Rooz
12-18-2006, 04:49 PM
Hi all, am new to the forum obviousluy and am taking the leap to digital SLR. I have had old olympus and canon SLR's. I sold them recently becasue the condition of the lenses were not that flash and am looking to start fresh.
i have read alot of the reviews around and am looking for some real person advice and opinions. so i have used your recommendation and tried to detail what i'm looking for...and yes i did read the admin insturction and made a SEPERATE thread !!:D
**Budget
$1500-$1800 AUD
** Size
DSLR 10mp
**How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10)
Critical...10/10.
**What will you generally use the camera for?
amateur photography - hobby.
kids pics, general use. indoor and outdoor. vacation...the usual hobbyist stuff. but i also like to get creative when the mood strikes and create something special.
**Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?
Normally 5x7 but the odd 10x14 etc. and A3 possibly. I doubt i will ever pull a poster size shot ever. but i will use cropping to compensate for poor photo structure given the user, (me), is no expert. so while i may not ever print a massive shot, i will likely need the flexibility to take it that way and crop it down without worrying too much about losing alot of image quality.
**Are there particular brands you like or hate?
Absolutely not. Brand loyalty to me means nothing. I am looking for the best value for money product but i also want to make sure that the aftermarket support via lenses and accessories don;t limit my ability to expand in future.
In saying that...i'm trying to be objective about the sony cos it seems on the surface to be outsanding value, but am having serious reservations cos...well just because is a sony. yes, i know it's KM but i always worry about pricey aftermarket jobbies with sony.
**Cameras i am currently considering and best prices i have found.
Sony A100, twin lens kit $1499
Canon 400d, (rebel xti), EFS 17-85mm IS USM lens kit $1799
Nikon D80 single lens kit, $1920, (18-135mm)
what i like about the sony is the value for money and flexibility of the lens kit.
What concerns me about the sony is the how much will sony lenses nail me in future, whats the support like etc. and most importantly some average commenst about the high ISO quality. I doubt i will ever shoot at 1600 but 800 is pretty important for indoor shooting when i don't want to use a flash, (sleeping kids etc)
what i like about the canon is the range of lenses and accessories offered at reasonably affordable prices.
what i don;t like about the canon is the kit lens. I'm very dissapointed in the quality and flexibilty of it, so i picked a package with a different lens but am unsure if this lens is flexible enough or the quality is so much improved from the kit lens that it makes the package worthwhile.
what i like about the nikon is the kit lens SEEMS to be fantastic with great flexibility, but no IS. is this a good lens to start with ? how much is IS going to make a difference here ?
what i don;t like about the nikon is the fact that the RAW software is trial only bversion and you have to pay extra for it. it's a bit chunky...i will get over it though i think. the price is the most expensive and is it really worth that extra cash ? ie: am i better off getting a cheaper body and dropping the extra $$ on better glass such as the canon with the IS lens.
i know this is a long post but would really apprecite people's feedback on it. in particualr the canon 400d body plus the best lens for me to add to that.
Thanks.:)
i have read alot of the reviews around and am looking for some real person advice and opinions. so i have used your recommendation and tried to detail what i'm looking for...and yes i did read the admin insturction and made a SEPERATE thread !!:D
**Budget
$1500-$1800 AUD
** Size
DSLR 10mp
**How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10)
Critical...10/10.
**What will you generally use the camera for?
amateur photography - hobby.
kids pics, general use. indoor and outdoor. vacation...the usual hobbyist stuff. but i also like to get creative when the mood strikes and create something special.
**Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?
Normally 5x7 but the odd 10x14 etc. and A3 possibly. I doubt i will ever pull a poster size shot ever. but i will use cropping to compensate for poor photo structure given the user, (me), is no expert. so while i may not ever print a massive shot, i will likely need the flexibility to take it that way and crop it down without worrying too much about losing alot of image quality.
**Are there particular brands you like or hate?
Absolutely not. Brand loyalty to me means nothing. I am looking for the best value for money product but i also want to make sure that the aftermarket support via lenses and accessories don;t limit my ability to expand in future.
In saying that...i'm trying to be objective about the sony cos it seems on the surface to be outsanding value, but am having serious reservations cos...well just because is a sony. yes, i know it's KM but i always worry about pricey aftermarket jobbies with sony.
**Cameras i am currently considering and best prices i have found.
Sony A100, twin lens kit $1499
Canon 400d, (rebel xti), EFS 17-85mm IS USM lens kit $1799
Nikon D80 single lens kit, $1920, (18-135mm)
what i like about the sony is the value for money and flexibility of the lens kit.
What concerns me about the sony is the how much will sony lenses nail me in future, whats the support like etc. and most importantly some average commenst about the high ISO quality. I doubt i will ever shoot at 1600 but 800 is pretty important for indoor shooting when i don't want to use a flash, (sleeping kids etc)
what i like about the canon is the range of lenses and accessories offered at reasonably affordable prices.
what i don;t like about the canon is the kit lens. I'm very dissapointed in the quality and flexibilty of it, so i picked a package with a different lens but am unsure if this lens is flexible enough or the quality is so much improved from the kit lens that it makes the package worthwhile.
what i like about the nikon is the kit lens SEEMS to be fantastic with great flexibility, but no IS. is this a good lens to start with ? how much is IS going to make a difference here ?
what i don;t like about the nikon is the fact that the RAW software is trial only bversion and you have to pay extra for it. it's a bit chunky...i will get over it though i think. the price is the most expensive and is it really worth that extra cash ? ie: am i better off getting a cheaper body and dropping the extra $$ on better glass such as the canon with the IS lens.
i know this is a long post but would really apprecite people's feedback on it. in particualr the canon 400d body plus the best lens for me to add to that.
Thanks.:)