Need new SLR

Hi Everyone,

I want to get SLR for myself. I am confused making choices. Can anyone pl suggest me some ideas which one should i get to enhance my photography skills?
This will be my first SLR. so i want to buy good one but i do not have enough knowledge or technicalities of it, My options were Nikon D90, Canon EOS 550D (18-135mm). Need some suggestions. And i am getting it from US. Where can i get d best deal, India or US? i have heard i will get it bit reasonable in US..so should i get it from there as some of my acquaintances will be getting it.

Regards
Manasi C

I was in a similar state as you are. As I raised the same question earlier Sabyasachi had a very good suggestion on the same, please my older post for the details.

Many things we need to take into account. As a primer you do not need to spend much for the camera, and whether you are primer or a pro you will always end up investing more in Lens. So keep that in mind.

I chose Canon 550D over Canon 600D. I'm not against Nikon but as I searched and read opinions from other pros I was more inclined to canon as they(canon) have better collection of lenses. 600D did not had any catchy feature that would cost 14K(the difference between 550D and 600D in oct). So if you are choosing Nikon, I would recommend D5100 or D7000 instead and reading below will not help you.

Then came the choice of lens I chose as you are opting now for 18-135 lens as I knew I will not be able to buy any other zoom soon due to the budget issues. Along with the Kit I bought Canon 50mm 1.8(5.4K). Surprisingly I was happy with the 50mm purchase than 18-135 lens purchase.

From the experience I request you to either buy body and 50mm lens if you do not need wide angle shots at all and 18-55 lens instead of 18-135. 50mm will give sharper shots than the Kit lens can give you. This will save you around 15K, if you really feel like you need to have the tele you still can buy 55-250 inside that(55-250 comes at arounf 12K, so you save around 3K even after this). If you can wait for a bit or if your budget permits go for the 100-400L lens or 70-200 2.8L lens which will stay with you as a priced possession for a lifetime.


You can always upgrade your camera once you can really understand what you gain in a high end DSLR and remember if you are buying the premium lenses(L series) you will not need to change them for a lifetime unless you have some specific need to.

Its good to know that you thinking of buying a SLR. I would suggest Canon as I using one for the last 3 years and quite satisfied with it. Also Canon Lenses are bit cheaper than Nikon. If there is a chance, it is good that you can get it from US, as definitely it is cheaper there. Only you will lose on the Warranty. We usually order from a site called B&H where you can buy online and they deliver it free anywhere in US.

Manasi,
Good that you are thinking of buying a SLR. I agree with the previous posts and normally recommend Canon as the lens price is cheaper, and most importantly there is a good service centre network in India. You can buy either the canon EOS 550D or EOS 600D as per your budget. I only suggest buying good lenses.

Decide what you want to focus on initially and then buy lenses accordingly. I only suggest good quality lenses and buying one at a time so that it suits your budget as well as give you sufficient time to play with it.

I remember in the past you had mostly posted images of landscapes. Either you can buy wideangle or a 100mm for macro and general photography. Better to focus.

I have had good experiences of buying from B&H in US. I also buy from India. You can check my experiences with B&H here: Equipment Buying

Hi ,

Thanx Sabyasachi, Mrudul and Krishnadas Mallya for the suggestions. I am planning to buy Canon EOS 550D (18-55mm). But there are some points which i need to clarify. My budget is around 50-55k.
1.For Mammals and Bird Photography will this lens be good??or should i select other lens like 70-300mm or 75-300mm?
2. For zooming lens what would be d option??
3.a separate macro lens plus any of 18-55mm or 70-300mm, how much will tat cost?
4. If i decide to buy secondhand body and invest all in lens where can i find best deal for such secondhand body?
5. For macro lens which is best and reasonable to begin with?

My requirement is to get a decent SLR for wildlife and a macro lens. Will tat fit in 55k budget?

I am still confused what i should go for.. :001_rolleyes:


Regards
Manasi

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Manasi Chaphalkar

Hi ,

Thanx Sabyasachi, Mrudul and Krishnadas Mallya for the suggestions. I am planning to buy Canon EOS 550D (18-55mm). But there are some points which i need to clarify. My budget is around 50-55k.
1.For Mammals and Bird Photography will this lens be good??or should i select other lens like 70-300mm or 75-300mm?
2. For zooming lens what would be d option??
3.a separate macro lens plus any of 18-55mm or 70-300mm, how much will tat cost?
4. If i decide to buy secondhand body and invest all in lens where can i find best deal for such secondhand body?
5. For macro lens which is best and reasonable to begin with?

My requirement is to get a decent SLR for wildlife and a macro lens. Will tat fit in 55k budget?

I am still confused what i should go for.. :001_rolleyes:


Regards
Manasi

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From what I got when I was buying from the local merchant

Canon 550D Body - 30K
Canon 550D + 18-55 Kit lens - 34K
Canon 550D + 18-135 Kit Lens - 50K

If you are building up for a full time photography in the future(near or distant), do not invest on any of the zoom lens that you have mentioned above. The best one among the zoom still is the 100-400L lens which comes around 1Lakh and there are rumors on an upgrade on the lens early next year.

For macro I recommend 100mm 2.8(Non-IS can save you money). Though a little tough but still you can get decent macros with 18-55.

So I would request you to buy only 550D + 18-55 Kit now and play around with your new toy for few months atlest. Once you feel its time to take it to next level aim for 100mm 2.8L if you think you really need that(80K) or settle for non IS version(30k) later.

For the zoom do not aim for anything less than L series from which 70-200 2.8L and 100-400L are the most loved ones.

Regards & Happy clicking
Krishnadas N Mallya

Manasi,
The best value will be when you buy the 550D (body only) and a 100mm f2.8 L USM macro lens. Use this lens to shoot macro (insects, flowers etc), mammals and general purpose photography.

Most of the times the kit lens (18-55) etc can immediately give you a focal length range. However, in the longrun, better to buy only the best and one at a time. That will help you in saving money as well as learning the characteristics of each lens well.

Remember, the 100mm f2.8 macro lens is great and in the right hands can produce fantastic results.

Thanks All,

I will be getting Canon 550D body..but lenses i am still doing R&D..Can anyone tell me how is Canon 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM?Does it provide good results?i want a lens solely for the purpose of wildlife so do not wish to go for 18-55 or 18-135 rte now. i will be getting 100mm macro later.want 2 buy good lens first time.

Thanks and Regards,
Manasi

Hi,

I'm in the same or similar stage as you are. The only difference is that I already have bought the cam and you are yet to. 70-300 IS USM is a decent lens and comes in around 40K, it is always better to wait for a bit and invest in the best lens possible for you. In that sense I would recommend to go for 100-400L or wait until it fits in your budget. If you are eager to get the cam, you may look at 55-250 which would save you some cash(its only 12K) but I do not recommend these two lens(55-250/70-300) either. 100-400L is the most recommended wildlife lens and I have heard people say that they have been using it for years which means it will stay with for a lifetime while you keep on upgrading the cam as you desire.

Regards & Happy clicking
Krishnadas N Mallya

Manasi,
The 70-300 f/4-5.6 IS USM lens is good if the subject is within the range. However, a word of caution. I am not sure how many people will like to buy that lens when you are ready to upgrade. The 18-135 IS lens is not cheap either and doesn't give you the required focal length.

The 300mm is less at times and I know that there will be a point of time when you will want to upgrade. I haven't checked the recent price of the 70-300 f4-5.6 IS USM lens in India. This lens is also not a popular lens in India that you can sell it off. If you can stretch your budget a bit, then buy the 400mm f5.6 L USM is a fantastic lens. I would highly recommend it. Or else just buy a 70-300 lens without IS, so that would be pretty cheap which you can later sell off to some beginner.

My policy is to buy only the best, and one at a time. So that gives you a good lens and helps you in preventing from going bankrupt and also gives you the time to completely understand your lens.

Sabyasachi

Hi All

The suggestion about is 100-400 is really good..but unfortunately its going above my budget..at present my budget is max 55k..Other thing is my husband is sending is from US through someone in Jan..so i have 2 buy it in Jan..in B&H there is category of Used Lens..how will it b if we take used lens?Are they good?
So what should i go for??

And Mr.Krishnadas Mallya which lens are you using currently?


Regards
Manasi

Hi,

I have also checked with B&H and had talked to them about the used lens(100-400L), for which they have confirmed it has only cosmetic wear and the glass elements are perfectly intact. They also provide 30-day money back guarantee and 90-day warranty for the used item.

If you have someone who travels frequently to US its better to buy new from US so that you get the 2-Year US warranty for them. Else you may go for the Used one.

Regards and Best of Luck
Krishnadas N Mallya

Hi All,

Can anyone tell em how are bundle deals??


aSavings.com - Canon EOS Rebel T2i 18MP Digital SLR Camera & Accessory Kit


Are they good enough?

Regards
Manasi

No, I would not fall for it. I would go only for the stuffs I want instead.

Regards
Krishnadas N Mallya

Manasi,
As long as you are buying from B&H you are safe. Don't go for any of those supposed to be low priced advertisements in the net. Avoid it like plague. The used section in B&H comes with their warranty. I have been buying tons of stuff from them. You can also see the B&H representative Henry Posner commenting on my post here: Equipment Buying

Ask your husband to buy from B&H. I highly recommend them.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

Manasi, I own 400mm f5.6 lens. It is excellent lens for the price and would strongly recommend it.

i would advice to buy only the body and the lens of your choice. Kit lenses always suffer on image quality.

As I am currently based in Pune, let me know if you want to take a look at my 400mm f5.6.

Regards,
Atul
9881578563

Hey Hi Atul

Thanx for the suggestion..can u quote me d price and its specifications of d same lens?

And right now im not in town but in Bangalore..once i will be in Pune i will let u know. I would like to see your lens..



Manasi

Hi Sabyasachi and Krishnadas Mallya


Thanx a ton for guiding. i wnt go for bundle deals now. Some people had suggested me about d bundle deals tat u get d stuff at reasonable rates. But now i wnt go for it I will b getting from B&H itself.


Manasi