Recommendation for entry level DSLR

[donut88]

Trying to start a flame war bro? :bsmile:

No, bro.

Im just giving more options to TS. if I wan a flame war, I would have give nikon a bad name and promote another brand. But I didnt do it. I gave another 2 brands for TS to think about

 

[TWmilkteaTW]

Just buy 1 that you feel most comfortable with. End of the day, as long you are happy. Its all good.

In a nutshell, all brands out there produces good camera. Problem is, most of the time its the user that are not good enough but rather just rich enough to purchase. This is true story. :bsmilie:

 

[Rashkae]

If you like crop sensor buy any brands, but if one day you were going to venture full frame, try to choose a nikon or canon.

You can consider sony also heard they are coming out with mirrorless full frame, but their lens its not coming cheap (I think they are using zeiss lens)

Sony already has the A850 and A900 full frame cameras, and they can even use Minolta full frame lenses. Only some of the Sony lenses are Zeiss, they have a lot of affordable full frame lenses.

Also, with Pentax and Sony, image stablilization is built-in. So no need to buy special IS/VR lenses.

 

[Unagidon]

Sony already has the A850 and A900 full frame cameras, and they can even use Minolta full frame lenses. Only some of the Sony lenses are Zeiss, they have a lot of affordable full frame lenses.

Also, with Pentax and Sony, image stablilization is built-in. So no need to buy special IS/VR lenses.

.
Yeap I know that sony has full frame, that why i say he can consider sony. pentax i am not very sure whether they has full frame or not but they got medium format, i am sure olympus does not has one and was a bit lost when I wanted to upgrade(thats why nobody is recommending it i guess).

Anyway I think all camera are the same and accessories availability should also be considered when choosing a camera, rather than just looking for the best image sensor, the best function and become a body chaser.

 

[shaze]

SLT is not mirrorless. Read more before posting.




Right now the Pentax has the best noise performance of the lot. You need to read more. Also, "major" does not mean more reliable. For an example, Luminous Landscape took Canons, Nikons and Sonys to antarctica. Guess which one did not fail?





Better IQ in what sense? The Sony A65 (same sensor as the D3200) has better image quality from the reviews I could see. Also, at High ISO, the Pentax and A57 will be better.



Yes, we have them listed in the buyer's guides.

Thank you for pointing that out. I am a newbie, definitely have to read more.

Hi TS, like you I was looking at DSLR as well. I was deciding between the Pentax K30 and Sony A57. I have read around and did quite a bit of research before narrowing it down to these 2. Features wise, for entry level these 2 are the most value for money. Don't know why you said that the pentax is out of budget. K30 with kit is under 1000. K30 with 18-135 is 13xx. Sony A57 for a period of time they were giving away a free 50mm/1.8. Can try calling MS Color. Not sure if they still have the promo.

In the end I bought the OM-D, simply because I was able to get staff price, and it's just o so sexy.

Staff price?

how come pentax is out of your budget?
if you have budget for A57 and 600D.. you definitely can buy the new Pentax K30.. and you still have a little more change..
of coz unless you are looking at Pentax 645D :sweat:

Well, I am not sure of the price of pentax k30 kit 18-135 in Singapore yet, but if convert usd1000+ to sing, the cost will probably be at $1300+. If I go with the D3200, for kit 2 I was quoted $1160. Dunno if can push prices down a bit. When I was comparing pentax cams, I missed out the k30. Only compared the kr and kx. -_-

 

[shaze]

Just buy 1 that you feel most comfortable with. End of the day, as long you are happy. Its all good.

In a nutshell, all brands out there produces good camera. Problem is, most of the time its the user that are not good enough but rather just rich enough to purchase. This is true story. :bsmilie:

Well said! The best cam is the one with you right now...

 

[shaze]

As fellow newbie, my suggestion would be to get a second hand pentax k-x with 2 lenses 18 - 55 & 55 - 200 or 300, which would cost you less than $ 500, after you have done with it you can still sell it for about $ 300 - 400 ?
Save up the rest of the money for your next camera and it's accessories.

Why pentax k-x?

1. It's cheap
2. It's good enough for a newbie
3. It uses AA batteries instead of specialized model
4. just read the review to know more

Never tried buying second hand before for cameras. Is it worth the risks? The bns forum flooded with so many threads....

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

I was refering to something like this, notably the lack of AF on entry nikons with AF/AF-D lenses, not the physical incompatibility of the mount per se.

Nikon Lens Compatibility

Cheers

Anyway, most of the lenses released nowadays are AF-S, so it makes little to no difference to the average Nikon DSLR owner whether or not their camera has the in-built motor.... sure, there are still a lot of AF-D lenses out there, and some still in production, but realistically not many will buy one.
Perhaps the one that stands out is the AF 50mm f/1.8D, but there's a new kid in town, the AF-S 50/1.8G, and a lot of users have started picking that lens up instead.

 

[dennisc]

Why would anyone whose serious about photog even consider Samsung geez... no offence to the fan boys here, but from my personal experience of owning an nx20, after having my hands at Canon, Nikon, Pentax etc, I'd say it's like using a MIC ripoff of Iphone vs the real thing (comes with blurry pics, bad sound quality, bad programs, too).
Slow RAW write, lousy dr, slow AF, noisy, bla bla

 

[silvermoon1407]

Anyway, most of the lenses released nowadays are AF-S, so it makes little to no difference to the average Nikon DSLR owner whether or not their camera has the in-built motor.... sure, there are still a lot of AF-D lenses out there, and some still in production, but realistically not many will buy one.
Perhaps the one that stands out is the AF 50mm f/1.8D, but there's a new kid in town, the AF-S 50/1.8G, and a lot of users have started picking that lens up instead.

Ic... I'm not a Nikon user so I wasn't quite sure about these. Thanks for the headsup

 

[Btjan]

Never tried buying second hand before for cameras. Is it worth the risks? The bns forum flooded with so many threads....

I got mine from BnS : )
As good as a second hand can be.
There is always a risk associated with buying second hand electronic item, just do thorough check or else ask a friend who knows abit about cameras.

 

[Shahmatt]

Why would anyone whose serious about photog even consider Samsung geez... no offence to the fan boys here, but from my personal experience of owning an nx20, after having my hands at Canon, Nikon, Pentax etc, I'd say it's like using a MIC ripoff of Iphone vs the real thing (comes with blurry pics, bad sound quality, bad programs, too).
Slow RAW write, lousy dr, slow AF, noisy, bla bla

Strange! The camera is rated fairly well:

Samsung NX20 review | from TechRadar's expert reviews of Digital slrs/hybrids
Samsung NX20 Review | PhotographyBLOG
Samsung NX20 review: Hands-on | T3
Samsung NX20 Review | Compact Digital Cameras | CNET UK

Not sure about the new NX20 body, but I think the NX series primes are very nice - and relatively cheap given the competition.

 

[Shahmatt]

Deleted repeat post

 

[kei1309]

Strange! The camera is rated fairly well:

Samsung NX20 review | from TechRadar's expert reviews of Digital slrs/hybrids
Samsung NX20 Review | PhotographyBLOG
Samsung NX20 review: Hands-on | T3
Samsung NX20 Review | Compact Digital Cameras | CNET UK

Not sure about the new NX20 body, but I think the NX series primes are very nice - and relatively cheap given the competition.

so is every camera until put to the test in real-life.

but i'll give it to samsung for their nice lenses though :bsmilie:

 

[kei1309]

Strange! The camera is rated fairly well:

Samsung NX20 review | from TechRadar's expert reviews of Digital slrs/hybrids
Samsung NX20 Review | PhotographyBLOG
Samsung NX20 review: Hands-on | T3
Samsung NX20 Review | Compact Digital Cameras | CNET UK

Not sure about the new NX20 body, but I think the NX series primes are very nice - and relatively cheap given the competition.

so is every camera until put to the test in real-life.

but i'll give it to samsung for their nice lenses though :bsmilie:

 

[oceanpriest]

Why would anyone whose serious about photog even consider Samsung geez... no offence to the fan boys here, but from my personal experience of owning an nx20, after having my hands at Canon, Nikon, Pentax etc, I'd say it's like using a MIC ripoff of Iphone vs the real thing (comes with blurry pics, bad sound quality, bad programs, too).
Slow RAW write, lousy dr, slow AF, noisy, bla bla

those RAW file is very huge indeed, no wonder slow :bsmilie:
low light AF hunt alot too,
but the rest are quite ok, not that bad

Strange! The camera is rated fairly well:

Samsung NX20 review | from TechRadar's expert reviews of Digital slrs/hybrids
Samsung NX20 Review | PhotographyBLOG
Samsung NX20 review: Hands-on | T3
Samsung NX20 Review | Compact Digital Cameras | CNET UK

Not sure about the new NX20 body, but I think the NX series primes are very nice - and relatively cheap given the competition.

+1

those 16mm/20mm/30mm pancakes are adorable and affordable, they really know how to make small and decent lens.

the new NX1000 even got wifi, can upload pics on the spot
and can use phone as remote viewfinder. interesting...

[youtube]aHC10trGzDw[/youtube]

 

[oceanpriest]

Well, I am not sure of the price of pentax k30 kit 18-135 in Singapore yet, but if convert usd1000+ to sing, the cost will probably be at $1300+. If I go with the D3200, for kit 2 I was quoted $1160. Dunno if can push prices down a bit. When I was comparing pentax cams, I missed out the k30. Only compared the kr and kx. -_-

those k30 and 18-135, both are weather sealed, please add this to the calculation :bsmilie:

 

[pinholecam]

those k30 and 18-135, both are weather sealed, please add this to the calculation :bsmilie:

Plus 100% viewfinder, on-camera SR and lens focus motor.

 

[shaze]

those k30 and 18-135, both are weather sealed, please add this to the calculation :bsmilie:

Plus 100% viewfinder, on-camera SR and lens focus motor.

Well, from the comparisons, looks like the D3200 and K30 belongs to a totally different league. A lot of bros above mentioned that D5100 is very good, but after comparing with D3200, looks like both cameras are very similiar except for the flip screen and larger viewfinder that makes the most difference. Image quality seems comparable, so getting either would be the same?

 

[Shahmatt]

Well, from the comparisons, looks like the D3200 and K30 belongs to a totally different league. A lot of bros above mentioned that D5100 is very good, but after comparing with D3200, looks like both cameras are very similiar except for the flip screen and larger viewfinder that makes the most difference. Image quality seems comparable, so getting either would be the same?

All these cameras use APS-C sensors and since they are all very current I'm guessing you would not be able to perceive significant IQ differences.

Just get whichever is within your budget. Or focus on the lenses you would like to couple the body with.