What dslr to buy currently? (Buy by end Oct 2010)
- Thread starter johndoe2
- Start date
Since TS has narrow down the choice to D3100 and A55, maybe TS should bring his wife with him down to some of the shops and test out both first (when the D3100 had arrived). Then see which feel better.
Also to consider for later purchases would be:
1) External Flash
2) dry cabinet
3) lenses
Plus I believe both cameras have their own merit, not one brand is better than the other.
After reading through some of the threads by some member in CS, I sometime find the arguement quite funny, some of us like Canon, some of us like Nikon, some like Sony and some like Pendax and so on and so for, no need to argue till your hair all stand.
You may think Sony is the best thing that has ever happen in this world, he may not. You may think phase auto is great for videography, some would not. So what?
The main thing here is TS get the camera he want and enjoy shooting.
And how was that going to happen? It is for him to go down the shop with the second user of the camera (his wife) and test out those camera, feel for himself and finally choice which to buy. And after he buy it, no point arguing again saying, "You should have bought this or that."
Oh... one more thing, A55 is sexy, really pretty and produce good images. D3100 is new and spec wise, seemed extremely good...
So in short, both are great cameras, TS would not regret with whichever camera he chose...
Also to consider for later purchases would be:
1) External Flash
2) dry cabinet
3) lenses
Plus I believe both cameras have their own merit, not one brand is better than the other.
After reading through some of the threads by some member in CS, I sometime find the arguement quite funny, some of us like Canon, some of us like Nikon, some like Sony and some like Pendax and so on and so for, no need to argue till your hair all stand.
You may think Sony is the best thing that has ever happen in this world, he may not. You may think phase auto is great for videography, some would not. So what?
The main thing here is TS get the camera he want and enjoy shooting.
And how was that going to happen? It is for him to go down the shop with the second user of the camera (his wife) and test out those camera, feel for himself and finally choice which to buy. And after he buy it, no point arguing again saying, "You should have bought this or that."
Oh... one more thing, A55 is sexy, really pretty and produce good images. D3100 is new and spec wise, seemed extremely good...
So in short, both are great cameras, TS would not regret with whichever camera he chose...
Last edited:
Hmmm.... Since narrowed dwn already, go check n buy. Then start shooting, all these pondering is endless n u end up miserable. Use till ur skill so gd n u find ur needs no longer satisfied then think of upgrading. If not, only on impulse or just becos is buying for d trip n occasional shooting n end up as white elephants like sm of my friends does. Hwever gd yr camera is Also no point. Get a reputable dslr brand most r gd n start practice nw!!!! All words n no actions meant nothing.... The last thing We want to knw is u end up only using auto mode to shoot...well... To many dslr user that's d greatest disgrace. No offence
main thing is you must like the feel and grip.. no point getting a DSLR that has the specs that you want but you don't feel comfortable using it..
Highlighting some concerns i came across in this post.
The video link you had posted is beautifully done. which i came to expect from vimeo users. You are aware that vimeo is on a different spectrum compared to you tube right?
Even if i tried with the same equipment and location following his foot steps, it will definitely turn out different. This i know for a fact. cameras are to capture the moments, be it the mood, the light, atmosphere and the settings used to compliment the situation -white balance , iso , aperture and angle.
Even slight changes to any of the following above would give a different mood to it evoking a response to cry , laugh or buy that camera because the video is superb.
Similar response in facebook " the picture is great, i so want a DSLR" :think:
Any camera would do just fine . You should enjoy the moments . As for equipment suggestions on my part,
Nikon Canon Pentax Sony Olympus Leica etc ... They are all wonderful.:thumbsup:
Hi,
Where did u get that kind of price ? I asked ard and the lowest (for 550d kit2) is ard $1550-1600.
I too just browsing around and D90 seems to be quite good but then it is an older camera. Just lk all the above post, after browsing the net looking for reviews (I did not read that many tho), both cameras have their own plus-es and minus-es. So play around more before deciding.
cheers
Street price of A33 body $899, A55 $1150. however A55 with 18-250 cost only $1599 which is a super deal.
At $899, I don think there's any better camera than the A33. It already has the fastest live view of all systems (my office has nikon D90, and i loled at how slow its live view is), fastest autofocus in video (even faster than those $5-10k dslrs), and has 7fps, which is the 2nd fastest frame rate of all entry level dslr, losing only to the A55's 10fps.
For the A55 with 18-250mm bundle, its damn cheap. Just go and check how much money a 18-250mm cost...
Edit: just checked, seems like canon and nikon doesnt hv a 18-250mm lens. But they do hv a 18-200mm though. Canon's 18-200mm RRP $1299.
nikon's 18-200mm has a RRP of $1399...
Add the cost of the 18-200mm lens above to a canon and nikon body, then compare it to the A55+18-250mm bundle, then see the difference in price.
At $899, I don think there's any better camera than the A33. It already has the fastest live view of all systems (my office has nikon D90, and i loled at how slow its live view is), fastest autofocus in video (even faster than those $5-10k dslrs), and has 7fps, which is the 2nd fastest frame rate of all entry level dslr, losing only to the A55's 10fps.
For the A55 with 18-250mm bundle, its damn cheap. Just go and check how much money a 18-250mm cost...
Edit: just checked, seems like canon and nikon doesnt hv a 18-250mm lens. But they do hv a 18-200mm though. Canon's 18-200mm RRP $1299.
nikon's 18-200mm has a RRP of $1399...
Add the cost of the 18-200mm lens above to a canon and nikon body, then compare it to the A55+18-250mm bundle, then see the difference in price.
Last edited:
just read android17 bro's review on D3100 n a55 video focus.
seems to be a55's the winner, so far have yet to lay hands on one yet... :bheart:
anyone got good prices for a55+18-250 kit? or is 16105 a good choice?
p.s requires SAM for video taking right? which lens have SAM included?
seems to be a55's the winner, so far have yet to lay hands on one yet... :bheart:
anyone got good prices for a55+18-250 kit? or is 16105 a good choice?
p.s requires SAM for video taking right? which lens have SAM included?
Last edited:
My advise. Don't overanalyze.
Just go down to the stores and try out the cams. the answer will be clear.
Just go down to the stores and try out the cams. the answer will be clear.
finally got my hands to try out the a55.
grip is abit too small, probably more ideal for females, wife would like it.
(image in live view is wobbly (thank god for IS), hand shakes alot holding it due to grip. oh dear)
live view quality is great, evf is so-so with no improvement from a33.
image quality is good, not much diff from a33 from naked eye.
iso noise is well managed, af is fast.
startup, shutdown is fast, saving to memory is fast.
menu is alright, but requires alot of drill-in, personally prefers nikon.
weight is slightly heavier than a33, but felt better due to the extra weight.
video mode is fantastic, wife loved it too.
tried 3 lens, 18-55, 18-250, 16-105.
only 18-55 screw motor is slient enough not to be captured by the body mic.
more or less confirm a55 body, just left the lens issue.
advise bros?
grip is abit too small, probably more ideal for females, wife would like it.
(image in live view is wobbly (thank god for IS), hand shakes alot holding it due to grip. oh dear)
live view quality is great, evf is so-so with no improvement from a33.
image quality is good, not much diff from a33 from naked eye.
iso noise is well managed, af is fast.
startup, shutdown is fast, saving to memory is fast.
menu is alright, but requires alot of drill-in, personally prefers nikon.
weight is slightly heavier than a33, but felt better due to the extra weight.
video mode is fantastic, wife loved it too.
tried 3 lens, 18-55, 18-250, 16-105.
only 18-55 screw motor is slient enough not to be captured by the body mic.
more or less confirm a55 body, just left the lens issue.
advise bros?
Last edited:
Frankly, you listed quite a few quirks (I won't say they are cons).
Are you sure this is the right one?
Did you check high ISO NR with JPEG or RAW?
Most of the ok aspects are present in any other DSLR (except the video and LV)
You might want to try a few more cameras, unless you are totally sure that video overrides all other concerns.
Otherwise, just jump
Why not get the 18-250mm? Might not be the best lens out there, but I think optically it should be on par with the 18-55mm and it cover most zoom range across so you don't need upgrades anytime soon... the 250mm is a good range (short telephoto) that you can try shooting some wild life too.
When you have confident and your skill improved, you can then go on to get better lens.
When you have confident and your skill improved, you can then go on to get better lens.
for normal people who just shoots video casually, autofocus would be MUCH MUCH better than MF.
If I pass my mom/gf a D90 and ask them to take video, they will definitely screw up, cos they wont be able to focus properly. Infact i think if i were to try to explain how to manual focus with the D90, they would probably just pass it back to me and say "Aiya U go and record urself la! So troublesome!" :bsmilie:
But if I passed my them a A55 and ask them to take video, they would have no problems with it, even taking moving subjects. Just need to hold the camera and follow the subject, anyone can do it. I bet even my 5yrs old niece can do it just as well.
Just think of it. A55 will be much easier to use (in video) for all ur friends and ur family members, with such a fast AF.
Give them a camera with no AF video, or one that is incredible slow AF (which is as good as not having it IMO) and they will probably handle it badly, or even avoid using it.
Last edited:
I really think this incessant Sony hard-sell should be toned down...
If really this A55 is so much better than every other camera out there, there must be a lot of stupid people buying other brands of cameras, eh?
Nobody here is making any money out of the TS' purchase, so what gives...? chill man...
For what it's worth, my opinion is that the A55 is a very capable camera. But it's not the ONLY camera that should be on a DSLR buyer's shortlist is all I'm saying.
If really this A55 is so much better than every other camera out there, there must be a lot of stupid people buying other brands of cameras, eh?
Nobody here is making any money out of the TS' purchase, so what gives...? chill man...
For what it's worth, my opinion is that the A55 is a very capable camera. But it's not the ONLY camera that should be on a DSLR buyer's shortlist is all I'm saying.
And you are saying people who use MF and try to do video a little more creatively are NOT Normal? :bigeyes:
LOLActually for most of those people, there is video function in PnS too you know.
If one gets a SLT or DSLR for video, depth of field is one thing people want to get in their video. meaning, creative use of focusing to control point of interest, focus in focus out.... Want mom/gf to shoot video? PnS maybe your answer. In the end this argument is the same as how you would ask your mom/gf to shoot a picture of your using your DSLR.
BTW the post you quoted is so old already. I sort of gave up with the original person I was responding to. Why dig it up and flog the horse again?
Like what ZCA said, there is good and bad in every brand. Don't have to defend it like it is the holy grail. LOL. I'll rather wait to see what other brands have to offer in the next couple of months. Personally I am not that impressed with the A33/A55 so far that I would run out buy it and declare it is the best thing since sliced bread. Uh oh... I said it... cometh and smite me ye Sony locusts... But then again, in the end, it is the person behind the camera that makes most of the difference.
Last edited:
LOL :bsmilie:
I'm not saying sony is the solution for all.
Neither am I advertising for sony.
Nor am I a sony fanboy.
Nor do I think there's a single perfect camera in this world.
Its just that currently a55 fulfills most of my requirements.
My previous post did state several quiks that I didnt like about it, if we dig deeper we would probably find even more.
But at the end of the day, its whether the requirements outweighting the pros and cons.
e.g buy by end oct, which forces me to look for current available cameras, video modes, etc.
Yes, personally I would agree having control over the dof for video would be great.
But I dont think any mum/gf would able to pull it off easily.
I dont even think I would be able to do a great video in MF like the link i provided, it requires alot of experience to do it.
Seeing sony giving a new firmware for NEX cameras to give some manual control for video is heartening, but no news regarding a33/55?
Hopefully they would release the controls too, to make it a better product.
I think I would go with 18-250 for starters, since I have tried it and it seems to be a good walk around lens for me and the trip, and price discount is great.
Subsequently when I'm back in SG I can pick up the 50mm 1.8 and if the motor noise is too annoying I can decide later on to pick up the 18-55 SAM or 18-70 SAM if its out or if there are any newer lens with SAM.
Since both of these lens are relatively cheaper than 18-250. Right?
P.S does a55 have a battery grip? I might need one for better grip :cry:
I'm not saying sony is the solution for all.
Neither am I advertising for sony.
Nor am I a sony fanboy.
Nor do I think there's a single perfect camera in this world.
Its just that currently a55 fulfills most of my requirements.
My previous post did state several quiks that I didnt like about it, if we dig deeper we would probably find even more.
But at the end of the day, its whether the requirements outweighting the pros and cons.
e.g buy by end oct, which forces me to look for current available cameras, video modes, etc.
Yes, personally I would agree having control over the dof for video would be great.
But I dont think any mum/gf would able to pull it off easily.
I dont even think I would be able to do a great video in MF like the link i provided, it requires alot of experience to do it.
Seeing sony giving a new firmware for NEX cameras to give some manual control for video is heartening, but no news regarding a33/55?
Hopefully they would release the controls too, to make it a better product.
I think I would go with 18-250 for starters, since I have tried it and it seems to be a good walk around lens for me and the trip, and price discount is great.
Subsequently when I'm back in SG I can pick up the 50mm 1.8 and if the motor noise is too annoying I can decide later on to pick up the 18-55 SAM or 18-70 SAM if its out or if there are any newer lens with SAM.
Since both of these lens are relatively cheaper than 18-250. Right?
P.S does a55 have a battery grip? I might need one for better grip :cry:
