the warranties for camera bodies are usually only for the country that you bought it at. you might want to consider that factor into your purchase.

I bought mine for around RM1800-RM1900. Can't remember.

It is a very good lens but I use my wide angle L lens more than it Just waiting for more money to get a telephoto L lens.

Its made in Japan.

Just remember that eventually its the system that you are buying into.

If you are considering Canon and on a budget, you could get the EF 24- 85mm f3.5/4.5 USM. With a bigger budget, you have other options like the
EF-S 17-55mm f2.8 IS , EF-S 17-85mm f4/5.6 IS, EF 28-135mm f3.5/5.6 IS USM. Either of these lenses would cover photographing 'flowers, landscape and the occasional portrait'

Or if you have even more, the L lenses are always there. Or if you have even more than that, there are always German objectives such as Leica, Carl Zeiss etc which you can attach by means of adapters...

For nearer focus, you can always obtain the EF12 / 25 II extension tubes. Or a close up filter if you have limited finances.

This post has been edited by elb: Apr 12 2006, 11:42 PM

The cost of a polarizer depends on the filter size (which again depends on your lens), whether it is multi coated or not, the material/ tecnology they use, and the manufacturer. For example a good polarizer of size 58mm might cost you, say RM200? I usually don't use a polarizer because it makes the sky look artificial.

Man, so many of you are getting Nikon. No one considering Canon?

I use Canon

Yes I use the 350D. It just about fits into my hand when I grip it; it could be slightly bigger but I'm not complaining. I still want full frame though (my friend poisoned me with his 5D, the idiot ), but that might be some time off. Its a light SLR (my friend's Canon F1 weighs a ton in comparison) as you probably know, and has served me well during my travels.

Pair it with a good killer lens and you'll get crisp, sharp images. If you have the eye for photography as well, your images will be nothing short of impressive. My Nikon using friends especially are stunned (the first few times anyway) when they see the saturation and sharpness of pictures taken with L lenses. A good camera is still nothing without a good lens!

i.e. at the end of the day, it is also the system you're getting into. It is no longer about, do I want the 30d/ d70s/ 7D? It should be, do I want to get involved with Canon/ Nikon/ KM/ Hasselblad/ Mamiya. Because many of the lenses/ accessories are interchangable between camera models (EF-S withstanding), unlike prosumers where you are essentially 'locked in' to your purchase. When you upgrade from a d50 to a d2x (you would have probably invested too much to make a complete switch between systems), the lenses you own will probably still be there (maybe even better ones). You are still with the same system!

I would advise you all to do more research before you make your purchase, if you haven't yet. I'm wondering how many of you are 'going with the flow' and just decided on Nikon because it appears that everyone here is getting it!

I have a question: when they mention tripod, what tripod do you get? Some flimsy RM100 generic tripod? Velbon? Manfrotto? Gitzo? A simple 'one piece' tripod? Or body + ball head/ pan & tilt head? Weight/ stability/ supported weight of the tripod? Plastic /aluminium/ carbon fibre? There's a lot to a tripod, in case you have not realized it...

This post has been edited by elb: Apr 14 2006, 07:47 PM

Getting to grips with a SLR will take some time and practice. Even if you bought it today, will you be able to control the camera satisfactorily in time for your trip? It would be much easier if you already have exposure to some level of manual photography (beyond automatic/ P&S), and if you haven't, well, you won't make it in time. From your statement that you do not have a camera, I'm assuming the worst.

And I was also wondering how you were going to get everyone to pay up in time (given your tight time frame)...

This post has been edited by elb: Apr 16 2006, 11:07 AM

Fair enough, although the 20D is always there . Good luck getting your camera in time and have a wonderful holiday!

What's the point of buying a lens if it does not deliver optically when wide open or across its specified zoom range? You might as well get one with a tighter zoom range and extrapolate the image; you'd probably get the same result.

get your camera from here; body warranties are local to the country of purchase

This post has been edited by elb: Apr 22 2006, 07:23 AM

Oh the lens; I thought you were referring to body. You should have just bought it (the body) here! Hopefully it would not break down on you anytime you're around here, otherwise shipping + time delays to get it repaired under warranty will be a major, major inconvinience. For that reason alone it would have been worth it to purchase the body here.

Lenses are cheaper in Malaysia but you might have problems with availability, especially if you're trying to look for the better (read: more expensive and less likely to be stocked due to low demand) lenses. Expect some long lead times especially if they have to import from Japan.

By the way, £500 for the d50? I'm seeing quotes of around £350.

This post has been edited by elb: Apr 22 2006, 09:13 PM

Ah alright, I apologize for misreading. Well you can't always depend on Ebay for something cheaper I'm afraid.