[Zappo]

Whoa!!! That makes the decision for me then... almost. The wise ol' man has nodded his consent... Nikon it is then.

Uh... by the way maxbhp, was that a macro shot? I think some details got lost in that pic. Did you have the IS on while composing?

[extreme_torque]

Guys,

Even I am in a fix, i can afford an entry level DSLR but surely can't afford the highly priced Lens and other accesories for the SLR's.
I have two choices, Canon S3 IS and the olympus sp550 UZ. The reviews for olympus aren't available anywhere, they are all pre-production cam reviews but the specs are verrry tempting. Please advice me guys, i have to take a decision this weekend. I'll be getting the CAM from US.

[Zappo]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

Guys,

Even I am in a fix, i can afford an entry level DSLR but surely can't afford the highly priced Lens and other accesories for the SLR's.
I have two choices, Canon S3 IS and the olympus sp550 UZ. The reviews for olympus aren't available anywhere, they are all pre-production cam reviews but the specs are verrry tempting. Please advice me guys, i have to take a decision this weekend. I'll be getting the CAM from US.

Entry level D-SLRs like Nikon D40 and Canon's Rebel XTi are now available at very lucrative prices, and they come with kit lenses. So you get a fully functional cameras. You need not buy additional lenses on day one. Only when you are comfy with your camera and want more purchase can you think on those lines. The kit lenses are very good for regular amatuer usage. I take it that you are not planning to turn a fashion photographer or something (considering your plans for a super zoom type prosumer camera).

One thing though... D40 will support AF only on AF-S and AF-I lenses. They have the AF motor built into the lense itself. The older Nikkor lenses that depend on the motor built into the camera body will still work but the focussing will be manual with them. That should however not be an issue unless you already own a bagful of those lenses.

Btw... S3 IS or any other such super zooms can not beat an SLR when push comes to shove. So think about it.

[maxbhp]

Originally Posted by Zappo

Whoa!!! That makes the decision for me then... almost. The wise ol' man has nodded his consent... Nikon it is then.

Uh... by the way maxbhp, was that a macro shot? I think some details got lost in that pic. Did you have the IS on while composing?

Yes you are right , some details got lost since my camera shook a bit. Next time I will try Macro with my tripod.

[tsk1979]

@zappo, except for the Fuji's no compact digicam will give you low noise images at ISO 400 and above. If you think canon is noisy, try the panasonics FZ20, at low light, even at ISO200 it was very very noisy.

[ntomer]

Hi,

I have a D50; and am looking for an entry level P&S camera. It should have 5-6 MP CCD, 3-4x optical zoom and should be small enough to keep in pocket. A friend recently bought a Nikon Coolpix L2 from Palika Bazar for 7K (plus 1K for a 1 GB mini-SD card). It has 6.1 MP CCD, 3x optical zoom and is small; I am also planning to buy one.

Please suggest if there are better options available.

P.S. I don't want to spend more than 10K.

\N

[satish_appasani]

A question to photgraphy pros. When buying a SLR, the old school saying is the first lens to have for an amateur is the 50 mm prime lens. Does it still hold good? The zoom lens that come as kit with the camera are not fast enough.

But for an amateur who cannot afford too many prime lens or the expensive fast lens, is it good to go with the kit lens (read slow zoom)?

[extreme_torque]

Guys,

I have finally almost decided on a Sony Alpha DSLR-A100K. How good it is? What about the lenses from sony, although they are reasonably priced, can i get any reviews on the lenses?

[aZa]

Hey extreme_torque nice choice, its basically a Minolta under the skin!! and it gets the in camera image stablizer that basically will take care of all the IS and VR on most/all old minolta lenses. But i think sourcing minolta/sony lenses would be a big problem to begin with. I think sticking to either nikon or canon would be a better thing to do.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

Guys,

I have finally almost decided on a Sony Alpha DSLR-A100K. How good it is? What about the lenses from sony, although they are reasonably priced, can i get any reviews on the lenses?

Stay away. If you really want in body IS, go for the pentax K10D. Thats a much better camera.
If you don't want IS then Nikon. Canon and Oly make good cams.
Incidently after the release of Olympus 410/510, in body IS will come to olympus too, and then Canikon will be the only guys without in body IS.

In the current scheme of things I recommend the K100D or K10D.
IF you are okay with 6MP K100D is a very economical choice.

though I am myself a canon user, I recommend pentax to beginners because
1. Most beginners cannot afford IS lenses, so in body IS is a good value for money option
2. People argue Canon and Nikon have maximum number of lenses. True, but most beginners have at the most 3 lenses, so it does not matter
3. Pentax has weather sealing along with dust protection. In India weather sealing is a big boon. You can be a little more careless with your equipment.
4. K10D has really innovative features. Check out the specs

In the end, its what you like. Canon/Nikon/Pentax/Olympus/Sony make good DSLRS at entry level. So choose on features. If you want low noise at high ISO or take hour long exposures, take Nikon or Canon or the K100D. If IS is your poison, take the Pentax. If you like the 4/3 system, choose Oly.

[manson]

quick one guys, nikon s50, or the canon sd800? anything on the same lines from nikon or canon that you d suggest?
Please dont suggest anything from kodak, olympia, panasonic, sony, e.t.c

cam is for a friend, and is not for professional use.

manson.

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Stay away. If you really want in body IS, go for the pentax K10D. Thats a much better camera.
If you don't want IS then Nikon. Canon and Oly make good cams.
Incidently after the release of Olympus 410/510, in body IS will come to olympus too, and then Canikon will be the only guys without in body IS.

In the current scheme of things I recommend the K100D or K10D.
IF you are okay with 6MP K100D is a very economical choice.

though I am myself a canon user, I recommend pentax to beginners because
1. Most beginners cannot afford IS lenses, so in body IS is a good value for money option
2. People argue Canon and Nikon have maximum number of lenses. True, but most beginners have at the most 3 lenses, so it does not matter
3. Pentax has weather sealing along with dust protection. In India weather sealing is a big boon. You can be a little more careless with your equipment.
4. K10D has really innovative features. Check out the specs

In the end, its what you like. Canon/Nikon/Pentax/Olympus/Sony make good DSLRS at entry level. So choose on features. If you want low noise at high ISO or take hour long exposures, take Nikon or Canon or the K100D. If IS is your poison, take the Pentax. If you like the 4/3 system, choose Oly.

Dunno why are you suggesting me to stay away. The sony's SLR has the same sensor as the expensive Nikon D200. Although noise is a problem at ISO 800 and ISO 1600 but that can attributed to the in camera processing which i can by-pass anytime by clicking in raw. On all the reviews on the internet, the image quality has been compared with the much more expensive Canon EOS 30D or even Nikon D200 at times!
Its almost 100$ cheaper than the Canon EOS 400D, the lenses for sony are also reasonably priced, very much like canon though i agree they wont be as many as they have for Canon.
I am undecided b/w Sony A100 DSLR and Canon EOS 400D. And as you sugested, I am having a look at the pentax K10D.

[navdeep]

do have a look at Olympus EVolt E-410 and EVolt E-510. Olympus is not much hyped like canon and nikon but are equally competent.

[manson]

navdeep, was that for me?

manson.

[navdeep]

Originally Posted by manson

navdeep, was that for me?

manson.

actually I was responding to the above post. These are DSLRs and you are looking for a p&s.
You can go for canon as they have simpler interface. Results are almost similiar. Check out reviews at dpreview.com