I'm New to photography, need opinion on which entry level DSLR camera to begin with?

[ZerocoolAstra]

Thank you all for providing me the information. & i am not stereotyping SONY just because of my digital camera. I won't deny the fact that i've mentioned that i am afraid if i get SONY DSLR, it might happen the same thing again. Sorry if my views & remarks has offended SONY users here. But everyone has different preference. So don't mind me.

And i am new to handling a professional camera like dslr. & am keen so that's why i'm here to find out more from everyone whose a camera handler to share with me their experience and suggestions. I appreciate whatever comments is left for me. Thanks alot!

I can guarantee that if you buy a Sony DSLR and you get blurry pictures, it won't be because the camera + lens is of poor quality.
But sometimes misgivings about a certain brand are hard to get over. I understand that too.
Like I said earlier, get the camera make and model that you feel comfortable with.
I really do think that you can't go wrong with any of the entry-level cameras + kit lens. They should satisfy an upgrader.

 

[sheldon22]

Thanks everyone for sharing your point of views!
Pls vote and suggest which camera best suits my needs!

1. I am looking for a good conds 2nd hand DSLR. If first hand offers better, why not?

2. Canon, Nikon, Sony. (Sony, comes in 3rd cos i'm afraid it will turn out like my Digital Camera. After using it for quite awhile, the photos outcome are all blurry. Seems like the lens is the issue of the sharpness. Or user problem?

3. I have small hands. I would definitely want something which has a better grip for me to handle. I know there might not be a perfect one but at least closest to my comfort. Not necessarily a customize ones.

4. I know lens will add on weight to the body. So it's alright. I will still want to take photos and try to adopt with the weight and all in time to come. Stability can be done with a tripod stand.

5. I am unsure about the camera terms used. I need help! like what's AF(autofocus?), etc?
Someone can provide me more details in those short terms will help me alot with understanding the post in CLUBSNAP.

I am still questioning sellers and monitoring daily. Reading reviews, comparing the features/functions. But there's alot more doubts. I may want to choose afew & rent to try it out. Does anyone know of cheap rental camera shops? Pls let me know. I am grateful for kind professionals to provide feedback/advice to me! THANKS A MILLION!

IMHO that's the best thing to do, rent first, learn how it works...AF? its easier to understand those features & functions if your hands on a dslr

btw, sorry i am not a professional...im just a hobbyist :bsmilie:


:gbounce:

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

IMHO that's the best thing to do, rent first, learn how it works...AF? its easier to understand those features & functions if your hands on a dslr

btw, sorry i am not a professional...im just a hobbyist

sometimes it's hard to justify the cost of renting a camera + lens, coz it can still be quite significant.

To put it into perspective, I recently rented a A$20,000 (approx.) Toyota Corolla in Australia for about A$25/day. That covers all the wear & tear on the vehicle, insurance, and depreciation.
To rent a S$2000 camera + lens is not going to be S$2.50/day (same proportion).

 

[sheldon22]

D90 or 500D

depends which brand you prefer

i second this :thumbsup:

i narrowed down my choices to Nikon D90 & EOS 500D before i finally bought mine. These two models are both good but take note that they are not counterparts. its either EOS 500D or Nikon D5000, D90 or 50D...

whichever you decide on, enjoy & happy shooting!


:gbounce:

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

i second this :thumbsup:

i narrowed down my choices to Nikon D90 & EOS 500D before i finally bought mine. These two models are both good but take note that they are not counterparts. its either EOS 500D or Nikon D5000, D90 or 50D...

whichever you decide on, enjoy & happy shooting!

I don't agree with your point (in bold), because it seems that Nikon and Canon DSLRs don't compete head-to-head.
The D90 and 50D are not quite the same animal.
In fact, I've seen many posts about how the 50D seems to compete more with the D300.
I would say that the same thing goes for the 500D vs D5000.

 

[elavan]

Since you require feedback on a user of 500D, let me give you my honest opinion.

500D Body
Pros
1) I lurve how small it is. I have large and long fingers. However, I love how my hands wrapped around the body.
2) The buttons are easily placed where I can find them.
3) It is not too heavy or light

Cons
1) Its not weather sealed. Top up a bit more, I can get a Pentax K-7. However, K-7 noise to ISO ratio is not as good as 500D
2) I wished the movie button is a separate button instead of on the rotating knob

Basically the whole entry-level crowd is after high ISO performance, but don't realise high ISO-optimized sensors that operate from base ISO 200 onwards don't perform as well at their base ISOs, compared to older bodies or newer ones that adopt traditional methods. I would not encourage a new DSLR owner to write off those cameras that don't perform as well at high ISO.

At base ISO image quality lacks in these high ISO optimized sensors in terms of shadows, contrast, sharpness, color (i'm not talking about pushed jpeg processing in-camera) due to hard signal filtering & other sensor internal architecture that I do not know.

If you are one who expects quality images, high ISO is nothing but 1 subset of IQ, and is grossly overrated nowadays. You need to consider the entire spectrum and choose your best compromise. and IQ delivered in a tool is just a tiny subset in your entire photography journey.

There is just too many sacrifices in a high ISO-optimized sensor for a single area of superiority, unless you shoot high ISO handheld night scenes exclusively.

 

[rgy1993]

I don't agree with your point (in bold), because it seems that Nikon and Canon DSLRs don't compete head-to-head.
The D90 and 50D are not quite the same animal.
In fact, I've seen many posts about how the 50D seems to compete more with the D300.
I would say that the same thing goes for the 500D vs D5000.

nah if you think about it nikon and canon have counterparts for pretty much every level of camera..


D3x | 1Ds mkIII
D3s | 1D mkIV
D700 | 5d mkII
D300 | 7D
D90 | 50D/40D
D5000 | 500D/450D
D3000 | 1000D

all its about is choosing which one of those 2 brands you want to go with... honestly though nowadays their pretty much the same...

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

nah if you think about it nikon and canon have counterparts for pretty much every level of camera..


D3x | 1Ds mkIII
D3s | 1D mkIV
D700 | 5d mkII
D300 | 7D
D90 | 50D/40D
D5000 | 500D/450D
D3000 | 1000D

all its about is choosing which one of those 2 brands you want to go with... honestly though nowadays their pretty much the same...

I would naturally compare them this way, but many people seem to disagree on comparing cameras like D700 vs 5DII, D90 vs 50D directly.

For someone requiring very high megapixel count, the D700 wouldn't factor into a comparison with 5DII.
I think burst rate of 1DsIII vs D3X also not a direct fight.
I think 50D has features encroaching on that of the D300 (particularly the weather-sealing and materials used in construction).

so there you have it...

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

Basically the whole entry-level crowd is after high ISO performance, but don't realise high ISO-optimized sensors that operate from base ISO 200 onwards don't perform as well at their base ISOs, compared to older bodies or newer ones that adopt traditional methods. I would not encourage a new DSLR owner to write off those cameras that don't perform as well at high ISO.

At base ISO image quality lacks in these high ISO optimized sensors in terms of shadows, contrast, sharpness, color (i'm not talking about pushed jpeg processing in-camera) due to hard signal filtering & other sensor internal architecture that I do not know.

If you are one who expects quality images, high ISO is nothing but 1 subset of IQ, and is grossly overrated nowadays. You need to consider the entire spectrum and choose your best compromise. and IQ delivered in a tool is just a tiny subset in your entire photography journey.

There is just too many sacrifices in a high ISO-optimized sensor for a single area of superiority, unless you shoot high ISO handheld night scenes exclusively.

thanks for sharing this info! :thumbsup: Any article you could point me to where I could read up more on this topic?

 

[sheldon22]

nah if you think about it nikon and canon have counterparts for pretty much every level of camera..


D3x | 1Ds mkIII
D3s | 1D mkIV
D700 | 5d mkII
D300 | 7D
D90 | 50D/40D
D5000 | 500D/450D
D3000 | 1000D

all its about is choosing which one of those 2 brands you want to go with... honestly though nowadays their pretty much the same...

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
By their technical specifications, they’re not exactly in the same class, but they’re close. Both cameras (D90/50D) are aimed at the advanced amateur photography.


:gbounce:

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
By their technical specifications, they’re not exactly in the same class, but they’re close. Both cameras (D90/50D) are aimed at the advanced amateur photography.


:gbounce:

Yeah, I'd agree with you on that

 

[Farisbmx]

Nikon D40 or D40X best choice for beginners!

 

[creampuff]

http://www.camera-pentax.jp/k-x/

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

looks good!
though I'm not a fan of the bright colours... hahahaha

 

[creampuff]

looks good!
though I'm not a fan of the bright colours... hahahaha

It's not just the a one trick pony with the different body colours.
The high ISO performance and clean image quality is fantastic.
Do a search online and you'll be amazed by how good the image quality is, especially when pushed at high ISO in falling light. The video is pretty good too.

 

[southadam]

http://www.camera-pentax.jp/k-x/

Agreed. just buy one and start. i just bought. good camera & handy.

 

[Hellrealm]

skill does matter, not gear keke. if possible get the best in the level thats affordable to yourself, because once buying it, chances are u gotta stick to it for years~

have fun searching!

 

[roque]

Since you are unfamiliar with abbreviations such as AF, I presume you are new to photography. In that case I would suggest you buy an entry-level DSLR.

Given your stated preference is Canon, I would recommend the EOS 1000D. It is also the smallest and lightest (approximately 500g) DSLR from Canon so it should suit your needs very well. There are many other Canon DSLRs (450D, 500D) of similar weight and size but are more costly.

If you are unfamiliar with the abbreviations, I suggest you take note of them and post them here, I'm sure the other members will be more than happy to explain them to you as simply as possible.

You don't have to know all the abbreviations before you purchase a DSLR. Til today, I am still learning what some of them mean. Like someone stated earlier, you'll learn about them much faster as you handle the camera.

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

It's not just the a one trick pony with the different body colours.
The high ISO performance and clean image quality is fantastic.
Do a search online and you'll be amazed by how good the image quality is, especially when pushed at high ISO in falling light. The video is pretty good too.

I didn't say it was a one-trick pony! I meant "it looks good" as in, it looks like a good buy.
I'm not a fan of the bright colours though. IF I were to get one, it'd be in boring black.

Agreed. just buy one and start. i just bought. good camera & handy.

No top LCD, which I'd miss very much.

 

[gerigoh]

Hey all! I am still indecisive about which ENTRY LEVEL cameras to choose from..
I hope to hear more and would be renting once i've decide afew options.

I'm not in a rush to get it now. i'll take my time to decide until i get my details right..

Thanks everyone again for the information provided! It's a great help!