Can consider Canon S100

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Added on May 5, 2012, 4:25 pmnot sure how to check, but buy reputable brand from reputable shop is the best way to avoid being cheated...
i nvr really go for those "sale" thing... even though i'm not rich, but i always believe you get wat u pay for...

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Added on May 5, 2012, 4:28 pmWat is your requirement? u wan to change lens? or you want compact size camera?
if changing lens is your priority, consider M43 camera. I personally don like J1/V1... there are many better camera out there... or if you are ok with Sony go for NEX series. If not, any other M43 will do...
if compact/fix lens is wat you want, go for canon G1X or Canon S100... can consider some Panasonic camera as well.

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Added on May 5, 2012, 4:30 pmDSLR + Tripod?
well, with your budget range nothing much to intro to you. Just go for any entry level DSLR for either Nikon or Canon will be ok. Go try out and see which one you feel comfortable with. If you have big hand, consider to go for Canon 600D for better grip but higher price.

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Added on May 5, 2012, 4:33 pmnot sure about this camera, but if you are deciding to go for it, prepare to spend the bucks to buy film, to process photo, and the lens is a little rare and i believe will be expensive too? if you are looking for a fully manual SLR film camera... then this should be a good choice perhaps?

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Added on May 5, 2012, 4:42 pmD3100 is good choice for wat you need... except for low light shot. But you are not taking 90% of your picture under low light, right? and if you shoot in RAW then you can do some post processing to reduce the noise, so D3100 is good enough.

If change lens is not wat you want, go for Canon G1X.

Go for S100.

60D is in different league with 600D and D5100... so first you need to decide do you need all the features in 60D.
I would suggest go for 600D or D5100 with standard kit lens + a 50mm prime first. Then you may go for macro lens. from your type of photography, do really need to have long lens up to 300mm? better spend on buying ultra wide angle lens.

This post has been edited by beelze_gpwk: May 5 2012, 04:42 PM

with your budget you can go for D5100 or D3100.
Or you can wait for the new D3200 to be available.
Go try out the camera and see which one you feel comfortable with. If the function of D3100 is already enough for you, then go for it and you got extra money to spare for another lens or filters & other accessories.

Depends wat you need... D7000 has better AF, higher end body... but is it wat u need?
If your shooting is just normal landscape and travel photography, i think D5100 with extra lens is a good deal.

considering the AF motor issue... well, then D7000 will be a better choice

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Added on May 6, 2012, 8:37 amNo idea about Sony, Panasonic & Fujifilm.
Tested myself XZ-1, P310, G12, S95 and S100.

S100 is around 1000-1200 if i remember correctly, while G12 is around 1400 now.
If you want full control on your pictures, in other words you are going to change setting etc on the camera to get a better picture, go for G12. It is better in terms of control. but it is not really "compact" compared to others.

P310 is a good camera which is similar to S100. pricing is around 1200-1400 (the last time i ask is March)
XZ-1 is also a similar camera. I won't consider S95 if you can afford the 1000+ camera.

So, P310, XZ-1 and S100... 3 of these are all good enough for me to take daily shot, travel shot and etc. So you just go try out and see which camera feels right for you, and which camera output picture is nice from your point of view.


This post has been edited by beelze_gpwk: May 6 2012, 08:37 AM

in terms of full control over exposure, shutter speed, aperture... i feel more comfortable with G12.
But again, it is depends on your need. do you play with all those settings? if not, just go for XZ-1 and S100.
XZ-1 VS S100? for me it is hard to compare... XZ-1 is good where it has bright lens, while S100 good at high ISO pic... so still i suggest you really try them out personally. they are both good. you can read the thread in this forum on XZ-1 and S100 for some brief idea about these camera.

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Added on May 6, 2012, 10:37 pmSony? well, they are always not a bad choice... sometime i find sony is better in doing video than others. but A57 i never try before... so can't really comment. But you can always try both the DSLR and see which one suits you.
In terms of lens range, of cos Nikon has more lens available than sony, but if this is something that you can live with (obviously not a big issue for me as all i need is a wide angle, standard zoom + prime 50mm and all these lens are well covered), why not? (Nikon sensors are from Sony anyway...) try the handling and see which one you like about it.

This post has been edited by beelze_gpwk: May 6 2012, 10:37 PM

[quote=afify88,May 6 2012, 11:43 PM]
[quote=beelze_gpwk,May 6 2012, 10:33 PM]
in terms of full control over exposure, shutter speed, aperture... i feel more comfortable with G12.
But again, it is depends on your need. do you play with all those settings? if not, just go for XZ-1 and S100.
XZ-1 VS S100? for me it is hard to compare... XZ-1 is good where it has bright lens, while S100 good at high ISO pic... so still i suggest you really try them out personally. they are both good. you can read the thread in this forum on XZ-1 and S100 for some brief idea about these camera.

ermmm xz-1 lack in term of size but the review said it better than s100...i juz can make the decision lor..
xz-1 cost higher than s100 right??
which one of the camera have an accesories that can upgrade it?? i mean the lens or the flash??

[/quote]
to be honest, they are the similar... you cant really notice the difference unless you really do pixel peeping (in my opinion)... If you are looking for camera with a lot of upgrading option, G12 or XZ-1 is the choice to go. they have hot shoe for external flash and other accessories to couple with them.

There's no such "best" camera out there... people can take great picture with G12, or S100, or XZ-1, and also people can take boring picture from these camera. So it is really up to your own preference in terms of brand, handling, type of photography you do and your shooting style.

Initially when I go for G12, i decided based on simple reason:
1. I don want to change lens when tired of DSLR (during that time G12, XZ-1, P7000 is in my mind)
2. I want full control similar to DSLR (all 3 is within requirement)
3. I want it to be in a reasonable size, not too small, not too bulky (XZ-1 is out as i don feel comfortable handling it)
4. Acceptable image quality (i can work on the minor defect in post processing, so as long as the picture taken is acceptable, then no big issue. both G12 and P7000 is ok)
5. Personal preference (after trying out the camera, i prefer the handling of G12 instead of P7000. so i go for G12 in the end)

So i hope the way i narrow down my choice of camera is useful for you.

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Added on May 7, 2012, 12:42 am[quote=ipohhofen,May 6 2012, 11:21 PM]
I got no chance to try the video mode of 5100 but the Sony A57 video is quite impressive. For now, I might look for the best price of sony A57. The LCD screen of A57 shows how the picture gonna look like before you capture according to the shutter speed and aperture. It is all the dslr can do this?

[/quote]
in Live view mode, no problem. In view finder... i think only Sony's EVF can do this...

This post has been edited by beelze_gpwk: May 7 2012, 12:42 AM

1.8G is new lens, 1.8D is old
9 element 9 group for G, 6 element 6 group for D
closest focus 0.8m for G, 0.85 for D
aperture diagram 7 pieces for G, 9 for D
G is lighter despite bigger size compared to D
filter thread 67mm for G and 62mm for D

G is better in details, better sharpness, same bokeh compared to the D, less vignette compared to D...
this is wat i read from a lens review in a magazine...

refer back a few post ahead... go for any of the entry for Canon/Nikon will do...
with your budget u can get either a simple body (D3100/1100D)+ a lot accessories or a moderate body (550D/600D/D5100) with less accessories...

if you can top up ur budget a bit, go for 5N or G1X.
if 2k or less is your budget, go for C3/S100/G12

between C3 and 5N, go for 5N. worth the money.
if you can wait, you may wait for the new F3 which will be similar to 5N...

[quote=ellessecandle,May 10 2012, 02:52 PM]
if you can top up ur budget a bit, go for 5N or G1X.
if 2k or less is your budget, go for C3/S100/G12
[/quote]

thanks for your recommendation. For 5N and C3, the pic taken will only be nice for ppl who know how to do the setting right? I am not good in that, am I still able to capture the sharp and pic?

[/quote]
erm... this is a bit hard to define. different people will have different taste against "good, nice and sharp" picture.
i suggest you try to bring your own memory card, go to the shop, try out the camera, save the picture and go home review it. if you feel ok about it, then just buy it. the auto mode for sony is actually producing quite good result in my opinion.

i don use sony, but played with the one my friend has. the image is not bad. Although sometime people may dislike some of the straight JPEG output from the camera (some complain over process picture and etc). but i believe you are not pixel peeper as well, so you won't really notice the difference. if your purpose is just take pic, post in FB, do small print, i think there's no harm.

hope this site will help you. I'm not too familiar with compact camera.
http://snapsort.com/compare/Canon-A3300-IS-vs-Canon-A3400

let's say you got 15k... buy one entry level DSLR with kit lens to serve your purpose... and a cheap flash... 3k gone... so remaining 12k will be in your pocket...

if just for that purpose, any camera will do, not necessary DSLR...
small PnS will do the job as well. it's not that you will print it as a big banner or wat.
but for covering event also, any entry level DSLR is good enough for that. since basically no special requirement towards high IQ and etc.

This post has been edited by beelze_gpwk: May 13 2012, 03:24 PM

normally, telephoto is used to isolate the subject away from other things (due to the small field of view).
let's say there's a bunch of girls standing in front of you, and if u use wide angle lens, you wil get the picture of all of them in the frame... because wide angle lens has big field of view, so it captures a lot of thing into the sensor. but if u use telephoto, u can take picture of each of them individually while u and the girls remain at the same spot... you will not be able to take everything into the frame... just like when you use normal PnS, when you zoom in you can only get very little thing into the frame, when you zoom out a lot of thing will be inside your frame.

haha... not sure this is a good example or not. but if you need to isolate a subject, compress the view, or you want to shoot from a further distance, telephoto will help you. normally i will suggest people to go for standard zoom first. when you feel that you can't include all the things u wan in the frame with your kit lens, then get a ultra wide angle. and when you feel that you can't get rid of some unwanted things in the frame with your kit lens, is time to get a telephoto.

your fren is correct, but blur background and sharp subject can be achieve in two way: shoot in telephoto, of with aperture wide open. normally when shoot portrait (i mean single portrait) the sweet spot for the face to look noce without distortion is around 50-60mm for upper torso, 85-100mm for head and shoulders, and 125-135mm when you want some compression for fuller figured portraits. (all in 35mm equivalent)

That's why people may choose to use 50mm prime lens/telephoto lens as the portrait lens sometimes.
but let say if you have a 18-55mm kit lens on the APS-C sensor (assume crop factor 1.6x) you will get effective range of 28-88mm, which is already covering most of the range required for portrait. if you desired for sharper image or more compression and details in your shot, then you may need some better lens.

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Added on May 14, 2012, 10:37 amif you like S100, just buy it... refer a few post back where we got talk about similar camera for S100 in other brand... and you may consider from there

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Added on May 14, 2012, 10:48 amthink properly whether you are going to be just casual shooting or learn for this hobby...
for me, i shoot casually during travelling and etc, so i go for semi most of the time and that's why i get myself G1X instead of a new DSLR. with your budget you can go for entry level DSLR with kit lens, G1X/G12 or any similar semi pro, and also you may consider is the mirrorless system camera (NEX, M43).
sorry that I seems to blur you more on your choices, but you have to decide whether you will continue to expand n invest in this hobby or you will happy to stay with your semi-pro camera for the next few years.
after you can make things clear, it will be easier to choose which type of camera to go for.

This post has been edited by beelze_gpwk: May 14 2012, 10:48 AM

i'm not too familiar with Nikon, the only thing i know is for nikon you need to deal with the focus motor, whether it is in camera or in the lens... something like that. so can't really recommend you better lens as well.
since you already have one nikon, why not just get another nikon so you can share the lens and accessories?

+1
if canon, you can consider 5D as you wan FF and Pro... either MkII or MkIII... with the kit lens or with 24-70 2.8 L is a nice combination.

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Added on May 14, 2012, 12:26 pmfor sports 7D is slightly better, but 60D can do the job as well. If you do not need the articulated screen, i would suggest you go for 7D.
if size is your concern, go for NEX 5N. although i was planning to recommend you NEX 7 initially, but it will slightly off your budget

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Added on May 14, 2012, 12:30 pmsniper has done a good comparison for you. if technical aspect is what you will consider the most, then you can see XZ-1 always has the fastest lens in the "compact" range... personal preference: S100 (if you shoot more in jpeg) or XZ-1 (if you shoot more in raw).

This post has been edited by beelze_gpwk: May 14 2012, 12:30 PM

tel ur lady boss... she will look prettier if her picture is taken with 5D mk3 than using 7D... lol
If you don want to go for such expensive one, u can get 7D. but you need so much AF and the speed of 7D?
let's say u don need, then u further downgrade to 60D... but the difference between 600D and 60D is not that much... then u further drop down... haha... sorry to further confuse you.
if you are talking about canon, that's more or less the story. Just get what you need is ok already. not necessary full frame.

For Sony, A57/A65.
For Canon, 600D.
For Nikon, 5100D.
If you shoot video more, I personally think Sony is a better choice. But if just still image, any of those can do a great job for you.

for "Canon + fix lens + macro", you can consider G12...
i enjoy shooting macro with my G12... which is something G1X can't really work out without additional close up lens.
For Sony... I'm not too sure they have something similar to G12, as far as I can recall they have a few super zoom prosumer, which has the size of DSLR.
If compact PnS, there's nothing much I can suggest you as I have less experience to that.

if you wan more compact size, the S100 also is a good buy.
If you wan more manual control with physical dials, then G12 is easier to use.
If you won't play a lot with settings, S100 is good enough

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Added on May 19, 2012, 10:30 amsince your requirement is compact + change lens...
Canon: no such product
Olympus: E-PM1 (got pink color) E-P3, E-PL3 (no pink color)
Nikon: J1 (got pink color), V1 (no pink color)

Personal preference: go for Olympus instead of Nikon... if pink color is a must, E-PM1 is your only choice.

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Added on May 19, 2012, 10:40 amWith your budget range, you can consider Sony NEX-C3 (APS-C sensor, inter-changeable lens) or Olympus E-PM1.
New Sony NEX-F3 is already announced, but not sure what will be the retail price yet.
If Panasonic, you can consider GF3 which is within your budget as well.

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Added on May 19, 2012, 10:41 amwhat is the lens you are getting with 1499?

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Added on May 19, 2012, 10:49 ami think normally Nikon user will prefer D90 over D5100? Cos i think Nikon user are very sensitive towards the AF motor issue... correct me if I'm wrong. This is because if they already have a range of Nikon lens which do not have AF motor, then they will lose the AF function when then plug those lens into the D5100...
Anyway, judging on specs alone, seems D5100 is really a good buy (i think mainly because is is a "newer" camera). If you can live with the absence of AF-motor... why not? if not, D90 should also do the job right for you

This post has been edited by beelze_gpwk: May 19 2012, 10:49 AM

GF3 only 1999 at SenQ, don wan to consider that?
i think if you go camera shop or garage sale can get a decent price for GF3...