After reading the comments from my previous post about choosing a DSLR camera, I decided to go to specialized photography local shops to see, compare and ask about the diferent choices available for me and more importart the price.
Thanks to James, Atmzeal, Meronpan and all who posted a comment. Many DSLR friends out there who is helping me. Here is a compilation of key features everyone interested in getting a DSLR should notice:
* camera features: Among all diferent DSLR cameras available in the market all cameras share a comon set of features, like megapixels, video capture and raw capabilities. You cant get wrong with a brandname since there is a lot of choices for everyone.
* camera design and weight: The feel and ergonomics of the camera is important too. If you plan to carry your camera for extended period of times, weight is a concern too.
* accesories available: Depending of your photo habits or interests you should ask for the right accesories for your camera. If you plan to do macro photography, then you should get a tripod and a macro flash if you are serious about it.
* lenses: Lets face it, buying a DSLR camera means you have to buy lenses too, and in most cases lenses are quite more expensive than the body camera itself. Its like getting a printer and then buying the color cartridges periodically for your printer.
I didnt want to go in detail about the price but that is important too (for your wallet and budget). As James said: "Any brand is as good as the other" and with that in mind and the previous keypoints I think Im ready to go and pick my choice.
I will keep you updated in later posts.
6 comments
And don't make the same mistake i did when i bought mine. Just buy the body alone. And then buy a good lens.
The lenses in kits are never good.
A macro lens can be a great first lens, best for figures and great for portraits shots.
A difficult decision indeed. Whether you go Canon or Nikon, both have some great cameras. Went Canon myself since I prefer their array of expensive glass ^^;
If it's your first SLR, I would say stick with the kits lens at first. No point in wasting money on a nice lens until you know your preferences, what you like to shoot, and how you like to shoot. Learn on the kits lens, then buy a better lens when you've outgrown it :)
Moohoohooo I got my DSLR (canon XT) cos it fits nicely into my hand, that was the main reason why I got it, since it felt right ^^ The plus side is it is rather light too (the body that is) since adding lenses on adds on weight, plus I need to carry doll, bag, rocks... other etc ^^;
I agree about the lens kits. You usually get the normal 18-55mm lense which is okay for day to day shots.
After that, then look for a lense that will fit what you will use it for the most.
There are some places that will allow you to rent a lense so you can see if it meets your needs or not.
Eh, nothing wrong with having the kit lens just in case. But yeah, definitely get some other lenses depending on what kinds of photos you want to shoot.
i'm kinda torn on the kit lens issue... on the one hand, yes, if you're not sure what focal lengths you need, what you consider to be good enough image quality... then a kit lens is a good cheap start to set a baseline and learn what your real needs are.
on the other hand... unless you only plan on shooting in a studio, or doing other specific shots that require specific focal lengths... it's hard to argue that you'd go wrong getting a general purpose zoom (i.e. like a nice 24-70mm). 24-70 will likely fit most people's "walk around" needs so you could save the $100 or what not and directly invest it in a very nice lens. (well on a crop body actually you might want something a little wider, but i digress) i think the only barrier here is the price since those nice general purpose zooms are often well over $1000usd. (well, i suppose if you don't need as much reach in your general purpose zoom canon has a 17-40 f/4 which is "only" ~$750)
personally I opted to start with an 18-55 kit + 100mm macro. but had i known more about my shooting style i think i would've went 50mm f/1.4 + 100mm macro. Because i shoot lotsa of indoor stuff the 1.4 aperture is much more useful than the zoom.
one thing you may want to do is look through your photos and note the focal lengths you're using. are you constantly zoomed all the way in or all the way out? then maybe you don't need a kit zoom and a nice prime would be better to start with. are you all over the place with different zoom levels? if so then you'd probably be better off with a zoom and i suggest to either go as cheap as possible (kit) or as nice as possible (constant aperture general purpose zoom ^^)
hmmm guess i kinda got side tracked with a primes vs zoom discussion ^^; Anyhow in general a kit lens is a great way to test the water and is just a drop in the bucket if you truly start investing in camera gear ^^;;; On the other hand if you want the most image quality for your money you'll definitely find better image quality upgrading from a kit lens.
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