Team-BHP - The DSLR Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by vvnagan (Post 1206498)

Hi all,

I am planning on taking the plunge into the money pit called the DSLR!
I will most probably ask one of my relatives to get it from the US. So a few pointers to online stores would be very helpful. I did search on Google but am still in a fix.

Any help will be greatly appreciated. :)

I bought my Pentax K200D and a Tamron 70-300 from Amazon using my Indian CC. B&H is obviously a very reputed store but I haven't come across the best prices there! Depends on what you are looking for!

BTW guys, I finally got a teeny Sansung L210 for £75 - not a bad deal for a compact (about the size of a deck of cards) camera with Optical IS and a few manual controls as well. Will play around with it and post some test images soon! :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by harjeev (Post 1205141)

Also is anyone can explain Does Canon launch an upgrade each year like 450D for the 400 D and 50D for the 40D.
If they do then I would like to wait for an upgrade to come and then buy the Camera which is being phased out, as I might get it much cheaper than the prices being quoted now.

Hello Harjeev, Well no Canon doesn't always launch upgrades like they did this time. It's because of the mounting pressure from Nikon with their new models they had to do this time. Otherwise, it usually takes about a year and half to two years to do so. If you are very serious about photography then I'd suggest you to go for a 40D for now and then maybe someday upgrade to a full frame later on. But, for now if you just need a DSLR to bring up the bar on your photography then go ahead with a DSLR like 450D. The XXD series of Canon like the 40D/50D are semi-pro camera's and are not really meant for amateurs. They are for those who demand that extra punch. It's more logical for someone to start with a base model and then upgrade than buying an expensive model right now and ending up with loosing interest in the hobby.

Quote:

Originally Posted by harjeev (Post 1205573)

So I guess that Ill wait till the end of the year for the launch and then evaluate my options whether to buy it from the states or from the Indian grey market like chandni chowk or palika bazar in Delhi.

For this I'd suggest you to go with Grey from Palika bazaar. Though you'll get lower prices if you buy from US. But, with electronics if something goes wrong you will end up in a soup as Canon doesn't honor US bought items under Indian warranty and you'll have to get it serviced from US itself. Rather go with local grey and they give you a 1yr service warranty. I've been using them for 2yrs now and very satisfied.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vvnagan (Post 1206498)

@ vvnagan

Well the same suggestion goes for you too for jumping into the DSLR bandwagon. But, I'd suggest you to stick with the big 2's of the DSLR world. Canon and Nikon. Don't go with Olympus/Sony/Pentax. Not, that they are not good. They are very good but later on when you would like to purchase more lenses you'd feel the pinch as the lenses of these camera's are not easily available and they cost a bomb. With Canon/Nikon it's not so and they are undoubtedly the champs of camera's. So, you can get into either camp without getting souped up. All the best.

Cheers,

Anirban.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NomadVagabond (Post 1212432)

Don't go with Olympus/Sony/Pentax. Not, that they are not good. They are very good but later on when you would like to purchase more lenses you'd feel the pinch as the lenses of these camera's are not easily available and they cost a bomb.

Well, I don't completely agree that Sony will burn a hole in the pocket while buying lenses. Lots of good quality second hand Minolta lenses are available for cheap for the Sony Alpha range. I bought a second hand 70-210 mm Minolta lens for my Alpha a couple of weeks back, from ebay. It costed me around $150 only. The new 70-210 mm lens from Sony is very costly though - $1700 or so.

All Minolta A mount lenses are compatible with Sony Alpha series. Reviews suggest that well maintained ones are either being equal or some even better in optical and build quality than the current Sony lenses.

Quote:

Originally Posted by clevermax (Post 1212562)

And, for those of you who think that Canon & Nikon and then comes the rest, here's something.

Alpha A 200 equals or outperforms Canon EOS 50D in all except low light ISO, at half the price.

Well, definitely Sony A 200 is a good camera. But, it's of a different class than that of Canon 50D. Here's a side by side comparison of the complete features of the two models in question. Digital Cameras Side-by-Side, 2 cameras: Digital Photography Review also check this link Sony Alpha DSLR-A200 Review: 22. Compared to...: Digital Photography Review While Sony A 200 is comparable with those of Canon 450D/Canon 1000D/Nikon D60 etc which all are entry level DSLR's. The advance features like more number of multiple shot capabilities, better AF points, larger on board buffer, faster shutter speeds, faster FPS etc do cost more. That's the reason Canon 50D is compared with a Nikon D300 and not with a Nikon D80/90.

Quote:

Originally Posted by clevermax (Post 1212544)

Lots of good quality second hand Minolta lenses are available for cheap for the Sony Alpha range. I bought a second hand 70-210 mm Minolta lens for my Alpha a couple of weeks back, from ebay. It costed me around $150 only. The new 70-210 mm lens from Sony is very costly though - $1700 or so.

All Minolta A mount lenses are compatible with Sony Alpha series. Reviews suggest that well maintained ones are either being equal or some even better in optical and build quality than the current Sony lenses.

Yes you are absolutely right in that segment too. But, what is the guarantee of the availability of such good second hand lenses all the time? You might not get your hands on a certain model when you need it. That's there with all second hand items. They are only available when someone wants to sell them not when you want to buy them. If that wasn't the case then I guess the market would've been swamped by Sony anyway which is not the case right now.

Regards,

Anirban.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sudipto-S-Team (Post 1187084)

I know a very senior professional photographer on this forum who once goofed up and almost ruined his camera while doing it. It had ultimately cost him upward of Rs 20k just to fix the camera back into action.

Well, that member happens to be me. Yes, it was traumatic enough to go through that. Especially before a large shoot.

Quote:

Originally Posted by reignofchaos (Post 1188000)

Not that big a deal. Cleaned the sensor on my old 350D many a times.

Not a big deal I agree if you don't go beyond 10/12 size for enlargements. No matter how much you clean, there are softer spots hidden all over an image. They become really visible while working on layers. A so called professional cleaning can't remove those marks also.

I believe one has to live with that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NomadVagabond (Post 1212432)

Thanks Aniban for taking the time to clear my doubts.
Well I'd say that I am serious about photography but again as an amateur and I am still in the learning process.
I upgraded last year to a Canon S5 from a point & Shoot Sony bought in 2002.
Further I have also started to experiment with the manual settings compared my earlier shooting styles which was always done in the auto mode.
So my idea is to first ascertain the limitations in the S5 and then migrate to a DSLR. This way I would know what I really want my camera to do, rather to just buy on a hunch.
And whenever I take the plunge, I do not want to invest in a very expensive body but will like to buy good lenses, which currently I have not idea about. :Frustrati

I believe that all lenses and be mounted in different cameras.
Like if I decided to go with Canon 450 D and buy a good quality lens,
so later whenever I upgrade, can I retain the lens or will have to buy new lenses.
I know its a foolish question, but I am a novice

Quote:

Originally Posted by harjeev (Post 1213658)

I believe that all lenses and be mounted in different cameras. Like if I decided to go with Canon 450 D and buy a good quality lens,
so later whenever I upgrade, can I retain the lens or will have to buy new lenses. I know its a foolish question, but I am a novice

Your most welcome Harjeev. Well yes with Canon if you buy any lens which is from their EF or EF-S series you can mount them on almost all their current models as well as future models. As, there's no such word as of now that Canon would change their mount again. I doubt that's going to happen anyway. All Canon users and Canon itself has done a huge investment in the current range of lenses.

All EF-S lenses are meant for the XXXD, XXD and XXXXD (1000D the sole model) as of now. While all EF lenses would work on all existing EOS models of Canon. No matter how old they are but they would work if it's an EOS system. So, that way you should invest in good lenses rather than a good body right away.

What I'd suggest is since you are already into Canon S5IS and already have used the manual modes. You'd be comfortable with something like a 450D. You can safely go ahead with it and then slowly build up your lens base.

All the best.

Regards,

Anirban.