[gd1418]

The name of the shop is Pritam Studio in Chandni Chowk, Near Gauri Shankar Mandir. I've been shopping with him since '82.

Name: Rajinder Singh
Cell: 9810226420

Contact/Speak to him with my reference. And don't forget to add my commission...

Gurudutt

Originally Posted by TheBeastFieast

4.) Without Bill: Chandni chowk would be ideal location, but i dont know any dealer and dont have any reference. I dont know what should be the price.

Could the members please help me in fixing the place from where I should buy it. What could be the expected price without bill. Any pointers / reference would be highly appreciated.

[amitk26]

.

Originally Posted by joshguy

Even my seller suggested to have a filter ,but it was given free of cost to me

It is called kenko,dont know if it is a quality one and dont know its use also.seller told it id better to have so that dust and water can be cleaned very easy if its on filter than lens

If it is real kenko it is same as hoya kenko and hoya brand are owned by same company
There are three qualities
1. Hoya. Green or kenko uncoated and made in phillipiens no better then any other glass filter but hoya brand command premium
2. Hoya. Hmc or kenko mc
Multicoated filters made in phillipiens, I have hoya hmc and it does not cause flare
3. Hoya / kenko pro 1d very thin and multi coated most expensive. These filters are made in Japan.
If you can get genuine kenko 2 or3 buy it as it is substantially cheaper then hoya,IMHO hoya hmc is optimal for hobbyist, non coated joys or kenko do not make sense you can buy maurami or sonya and save money

[joshguy]

@ thebeastfiest - I would suggest you to buy @ croma as you get a tripod free and EMI too

@amitk26 - going by your post i guess mine is a plain protective filter.It had flare in the photos which i took yesterday and the photo which i took before that (friday) didnt have them

[arunsasi]

Originally Posted by amitk26

.

If it is real kenko it is same as hoya kenko and hoya brand are owned by same company

I have used kenko extension tubes and hoya CP filters for many years now and they are of good quality and filters are value for money

[amitoj]

Guys, hows the Sigma 150-500 APO OS etc etc for Canon 450D ?
I've read a few reviews online and people are calling it the poor man's 100-400 L, so it has my full attention.

[shajufx]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Guys, hows the Sigma 150-500 APO OS etc etc for Canon 450D ?....

I have 3 friends who are using the same on canon bodies, very happy with what they get for that price ! Its soft above 400 on the field, I dont know what the reviews say about it. Expect very bad images if the natural light is poor. Its better to remain in the bag before sunrise and after sunset. Overall, bang for the buck !

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by amitk26

A low budget setup need not be low performance setup always.
Also I assume this 20K is your initial budget for first 2 years but over a long ownership period lets say 5 years you will invest more in buying lenses which you would like to retain and reuse if you upgrade your body after 4-5 years.
...

Again No flames please

Any reasons for not including Nikon in the scene?

1. For one: most of the photographers I find - they seem to be using Nikon cams.
Doesn't it mean more "used" lens availability in India? (Things might be different in the US where everyone may own Canon)

2. Where will you get used Canon (or for that matter even Nikkor) lenses. I think I asked this earlier, but it went unanswered. Is there any standard market for 2nd hand lenses/cam in India? (answer might be something like an established shop like JJMehta and sons, Bombay - but I don't know for sure)

3. Manual focus on Canon. Again where will you get these lenses? Most of the places I find EF and EF-S lenses only - which are pretty pricey - and that is the reason why Sigma and Tamron thrive. The less we talk about L series lenses the better (on price front). Besides, how will you mount these MF lenses? I suppose they are not EF mounts used on EOS.

4. Nikon lower end DSLRs don't have autofocus motor in their bodies - hence require motor to be present in lenses - like AF-S lens, rest have to be focussed manually. This is where Canon has an advantage - since all their lens (EF) come with AF motor.
But as per your recommendations about MF lens, I believe Nikon stand equal ground.

5. micro 4/3: When you talk about using older lens - are you talking about Zuikos used on Oly 4/3? Again where will you get those (used ones) in India? I am sure there would very few users of Oly 4/3 in India (and the less we talk about the micro 4/3 the better).

6. Split prism - I seriously believe that the camera makers have long forgotten the basic tenet of SLR - give control to the user's hand. Otherwise what would explain the disappearance of circle and prisms? I remember using those on very old film SLR as well as range-finders. Absolute joy to operate.
I believe the screen that you are talking about has to be procured from ebay or outside India, and manually installed.

7. Pentax? Are their any shops in India where you may get it serviced? Or if you wish to pick up new lenses - where will these be available.


Sorry if this is hogging the thread, but instead of a PM - I believe its better for the community to learn about these things.

[amitk26]

Originally Posted by alpha1

Any reasons for not including Nikon in the scene?

Two reasons.

1. Flange to focal plane distance : My post explained using manual primes which is quite possible on Canon, Pentax and micro 4/3 bodies.

Since Canon has good presence in India and it is APS-C it scores high over pentax APS-C and Micro 4/3

2. I am not a Nikon user and your post in this regard is value addition.

Originally Posted by alpha1

1. For one: most of the photographers I find - they seem to be using Nikon cams.
Doesn't it mean more "used" lens availability in India? (Things might be different in the US where everyone may own Canon)

Even if we assume everyone owns Canon in US it makes no difference because old Canon FD can not be used on Canon EOS body. If there are lots of old Nikkors in India you can mount them on Canon EOS using adapter.

How good and cheap the lens is the key question. On a Canon EOS body you can use Nikkor , M42 , OM so flexibility is more.

But my experience in finding good used Nikkors is not so good. If you look at professional photographers ( the kind of people who photograph for money not the hi-flying kinds ) in India they keep on using old lenses and discard them only if whole system goes out of the window. Secondly in good old days when money supply was tight they used to purchase bottom of pyramid stuff and not top of line.

It is another matter that if you offer some old owner to sell off his gear the human psychology of over valuation of old junk kicks in. One of my uncle used to have a Zenit Camera and I remembered seeing it in his hands when I was 7-8 years old. Uncle is no more in this world a few days back I was in my hometown and asked his daughter if they still have that camera and want to sell off the lens. She replied someone is offering a new Canon cam for that as start of bargain. I was aghast and did not offer any price :-)

Originally Posted by alpha1

3. Manual focus on Canon. Again where will you get these lenses? Most of the places I find EF and EF-S lenses only - which are pretty pricey - and that is the reason why Sigma and Tamron thrive. The less we talk about L series lenses the better (on price front). Besides, how will you mount these MF lenses? I suppose they are not EF mounts used on EOS.

Buy adapter on e-bay and wait till it arrives at your door step. This is what I did , the key point is adapter can be made for Canon bodies for most lenses except Canon FD and Minolta MD mounts.

Originally Posted by alpha1

4. Nikon lower end DSLRs don't have autofocus motor in their bodies - hence require motor to be present in lenses - like AF-S lens, rest have to be focussed manually. This is where Canon has an advantage - since all their lens (EF) come with AF motor.
But as per your recommendations about MF lens, I believe Nikon stand equal ground.

I bought a Takumar 50mm F1.4 for 120 US$ a similar quality used 1.4 AF lens is 3X of this cost.

So for a fraction of cost by sacrificing AF motor on Canon body I can have a system as good or better then low end Nikon without AF motor.

Originally Posted by alpha1

5. micro 4/3: When you talk about using older lens - are you talking about Zuikos used on Oly 4/3? Again where will you get those (used ones) in India? I am sure there would very few users of Oly 4/3 in India (and the less we talk about the micro 4/3 the better).

You need not restrict your self to India anymore in this age.

Originally Posted by alpha1

6. Split prism - I seriously believe that the camera makers have long forgotten the basic tenet of SLR - give control to the user's hand. Otherwise what would explain the disappearance of circle and prisms? I remember using those on very old film SLR as well as range-finders. Absolute joy to operate.
I believe the screen that you are talking about has to be procured from ebay or outside India, and manually installed.

Yes exactly , I considered it form my Canon 500D but discarded the idea as of now because the AF Confirm chip is doing good.

Originally Posted by alpha1

7. Pentax? Are their any shops in India where you may get it serviced? Or if you wish to pick up new lenses - where will these be available.

Sorry if this is hogging the thread, but instead of a PM - I believe its better for the community to learn about these things.

Well there are shops which offer basic paid services in India.
One is in HM Tower brigade road Bangalore , Any way if you have noticed in my recommendation Canon 1000D scores at the top due to service availability issue.

[DieselFan]

I do not understand why people make such a hue and cry about autofocus. I suggest trying Manual Focus. It is way better than Autofocus and once you are confortable with manual focus you will never even attempt autofocus. Most of the time I prefer manual focus to Auto Focus.

[alpha1]

^ Because humans beings are lazy, and we are working dedicatedly towards a life where we shall always lie in a womb like cocoon, and we'll have robots running everything.

OTOH - Autofocus is pretty fast when you need it for action.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by DieselFan

I do not understand why people make such a hue and cry about autofocus. I suggest trying Manual Focus. It is way better than Autofocus and once you are confortable with manual focus you will never even attempt autofocus. Most of the time I prefer manual focus to Auto Focus.

Next thing you will say why do we need TTL metering. Sunny 16 rocks...

[amitk26]

Originally Posted by DieselFan

I do not understand why people make such a hue and cry about autofocus. I suggest trying Manual Focus.

Focus Motor is absolutely must to shoot kids , pets and action , AF is available without motorized focusing as well and may not be that helpful.

[shajufx]

I find manual focus useful only when I shoot macros, all other time, auto focus is the way to go. There are 100s of moments you can just miss out by fiddling with the manual ring ! Life is a run, nobody has time to wait. If thats not the case, nobody would break their banks to get the quickest AF lenses. Take the manual lens to a wedding, a stage show, a kids event, a sports venue etc. I bet you will end up cursing everyone around

[raju2512]

Originally Posted by shajufx

Take the manual lens to a wedding, a stage show, a kids event, a sports venue etc. I bet you will end up cursing everyone around

Not really true. I was taught a trick on taking photos in a marriages / stages from around 3-5 meters. If you have a good flash, set the aperture to F8, shutter to 1/125 (doesn't really matter with flash), manually focus once and keep shooting. The depth of field will ensure that you get good pictures without having to worry about focus.

Auto focus is quite useful but a good photographer should have the ability focus manually. Last Sunday I went to the zoo to try out my new camera. All the enclosures had protective wire mesh, painted in bright green. The auto focus was kept focusing on the mesh and I had to use manual focus to get my shots.

[navin]

Originally Posted by raju2512

Last Sunday I went to the zoo to try out my new camera. All the enclosures had protective wire mesh, painted in bright green. The auto focus was kept focusing on the mesh and I had to use manual focus to get my shots.

which camera is this? I used a 40D at zoos and never had a problem. Usually when I am chasing kids and animals (ok family but some family behave like animals) I just stick to Program mode, drop ISO to 400 or so and shoot. This allows one to focus on getting the right experession than focusing (pun intended) on aperture, shutter, focus, etc...

One would argue that I should not use a SLR (DSLR) if I am not using manual controls but the DSLR gives me a big lens, no shutter lag, and a huge sensor (compared to a P&S) and that alone is worth the effort and expense.