It's not required; It's mainly use for protection, usually in case of accident (which may not happen at all, or may; and if happen also depends what kind of accident).

Anyway, if you want to get a filter, just make sure you get a good one, don't get those cheap one; Not money cheap, but quality cheap; Go for brand like Hoya, B&W; The good one, you won't see any difference seeing through the glass, a poor filter, you will see difference. Some shops will show you the difference of different filter and explain to you. For low price yet good quality, normally the price will offer you ED Digital filter, especially for kit lens.

If you're around Klang Valley, can try the 2 camera shop at AmCorp mall; One is J-One and another D'Classic, both also good so far, and they can teach and explain to you about camera, etc.

Yup, it depend on the accident, some the filter may not even protect.

Regardless, filter will affect the Image Quality; so its important to get a good quality filter, not because for better protection, but for retaining the image quality.

Yes, new one, replacing 45MB/s version which is already discontinued, but the 90MB/s cost a bomb, about double the price.

Not simply blaming staff, it's multi-standard, 2 person asking can get different price, even same person different time can get different price; I know their want to earn more commission, etc. they're just doing business, I don't mind them earning a little more, I usually don't bargain like crazy, I 'm not those, even RM10 also wanna bargain, and I don't like to keep asking prices around and comapre, as long as the price is "reasonable", and the seller is honest and good/nice; but I hate when they pretend or trying to cheat the customer and do those acting/tricks, it's so obvious (moreover, if the Customer knows about camera well, and there's so many shop around; it's common sense). Well, it's sales people after all, they just fall into the typical sales people; but not everyone needs to be like this, they have a choice to be what kind of sales they want to be. Just like insurance seller, they can join the crowd and become the typical insurance seller who use the same tactic and trick on their customer and also their first victim is their family and friends, find some old no more contact friends, etc. or they can be something different.

They can target to sell 1 unit and earn big margin, or they can sell more units with less margin; Short-term thinking, if they sell and earn high margin, the person found out they've been conned, especially when their friend got from the SAME shop few hundred cheaper. What happen? Of course, they're like pushing luck that the Customer doesn't know and don't bother or won't do anything, well, most customer even they know, they don't do anything other, at most just complain, like me. And sometimes, they may not stay in the company for very long anyway.

Well, anyway, it's how they wish to do their job; I can't stop them, but there's also nothing wrong to share experience and let more people aware of it. Their shop is famous and always full of customers anyway.

ADDED:
And you know what? I have a friend who work in sales line; Guess what? He's more aggressive when bargaining and he knows more about the inner workings of the system, he never believe their price is the lowest and will push more even already very low. So, who's wrong who's right?

No, same 32GB UHS-1 90MB/s.
the 45MB/s edition, it showed discontinued.

SDXC is 64GB and above right?

This post has been edited by Andy214: Nov 1 2011, 02:17 PM

AFAIK, it won't auto-focus in LIVE-VIEW; If yours is local warranty set and have this problem, can try send in to Sigma Malaysia for chip update.

AFAIK, for 3rd party around 100mm range, most people go for Tamron version.

I'd still prefer the Nikon over these 3rd party:
1. Internal Focus; means it doesn't extend during focusing (for macro lens, it extends out very long...)
2. VR (may not be important for macro and using manual focus, but if you use for portrait as well, you'lll appreciate this)
3. Fast focusing speed and probably more accurate (may not be important for macro and using manual focus, but if you use for portrait as well, you'lll appreciate this)
4. Nano coating
5. Excellent built quality
6. Nice and creamy bokeh.

Downside:
Focus-Breathing; it's the downside for using Internal Focus (IF).

The price maybe difference by almost 2 times 3rd party (e.g. Tamron), but what you get is much much more; unlike the 17-50mm f/2.8mm range.

This post has been edited by Andy214: Nov 2 2011, 05:59 PM

When push the dial to limit focus, it's focusing speed is actually acceptable and usable for events, still can shoot walk ins and capture the action, another key is to pre-focus first; The focus is actually quite fast at time, from very blur, it can suddenly pops up clear sharp photo when you half-press shutter, unless it hunts. Well, that's my personal experience anyway.

In terms of focusing speed, internal focus, bokeh, sharpness, I don't think the Tamron is comparable; For macro use, it should be no problem, it should work fine besides, in macro mode, most people will stop down to smaller aperture, focusing speed is less of a problem especially when they use manual focus and people may not mind the extension; But if truly to compare both, there's like so much difference, which makes the Nikkor's price isn't really expensive.

As for 17-50mm range, if you read around, you'll find most reputable review sites and also users comment on how good the Tamron is against the Nikkors, that it's comparable image quality (similar like what you said, people may not be able to tell which is which and it's wide open comparison); Plus, both have no VR, both have no Nano coating, not much difference except for quality and performance, but the price difference is like around 1:4 price difference (new vs new), 1 Nikkor you can purchase 4 Tamron; as compared with the 105, there's much difference in specs and quality and performance, and it's about 1:3, 1 Nikkor you can purchase about 3 Tamron (might need to top up a little?).
Well, that's my personal opinion, plus it's FX lens and moreover for FX user, the budget for lens is different, as compared with DX user, the DX lens pricing is different; RM1K to FX user is different for usual DX user, so the difference on the 17-50mm range for usual DX user can be very heavy; If you're talking about working professional or more affordable user, then it's different story.
As for the 105 macro, if for purely macro work, and all those VR, extension, Nano coatings, etc aren't important, then of course, it's different story; It really depends how one person sees it.
So, it's just how I see it, I do take into consideration on the additional features provided like VR, Nano Coatings, IF, etc; If Tamron unit were to provide this few similar spec, it may go up to RM2K or more, which make the price even less difference; by then, would people still think it's worth to go for Tamron? Or Nikkor's more worth?
It's also same like cars, some people they don't need more than 2 airbags, they don't care about additional features, so if there is 2 car, one with far better features but price a little higher, they may not feel the price it cheap because they don't see on those detail feature (which if were to be added in the car without, may cost more).

Yup, already have before; If not wrong Tokina also has one simiar 50-135.

Yup, old one doesn't have OS, and it's soft wide open especially when zoom to max.

This post has been edited by Andy214: Nov 3 2011, 12:42 PM

It doesn't excels due to the IF, which have Focus Breathing issue, need to know how to use it properly. Otherwise, it's great.
You can try get the older 105 AF-D version.

This post has been edited by Andy214: Nov 3 2011, 03:07 PM

Not sure, didn't notice it last time; can try call and ask.

More suitable for family use, capturing moments; especially with all the features and high fps. I guess they target what those compact camera people are looking for and facing problem with their current compacts, which has slow performance, not able to capture the moment and also picture quality; Just that the price is too much.

X10

NEX-7 way too pricey, around RM4K?

First off, what's your budget.
Second, do you need 1:1 macro, or just normal close-up with do.

For low budget, there's the 40mm f/2.8 DX AF-S Micro; It's good for "casual" macro, but may not be so good for insects, bugs, etc as you need to focus really close. It can also be use for Portrait.

For portrait and under budget, you can check out the 50mm f/1.8G AF-S. This lens is great, sharp and very value for money.

Depending on your budget, you can get 2 lens; For macro, you also have option to use those close-up filter on your normal/kit lens with little cost (e.g. Raynox DCR-250 for around RM250)

Just sharing my personal point of view; It's still best for your to try it out yourself and decide.

NEW 17-50mm f/2.8 Tamron is around RM1.2K... not RM2K.
NEW 17-55mm f/2.8 Nikon is around RM4.8K? That's about 4X difference, and for MOST DX users who are using for hobby, they may have low budget; They MAY NOT need to get the BEST lens, but they may only need a good lens.
One can spend RM3K to get the 17-50mm Tamron, then the rest of the money can be invest on other lens for other purpose or save the money for other purpose, family, etc. It's not always one must get the BEST Lens there is, I did not disagree it's very good, but it really depends on the needs of individual, and for me, to compare the specs and features, the price difference is too much for me. If I have the money, I may consider to invest on FX lens and upgrade to FX later, but that's me.
And talk about 2nd hand price, RM4.8K drop to RM3.5K, for me, is way too much. And you mean people don't sell their 17-55mm? Many people sell it too, and if you google around, you may find there's more debate on choosing 3rd party for this range. Either way, there's no wrong or right choosing either, it really depends on individual; But there's NO need to get the BEST there is, unless one has the money and/or need it (and not want it).
For people on the job, that's different story, the performance and accuracy of the 17-55mm may be very useful for their job and most likely, the money isn't really an issue because the job will earn back. That said, there're also professional photographers using either lens and it's nothing wrong with using either lens, it's just that the Nikkor may be more useful/helpful in many situations of their job.

Macro lens also don't need VR or Nano; but it's always good to have, especially when you're paying for the price. If you're paying RM3K for a Nikon old generation, without VR, without Nano; then the new version comes with VR and Nano and priced the same, which will you choose?
The comparison for Macro Lens between Tamron and Nikon, there's the difference in specs, IF, VR, Nano, etc.
So, even it may have about 1:3 price difference, but if you were to include those features into Tamron, will the price difference still be 1:3? That's what most people don't see.
Just like cars, a Japanese car priced at RM90K, a continental car priced at RM90K, but there is a huge difference in terms of specifications, but people may not see, and they may say they don't need the feature. But think for a second, you're paying so much with less features and spec, less/no tax, etc? Don't need is OK, but it's NICE TO HAVE.


This post has been edited by Andy214: Nov 4 2011, 03:05 PM

Should be OK; If you need more magnification, can try with close up filter and low cost.

Sigma is more pricey here, but it's less sharp; If you have done your research before buying the 17-55mm; you''ll find many debate and review on the 3rd party choice, and you'll notice many review give positive review for the Tamron, that for it's price, it's a good value and alternative.
Of course, if you have the budget, I'll recommend the Nikon 17-55mm anytime. Not just because of the brand, but for the accuracy, performance, built quality, etc.

Yes, RM3.5K second hand price is really low, that's like around RM1.8K difference if the new is RM4.8K; There're also some which sells at RM3K++ lower than RM3.5K. But if it's been used for many years, then it's different story, there're those that sell in just around 1 year, and that's a big loss to sell less than RM4K.

Yup, hence, I said, buy what you need and what suits you; Some people may not need the 17-55mm, but because they WANT they save their money for it, and later they found out, for their NEEDS, the 3rd party will do, they may sell it and get other lens instead or for other reasons. Just an example. It's King of DX, but one also must differentiate NEEDS and WANTS. On the job, again it's different story, but there's also no wrong to use 3rd party, just that if there is problem during the shooting day and it's cause by 3rd party, then it's not so nice lah. For the job, people are paying for the service, people would expect a good product to be used, or have backup/etc.

Not sure, most I read is positive comment and good alternative; Just if use in low light action, can be/post a problem, otherwise, the overall use it still much better than kit lens, sharp wide open. For budget DX users looking for upgrade, a constant f/2.8 aperture lens, this is a very good choice.

If there's no volume, spare parts will be a problem, who will bring in more parts, same goes for price. If we go to UK, the situation is reverse, the japs have spare parts issue. Reliability wise is also depends, if there's good service centre and workshop, it helps to maintain the car better. The japs here are stripped down specs, plain and empty, but priced much higher; no competition or threat even though the contis gone aggressive and started offering much more features, higher spec, at lower price; not to mention their units sold per month is much more lesser than the japs.

Not saying that you would sell, but as a general term; When upgrade FX, one might wanna get the 24-70 instead which is even better.... the DX as second body may use for other purpose, but that really depends on the photographer. Just giving an example of many.

I have own both Sigma and Tamron; Sigma is big (72mm), and produce nice creamy bokeh especially when you shoot close-up as it has macro ability of 1:3; unfortunate, it has issue with live view focusing, unable to focus, need to update chip and the Sigma support in Malaysia is... *coughs*
And the Sigma is kinda soft wide-open, when stopped down, it's good. But the price of Sigma is high in Malaysia, even AP set. Authorised set even more expensive, yet the support seems not so good compared with Tamron and Nikon (which both is by handle Futuromic?).

85mm micro is DX only lens and it's max aperture is f/3.5; The price is much cheaper tough; but in comparison, the 105mm might be better in terms of overall specs and built quality. For portrait, the 105mm can be too far, but it gives more tight and even better subject separation.

It depends on your budget, the 105mm micro can be expensive, really depends if you willing to spend so much for it and what kind of macro you're looking at. You can see more samples from:
http://www.pixel-peeper.com/

High ISO depends on how to test and determine; Based on professional test result, it is arguably the best during it's time. For users, they may disagree or have different point of view which can due to their usage, but that still doesn't mean it is not. One thing for sure is, it's still at least 1 stop behind D700; actually more if we analyze the dark areas or we compare higher ISO details.

So far, seems I'm OK with the ISO button position, maybe already used to it.

Aperture IS adjustable during Live View, it just didn't change what you see in Live View, when you shoot, the output is correct.
Cons: For people who depend on Live View, they will not know the exposure is correct or wrong as the Live View is still bright and clear. e.g. f/2.8 when you turn on Live View, then you adjust the aperture to f/5.6, the Live View remain the SAME. But when you turn OFF the Live View and turn back on again, you will see the Live View has changed.
Pros: If you want to shoot at f/5.6 or f/8 or small aperture for Night Landscape, say you set at f/8, and now you will face problem trying to acquire focus. You can change your aperture to f/2.8, turn off Live View and turn back on, now everything is bright, focus and lock, then change your aperture to f/8 and shoot.

The non-adjustable aperture, I suppose should apply for Video Recording; which is troublesome as you need to stop recording, change aperture, turn off Live View, then turn back on to "update" the aperture.

Some of the things can actually be solve through firmware, just whether Nikon will resolve it or not, and also add new features....

One thing I'm not really happy with is the tendency to back focus to the background when it cannot acquire focus on the small subject, e.g. around the same size as the focus point; This happens on Nikon lens and also same experience from my friend. Why it's a problem is because the indicator shows in focus and lock on, the viewfinder looks OK (well, after all, it's small) but after take photo and zoom in, will notice the background is in focus instead. Actually, this issue discussed before last time; What I did nowadays to ensure or prevent it from back focusing when the subject is small or the focus point "coverage" may cover the background is, I focus on the subject's body or anywhere within the focal plane. I tried multiple shots sometimes and confirm that when focusing on the subject, it tends to focus on the background. It seems the "coverage" is not as small as the focus point; The focus point is just a rough reference, the actual point maybe rounder or bigger, sometimes it may focus on the background instead and the indicator will show in focus, which becomes inaccurate physically although it's logically correct for the camera as how the camera see is different.

Night View from 15th Floor, The Gardens Hotel & Residence

BMW vs Honda

This post has been edited by Andy214: Nov 8 2011, 04:45 PM

16GB also not enough one, hehe, get 32GB, less worry.

UHS-1 (45MB/s) vs 30MB/s edition, you can feel slight difference, when you review picture and browsing through pictures, it's slightly faster, the green LED goes away faster; Let's say you're shooting RAW + JPEG, after your press the shutter, with UHS-1 (45MB/s), the green LED goes away faster, means it writes faster to the card. It may not be very important, but it's good when you're shooting action, or when you need to speed.

Not sure about the 90MB/s edition; I read some sites, it seems the 90MB/s gives no difference in performance, probably because the test is not using RAW + JPEG mode, which will produce larger file size in total (but still 2 files)? But the test, the guy tested BURST mode, both 45MB/s and 90MB/s card clears around the same time. If true, it would mean the camera itself doesn't support up to 90MB/s, but I can't be sure of that, just sharing.

Got, try monitor how fast the camera writes to the card everytime you take a photo; If you take JPEG only, maybe no difference? Try take RAW or even better, RAW+JPEG.
Also, try review/browsing through photos, the next photo should load up quicker and smoother.

Finally, try BURST mode at 6FPS, after the buffer is full, the fps should slow down already, let go and calculate how long it takes to write to the card and clears the buffer; The UHS-1 should be able to clear the buffer faster, unless that is.. a counterfeit?


This post has been edited by Andy214: Nov 10 2011, 10:38 AM

If you have 2 X 16GB means already got 32GB lo, hehe; I thought you have 8GB and wanna get 16GB.
But having 1 32GB can be good/nice, if you're considering upgrading, got extra space.

May not really affect your shooting, but may give better experience and feel; Just like after you snap and immediately review the photo, the speed, but it's very very slight only. I think the more obvious if say you're browsing through your photos to find that photo or when you want to show the client/friends a certain photo, the overall performance is slightly faster; It's not really an issue, I can bear with the slight lag, but having a faster speed is "nice to have", it's not a necessity. That said, Class 10 also got many speed, from 10MB/s up to 30MB/s, the speed between 20MB/s and 30MB/s isn't really obvious as well, and may not be important to everyone. So, it really depends if you think the extra speed is nice to have.
When I purchase the UHS-1 time, I did consider whether should I just get the 30MB/s and save a little money; but after some consideration, I just get the UHS-1, after all, the extra speed can come in handy and also when transfer files between PC.

What King card , where got King Card, there is 64GB~128GB already. Just that if you plan to upgrade can "always" consider 32GB, not saying you must get it. Just suggest to you, not saying it's King or Must or Best. It's not correct to think like this, those that find 8GB sufficient will think why need 16GB, and so on, it's never ending. It's just a common suggestion for getting a bigger available size if the price is OK. For 8GB "supporters", as upgrade, they can get 16GB and keep 8GB as backup or in 2nd slot (if available), similarly, 16GB supporters can get 32GB as upgrade and put in slot 1. As I said, it's personal preference and choice.

Your battery seems drain very fast? You review your picture a lot or something? I filled the 16GB and still have more than 50% battery juice to spare; not yet cover the deleted photos. Or is it you're using battery grip battery or something?

Whether you show or not is not a matter... I'm just giving examples "lah"...
Plus, sometimes, it's not a matter you want to show or not; Sometimes, the client demand to see the photos, especially say a bunch of girls, after take, they want to see how they look on the spot, if not satisfied with their pose or they feel their angle not nice, etc. they will want to re-take. It really depends on situation, you can't say there's no such thing.

This post has been edited by Andy214: Nov 10 2011, 12:01 PM