[clevermax]

Originally Posted by amitk26

Lenses depends on what you want to do , Everyone starts out by buying a telephoto but then very soon these lenses are on sale. Reason is that coming from world of super zoom P&S people assume that zoom is the best thing required for photography.

Absolutely true! When I was a beginner with DSLR, I too badly wanted a zoom and one of the reasons which I convinced myself was that without zoom, photography is grossly incomplete!! I failed at that time to appreciate the value of the 18-70mm lens which was already with me.

One of my acquaintances bought a D3S recently without even knowing what photography is, and he started off with a 70-300mm lens! He didn't even buy a 18-55 or anything. Needless to say, the he takes and uploads crappy pictures which makes you think that they are taken with an el-cheapo P&S with 10x zoom.

[typeOnegative]

Originally Posted by clevermax

One of my acquaintances bought a D3S recently without even knowing what photography is, and he started off with a 70-300mm lens! He didn't even buy a 18-55 or anything. Needless to say, the he takes and uploads crappy pictures which makes you think that they are taken with an el-cheapo P&S with 10x zoom.

Absolutely! When I was in the shop to pick up my camera, there was a gentleman who came in and asked for a 7D. After looking at the cost he started asking about equivalent models. I was curious and asked him a bit about what he was looking at. He said that he was a beginner and that his friend had asked him to buy a 7D. Hm mm ...

Asked him to reconsider as the 7D would have overwhelmed him. Maybe I should have directed him here.

[W.A.G.7]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone!

Why do you not look at the Canon 500D as well? It is within range I think and even though it is outdated, is a fantastic camera for the buck. The other option you do have is to look at EVIL cameras.
P.S. All my opinion is keeping in mind that you are a beginner and are looking at a beginner DSLR.

Yes, I am totally new to DSLR's. But not that I am totally new to digital cameras or photography. Yup, Canon 500D is also an option now. The idea struck me yesterday as I was posting the question.

Among Nikons I would say choose one which has built in AF motor so that It can use the cheapest of the lenses as well D3100 does not have that IMHO.

Having an AF motor in the body would be a nice to have feature for me, but not on my priority.

..... But his budget is only 35k and hence suggested the D3100.
With 35K he might get only the D90 body in grey!!

No, I am not considering grey market prices. Better to have a full receipt and warranty. The 35K budget is for the camera body. I am considering that lenses will cost me some 20K-30K extra, above this 35K.

You need to decide based on your needs are you kind of person who goes to wild life sanctuaries regularly and love to identify the birds ? If yes a long range telephoto is what you need.
You go to jungles , mountains , valleys but what interest you is the scenery then an ultra wide angle is for you.

Yes, birding and wildlife sanctuaries are my primary purpose for which I am getting this DSLR. One or two visits to some wildlife sanctuaries are definitely on the anvil every year. Hence the confusion among telephoto zoom lenses. And in continuation with that, I do plan to go for treks to Ladakh, or valley of flowers soon, so the question about wide angle lenses.

Now, Regarding the 50mm F1.4 or 50mm F1.8, I read somewhere online, that these prime lenses are great for everyday use, even better than the 18-55mm kit lens. How true is this?

I see a pattern here you are asking for best of the equipments and also willing to spend a good money on Nikon body but in Canon starting at lowest point.

Well,yes and no. I know, I am biased towards Nikon slightly more, but I don't know why. My present camera however is a Canon, and it is also a great camera (It is a point and shoot of course, the Canon Powershot S5 IS.), so I don't have any apprehension about using a Canon DSLR.

[kkr2k2]

Originally Posted by W.A.G.7

.....
Having an AF motor in the body would be a nice to have feature for me, but not on my priority.
....
The 35K budget is for the camera body. I am considering that lenses will cost me some 20K-30K extra, above this 35K.

Increase it by few thousands, you can get the D90 body with B&W!
D90 was made for a segment slightly above the Nikon D3100/D5000 or Canon 500D/550D!! Comparable camera in its segment was Canon 40D. Though D90 is an old model but its a fantastic camera.
Personally I like D90 for:
1. Good ergonomics.
2. In-built AF motor. (need not pay 30,000/- for a AF-S 70-300 when you can buy a AF 70-300 for around 6,000/-, of course you have to forget the VR which I personally dont mind, may be I can buy a good monopod!!)
3. Brighter PentaPrism (as opposed to pentamirror)

Originally Posted by W.A.G.7

.....
Now, Regarding the 50mm F1.4 or 50mm F1.8, I read somewhere online, that these prime lenses are great for everyday use, even better than the 18-55mm kit lens. How true is this?......

Yes and No. It actually depends on what perspective you want!! I like the 50mm perspective on a full frame, hence I would suggest the 35mm f1.8 instead of 50mm f1.8 for a 1.5x crop body(NIKON)!!

The 50mm, I would leave them for full frame body or for portrait pics on a cropped body!!

[Dieseldunk]

Hi Ntomer
Any nikon or nikon part w/o warranty is not a good deal to enter even if it is a steal
D50 is a good choice but then from a basic photography angle would like to ask you if you plan to shoot nature or capture moods then a D70 is best choice if not D50 also
you can try the Olympus E-series
You can also try the new Sony A series
but note still pics are great but for moving pics a DSLR is not a good choice

rgds
DP

[chaudhrysan]

Originally Posted by W.A.G.7

Yes, birding and wildlife sanctuaries are my primary purpose for which I am getting this DSLR. One or two visits to some wildlife sanctuaries are definitely on the anvil every year. Hence the confusion among telephoto zoom lenses. And in continuation with that, I do plan to go for treks to Ladakh, or valley of flowers soon, so the question about wide angle lenses.

Now, Regarding the 50mm F1.4 or 50mm F1.8, I read somewhere online, that these prime lenses are great for everyday use, even better than the 18-55mm kit lens. How true is this?

Personally, if your interests lie in landscapes and wildlife photography, the 18 - 200 mm range is not of much use. 18 mm is not quite wide on a cropped sensor for landscapes and 200 mm is not long enough for wildlife (believe me, I still have to figure out what is long enough). As a starter, I would suggest that you invest in a cheaper camera body (the body will depreciate faster than you can blink), and plan more around lenses that you are likely to retain in the future also. I would plan my lens setup around a 30 or 35 mm prime for low light (50 mm does not quite serve the purpose on a cropped sensor body) and a normal zoom 18 to 70 or 100 mm (if budget permits, go for a faster aperture in the zoom). These two lens you are likely to retain even if you change your camera body in future.

Play around with your gear for a while and get to know where your priorities lie. If 18 mm is not wide enough for your needs, plan for a 11-16 (Tokina has a good lens here) or a 10-20mm ultrawide zoom. If need for a longer reach, plan for 100 - 300 or 400 zoom, or even better for a 300mm prime with a teleconvertor.

As far as Nikon or Canon goes, image quality wise you can't go wrong with either, so try both and go with what suits you better. But..., here I would like to add that, in my opinion, as far as lenses (telephoto, at least), Canon seems to have better priced options as compared to Nikon (Guys, don't flame me for this because I am a Nikon person myself). Canon has 70-200/f4 IS, 300/F4 IS and 100-400 IS options which are all very good quality glass.

[Aroy]

Landscape and wild life photography requires lenses at two extremes. With cropped sensors a 300mm becomes 450mm while a 35mm becomes a 50mm. Further most wild life photography is in relatively low light hence requires wider apertures and/or lower speeds, both of which benefit from VR lenses. For birds you require faster speeds, here again wider apertures benefit, though you can get away with higher ISO most of the time.

So, as others have commented, get a less expensive body to begin with and get a decent Telephoto, prime not zoom. For wild life unless you a extremely close, you may rarely get image of an animal to fill in full frame even with 600mm, hence get the longest you can afford.

For Landscape get a wide prime, second hand if desired. Focusing is rarely a problem with landscapes, so a manual lense would do. Use a tripod if you want sharp photographs, and use slower speeds with larger f stops to get the depth of field.

[DRIV3R]

Guys, can a leather Chamois be used to clean SLR lenses?

[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by DRIV3R

Guys, can a leather Chamois be used to clean SLR lenses?

I think it can cause I got a free piece of chamois from Jayesh when I bought my cam. It is another thing that I haven't tried using it cause I have a lens cleaning kit.

[kkr2k2]

Originally Posted by Jaguar

I think it can .....

But conditions apply:

Effect is great at first, but the leather will in time pick up - and layer into the skin - particles etc.
Unless you are willing to upkeep your leather carefully and change cloth often microfiber is an easier and safer solution. Just remember microfiber can - and should - be washed regularly (just put them it the washing machine).
Any photo shop should have them, or just type "microfiber" at Amazon.com and B&H. I have had many kinds and never noticed any difference between the cheap/expensive ones.

Source.

[RROD]

I am planning to buy a Tokina 11 16 F/2.8.
Can someone suggest a good place in Bangalore (preferrably) or any website from where I can buy this lens ?

Thanks

[DRIV3R]

Originally Posted by Jaguar

I think it can cause I got a free piece of chamois from Jayesh when I bought my cam. It is another thing that I haven't tried using it cause I have a lens cleaning kit.

Originally Posted by kkr2k2

But conditions apply:


Source.

Thanks for the response guys.

Any good lens cleaning kits you can suggest?

I actually went to the store to get a lens cleaning kit (the one with the air brush n all) but didn't end up buying one cos they had stock of some unknown local brand only.

[MileCruncher]

For the benefit of all Hyderabadi photographers

[W.A.G.7]

Originally Posted by chaudhrysan

As a starter, I would suggest that you invest in a cheaper camera body (the body will depreciate faster than you can blink), and plan more around lenses that you are likely to retain in the future also.

Yes, that would be a better option, so instead of 500D or D5000 maybe EOS 1000D or D3100 would be better. And for starters, the 18-55mm kit lens will have to do, till I get comfortable with the new camera. Maybe then after that, I can figure out the lens combinations

Originally Posted by chaudhrysan

Canon seems to have better priced options as compared to Nikon (Guys, don't flame me for this because I am a Nikon person myself). Canon has 70-200/f4 IS, 300/F4 IS and 100-400 IS options which are all very good quality glass.

That's the reason why someone advised me to go in for Canon, simply because Canon has a comparitively larger option of EF lenses compared to the Nikkor lenses available in India.

Now just two more questions, how are Sony α DSLRs? I mean I haven't heard of anyone using Sony DSLR's but there must be someone out there who has used them. Canon and Nikon names seem to be synonymous with the DSLRs, atleast in India. And to add a twist to it, there now the DSLT technology, so has anyone seen or used sony α 33 or α 55? The reviews are average for sony α55 DSLT on dpreview.com.

And, just for showing off , here are 3 pics from my Canon Powershot S5IS. Sometimes, I just wonder, do I really need a DSLR?

[rajismine]

brilliant images W.A.G.7

You really dont need any DSLR.