New to Photography + Suggestions for entry-level camera

[metallilan]

Eh good prices meh the site?

I went around asking casually and they were all under the price stated.

I still deciding between FZ5 and S2... Leaning towards S2 because it looks cooler, well IMO, but then the price difference is quite significant.. Hmm.

Owners of the two cameras wanna comment?

you're staring at a die-hard fz5 owner here...

well, if you can afford it, get the s2 with manual focusing. but i heard from a friend that they do not package the lens adaptor together with the box. so if you wanna add anything like at teleconverter or filter you need to purchase it separately. the fz5 has the lens adaptor + hood packaged together.

the only thing i don't really like abou the s2 is the battery, which is AA. aside from that the fz5 is matched to the s2.

but the thing about canon is they have lots of add-ons for their cameras. compacts and prosumers[notwithdstanding dslr, which already have alot] alike. but then again panasonic is gonna roll out new accesories for the prosumer line once the fz7 is out..so im hoping for that...

 

[blurrblurr]

But if were to really compare FZ5 really do give sharper images, maybe due to its leica lens. But it has noise problem when you pump up ISO.

 

[yanyewkay]

I owner of neither but hands on with both. S2 with long tele and IS can make it in bright day light. FZ-5..menus a bit i mean VERYuser-unfriendly.. output wise.. nothing to "woah" about.. good in brightly lit areas but low light cannot make it already.
both cannot make it at ISO 400 and above..
in low light scenarios, eg resturants, with the OIS / IS turned on, shutter speeds are shooting like 1/6 or so.. yes, IS/OIS helps with the hand held shots but make sure your subject stays perfectly still. otherwise you have sharp background but a motion blurred face.

If you looking at prosumer.. try the fujifilm S9500. Low light photography no problem.. shoot at ISO1600 and still get clean outputs.

Imagine shooting at ISO200 with the S2 or FZ5 with 1/6 shutter. At ISO1600 you'll be shooting at somthing like 1/50?

 

[yanyewkay]

you're staring at a die-hard fz5 owner here...

well, if you can afford it, get the s2 with manual focusing. but i heard from a friend that they do not package the lens adaptor together with the box. so if you wanna add anything like at teleconverter or filter you need to purchase it separately. the fz5 has the lens adaptor + hood packaged together.

the only thing i don't really like abou the s2 is the battery, which is AA. aside from that the fz5 is matched to the s2.

but the thing about canon is they have lots of add-ons for their cameras. compacts and prosumers[notwithdstanding dslr, which already have alot] alike. but then again panasonic is gonna roll out new accesories for the prosumer line once the fz7 is out..so im hoping for that...

S2 lens adaptor doesn't cost more than $20 from last i heard (~1yr ago)
AA batts are good when you travel and go flat on power. alkaline easily available..
but S9500 doesn't use AAs (IIRC)..

 

[daden]

If u are really cost conscious like you said before , it's better to decide how much u wanna spend for the cam only... price range of digital cam is really whoah... u could have a simple KODAK with less than $200 until the 'giant' Sony R1 (I think arnd $1500/1600)... not to mention entry level DSLR :sweatsm: , even I still drooled over them till now :lovegrin: coz can't lay my hands on 'em till now...

Cost conscious? Try 2nd hand prosumer, learn P,A,S,M... once you loved it and utilized it well, jumped to the dSLR (this time is up to you... which one that can bring more 'damage' to you... hahahahahaha...)... like what I'm doin rite now... really lovin it but still got some 'dreams' to look forward...

just my '25 Rupiahs'... :sweatsm:

 

[Breathe]

if i were u, i'd go for the d50......erm actually i think i am indeed going to get the d50. the KM5D is also viable i think.
anyway i've got the f11, and within only 2 months i started to feel its just...not enough.

 

[Snoweagle]

if i were u, i'd go for the d50......erm actually i think i am indeed going to get the d50. the KM5D is also viable i think.
anyway i've got the f11, and within only 2 months i started to feel its just...not enough.

I agree with u, last time when i bought my compact with full accessories and i thought it was enough but after some time i found it's not enough so i bought an SLR. Ever since then i've always been using my SLR even though it's a film one.

 

[metallilan]

i guess its all in the mindset. for me i prefer to use what i have. quite poor la me so can't afford anything else.

 

[yanyewkay]

if i were u, i'd go for the d50......erm actually i think i am indeed going to get the d50. the KM5D is also viable i think.
anyway i've got the f11, and within only 2 months i started to feel its just...not enough.

just 2 months and you feel you've out performed the camera's limitations? i think you might just be suffering from equipment envy..

You'll be in for a big surprise when you turn to the D50..

I started out as a poor student getting hand me downs. My first cam was a Canon A200 at a time when everyone was using 4-5mpix cam. It stuck with me for severval good years. I so wanted a SLR badly. This dream finally came through when I started working.. but now I'm back to a P&S (F11) and find I like it more than my DSLR. P&S Colours come out rich and saturated without the need to process. Portable, compact. With photography basics in mind, I was able to shoot properly with the F11 just as well as my SLR. I din't need big gear to boost my ego for me to shoot properly.

EDIT: of course, if you can afford it, by all means buy a SLR. It is really better built than a P&S and offers another kind of shooting experience

 

[Breathe]

what u say is true. partly it could be equipment envy, though i think "possibility to customize equipment" is more accurate (somewhat like playing with those mini racing cars). to be able to add little gadgets is somewhat exciting.

anyway, not to say i outperformed the camera or anything. rather, the problem is the inability to do some things in some situations. say for example, adjust both shutter and aperture. Or to add filters (especially polarising and ND). i find the non-variable flash output (both primary and slave, i sometimes use slave flash) to be inconvenient.

also, the more i learn about phototaking from web and books, and the more i find they dont apply to my F11, the more i feel inadequate. i'm particularly interested in portrait taking, and i think this is one area where a dslr is a must. although if i were to go on a trip (be it overseas or around singapore), i would most likely prefer the convenience of F11.

 

[nobu]

Hi,

Canon S2IS' prices are probably gonna drop soon because in May they're going to release S3IS, for the exact same price that S2IS is selling for at the moment...(at least, for the US; how that is possible, I don't know). If you liked it but the prices were too high right now, you might rethink in a few months.

Might be good to give us your max budget so we know what to work with though...

Cheers,
Nobu

PS: Once you figure out your price range, this site helped me a lot when I was choosing mine -> Jeff's Favorite Cameras (had some decent reviews, but of course it's in US$)

 

[lilboytoy]

Thanks for the replies.

So S3 is gonna be released soon with the same price-point as what S2 is right now? How accurate is this?

My budget is at most $800, but that's partly because I think anything more expensive than that is kinda overkill for a newb. I would prefer not to touch an SLR because I prefer my stuff to be digital, but DSLRs might be too expensive and advanced for me.

Well on the other hand I might outgrow the S2/FZ5 and then have to spend even more money on a DSLR.

 

[metallilan]

Thanks for the replies.

So S3 is gonna be released soon with the same price-point as what S2 is right now? How accurate is this?

My budget is at most $800, but that's partly because I think anything more expensive than that is kinda overkill for a newb. I would prefer not to touch an SLR because I prefer my stuff to be digital, but DSLRs might be too expensive and advanced for me.

Well on the other hand I might outgrow the S2/FZ5 and then have to spend even more money on a DSLR.

well yeah i suppose thats the dilemma thats faced by all who enter photography. i guess it depends on you now. you can take the 'short cut lane' and get a dslr at one shot, then slowly get the accesories for it. or you can be like me, take the 'long cut lane' by getting a prosumer cam then expanding it.

but in my case i doubt i can afford dslr cuz i will have to spend more on the lens + flash + etc. i'm not even rich neither i'm working...so i will probably only get one after NS and after i start working... not really in a hurry to get any advance gear.

my 2 cents.

notice: but i've seen a lot of teens/kids owning high end gear, so im not surprised they're rich after all...lol.

 

[mastermind]

New to photography? Get the Sony H1 which is very competitive with the FZ5 and S2. It comes with lens adaptor and hood, great image quality, spot-on auto focus, a solid lens cap with detector to check if you lens cap is on unlike the S2 and plenty of accessories to add on. Yes, people will tell you the memory stick is more expensive blah blah but the H1 camera is cheaper than the S2. If i'm not wrong, they are having a promotion for extra batteries and 512mb memory stick again @ 729.

Most important thing is, there is a huge support group for H1.. just check out the whitepaper to learn more on photography specifically catered to H1 and the reviews with comparison to FZ5 and S2 on dpreview. I think you will find the whitepaper useful to pick up some photography skills even if you decide to get a S2 or FZ5.

 

[lilboytoy]

New to photography? Get the Sony H1 which is very competitive with the FZ5 and S2. It comes with lens adaptor and hood, great image quality, spot-on auto focus, a solid lens cap with detector to check if you lens cap is on unlike the S2 and plenty of accessories to add on. Yes, people will tell you the memory stick is more expensive blah blah but the H1 camera is cheaper than the S2. If i'm not wrong, they are having a promotion for extra batteries and 512mb memory stick again @ 729.

Most important thing is, there is a huge support group for H1.. just check out the whitepaper to learn more on photography specifically catered to H1 and the reviews with comparison to FZ5 and S2 on dpreview. I think you will find the whitepaper useful to pick up some photography skills even if you decide to get a S2 or FZ5.

Alright will look into that... More choices :dunno:


Anyway, is there any site or number I can call to get prices for cameras? Camera Workshop seem to not stock certain models, and Bargain City's range is also rather limited and pricey.

 

[nobu]

Hi,

Let me clarify on the point about the S2IS and S3IS; the S3IS' first release price (which will be in May 2006) is the same as the S2IS' first release price, according to dcresource.com. Currently the S2IS is still also technically selling at that price at a couple of US online stores, but of course you can get lower deals elsewhere.

I've read in many threads that Cathay Photo (Peninsula Plaza; might jack up their prices a little but their service is pretty good), Alan Photo (Funan; talk to David for good service?), MS Color (Ang Mo Kio; may be cheaper?), and John 3:16 (Funan; talk to the son, Sam as his father tends to give higher prices?) being touted around a lot here, so a lot of people seem to go there for their services. Certainly, there will always be people who like to try to con unsuspecting buyers, so please do your research beforehand or ask for a quote and compare! (also look at this thread)

If your budget is around $800 max, I agree with the other gentleman: Sony H1 seems like a fair deal ($749 at Sony itself; the store itself may have promotion regarding the 512MB Memory Stick)...then you can upgrade with lens, tripod, etc if you're really into it.

Hope this helps!

Cheers,
Nobu

 

[mastermind]

Alright will look into that... More choices :dunno:


Anyway, is there any site or number I can call to get prices for cameras? Camera Workshop seem to not stock certain models, and Bargain City's range is also rather limited and pricey.

Check this out, H1 at $680 with the extra 512mb memory stick and spare batteries, you could get a tripod and still have money to spare..

 

[nobu]

Hi,
I was about to post about that here (since it's my post you've been linking to lol) but I've been having too much fun learning all the camera functions (using a normal AA while the rechargable charges for 12 hours (first charge)). It's very neat so far.

Cheers,
Nobu

 

[edlye]

H*rvey Norm*n is having a great deal on the [thread=180386]Olympus E-300[/thread]. It is at a great price-point for a 'budget' DSLR, the kit lens is a good performer, and the built-in dust buster keeps your sensor dust-free. If you get the fundamentals of basic photography right, image stabilisation will not be critical to you. Don't fall into the trap of equipment envy, or the B, B, B money pit and you'll find that the E-300 will be more than sufficient for you as a beginner. The E-300 is more than suffice and will see you through as a beginner and as a serious amateur.

I need suggestions for an entry-level camera for amateur shots. Cost is a significant factor because I don't really wish to spend much as I'm going to use the camera to hopefully pick up some serious photography.

 

[Hexlord]

H*rvey Norm*n is having a great deal on the [thread=180386]Olympus E-300[/thread]. It is at a great price-point for a 'budget' DSLR, the kit lens is a good performer, and the built-in dust buster keeps your sensor dust-free. If you get the fundamentals of basic photography right, image stabilisation will not be critical to you. Don't fall into the trap of equipment envy, or the B, B, B money pit and you'll find that the E-300 will be more than sufficient for you as a beginner. The E-300 is more than suffice and will see you through as a beginner and as a serious amateur.

Unfortunately the price is beyond his stated budget, but why not? I find it a good deal bah..