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Hi guys, I'm new to this thread. Anyways I was planning to buy a DSLR. Right now,a Canon 60D and a Tamron 18-270mm Lens are on the charts. What do you guys think about this? Is this the way forward as I'm a newbie to SLRs?

:-) .. That did not happen due to overcast weather buddy.

Yep :-), my bad I took it otherwise.
As a freelance shooter, one has to consider the other features provided by the FFs these days such as battery life, the fps, the performance in low lights and extreme weather/temperatures etc. It is not the only full frameness which count. Think whether you need these additional features since you got to pay hefty amount for them.

Anyways I would rather suggest that you use your D90 to the fullest say at least 50k shots before upgrading the body. D90 is a no non-sense camera, its higher ISO performance is better than D300 if you are aware.

Yes, its the right way to just start :)
As a newbie into DSLR world, one would always buy an 'all-in-one' lens or two lenses that could cover 18-200 range (18-55 and 55-200). Beginners are always particular that if the small lens is 18-55, the 2nd lens should start from 55mm itself. Now Nikon has 55-300 in the market too. So longer the better. Comparing images to friends' or online materials start right from the first week. That leads to a wish list of lenses, tripods, cleaners, filters, batteries, remote, flash, primes and unfortunately there is no end to this list.

Here is a good reading thats posted by my Facebook friend Ganesh :D
Photo Equipments Buying Patterns for Nature Photography !!

Even though it is fantastic advice to give to a new entrant, I am ot too sure about the advice to EP. Especially when he is going for a 60D? I now think that everyone should start with a prime.

Wonderful article. Honest, Humorous and Hard Hitting.
P.S. Four 'H's .... :D

I want to buy Raynox DCR 250 to use with my Canon 100mm macro lens. Is it going to be good setup for macro photography ?

Hi,

Almost completely agreed to what you said, but thinking a little more into it, my question to EP would be, what do you want to do with a new dSLR? The reason I am asking is, this is a space, wherein either you have people who stay put with their camera and don't aspire for anything more than that - Trust me most people fall into this category. They buy an SLR camera, a couple of lenses and keep using it for 5 or 6 years, before thinking about moving onto a new one.
And then, there are some, less than 10% of those, who actually take the next steps, buy more and more lenses, flash guns, tripods, filters....everything that technology has to offer.
If you want to buy an SLR camera and stay put with it for say, the next 5 or 6 years, plan to go a few places and want a good camera for your trips, I endorse to what Shaju has suggested. A slightly different model though, I would advice you to go for Canon 600D and not 60D, because most of the features are pretty similar and you pay lesser price - much lesser price for the 600D. Also, bear in mind that when you buy an SLR, it is much different to a P&S camera - The lens and the camera body are not integrated. So, you can keep your lenses with you forever and upgrade to a better body in the future whenever you feel that the time for this camera body has come to an end. So, I would always advice to spend more on a good lens, less on the body - again not too less that quality is compromised. Like in this case, 60D and 600D are pretty close to each other, have the same sensor. Just a few additional features on the 60D makes it cost much more than 600D. 600D is a very competent and complete camera for a newbie by the way.
If you are of the second type and are looking at growing more, get more involved as you keep gaining experience, then, my advice will again be to spend less on camera and focus more on the kit as a whole. In this case, the kit involves a couple or more of lenses, including prime lenses, a good tripod, flash gun, a couple of filters and then a camera body to attach all this to.
Please make a note that the you eventually end up buying a system for a specific brand and not just a camera of that brand. Canon lenses cannot go onto a Nikon body or vice versa. So, you get yourself locked to a system and changing the whole of the kit from one brand to other often means discarding the whole collection and moving onto the other brand. This is a major USP for Nikon and Canon when compared to the other manufacturers - They almost always have the widest range of lenses and kit to select from. Having said that, it is not that you are not going to get anything if you go for Pentax / Sony / Olympus.

Coming back to the selection of the lens, I am personally not a great fan of Tammy 18-270 mm. Most Tammy and Sigma lenses have failed to impress me. In this case, and since you said that you are opting for a Canon, all I can think of is that kit lens set of the Canon - the 18-55 mm IS and the 55-250 mm IS lenses - They are very good lenses and will offer much better results. A lot of people are skeptical of carrying two lenses and think that changing the lenses every now and then is a pain. I say, why go for an SLR then. A major advantage of an SLR is the capability to change lenses. So, be prepared to change lenses and have 2 better lenses rather than one single lens that is not a capable one. There are definitely better alternatives than the Tamron 18-270 mm and in this case, it is to go for the Canon 18-55 mm / 55-250 mm. They will go perfectly with the 600D.

Cheers
Prasad

Hey Guys ,

Nice to see a DSLR thread amidst vehicles.
Well here goes my collection.

Nikon D3000
Nikon 18-55mm
Nikon 55-200mm
Canon Powershot SX130
Canon Powershot A3100
Olympus FE
Kodak 35 mm film (side-lined, a la world of digital imaging)
Under water imaging - Kodak (Not used anymore)

But what i feel is, its the Photographer who defines the photograph and not the cameras. Even expensive Cameras bow down to simple point and shoot cameras at different angles and situations.

Cheers
Bikram.

Well said Prasad!
For the starter kit lens though, instead of 18-55 IS I would recommend a Tammy 17-50 (Non VC) version. I own both these lesnses and Tammy is my preferred choice. My results are much better with the Tammy and @f2.8 it gives me more flexibility indoors. On the downside, it lacks stabilisation.

Have some patience, let him get a kit lens first. We have many suggestions waiting for him very soon. After all we are very good in suggesting people how to spend their excess money :D

What Prasad suggested is very important, spend less on body and more on quality lenses that can last a lifetime. Body has higher depreciation. Good lenses hardly loses its value.

Hi Ep.,

You can also opt for the canon 18-200 mm lens. They are great and fantastic for newbies as weel as a walk around lens.

-Harshavardhan

Thanks guys for your support and advice, frankly I'm quite confused right now with a handful of opinions.

@Shajufx- I was thinking, why go for several lenses when you can have all-in-one? Isn't that more practical and easier to work with. May be after sometime we like to add an affordable Macro lens too.

Thanks for the link, its looks interesting at first glance, will read it.

@typeOnegetive, Prasad- Me and my dad would be using this camera. Dad had a Minolta back in 90's and he was quite good with it, but never found time to use it the way it should have been used, so sold it. Now he is feeling nostalgic and wants to re-enter that sector of photography again since he has more free time now.

About me, I feel over-enthusiastic after using a friend's SLR quite a while ago, loved the fast focus, picture quality, manual zoom and exposure controls. Also I find myself snapping anything and everything if I get a camera.This a picture I took that I liked the most.


@Prasad-I never checked out the 600D after reading reviews of the 60D, what more features does the 60D have? Its like, both me and my dad have our minds set on the 60D for now. And I also read that 60D is more user-friendly and better for beginners.

I understand that we would end up buying the systems of the same brand, but I doubt that our upgrades are going to be fast. So we wanted to go for the best right from the start. The Tamron that we selected was the one with PiezoDrive, faster and lighter they say ( also a friend suggested this ). Are there any specific reasons why you don't prefer the Tamron? why do you call it "incapable"? Please be frank, I would like to hear your opinion.

@all- The price the chennai importer for Tamron quoted was 36k. Would it be more expensive than this for a combination of canon lenses, I hear good Canon lenses are bit on the more expensive side. Is it so?

The price for the 60D( body only ) was 59k from Savithiri Photo Shop, Coimbatore. I chose them since they are deal directly with Canon India.

EP, nothing wrong with an 'all in one' lens, many are using it without issues. Here is a link to your Tamron lens, I love this guy's reviews. You will also find 60D and 600D comparison video in his page. YouTube - DigitalRevCom's Channel

According to my limited knowledge, even a Canon 500D might meet all your present requirements, saved money could be used for a better quality lens, just my opinion. If you are very sure about your choice of 60D, I can give you my friend's number who uses it for over an year, PM me if you want it. He might give you a real-life user opinion.

Another option is getting a 400D or 450D used (many are getting sold through online sites). My cousin got one last month for 12k with kit lens. He purchased brand new good quality lenses with the saving. Plan is to upgrade body when he finds himself wanting more features.

All the best !:thumbs up

Not a good idea to carry such a large lens for a newbie, use 2 lenses simultaneously namely 18-55 mm (stock) and 55-200/270/300 mm :thumbs up. But make sure they are compatible to the Auto-Focus motor built in the Camera.

Cheers.
Bikram

Auto-focus motor? Built in the camera?? Canon body???

Guess i wanted to write, choose lenses having auto-focus motor and camera body supporting it. :eek: