performance in other areas. In the end, most of us will not notice the differences in IQ. We look at pictures as a whole. Pixel peeping is not art.

In terms of lenses. Pentax actually has a huge range of lenses (if you included the old used lenses). The wonderful thing about Pentax is that all K mounts are usable on the current models. Giving the Pentaxians tons of choice. Canon on the other hand offers a lot of fast long primes, thus making Canon a popular choice among sports photographers. But Canon did not have the best reputation when they dumped an entire lens mount and left many users hanging a couple of decades ago. Nikon is pretty much neutral. Almost all old lenses can mount, but only some features are supported on some models. Sony is also very backwards compatible as their alpha line has the bloodline of Minolta. Many old minolta lenses are still available in the secondary market and can be mounted and used on the Alphas.

There is no perfect system, if you ask me. But we all work with what we have. But for the TS, I think Pentax is a good start due to the price point. Major bang for the buck.

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

*Yawnz* My brand is better than yours cause ..... zzzzzz..

Stop asking, stop comparing equipment, start shooting and start learning. Changing your entire system from one brand to another is not a big deal, many have done so before. If you have no idea of what you want to do with photography, pick the most bang for buck or something you're most comfortable with and start shooting. All Dslrs would be a step up from the PNS and anyone would be a fool to think otherwise.

"There's a reason why people choose Canon" << Seriously? Is there a reason why i bought a skyline, but my friend chose an evolution instead? Sheesh. Fanboys.

 

[daredevil123]

...Changing your entire system from one brand to another is not a big deal, many have done so before.....

:thumbsup: Especially if you only have 2-3 lenses with 1 camera body. No biggie.

Problem starts when you have like a couple of bodies and 5-10 lenses. :bigeyes:

 

[joycegian]

TS haven't even buy camera. :dunno:

What's TS?

 

[whiteshades]

Threadstarter. haha!

 

[kaixiang]

What's TS?

Thread Starter. Means you

 

[nathaniel]

The K-mount has a very long history. Other than the old Pentax lens, some of the Russian lens come in M42 and K-mount only and these lens perform excellently. Anyways, you are the first person I know to compare cameras using chips. I don't think even reviewers or professional photographers know much about what the chips are doing to the photos exactly. If you could provide an explanation beyond "I get some really good night shots+flash with the Digic IV engine." I would be interested in learning from you how the chips affect the final output.

Finally I personally find the statement "There's a reason why people choose Canon" slightly offensive because there's a reason why people choose Pentax, Sony, Nikon, Olympus as well. For most people I know, including myself, the person taking the photo is the weakest link in producing a good photo. Not the camera or the lens.

ok sorry for the offense. agreed that good photos are more about the person than the camera / lens, but still I do find certain things about some cameras / lenses irritating... e.g. I have an old 70-210mm lens that practically can't focus at all at 210mm under indoor lighting conditions (in such a case a faster lens would help). I like my S90's (Digic IV) choice of aperture/shutter/iso better than my Canon A620's (Digic II) under difficult lighting conditions (eg strong backlight), or when using flash. Took me lots of tries to get it right with the A620, but with the S90 and 500D, it's usually right / almost right the first time, at least in my experience (maybe the fast lens also helped too). Of course for those who know their camera well enough to shoot manual or know how to adjust the settings to get it right the first time, some of these irritations won't be an issue.

 

[daredevil123]

ok sorry for the offense. agreed that good photos are more about the person than the camera / lens, but still I do find certain things about some cameras / lenses irritating... e.g. I have an old 70-210mm lens that practically can't focus at all at 210mm under indoor lighting conditions (in such a case a faster lens would help). I like my S90's (Digic IV) choice of aperture/shutter/iso better than my Canon A620's (Digic II) under difficult lighting conditions (eg strong backlight), or when using flash. Took me lots of tries to get it right with the A620, but with the S90 and 500D, it's usually right / almost right the first time, at least in my experience (maybe the fast lens also helped too). Of course for those who know their camera well enough to shoot manual or know how to adjust the settings to get it right the first time, some of these irritations won't be an issue.

That is why people move to DSLR - to get more control over settings. You do not have to shoot manual. You can shoot in Aperture priority mode, Shutter speed priority mode.

I seriously encourage you to start exploring beyond the Auto or P mode in your 500D. Possibilities are endless.

 

[whiteshades]

Once you get used to Manual mode. You will find Auto or P mode limiting what you want to capture! For me I started with Aperture priority, then moved on to Shutter. Oh and learn how to read the histogram if you haven't. It's really handy!

 

[nanochan1]

What's TS?

you have been asking the same questions for weeks in other forums.

 

[nathaniel]

That is why people move to DSLR - to get more control over settings. You do not have to shoot manual. You can shoot in Aperture priority mode, Shutter speed priority mode.

I seriously encourage you to start exploring beyond the Auto or P mode in your 500D. Possibilities are endless.

agreed... i am slowly moving away from P mode and using the Aperture and Shutter Speed modes more often, but it'll take me some time due to the learning curve.

btw, the 500D is not mine; just that i have access to borrow it once in a while.

 

[kaixiang]

agreed... i am slowly moving away from P mode and using the Aperture and Shutter Speed modes more often, but it'll take me some time due to the learning curve.

btw, the 500D is not mine; just that i have access to borrow it once in a while.

What I did was to shoot fully manual for a while. Once I understood the decisions the camera was making for me in the semi-automatic modes, it became much easier to make compensations and stuff. I am now back to using Aperture Priority whenever possible.

Take it easy and have fun!

 

[joycegian]

you have been asking the same questions for weeks in other forums.

HAHAs, Yes.
Because I want to make sure I get my purchases right.

And because I can only purchase my camera next month,

So while waiting, why not get more info & feedbacks?

Hope you don't mind.

 

[mcguese]

2k budget is a bit ok for start... my gf bought a kx white and i got 550d... its like this for 1.8k she completes her stuffs for now...got a bag, tripod, 8g card and a tamron 18-200 lens... nice outdoor shots colors are vivid. she is happy with it.

for my side i spent 2.6 to get the same items...but im happy also using it....specs... you cant really compare the they both came from good brandnames... quality of shots? that one is up to you already...hope this one helps u...happy clicking!

 

[joycegian]

Do you guys think the White K-X will get "yellow" over a period of time?
And I was afraid that when it got scratched, it will have a black scratch.
As in like the White is a coat White, so when scratached, the paint will go off.