Looking for a amateur camera


note that the nikon D5000 does not have an internal focusing motor, which would mean that you will have to get AF-S lenses in order to enable autofocus on the D5000. which means you cant use the AF 50 1.8 on the D5000 but instead you would have to get a AF-S 50 1.4 G which costs much more. this might be a deal breaker for some.
 

Hello, I went to Co**ts to try out cameras. I actually went to read reviews and also consulted the salesperson and found out more about the cameras. I plan to get the A-33.

the sales guys was trying to get me to buy the D5000. Here it goes:
Salesman (S): the A-33 is not very good, why not try the D5000?
Me (M): why is it not good?
S: because it does not have a optical viewfinder and the auto-focus only focuses on the foreground. the images also get noisy if your ISO hits above 3200.
M: But the D5000 doesnt have in-body focus wad
S: yeah, but lenses you buy will come with auto-focus so you don't have to worry about that.
M; i later on went off, not to cabut from the salesman but i've seen wad i needed to.

It might seem very noob, but might i ask how would the lack of an optical viewfinder affect me?
 

Hello, I went to Co**ts to try out cameras. I actually went to read reviews and also consulted the salesperson and found out more about the cameras. I plan to get the A-33.

the sales guys was trying to get me to buy the D5000. Here it goes:
Salesman (S): the A-33 is not very good, why not try the D5000?
Me (M): why is it not good?
S: because it does not have a optical viewfinder and the auto-focus only focuses on the foreground. the images also get noisy if your ISO hits above 3200.
M: But the D5000 doesnt have in-body focus wad
S: yeah, but lenses you buy will come with auto-focus so you don't have to worry about that.
M; i later on went off, not to cabut from the salesman but i've seen wad i needed to.

It might seem very noob, but might i ask how would the lack of an optical viewfinder affect me?
as many have said, don't trust camera salesmen too much :)

as to whether the lack of an optical viewfinder will affect you, it can be a positive or negative thing. Not having the optical viewfinder helps the camera to be smaller.
However I still prefer having an optical viewfinder. It's really down to your personal preference.
 

It might seem very noob, but might i ask how would the lack of an optical viewfinder affect me?

It affects me personally because my eye have a much better dynamic range than any sensor or evf. So when composing in very challenging lighting situations (very dark, or into the sun, or high contast scenes) I can still see and compose properly.

This is in addition to the other benefits an ovf gives me, like focusing screen for mf and much longer battery life.

But in the end it really depends on your needs and preference.
 

Last edited:
Hello, I went to Co**ts to try out cameras. I actually went to read reviews and also consulted the salesperson and found out more about the cameras. I plan to get the A-33.

the sales guys was trying to get me to buy the D5000. Here it goes:
Salesman (S): the A-33 is not very good, why not try the D5000?
Me (M): why is it not good?
S: because it does not have a optical viewfinder and the auto-focus only focuses on the foreground. the images also get noisy if your ISO hits above 3200.
M: But the D5000 doesnt have in-body focus wad
S: yeah, but lenses you buy will come with auto-focus so you don't have to worry about that.
M; i later on went off, not to cabut from the salesman but i've seen wad i needed to.

It might seem very noob, but might i ask how would the lack of an optical viewfinder affect me?

1. The salesman obviously doesn't know very much, nor does he know the D5000 uses an older generation of sony sensors. It's noisier than the A33, so if he claims you're not going to see noise on the D5000 at ISO3200, he's lying.
2. read the review links I posted for you earlier. In one of them, it's a real-world review of a photographer whos used to using the OVF and now tried the EVF on the new sony cameras.

FYI, it was in post 15:
http://www.thistonybridge.com/2010/12/09/the-sony-slt-a55-a-review-whats-not-to-like
 

It affects me personally because my eye have a much better dynamic range than any sensor or evf. So when composing in very challenging lighting situations (very dark, or into the sun, or high contast scenes) I can still see and compose properly.

True, but on the other hand, it also means that what you see with your eye is not necessarily what the sensor will capture. An EVF will be more accurate in that sense.
 

he sounded like he's trying to smoke me.. hahaha

i tried taking a couple of photos and the photos got noisy at ISO 1600. But i thought usually wont hit that level of ISO..
 

he sounded like he's trying to smoke me.. hahaha

i tried taking a couple of photos and the photos got noisy at ISO 1600. But i thought usually wont hit that level of ISO..

You would easily have gotten same or even more noise on the D5000. So yes, he was trying to smoke you and sell you the camera that gives him the higher commission.
 

True, but on the other hand, it also means that what you see with your eye is not necessarily what the sensor will capture. An EVF will be more accurate in that sense.

In some situations seeing what the eye sees is a lot more important than seeing what will be captured. I mentioned a few of those situations in my post above. As a landscape photographer it is important to see with the eye first. Skill and experience will tell us what will the the captured picture look like. And even if we want to double check, there is live view and image review.

IMHO the only real advantages of evf is
1. Do away with the mirror box and prisms to reduce size,
2. For vf for video recording.

Which is better really depends on the needs of the user. For me as a landscape person ovf is the only way to go.
 

Last edited:
I suppose for me it doesnt really matter, the viewfinder that is.

For Sony, is there such a thing called night lens or would the kit lens suffice? I was thinking of bring my would-be new dslr out during xmas eve to snap some shots of the celebration and xmas lighting.

How shall I go upon doing that? bigger aperture and slower shutter speed?
 

oh i noticed there are a few threads on night photography already. i shall go and read it up.
 

How about Canon 550D. It is for entry Level. Me too just started into DSLR Cam. I'm using it now. The feature is very user friendly. You might want to consider. :D
 

How about Canon 550D. It is for entry Level. Me too just started into DSLR Cam. I'm using it now. The feature is very user friendly. You might want to consider. :D

How you pass your exams? Do you never read instructions? Read the TS' requirements in the first posting carefully ... your suggestion is out of the window.
 

How you pass your exams? Do you never read instructions? Read the TS' requirements in the first posting carefully ... your suggestion is out of the window.
hehehe I wonder how far he got after starting INTO DSLR cam. Maybe dismantled the outer body already.
 

How about Canon 550D. It is for entry Level. Me too just started into DSLR Cam. I'm using it now. The feature is very user friendly. You might want to consider. :D

Bang for buck it falls short.
 

1. The salesman obviously doesn't know very much, nor does he know the D5000 uses an older generation of sony sensors. It's noisier than the A33, so if he claims you're not going to see noise on the D5000 at ISO3200, he's lying.
2. read the review links I posted for you earlier. In one of them, it's a real-world review of a photographer whos used to using the OVF and now tried the EVF on the new sony cameras.

FYI, it was in post 15:
http://www.thistonybridge.com/2010/12/09/the-sony-slt-a55-a-review-whats-not-to-like

Not true. The D5000 has better signal to noise ratio. You can check dxomark website for confirmation. D5000 has better signal to noise throughout the range of ISOs.

Please confirm statements before you post. Don't put down cameras without justification.

http://dxomark.com/index.php/en/Cam.../587|0/(onglet)/0/(brand)/Sony/(brand2)/Nikon
 

if i may ask, why will a newbie want jump straight into a DSLR for starting gear?

I made that same mistake when I jumped right into photography with the Samsung NX10 EVIL...and ended up not being able to utlize its capabilities properly. Now, I take most of my photographs with a Fujifilm HS10 superzoom bridge camera instead of the NX10, which has been relegated for use only in event photography. -.-;;
 

Not true. The D5000 has better signal to noise ratio. You can check dxomark website for confirmation. D5000 has better signal to noise throughout the range of ISOs.

Please confirm statements before you post. Don't put down cameras without justification.

http://dxomark.com/index.php/en/Cam.../587|0/(onglet)/0/(brand)/Sony/(brand2)/Nikon

You cannot base everything off of the SnR ratios you see on DXOMark. Remember, the way each manufacturer handles the noise differs as well. Yes, believe it or not, there's more out there than just DXOMark SnR numbers. I know it's a shock that people actually can take pictures rather than relying on one website's circuit-level numbers. You can see actual comparison images on sites like DPR:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonyslta55/page16.asp

Also, consider that different manufacturers treat noise differently, and different RAW converters treat cameras differently and process images differently.

The older-generation sony sensor in the D5000 (based on the A500 sensor) is noisier than the newer-generation CMOS in the A55.

FYI, your link compared the A33. If you compared the A55, it's a different story.

I never put down cameras without justification. If you think that, you don't know me, or are just a nikon fanboi.
 

Back
Top