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Planning to buy a Dslr? :)

Today Nikon and Canon (together they have more than 50% of the DSLR-SLR market between them) lenses are about the same price. There are exceptions ofcourse but in general most lenses from either manufacturer are very close in pricing.

very big lenses need inlens AF as the puny motors used in the smaller DSLR bodies cant driven them fast enough. So if you use a 400/2.8 lens on a Canon 400D the 400/2.8 will AF fast enough if it did not have in-lens AF. I have used a 400/2.8 IS on a 400D and 40D and it worked better on the 40D. I suspect on a 1D body it would work even better - Rudra-da would be the best to comment here - he uses a 1D body (drooool).

The canon 400D worked well with the smaller 18-55IS and 55-250IS lenses though.

In short mate the body to the right "lens" - using a 1Ds with a 18-55 Is makes as little sense as using a 400/28IS on a 400D.

A good way to determine is this is compare the weights of the body and the lenses. The camera should feel balanced. A 40D with a 17-55IS seems balanaced to the eye and to the hand (with a BG2EN attached even more so). Similarly if you stick a 400/2.8 on the same body the body will look like a mere appendage at one end of the lens.

A little common sense goes a long way.

I guess it works pretty well, this was a low light difficult shot.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/1582903-post75.html from Starter's Gypsy thread :)

1. I'd prefer the Nikon 55-200VR or 70-300VR lens over the Sigma 70-300. Not that I have used either lenses on a Nikon body but personally I have not had very good expereicne with 3rd party lenses from Tamron or Sigma.

2. Start with the 2 zoom lens kit (18-55/55-250). Once you have a fair idea on which focal lengths you use most then get primes to cover these focal lenghts. Primes use less glass and are hence inherently sharper. GIven teh camera is a D5000 the lenses you can look at (in addition to the 2 zooms above) are the 35/1.8, 50/1.8, 60/2.8 Macro, 85/1.8, 135/2, etc..

3. APS-C DSLRs dont have many landscape options. TO take Landscapes you need a lens that is equivalent of 20mm (35mm equivalent) or smaller. That means on a APS-C sensor you need a you need 16mm or smaller lens. This only leaves the 10-24, 11-16, 12-24 etc.. One caeveat is that Tokina lenses work well with Nikon bodies (Tokina was started by ex-Nikon engineers) so the Tokina ATX-Pro series can prove to be a good option for Nikonians (speaking of which you should register on Nikonians.org as you will get much more information there). The Tokina 11-16/2.8 for example has recieved good reviews.

4. Before you do all that please also get yourself a good bag that can store and carry these lenses in safety and comfort. LowePro, Tamrac, Kata etc make nice bags. In Mumbai you can even get the ThinkTank and other 'exotic' bags.

Thanks Navin boss,

deciding suggestion from your side,

how much is the Cost Vs Quality compromise for 3rd Party lenses? Cost is very attractive in case of 3rd party.

Regarding Bag, I agree, will buy that before or together with toy.

Now, please help me identify if the body and lens are new and not refurbished. I am feeling bit scared for grey market. But the cost difference is too lucrative:

Grey : 33K
jjmehta : 47K
Retail Outlet : 52K

Navin - very helpful suggestions, thanks.

Is there any good wide-angle lens for Canon? Ive found that the 18-55 does not do low-light that well and does not capture enough on the frame (bit too narrow).

For APS-C Canon makes the 10-22/3.5-4.5 for full frame they make the 16-35/2.8. I have used the later on a 5D and on my 40D. For indoor, family-party photography this (the 16-35) is killer lens about the same weight as the 17-55/2.8 IS but noticebly sharper.

I've been planning for a while. Decided to take the plunge :) I was damn confused in which system to buy into. Can afford only entry level equipment but looking for most features available in the price range. I like the Olympus E620 for its features (not entry level), size and price (comparable to other entry level SLRs).

These three are the ones i'd prefer starting with. Where can i get the grey prices for these?
Oly E620
EOS450D/500D
D5000

@RKbharat - on bags - Buy aroma in a 500 bucks budget (looks quite decent), ginni in a 1000 bucks' budget, lowepro second hand (often in palika) in 2k budget. And if you go higher - sky's the limit!

btw, here's the homework you had to do:
Mythbusters: Is a Nikon really costlier compared to a Canon? - The Global Indian Photographer

:D

any help please:

Thanks man, but no second hand, I will prefer a low quality for now and then will pickup something on overseas trip.

If you are comparing features only Oly will offer you more bang for the buck that Canon and Nikon. Part of this reason is that the sensor used by Oly is slightly smaller and hence the lenses of equivalent quality are a little less expensive.

On the other hand Canon and Nikon have many more service centers than Oly and if you need service you might be limited with Oly. Canon I think has more service centers in India than Nikon (although I'm told the gap is closing).

For a beginner a 18-55/55-250 combo is a good place to start. Here I believe Canon trumps Nikon as it offers very good IS and a bit longer reach (Nikon's tele zoom maxes out at 200 I think). The Oly 14-42/40-150 combo should be cheaper (I would assume 20% cheaper given the size).

using B&H as a guide the Oly kit is available for $800
Olympus | E-System E-620 SLR Digital Camera with | 262162 | B&H
nikon D500 kit however sells for $1050
Nikon | D5000 Digital SLR Camera Kit with 18-55mm VR | 9700
Canon 450/500D system with the 18-55/55-250 IS zooms should run you about $800-1000.
ICADRXSIBK55 Canon Digital Rebel XSi SLR "Black" 2 Lens Kit with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Image Stabilizer Lens & EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS Image Stabilizer Lens
ICADRT1IK2 Canon EOS Rebel T1i EF-S Digital SLR Camera - Black - 2 Lens Kit - with 18-55mm IS & 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS

Look i personally think its a big deal to have inbody AF, since i like to buy/collect old lenses and having inbody AF means AF compatibility. Without inbody AF a huge list of fantastic lenses get cuts off. For example 50mm f1.8D, 135mm f2 DC, 28mm f1.4D these are some of the best lenses nikon ever produced.

To be honest, i feel D5000 lacks way too much and is not worth the price when you consider for just a little more you can get D90 which is so much more. Major things that i don`t like about D5000 is missing secondary LCD and in-body AF.

Well landscapes is a crazy field, some need UWA lenses like 14-24mm while some need 50mm while some need 300mm. So it changes with the spot. Portrait/kids/Daily, well 50mm and 85mm never disappoint me.


I was talking when AF systems were developed, means 1980`s.

Also to be honest, i don`t follow the point you are trying to make.

Focussing systems change with each body, more like actual programming for focussing systems change with each body and to be honest there`s quite a lot to it than just the system. There are quite a few things which need calibration.


1. Reason we call lenses a good or a bad COPY is because each lens IS a COPY of the original lens and varies. It can be a good or a bad copy. In Sigma`s department they have bad Quality Check system in place(if there is any) and its more like luck of draw. Otherwise Sigma has designed some of the best DSLR lenses available in the market.

2. I would rather suggest for him to get Nikon D90 + 18-105mmVR kit and 50mm f1.8. Also 50mm f1.8, 85mm f1.8, 135mm f2 DC won`t autofocus on D5000, they need in-body AF.

3. Like i said above, it depends alot on what classifies as landscape and range varies a lot. Some landscapes need UWA lens while other may require normal lens and some might require Telephoto. Biggest problem is everyone thinks of UWA lens as the lens that can be used to get everything in the picture as it angle of view is such wide. Problem is this is completely wrong thinking and pictures always come bland and lacking punch. UWA lenses need the photographer to get real close and i am less than 10inches of the subject and the pictures come out with a punch to knockout the viewer.

4. I agree, get a decent bag but no need to spend too much. Personally I prefer pelican and Lowepro but Nationalgeographic and kata are also very good.

Olympus kits can be had for cheaper and if one is going with olympus, rather go with Panasonic GH1. Its overall better camera, or better yet go with Pentax K7, everyone forgest Pentax made of the best SLR`s with Olympus being second best, Om and Praktica kits are still worth fair bit. Anyhow Pentax has the benefit that you will be able to use any lens every made for K mount. Pentax and Olympus have pretty much similar amount of support world wide. But Pentax has the biggest hand with LTD lenses which are simply amazing.

Also Nikon`s zoom has no limit since they are willing to develop anything you require. Nasa still uses Nikon and Nikon still sell 1200-1700mm lenses, on order though.

Sorry guys if i was rude anywhere. And if i was wrong please correct me.

Cheers

Not being familiar with Nkon's system I did not know the D5000 does not have in-body AF.

When I checked the B&H and Adorama websites I noticed that the K7 body alone will cost more than a D500/500D with both lenses but the D90 18-105 combo is very nice alternate.

RK,
1. What is your max budget in India?
2. What do you plan to shoot? Will you need to go as far as 200-300mm or will a 18-105 (27-160mm in film SLR terms) suffice?
3. Name the 3 most likely subjects? eg: animals in the wild, children at play, candid family party photos, theater stage/music concerts, etc..

RK, see it all depends on your needs. For example when I was choosing between the 70-200/4 and 70-300/4.5-5.6 IS I had to choose between the longer range of the 70-300 and the fact I could step down a stop or 2 using the IS or the sharper IQ of the 70-200. I chose the 70-300. So in the end it is always a matter of personal preference. Yes I could have added a 1.4x teleconverter to strech the 70-200 to 300mm but seriosuly when you are changing lenses on a DSLR in real time you dont have much time.

Another aspect to consider is that lenses do not loose value as fast as bodies. Hence it makes some sense to get better lenses and upgrade the body later. The older body can always be used as a spare.

not sure if there is a thread on this (if yes then would request Mods to pls. move the query to the correct thread).

What paper is used for printing photos the kind that we see in photo exhibitions mounted by pro/semi pro photographers?
Are paper types different for B/w and colour photographs?
I imagine the exhibition prints are done by people who specialise and not our local market photo shops?

There is million different answers to this. It all depends upon the need. You might need to print on Paper/Canvas/Vinyl/Plastic sheets. Then comes the selection due to print size/resolution/density/storage conditions etc.

What is that you want to achieve??