DSLR - Choosing A Camera

[moeyhc]

I have not use a DSLR and all my pictures came from my Olympus C750, Canon Powershot 1000 & 650. They serve me well till my kids started to demand for DSLR. Checking out the models at the recent Photofest at Gurney Plaza here left me with more doubts then answers.

Looking around the booths I found the Nikon D90 and Canon 550D interesting. These are entry level DSLR with lots of features built-in. Comparing the pictures of both cameras (indoor no flash) they are about the same quality when viewed on board its LCD screen.

This brings up an interesting issue. Should I bring along my Notebook when shopping for a digital camera? Quality of pictures should be compared using the NB screen or in Print? Most users never printout their photos hence should we gives priority to Electronics display quality over Print? With Photoshop technology so advance today... do we need a DSLR for family use?

For the price of a DSLR I would expect its performance to exceed my compact by leaps and bounds. I don't see this to be true. In the Nikon D300.. model I do see a significant improvement over my compact especially in low light conditions. But, at RM5K for the body alone it is too much to pay. I think I'll wait for the Nikon D90 replacement model before deciding...

Anyone care to share your experience on choosing a DSLR?

[wwloon]

I have not use a DSLR and all my pictures came from my Olympus C750, Canon Powershot 1000 & 650. They serve me well till my kids started to demand for DSLR. Checking out the models at the recent Photofest at Gurney Plaza here left me with more doubts then answers.

Looking around the booths I found the Nikon D90 and Canon 550D interesting. These are entry level DSLR with lots of features built-in. Comparing the pictures of both cameras (indoor no flash) they are about the same quality when viewed on board its LCD screen.

This brings up an interesting issue. Should I bring along my Notebook when shopping for a digital camera? Quality of pictures should be compared using the NB screen or in Print? Most users never printout their photos hence should we gives priority to Electronics display quality over Print? With Photoshop technology so advance today... do we need a DSLR for family use?

For the price of a DSLR I would expect its performance to exceed my compact by leaps and bounds. I don't see this to be true. In the Nikon D300.. model I do see a significant improvement over my compact especially in low light conditions. But, at RM5K for the body alone it is too much to pay. I think I'll wait for the Nikon D90 replacement model before deciding...

Anyone care to share your experience on choosing a DSLR?

Bro moeyhc, I just purchased one dSLR recently.

There are plenty of digital imaging websites offering reviews, which I consulted before making my purchase. You can try http://www.dpreview.com and http://www.dcresource.com. I am sure they will help you in making your decision.

[silverbeauty]

I have not use a DSLR and all my pictures came from my Olympus C750, Canon Powershot 1000 & 650. They serve me well till my kids started to demand for DSLR. Checking out the models at the recent Photofest at Gurney Plaza here left me with more doubts then answers.

Looking around the booths I found the Nikon D90 and Canon 550D interesting. These are entry level DSLR with lots of features built-in. Comparing the pictures of both cameras (indoor no flash) they are about the same quality when viewed on board its LCD screen.

This brings up an interesting issue. Should I bring along my Notebook when shopping for a digital camera? Quality of pictures should be compared using the NB screen or in Print? Most users never printout their photos hence should we gives priority to Electronics display quality over Print? With Photoshop technology so advance today... do we need a DSLR for family use?

For the price of a DSLR I would expect its performance to exceed my compact by leaps and bounds. I don't see this to be true. In the Nikon D300.. model I do see a significant improvement over my compact especially in low light conditions. But, at RM5K for the body alone it is too much to pay. I think I'll wait for the Nikon D90 replacement model before deciding...

Anyone care to share your experience on choosing a DSLR?

Hi Moey, last time I went shopping for a camera, I brought my 9" LCD Photo Frame that runs on batteries ( 4 hour life ). http://www.jcmatthew.com/products/hdmp/PMP890.html Small and easy to carry and zero boot up time.

Sometime these same photo shops have one. Take a photo, remove the SD card and slot it into the Photo frame. If camera has CF card, then bring a card reader and plug into USB port of photo frame.

[moeyhc]

Bro wwloon/sb,

Thanks for the tips. It is scary reading camera reviews. There are just too many write-up with too many opinions to make good the data presented. The reviewers do have their own preferences and when their views differ from ours.... it can make our decision more difficult. On the other hand, if we don't read and found out the hard way of a known problem... .. isn't this scary? Will continue my quest to hunt for the "Perfect" DSLR within my budget.... cheers!

[aikliang]

bro moeyhc, it depends what you want to use the camera for. If it is just family snapshots and occasionally landscape building food photographs, you actually don't need a DLSR unless you have some spare cash lying around somewhere (like in an offshore account taken from some Nigerian dictator ). Infact some of those compact cameras are even better than the entry level DLSR like the limux. It is not the camera capabilities that we should question when the photos don't come out good but the photographer....

Also once you get a DLSR, you have to start to think accessories like flash gun, lenses, remote release, tripod, SD/CF card, spare batteries, etc, etc, etc. All these will add up.

Since it is your kids who wants the DLSR, make them work for it...

[ace]

I have been dreaming about owning a DSLR for the longest time.....

Each time I pick one up.... I WANT IT.. I WANT IT.....than an inner voice says "er...what for you want it, huh?"

Than I walk away...

So I agreed with Aikliang...

By the way, I've been told that one of the single most important thing is the size of the sensor. More is better. Pixels is important but the sensor reigns supreme...

[silverbeauty]

Bro Moey, something to read about buying a DSLR vs Prosumer camera as extracted from dpreview.com.

Link : http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read. ... e=33797539

To summarize, buy to your needs and expectations, not to what others say and expect

I bought a prosumer camera, a Panasonic Lumix LX3 and to date am perfectly happy with its performance which meets my needs and see no need to upgrade to DSLR.


Learnt a wee bit about photography as part of college, and worked with analogue SLRs, and developed my own thrills, which naturally attracted me to photography. I blindly went in for a dSLR, thinking it as a natural progression for any amateur enthusiast. I went in for an EOS 400D, and over the course of the past two and a half years, I realised that I would have been much better off with a prosumer camera, such as the SX20IS. I have listed the reasons here:

-Lenses are a heavy investment, and the default lense can almost shoot nothing. For any outing, you need to carry at least two lenses, and it irritating to switch. The functionality of a zoom lense of a prosumer camera is much better than that of a dSLR. Macros, portraits, and landscapes - all of these show up as the same on websites or photography forums whether you are shooting from a dSLR or a Prosumer cam.

-The bulk of the camera makes it inconvenient. You have to factor that in while travelling, taking up space. I do a lot of trekking, and we have to closely watch the weight. A prosumer offers a considerably weight advantage compared to the lenses and accesories of a dSLR. Although the newer dSLRs are lighter, there is still the bulk factor.

-Although I have stressed my dSLR by shooting in the rains, and using strange angles, I find that people with prosumers and point and shoots can shoot with one hand, put their cameras out of a vehicle, take it close to the water surface in a boat or otherwise afford more room for experimentation. It is easier to "shoot from the hip" and still get good shots.

-While on a trek, you often have to shift rapidly from a macro shot to a long-range zoom shot. For example, if you are photographing a bug, and you spot a bird on a nearby tree, the person with a point and shoot or a prosumer cam is much more likely to make the transition in time to get the shot.

-In social situations, you don't want to look like you are building a portfolio, but are taking candid shots for yourself. A dSLR kills the mood, but a prosumer just takes good photos without making you stand out or awkwardly fiddle around with the controls.

-You can actually learn a lot more about photography if you are using a prosumer camera, because if you are willing to take the time to understand the easy to use settings, you can apply the same knowledge while taking your shots. Prosumers also allow you to tweak almost as much as a dSLR.

-Combine the advantages of digital touch up, how much of a photo depends on the setting and the subject, and the ultra-high image quality actually plays a small role in the overall impact of the image. We hardly print out images on A4 size paper, so why run after the megapixels? Better quality and more lense elements for the expert maybe, but the Prosumers are not far behind.

[alyem]

For camera review, I prefer this site.. >>
http://www.kenrockwell.com/index.htm

Lots of tips too..

[tympg]

A few weeks ago, I was at a birthday dinner with about 20-30 people present. That night I counted no less than four DSLRs worth more than RM5k each. All were being used to take dinner photos.

[singawon]

I am also looking for a DSLR, looking at the cannon 550 probably fit my budget....but whenever i think of i have to learn all over again to use a dslr, i took out my pana fz18 bought a few years, i felt a relief cos it is a PNS camera and come with quite a bit of functions that DSLR is capable of and most important is tge weight, cannot imagine bringing a full gear DSLR running around...probably will help to burn a bit of my fats...

But i will still consider to get one if i have more time to play with it.

You can go to clubsnap.com to find out more about the dslr you wana buy.