[deky]

Originally Posted by srishiva

@deky, Sony dslrs are very good too. Only thing is the noise at high ISO. Sony uses noise reduction on the chip and is applied to raw images also as far as I know.

One more thing you need to consider is that you might be a newbie now but with practice would move higher. You seem to be in two minds about choosing the brand. If you can dispose the Minolta lens then go with Canon. You should be satisfied with your purchase (even if its a brand issue or the fact that most people use Canon or Nikon)

Originally Posted by jkdas

deky: pm clevermax. He uses one.

Tried his DSLR last week; didnt feel that user friendly. My opinion.

Thank you guys for the input, all I am concerned about at the moment is better picture quality in between the 2 brands. I am more inclined towards Canon now but only if I can dispose off my Minolta Lens otherwise this lens will be a total waste. If not then ill stick with Sony

As i mentioned i am totally new with DSLR's and havnt used any before so even if i go for sony ill get used to its features sooner or later. Here by noise you refering to the grains that come in the photograph on lower ISO, or is the noise of the shutter clicking? Sorry I am

Thanks again guys for answering my questions.

[androdev]

@deky You mentioned that you will mostly shoot family, landscapes and wildlife. my comments are based on Canon make but same applies to any other make. Also I am assuming that you are working with a tight budget.

family/protraits: any camera body would do justice. just get 50mm f.18 lens (Rs 4-5K canon/nikon) and it will take fantastic pictures.

landscape: again any camera body will do. however you need a 18-24mm range lens and good ones are not cheap.

wildlife: this requires a good camera body with better AF system and faster FPS. It also requires a telephoto lens and these are also expensive.

You must understand that good zooms are heavy and expensive. Fixed folcal lenses are cheaper and lighter but extremely inconvenient if you are on a holiday tour and you want to take family/landscape/wildlife in a single photo session.

So you have to decide what compromises you are willing to make :-)

[deky]

Originally Posted by androdev

@deky You mentioned that you will mostly shoot family, landscapes and wildlife. my comments are based on Canon make but same applies to any other make. Also I am assuming that you are working with a tight budget.

family/protraits: any camera body would do justice. just get 50mm f.18 lens (Rs 4-5K canon/nikon) and it will take fantastic pictures.

landscape: again any camera body will do. however you need a 18-24mm range lens and good ones are not cheap.

wildlife: this requires a good camera body with better AF system and faster FPS. It also requires a telephoto lens and these are also expensive.

You must understand that good zooms are heavy and expensive. Fixed folcal lenses are cheaper and lighter but extremely inconvenient if you are on a holiday tour and you want to take family/landscape/wildlife in a single photo session.

So you have to decide what compromises you are willing to make :-)

Thanks, I really appreciate your comments and agree with you fully in what you say.

P&S cameras so far are serving my purpose absolutely fine, thats why I said I am in no hurry to buy a DSLR. But on the other hand I also feel that with The DSLR's camera catching up so fast the life of P&S cameras should be over soon, hence I felt it would be right time to invest in a basic DSLR (ofcourse budget permitting)

So the idea is to dispose of the P&S with the SLR while the price is still better than what it will be 2 years down the line and invest in a basic DSLR.

[given2fly]

Whoa Buddy, I have a inkling that while your feelings for a DSLR is genuinely true, your budget might keep you from exploring this avenue to the fullest (but I might be wrong). The requirements are at 2 different ends and to give you a slight idea of your probable expenses, a canon 70-200/300 starts from about 500+ $. For wild life, people prefer 300/400 mm Prime lenses (Read fixed length) and those are in thousands of dollars. Similarly, if you are looking to take portraits, 24-105 can set you back by again 1000 $. These are the absolute best in Zoom lenses (quality wise). Add another 500 for Camera Body only (Kit lens is not worth it).

Now at the same time, I have heard that powershot from Canon is also made of professional quality glass & their latest range is excellent for the price you pay for it. Give it a serious thought. You may not regret it in the end. I am telling you from experience (own a Canon 400D). But if you do, it is worth the jump. In the end, those pictures you take from it, will make your heart leap with joy.

Originally Posted by deky

Thanks, I really appreciate your comments and agree with you fully in what you say.

P&S cameras so far are serving my purpose absolutely fine, thats why I said I am in no hurry to buy a DSLR. But on the other hand I also feel that with The DSLR's camera catching up so fast the life of P&S cameras should be over soon, hence I felt it would be right time to invest in a basic DSLR (ofcourse budget permitting)

So the idea is to dispose of the P&S with the SLR while the price is still better than what it will be 2 years down the line and invest in a basic DSLR.

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by abhijitaparadh

One thing I realized after reading a lot of price comparisons here is that the US is THE best place to buy photography related equipment. All things are at least 25% cheaper

D300 DX body : USD 1450 = INR 69000
And you get decent deals on it, if you are prepared to wait for MLK day, President's day and of course thanksgiving !

Singapore is cheaper. For bodies and lenses.

[Rocky_Balboa]

Got myself a Rebel XSi aka 450D last week from Wolf Camera, Mountain View.
~$700 with 18-55 f3.5 IS kit lens, added a bag, UV filter and a 8GB SDHC card.

However, burnt a big hole in my friends pocket by urging him to buy Tamron 70-200 f2.8 lens with manfrotto 190x tripod with a matching manfrotto pan head socket.

[inder]

Had posted in the digital camera thread,but din't get any responses,hence posting in this thread.
As the title suggests,I am looking out for a camera with a budget of within 25k which can be extended by 2-3k.
I am not an avid photographer, but interested in learning and exploring newer techs. Hence I am confused between a high end prosumer (canon SX10 IS,Panny FZ28 etc) and an entry level DSLR (canon 1000D,Sony alpha 200 etc).
I have gone through most of the pages in this thread and the one on DSLR,and learnt quite a few things.One thing I want to know the std lense which you get with a DSLR,how good is it for normal photography, and how much does it zoom as in at what distance a subject can be clicked.
Once the DSLR vs prosumer battle is decided I will be confused which company and which model
And once that is decided I will be confused between grey and with bill purchase
So please get me out of this confusion.
PS: I have never used a DSLR,used a canon S3 IS though.Also should I post it in the DSLR thread also??
__________________

[deky]

On checking various sites, I am getting a sony alpha 200 dslr body from one of the US sites for about 280USD. I am just planning to buy the body as my older minolta lenses seem to be compatible with this.

Now the thing is I can ask my cousin in the states to pick for me, but how genuine are these sites, anyone used such sites like HERE
to buy any camera?

Whats one year limited warranty? does it mean that the warranty will not be valid in India?

Hope these sites dont take it from some Indian grey shops and sell used refurbished cameras?

[jaibir]

for camera stuff, bhphotovideo.com, adorama and amazon are reputable stores. for others, check their reputation on resellerratings.com . there are a lot of scams where they dont send you the full kit etc so be careful about what site you deal with.

[quickdraw]

Originally Posted by inder

Had posted in the digital camera thread,but din't get any responses,hence posting in this thread.
As the title suggests,I am looking out for a camera with a budget of within 25k which can be extended by 2-3k.
I am not an avid photographer, but interested in learning and exploring newer techs. Hence I am confused between a high end prosumer (canon SX10 IS,Panny FZ28 etc) and an entry level DSLR (canon 1000D,Sony alpha 200 etc).
I have gone through most of the pages in this thread and the one on DSLR,and learnt quite a few things.One thing I want to know the std lense which you get with a DSLR,how good is it for normal photography, and how much does it zoom as in at what distance a subject can be clicked.
Once the DSLR vs prosumer battle is decided I will be confused which company and which model
And once that is decided I will be confused between grey and with bill purchase
So please get me out of this confusion.
PS: I have never used a DSLR,used a canon S3 IS though.Also should I post it in the DSLR thread also??
__________________

I personally think you should go in for a canon 400D or maybe a Nikon D40 the latter can be had for less then 17k brand new in the grey market. Dont go in for Sony as they arnt that popular and it would be hard to find help incase something goes wrong.

[given2fly]

I will advice you to read last 2 pages which did include discussion on the same topic (DSLR within 30k). Still, in case you don't like going through the pages, it is not one size fits all like the case is with Tele-Zoom Prosumers like Panasonic FZ-28, Canon S5 or so on. My bet for your requirements will be either FZ-28 from Panasonic or Canon S5 or something on the similar lines. Canon Powershot series uses Professional quality glass so you may prefer owning a Canon. However, Panasonic is doing excellent with its FZ-28. So give both a try at your local dealer and order it in India or get it from US if you have contacts. You won't regret buy either.

Coming back to the point of DSLR, I will suggest unlocking your potential through Prosumers as you are still learning. DSLR mean commitment and a lot of continuing expenses. The story doesn't end with the body buy only. So be careful and let us know whatever you buy in the end. Happy buying!

Originally Posted by inder

Had posted in the digital camera thread,but din't get any responses,hence posting in this thread.
As the title suggests,I am looking out for a camera with a budget of within 25k which can be extended by 2-3k.
I am not an avid photographer, but interested in learning and exploring newer techs. Hence I am confused between a high end prosumer (canon SX10 IS,Panny FZ28 etc) and an entry level DSLR (canon 1000D,Sony alpha 200 etc).
I have gone through most of the pages in this thread and the one on DSLR,and learnt quite a few things.One thing I want to know the std lense which you get with a DSLR,how good is it for normal photography, and how much does it zoom as in at what distance a subject can be clicked.
Once the DSLR vs prosumer battle is decided I will be confused which company and which model
And once that is decided I will be confused between grey and with bill purchase
So please get me out of this confusion.
PS: I have never used a DSLR,used a canon S3 IS though.Also should I post it in the DSLR thread also??
__________________

[deky]

Originally Posted by quickdraw

Dont go in for Sony as they arnt that popular and it would be hard to find help incase something goes wrong.

By God!! You had to come in and say this when I was on the brink of bying A Sony. Now I am again confused

[tsk1979]

In the low end sony is not really a very good choice. The A700 is great, but the A250/350 etc., are not very good esp at high ISO.

[Jaggu]

Have been contemplating on picking up a DSLR, am a newbie to this stuff and yesterday checked out Canon 450 but the price tag at the shop was too big for me 42 grand :P Then i went to another shop and checked and he said D 1000 is available at 32 grand with 2GB card. These are B&W prices and am ok with Grey also.

Hows the D 1000 model, am looking for VFM stuff dont think i will be upgrading to a pro set up anytime soon. Some travel and family photography thats all. Thought of waiting for sometime and speaking to Rudra before i jump in.

Meanwhile what are the other options like Nikon D40?? and any idea of grey market prices in BLR right now for your recommendations?

EDIT: am reading up last 2 pages after this, meanwhile grey market price pointers will be helpful.

[RufRoc]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Meanwhile what are the other options like Nikon D40?? and any idea of grey market prices in BLR right now for your recommendations?
EDIT: am reading up last 2 pages after this, meanwhile grey market price pointers will be helpful.

Jaggu, the Canon EOS 450D in grey (with a 2GB Card and other accessories) would be around 35K. In this price range you can also check out the Nikon D80 (maybe around 5K more but good value considering it's been around for a while), a few months back I know someone who picked this up for 42K. The Nikon D90 would be around 54K (grey). These prices are a few months old, so others out here would be able to guide you better.

I think Jayesh (FotoCircle) would come highly recommended out here.