[amitoj]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

amitoj, the 18-55IS breaks the tradition. Its a kit lens which actually can take very sharp images, and most reviewers have published rave reviews.
As for the second lens in the kit, if its 55-250Is, thats also an amazing lens for the price.
Right now for the budget shooter I recommend 4 classes
Ultra wide (Canon sigma or Tamron 10-22,10-20,12-24)
Wide (Canon 18-55IS)
Zoom(55-250IS or 70-300IS)
The 70-300Is is called the "hidden L" by reviewers and has an excellent image quality

Tanveer, the second kit lens is 75 - 300mm USM III. I dont know where they got this lens from. The official Canon India website lists EFS 18 - 200mm IS lens. Then there are some US websites that are listing a 55 - 200 mm IS lens as the second lens. They are all out to confuse me it seems.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Tanveer, the second kit lens is 75 - 300mm USM III. I dont know where they got this lens from. The official Canon India website lists EFS 18 - 200mm IS lens. Then there are some US websites that are listing a 55 - 200 mm IS lens as the second lens. They are all out to confuse me it seems.

75-300USM III costs around 6000rs, and this low price also means low image quality. I have this lens, and mostly use it when there is enough light to enable me to use F8-F11 sweet spot.
I would suggest not getting this lens

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

75-300USM III costs around 6000rs, and this low price also means low image quality. I have this lens, and mostly use it when there is enough light to enable me to use F8-F11 sweet spot.
I would suggest not getting this lens

Hmmm. Thats a good suggestion. Out goes this lens from my list then. How much does the 55-200IS lens cost?

Originally Posted by suman

Its better to buy from Canon if you're thinking of going the JJ Mehta route as prices would be almost the same; "grey" would be a much cheaper option if someone knows the shop personally & has used them.

I havent decided the route yet. But leaning towards B&W.

I have a few relatives coming down from Canada. It should work if i order online and give their address as shipping address, right? But, will the warranty be valid in India in that case?

[tsk1979]

I suggest you buy the Camera with B&W, for the lenses, you can go the "grey" way as you have the option of testing lens.
The 55-250 costs around 230$ in the land of the free
Prices here could be around 12000+ due to recent rupee collapse.
I guess you will get 450D Kit with B&W for around 40000rs(with 2GB card and canon bag).

[suman]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Hmmm. Thats a good suggestion. Out goes this lens from my list then. How much does the 55-200IS lens cost?

55-250IS - AFAIK, with B&W it should be touching 12-12.3k, "grey" market 11k. Will probably be picking up at the end of this week, can update thereafter.

Originally Posted by amitoj

I have a few relatives coming down from Canada. It should work if i order online and give their address as shipping address, right? But, will the warranty be valid in India in that case?

Yes, it will work. No warranty for India - its like buying in "grey" here, only thing is you're buying from a genuine seller who is not a totally unknown commodity.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

I suggest you buy the Camera with B&W, for the lenses, you can go the "grey" way as you have the option of testing lens.
The 55-250 costs around 230$ in the land of the free
Prices here could be around 12000+ due to recent rupee collapse.
I guess you will get 450D Kit with B&W for around 40000rs(with 2GB card and canon bag).

The canon india site lists 450D kit with EF-S18-55IS @49K. But i guess they are just being cautious with their quotes. Small print says "Street price varies".

Originally Posted by suman

55-250IS - AFAIK, with B&W it should be touching 12-12.3k, "grey" market 11k. Will probably be picking up at the end of this week, can update thereafter.

Great. I am not going to buy before that, so i can wait for your update.

[mclaren1885]

Amitoj, I was in the same confusion as you are. I spoke to Rudra and he suggested I pick up the latest offering from Canon, the 1000D. I have been using it since two months and have got some fantastic results. I hear Canon India sells the same camera in India with the kit lens that doesnt have IS. However since my cam was picked up in China it came with the 18-55IS kit lens. The lens is very good for most applications, unless you are shooting wildlife, sports etc.

I am also on the look out for a telephoto lens and currently using karthikkumars Tamron 18-200mm. Images are quite sharp (check my travelogues), but I am leaning towards the Canon 55-250IS too. As beginners I think this should be quite sufficient.

If you are coming to the Yelagiri drive you can play around with my cam if you like. It might help you decide. I think Karthik will be bringing his 450D (??) too.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by mclaren1885

Amitoj, I was in the same confusion as you are. I spoke to Rudra and he suggested I pick up the latest offering from Canon, the 1000D. I have been using it since two months and have got some fantastic results. I hear Canon India sells the same camera in India with the kit lens that doesnt have IS. However since my cam was picked up in China it came with the 18-55IS kit lens. The lens is very good for most applications, unless you are shooting wildlife, sports etc.

I am also on the look out for a telephoto lens and currently using karthikkumars Tamron 18-200mm. Images are quite sharp (check my travelogues), but I am leaning towards the Canon 55-250IS too. As beginners I think this should be quite sufficient.

If you are coming to the Yelagiri drive you can play around with my cam if you like. It might help you decide. I think Karthik will be bringing his 450D (??) too.

Rahul, i think i would like to have the LiveView feature of the 450D. Ofcourse, how much i am actually going to use it, that i will get to know only once i have it.

Lets see how things pan out. A lot depends on whether i get year end bonus or not!! And looking at the market scene, chances are grim

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Rahul, i think i would like to have the LiveView feature of the 450D. Ofcourse, how much i am actually going to use it, that i will get to know only once i have it.

Wait. 1000D also has live view.

[mclaren1885]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Wait. 1000D also has live view.

Yes, it does. Personally I always shoot using the view finder. I don't remember having used the live view to shoot more than 2-3 pics.

Here is the comparo chart between the 400,450 & 1000D. Hope it helps.

Canon EOS 1000D / Rebel XS Review: 2. Comparison: Digital Photography Review

[Samurai]

Amitoj, my E3 has live view with articulating screen. Number of times I have used live view since March: Zero

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Amitoj, my E3 has live view with articulating screen. Number of times I have used live view since March: Zero

Originally Posted by mclaren1885

Yes, it does. Personally I always shoot using the view finder. I don't remember having used the live view to shoot more than 2-3 pics.

Yes, like I said, its probably not a very useful feature. And I don't think the extra 2 MP that the 450D offers are of any use either. The larger viewfinder of the 450D and higher frame rate are the only two differences that seem to be of any significance.

[suman]

Originally Posted by amitoj

And I don't think the extra 2 MP that the 450D offers are of any use either. The larger viewfinder of the 450D and higher frame rate are the only two differences that seem to be of any significance.

Don't forget that if you buy with B&W in India, you'll have to pay quite a bit more if you want the 18-55 IS lens. The 1000 comes with the normal 18-55 here in India. Compared to the normal 18-55, the IS is way better.

And yes, the higher frame rate makes a difference. Besides, you'll not be buying a DSLR every day

[finneyp]

Sorry to barge in this thread on Canon DSLR!
Need some advice from SLR experts here.

I am planning to buy a Nikon D90, the lens available in the kit are:
18 - 55,
18 - 105 and
18 - 200
(All are Nikkor AF-S VR)

Which one should I go for?

[mclaren1885]

Originally Posted by amitoj

The larger viewfinder of the 450D and higher frame rate are the only two differences that seem to be of any significance.

I honestly wouldn't fret even if the view finder was a tad smaller than it already is. But I think its good enough, rather big enough. I have used a 400 & 450D too. Its not something I would complain about.

Yes,higher frame rate is always better, but look at it cost wise. Does it make economical sense to spend 10-15k more just for this one thing (I would buy a better lens for that money)? Specially when the usage is not professional? Canon India sells the 1000D with the non-IS lens for 33k. If you just choose the body, you can get the IS lens for about 8k? It will still work out to around 31k abroad. The 450D will cost you around 49k here maybe 45k abroad. Its your pick.

Also, what you need to keep in mind is that this camera cannot be used daily. If you are finicky about capturing photographs the good way, by sleeping on the floor, by changing exposure, shutter speed values at all trust me teacher will be quite mad at you . The only real use of this cam is when you have nobody to bother you, nobody to rush you up, more so when you are all by yourself and all you want to do is shoot what you think would be the best shot even if it takes hours and hours to get it right.

Personally, I end up shooting in auto mode most of the times because neither my parents nor my girlfriend appreciate the fact that I get down, try to take pics from weird angles, doing stunts to achieve the same and at the end of it all take up 15 mins to get the shot right. To them clicking a pic is a 20 secs job. So expect a lot of brickbats coming your way if you try doing that with company around.

At times its so irritating to listen to people bickering to you that you decide one of these days you are going to take a break and spend time with just the camera (after having paid a bomb to buy it in the first place). That in turn again causes troubles back home .