[robimahanta]

Originally Posted by shyamhegde

I wish if a decent one was available at this range which can host body with kit lens, 50mm, flash and other few accessories like extra battery, bulb blower etc. etc.
Any pointers to non-branded ones but with utility features ? not those boxy type should bags.

I dont think you should skimp on the bag..buy the biggest one or rather the one which has the highest capacity you can afford. Once you are into DSLR's..its like a money pit and you'll soon want to buy more lenses and accessories. I am speaking from personal experience, I bought a cheapo box like local bag first for around 800 bucks then bought a Lowepro fast pack 350...then a Lowepro Prorunner 450.
So tripods (its a similar story) and bags...buy the best one at the outset.

But if you are hell bent on spending around 3K(2K is too less for a decent bag) then I believe Lowepro Fastpack 100 or Tamrac Explorer 400 are your best bet.

@phamilyman: I don't think its correct to say 500D has crap high ISO..depends on a lot a factors. Besides how high is the iso you want to use..is it 1600/3200/6400..even the 7D has poor iso capability if you bump it up to 3200. For that matter all canon DSLR's have mediocre high iso performance save the 5DII. The only thing is the limit varies if its 800 for 500D then its 1600 for 7D and 3200 for the 1Dmkiv.

[DRIV3R]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

500D has crap high ISO. even 450D is better. You'd be rather illadvised to buy it when other better options are there.

I know because i've been using the 500D for 1.5 years now (over 12k pics)

Not the 500D, but your comment is CRAP!

Originally Posted by robimahanta

@phamilyman: I don't think its correct to say 500D has crap high ISO..depends on a lot a factors. Besides how high is the iso you want to use..is it 1600/3200/6400..even the 7D has poor iso capability if you bump it up to 3200. For that matter all canon DSLR's have mediocre high iso performance save the 5DII. The only thing is the limit varies if its 800 for 500D then its 1600 for 7D and 3200 for the 1Dmkiv.

+1 to that.

Here is something for familyman to see.

Specifications - Canon EOS 450D vs Canon EOS 500D - Snapsort

Check out light sensitivity ISO there. The 450D falls behind, though it has a marginally better low light performance. (692 ISO vs 663 ISO)

Plus, the 450D does NOT have any video recording capabilities, amongst many other things.

IMHO, it's ill-advising to advise an otherwise obsolete 450D over the 500D at present. The 500D itself is in the declination stage now.

[typeOnegative]

Originally Posted by shajufx

It meets all your requirements, .... rest.

Was doing some more checking. The D3100 is rated as the best entry level DSLR at the moment, but there is no AE bracketing. Shucks.

Am also contemplating the Olympus (620) and Sony (330 and 290) range because they have in body stabilization as opposed to stabilization in lens. What are your collective thoughts on the same? In the case of the Sony bodies I have learned that I can use lenses from Minolta as well. This is becoming one heck of a complicated job.

[TheBeastFieast]

Has anyone done any deal with Foto Centre (Foto Centre Trading Pvt. Ltd.: Digital Camera India Mumbai , Dealers Retailers Distributor of Digital Imaging Products , Pune , Delhi , Bangalore , Calcutta , Hyderabad , Chennai , Madras , Bombay , Sikkim) from Mumbai. I found their prices very competitive even lower than famous JJMehta. The prices are so low it is making me think if they are genuine once.

[shajufx]

Originally Posted by typeOnegative

......This is becoming one heck of a complicated job.

How often you are going to use the bracketing feature ? I am on a DSLR journey since 2009, clicked over 12000 'in-focus' images (you heard it right, thats D60 and D90 total as of today), not a single time I required bracketing. May be there are plenty of features I am yet to try.

If you want to get it highly complicated, let us know, we are very good in doing that, be it DSLRs or Cars , Amit, you are reading this ?

[DRIV3R]

Originally Posted by TheBeastFieast

Has anyone done any deal with Foto Centre (Foto Centre Trading Pvt. Ltd.: Digital Camera India Mumbai , Dealers Retailers Distributor of Digital Imaging Products , Pune , Delhi , Bangalore , Calcutta , Hyderabad , Chennai , Madras , Bombay , Sikkim) from Mumbai. I found their prices very competitive even lower than famous JJMehta. The prices are so low it is making me think if they are genuine once.

Those prices are all excluding 12.5% VAT.

[TheBeastFieast]

Originally Posted by DRIV3R

Those prices are all excluding 12.5% VAT.

Thanks a lot, after adding 12.5% VAT their prices are matching competitors prices, I am better off buying them from JJMehta then.

[StarScream]

Originally Posted by shajufx

How often you are going to use the bracketing feature ? I am on a DSLR journey since 2009, clicked over 12000 'in-focus' images (you heard it right, thats D60 and D90 total as of today), not a single time I required bracketing. May be there are plenty of features I am yet to try.

If you want to get it highly complicated, let us know, we are very good in doing that, be it DSLRs or Cars , Amit, you are reading this ?

Bracketing was used a lot more in the days of film photography - to be sure you got the shot/exposure right.
In the time of digital, bracketing isn't used as much, as you know immediately if the shot is right or needs adjustment. And if there is an issue despite that, there is always post processing. Digital has taken away most of the raison d'etre for bracketing.

[robimahanta]

Originally Posted by StarScream

Bracketing was used a lot more in the days of film photography - to be sure you got the shot/exposure right.
In the time of digital, bracketing isn't used as much, as you know immediately if the shot is right or needs adjustment. And if there is an issue despite that, there is always post processing. Digital has taken away most of the raison d'etre for bracketing.

if you are into hdr's..bracketing is a must have..and the way camera tech is going..hdr is going to pretty big in the coming years.

[amitk26]

Originally Posted by shajufx

I am on a DSLR journey since 2009, clicked over 12000 'in-focus' images (you heard it right, thats D60 and D90 total as of today), not a single time I required bracketing. May be there are plenty of features I am yet to try.

12000 infocus gosh you are heck of shutter maniac. But this just means you are not in to landscapes and HDR , for someone who is starting the journey he may not know what he will use ultimately :-)

Originally Posted by shajufx

If you want to get it highly complicated, let us know, we are very good in doing that, be it DSLRs or Cars , Amit, you are reading this ?

What that means am I king of complicating over here

Originally Posted by phamilyman

500D has crap high ISO. even 450D is better. You'd be rather illadvised to buy it when other better options are there.

I know because i've been using the 500D for 1.5 years now (over 12k pics)

Originally Posted by typeOnegative

Was doing some more checking. The D3100 is rated as the best entry level DSLR at the moment, but there is no AE bracketing. Shucks.

Well let me complicate it for you forther , Just becuase something has lots of help menu does not make it best entry level, What for is youtube ?
In Nikons the best entry level is the cheapest cam which has AF motor.

[typeOnegative]

Originally Posted by shajufx

How often you are going to use the bracketing feature ?

Quite often. I use it for HDR. I just started out on that a few weeks back. Met limited success just about yesterday.

Originally Posted by amitk26

12000 infocus gosh you are heck of shutter maniac. But this just means you are not in to landscapes and HDR , for someone who is starting the journey he may not know what he will use ultimately :-)


...
Well let me complicate it for you forther , Just becuase something has lots of help menu does not make it best entry level, What for is Youtube ?
In Nikons the best entry level is the cheapest cam which has AF motor.

Thanks for taking up the job of complicating things Amit. But you are right about the HDR thingie.

I am not too clued onto the performance aspect of various DSLR's, but I think the reason why the D3100 was called best is because it has performance nearing the D5000 or so they say. With regards to the AF motor, are you talking about the D90? I cannot go higher than that. :(

[Fillmore]

Originally Posted by TheBeastFieast

Thanks a lot, after adding 12.5% VAT their prices are matching competitors prices, I am better off buying them from JJMehta then.

Not really, I dont know if they are evading VAT, but in Bangalore I know couple of folks who got cameras from these guys with complete warranty way below any other shop/website.

[kkr2k2]

Doubt:

Originally Posted by robimahanta

if you are into hdr's..bracketing is a must have..and the way camera tech is going..hdr is going to pretty big in the coming years.

Cant the bracketing be done manually???
I tried this one manually, but never made a HDR out of the outcome. Of course my camera has a button for exposure control!!

[typeOnegative]

Originally Posted by kkr2k2

Doubt:

Cant the bracketing be done manually???
I tried this one manually, but never made a HDR out of the outcome. Of course my camera has a button for exposure control!!

You can. In fact, if your camera is restricted to three bracketed shots and you would like to have more than that, then the best way to that would be the manual way. However, it requires a lot of care even with a tripod and is very tedious.

The other option I am trying is to create multiple exposure shots out of a single RAW file and then try combining the shots through a software. Will post the results in a bit. I am using an HS10.

[typeOnegative]

As stated in my previous post, I tried doing the HDR thingie with GIMP and I am ready with the results. It is nowhere close to what I would have liked to achieve. I guess with a better quality set of Exposure Bracketed shots, from an SLR, things would be better.

Steps followed:
1. Single RAW file shot with HS10
2. Three multi exposures in TIFF format with Silkypix
3. Three algorithms in Qtpfsgui
4. Combination in GIMP

The picture was shot in my parents' garden in Kerala over the Christmas vacation. I do not know the species, but it has some interesting tiger stripe markings. This is one of my 7 attempts. I have more shots, nowhere close to master class. I am hoping a DSLR would help me do better especially with regards to image quality.

As an aside, I want to re-state my queries
1. Whether Sony and Olympus DSLRs are worth a consideration because of in-body stabilization and
2. Greater flexibility on lenses.

Thanks in advance.