hi and good day to all sifu~ merry christmas ~

im buying a dslr for myself as self learning lesson as i have passion in photography it also my hobby ......so many people suggest me to buy a low end dslr to get start

first of all, i got my budget around rm2000 ..... think mostly can get some beginner standard camera ....

i got choice in my mind already which is sony ( SLT-A58K )

so i need u guys to help me .... i need recommendation for the dslr camera ( any brand that can fit to my budget )

thank you

This post has been edited by imnick: Dec 24 2014, 09:40 PM

Must it be Sony? I personally is using Nikon D5300 thought

no la ..... recommendation for any brand .....

just that i got sony as my choice in my mind ....

maybe you can refer to some older topics that asked the same question as you

tq bro

Maybe you should consider about mirrorless camera which is less bulky and the performance is on par with dslr.

Guys how about 2nd hand nikon D7000 vs sony SLT-A58K ??

Cam give some commend about this 2 camera comparison

Why not a mirrorless camera like the Sony A6000 instead??

Any special requirement??
Budget?

might wanna try before buying instead of asking and shotgun buy whatever the people are telling you to buy. You might regret after purchasing it with your money.

because trust me, I've done the same thing with my 550d, d7000 and regret it because it doesn't suit my taste, I've only heard/ experienced from other people's perspective.

now I own 5d2 and loving it, sure it does cost abit more money but for the sake of my taste, I get the pleasure of knowing that I get my kind of camera.

take my advice with a grain of salt or not.. its up to you. Just don't regret your purchase later.

budget around around 2000 .... can stretch abit if want

of coz i need to try it myself before i buy.....

i just want to see which people recommend the camera that might suit me with that range of budget ...

thanks and respect to your advice

really appreciate it

Used Canon EOS 60D / Nikon D7000 would be great, RM 2k could get you a body with 18-55 kit lens.

thanks bro

i got a price from a dealer .....

used canon 60d + 18-135 with 1900

used nikon d7000 + 18-55 with 2100

For a newbie, is best to get new DSLR rather than second hand as you won't know the condition of it.
Also, best is to test out the model you intend to buy.
You need the warranty in case of problem, like I just dropped my 16-35mm recently and it become not smooth during zooming. Send it for checking and they repair it without any cost. Just some loose screws inside.
If DSLR, the shutter mech maybe the first to go and it is not cheap to replace/repair.

sound so dangerous .......

That's why all the "pros" here always ask you to get second hand stuffs, this is for them to dispose their junks at higher price.
As if sell to dealers, the price are much lower.

supersound, I suggest you keep your nonsense to yourself.

second hand stuff doesn't mean they're in bad condition.
second hand stuff doesn't mean they're out of warranty.

So if a person follow your advise and get a problem equipment, are you going to responsible for it?
Am I talking nonsense? You have no ground to judge me. If you are willing to pay TS's lost when problem arise, then you have your ground to judge my so-called nonsense statement. Else, your statement are more suitable to be labelled as nonsense.
https://forum.lowyat.net/DisputeResolutionCorner
If all sellers are honest, then why you still getting 122 pages of dispute?

This post has been edited by supersound: Dec 25 2014, 12:45 PM

Pot calling kettle black, in your post you were already judging the "pro" and have generalized all the "pro" having ill-intent.



You probably didn't realize that the advice of used / new depends on situation and it's a mix. You may browse the other threads before concluding "all the pros always ask you to get second hand stuff".

As for used items, the fact is that there are used items that are in mint condition and work very well, over the decade there have been so many who bought second hand and with great value.

ADVICE is a piece of information given to help one makes decision, the decision is ultimately the buyer or seller's to make hence responsibility is on their part, as long as the advice given is not wrong. If you actually did stay around the forum long enough, you would've seen great advices given through the years when it comes to used item purchase and had no problems.

Your example of a dropped 16-35 is a bad one actually. You were just lucky that screw lose and they can fix it, you fail to highlight that warranty DOES NOT cover damaged caused by user negligence, which actually your case falls under it.

And if you want to use 122 page dispute resolution to argue, might I also point out to you that it's also 122 pages over 8 years. That comes to less than 16 per year, with many of the disputes actually solved. So even if we go by and reserved 25% settled cases that comes to 12 unsettled per year, that doesn't mean it won't be settled.

12 cases of dispute per year vs 1054 pages of garage sale main section, not counting sub-forums.

And you think buy new at shop the shop sellers are honest? LOL. Think again.

Shops tends to cheat also for BNIB stuffs. But anything I can look for them directly and can file tribunal against them if issue goes out of hand.
If you first reply do advise TS to beware on potential problematic second hand stuffs and stating what to check when buying then I won't be the "bad" guy.
That 122 pages are nothing as some buyers tends to keep quiet if they can solve it. But you can't deny con case does not happen, right?
On this, both of us are the same, want to cover some facts with intention.
As for 16-35mm issue, indeed I never mention it since it never damaged and in some cases, Nikon Malaysia will repair it without any charges.

If you notice, my post was just stating what can be bought with RM 2k. I did not say GO BUY USED ITEM.

My response to you was on the other hand regarding how you generalized others, which I find not justified.

Nothing wrong with people disposing their items at lower price, it's part of the market, it's no different from properties and cars but it's just not nice for you to generalize others and their intent.

Emm, if you are a responsible person, you shall be stating all pros and cons and not just stating what can be done with that amount, it is nonsense to me and on top of that, it is misleading others also as used market's price are very wide, same like you generalize my statements are nonsense.

The TS' question was

"budget around around 2000 .... can stretch abit if want"

I just replied to that with specific models. I didn't ask him to buy used item. I just said what can be bought at RM 2,000.

It was not misleading.

Misleading is when you say you dropped your 16-35 and got it fixed, people might assume all brands and all products are like that. You fail to state that warranty does not cover user negligence and yours was a case of luck. Your post made it look like warranty is protection all the way.

I guess you have no idea about what you are talking about. Stop being so prejudice and think logically.

I started photography 2 years ago, bought a 550D + 18-135 + 50mm for rm3k. Sold all of them this year, for only rm1.3k total.

I lost rm1.7k.

I bought a used OMD em10 this year, new one costs RM2k+, i bought it for around rm1.7k, the age is around 6 months old. then I bought the 12-40 used that is around 1 year old for rm2.3k, new one is around rm2.6k or higher.

I used rm4k to buy something which should cost rm4.5k or even rm5k brand new. Is buying 2nd hand that bad?

New unit can has problems, same thing with used unit. Warranty doesn't mean anything (look at what happened to the d600s).

Not to mention how many camera shops out there trying to overcharge on accessories such as filters or those silly macro/wideangle adapters, there's user complaining getting cheated on almost every topic of different camera system in this forum. So buying brand new camera is really that good?

Buying 2nd hand has the risk, but please don't simply tag the word "pro" into it, that might mislead newbie thinking professional photographers are a bunch of guys who try to cheat money which is plain bullsh"t.

This post has been edited by mingyuyu: Dec 25 2014, 10:10 PM

Now only I know Nikon has come out new model on D600
You may insult me by boasting how good the second hand stuffs are, but my challenge are dirt simple, will you be responsible for any lost that a person that listened to your "advise"? I'm sure Goldfries don't dare to.

D600 s, can't you understand simple English?

Seriously, everything that is against you is an insult?

He isn't charging or even has the MUST to give an advice, now TS isn't paying money for him to give advice like how people would pay a lawyer to get an advice, it's totally different. So since you are acting like you are very responsible, do you dare to responsible for the lost of anyone who followed your advice by dropping their lenses and sent for warranty claiming but failed?

Sometimes it's better to just shut up if you have nothing good to say or should I rephrase it, nothing sensible to say.

Is you that don't understand simple English, not me. Nobody will simply put a "s" behind number. What is your education level basically? Want to insult me again with your kindergarden level
The main difference between me and you guys, I won't simply give "advise" to waste money on classes, simply buy second hand stuffs without considering risk behind.
You may continue to boast around how lucky you are on getting overpriced second hand stuffs but in reality, you have problem and you never tell in forum also can happen.
Buying problematic second hand stuffs even if brought it to tribunal court also not easy.

wo wo wo wo .... calm down guys ~

just seeking for advice dont take take it too serious

T.T

The amount of stupidity is too high already, have fun.

hmmm... recommended Nikon D7100 (or D7200 if you can wait, it is coming soon.) If you are gonna use for a long long time before changing to full frame.

Has a lot of function~

but, if you only play for fun, recommend you to get a mirror-less, it is much cheaper and easier to carry around when u go travel

I'm a beginner in DSLR world (started 2 months ago). I bought my DSLR used directly from the owner. I got it for 2/5 of the price when it was bought new; which saved me tons of moolah. Used it for work, but mostly for personal purpose now since company provided me a camera too.

That 'junk' when I first got it has less than 900 shutter count. That 'junk' also comes with an extra battery. Warranty? Till 2017.

So, not all 'pro' like to sell their 'junk' at high price.

Secondly, when one forumer advised another forumer to possibly go for second hand, then obviously the buyer need to understand the risks associated with second hand items and also research for ways to mitigate or lower the risks. I mean, nobody is stupid enough not to test the item properly before handing over the cash, right? Unless you used to be one and now you are 'once bitten twice shy'.

be careful, later he says you insulting him and think you are only a kindergarten student

mirrorless as i compact camera ?!

i dont understand im still a noob

wow ... still got a long warranty perioud ..... with that little price

jelly

really lucky leh .....

You are right, at least I not as stupid as you to put s behind number

I have been giving plenty of advice on this forum on what to buy, new or used, photography or non-photography items.

You probably should know your stuff better before throwing challenges around.

I see you keep on drifting it, so I assume you won't be responsible by your misleading statement as you never replied me on this.
Did you "advise" people here? Sorry, reluctant to find your past replies and obviously in this thread, you never state clearly on the potential risk involved. So, that shall not consider as "advise", more on mislead.

Interesting how you fail to see your own post being misleading when you were posting it yet you claimed my post that's not misleading to be misleading.

I'll leave it to the rest of the community to judge the statement below.

mirrorless:



DSLR:



Mirrorless are generally smaller than regular DSLR and packs almost all features of a DSLR in a smaller, compact body. Both has their own pros and cons. The article below basically has almost all basic aspects covered to help you understand and decide which one you need.

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/dslr-vs-mirror...news-17736.html

However, the Sony a58 you mentioned earlier in your first post; that is a bit unique. Unique as in, it has the body of a DSLR but inside, it has the mechanical or electronics of a mirrorless camera hence it was called DSLT.

Right before I stumbled upon the advert for the used DSLR, I was aiming for the mirrorless Sony a6000 too. In the end I chose DSLR because

1) price - I saved up a few quids
2) lens - The DSLR I bought comes with 18-105 as standard, I can zoom further and I will be sticking to this lens for quite sometime before I decide to upgrade. Meanwhile, the a6000 comes with 16-50 and I could foresee that this lens will not be sufficient for me.
3) overall owning cost - mirrorless systems has a bit more pricier equipments compared to DSLR systems. So, the cheapskate within me chosen the DSLR, considering the fact that I'm going to stick with my choice for a very long time.
4) photography subject - most of my shots involves panning, rolling and tracking shots. So, I need the camera to have 'a little bit of weight' to minimize handshake. I blame the fappy hands.

I've stopped recommending DSLR for quite a while now, just as in this thread https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/3438522

If you can stretch your budget, RM2.5 can get you A6000 with kit lens. Very nice setup.

wow thanks bro~ do give myself more knowledge on this thing .....

but the dealer gave me a price which is so tempting nikon d7000+ 18-105 with 2050 ....

just that what i worry is i dont know what to check for the camera when buying the 2nd hand stuff ....

can you briefly explain to me ?

thank you

My knowledge is still very limited.

I basically followed the suggested guidelines listed in here:

https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/3179123

first post; under "Second hand lens/dslr buying guide".

This post has been edited by V12Kompressor: Dec 26 2014, 12:02 AM

ok thanks bro~

What you need to concern more is the body are grey set. Nikon Malaysia may not want to repair it or charge extra. So you need to make sure there's 2 warranty card(1 Malaysia and 1 Hong Kong).
Nikon Center in Times Square are showing an used D7000's condition(as display set), can use that as a reference what should you check.

@imnick mirroless is a good option to consider as they are catching up with DSLR already interms of picture quality and also sensor size A freind osf mine is using the new Sony a6000 and I need to agree that it is a complete package of DSLR-like goodies (APS-C sensor, WiFim, NFC and flippable LCD screen)

On the other hand, D7000 is definitely a great platform to start as well, due to the fact that ii is like a APS-C sensor DSLR with a lot of additional fuction (flash commander mode being something that I really wanted on my D5300)

Yup it is compact, and it is easier to carry around too! if you are not really into DSLR, then better go for compact, it has almost the same function as a beginner DSLR too. And is it light and not bulky! lol

wow !!! that is nice !!!!

times square very near my place

thanks bro

i think i better go for dslr since will be using quite often and also a second hand camera is quite cheap though ......

the weigh and the size may deter you from bringing it out often. unlike mirrorless. most mirrorless are lighter and smaller, indirectly encouraging you to bring it out, shooting also become more joyous.

Go there and test them kaw kaw, simple as that. Then only decide which to get. Bring your own SD card also, this is for you to compare potential camera you want to buy.
In KL area, if were to buy new, 6th(or 7th) and 8th floor, YL in Pudu(never been there before but review are good) and J-one in AmCorp Mall are giving good price. Suggest to survey first, take your time.
My camera bag weight about 6kg and I'm quite reluctant to bring them around.
You need to know what is your need before buying. Go and chat with the Chinese fat fellow, a nice chap that willing to share technical knowledge.
Last year is better, got another 2 fellow, also very nice but 1 retired and 1 resigned.

ok bro~ thanks for the info

help me alot though ~

Just sharing my knowledge. I'm very particular on buying and selling online.
Sometimes I prefer to buy from shops is in case got problem, I can go straight to them. But buying from forum members, they may change the phone number and don't answer your call.
Like recently got a member want to buy my cable, he keep on delay me and giving all sort of excuse. At the end, his buyer don't want to buy and he ignored my call. He is trying to make fast money out of me.

Go for higher end if u really have passion for photography..nvrmind spending more as long as u r satisfied..cuz i kinda outgrew my camera quite fast..may i knw what u want to shoot at

Don't lar like that and scare people
Higher end than D7000 will be D610 or D750 already, out of budget. Match it with 24-120mm F4 will be good start for all purpose.

You want 2nd hand then you going to have to be daring on luck. But cameras do tend to be quite reliable most of the time.

You can try http://kldslr.com/ a shop that sells 2nd hand goods. You can call them up and visit their store. I have yet to try them but most likely will soon for a lens.

[quote=goldfries,Dec 25 2014, 11:47 PM]
I've stopped recommending DSLR for quite a while now, just as in this thread https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/3438522

may i know what camera u use for ur professional work? sony mirrorless?

I used Canon EOS 60D, recently upgraded to Nikon D750 with EOS 60D as backup.

They are mixing grey and Malaysia set together. Have to be very careful.

so malaysia set would be black colour ?

will shoot for those view when travel place to place during year end holiday ..... but will shoot more on those nendroid and also event like comic fiesta .....

d7000 just fit my budget .....

my friend and some senior do recommend me this shop for 2nd hand device ....

Get a used Nikon d40
De best dslr camera for beginner.
U can save $$$ but U gotta spend some time searching for it

Grey set means warranty not covered by Nikon Malaysia. You will have trouble later on.

so that means is like AP and ORI set ?

grey set should claim warranty from the shop purchased

black set can claim warranty at any nikon retail shop

right ?

Yes in some sense. But then why want to take the risk?
As said before, go to Nikon Center and ask more from them, especially on grey set. The price difference are not much actually. Like that link, the price are actually selling at MRSP while the 4 shops I mentioned are selling cheaper.
And nope, ori set is best send to Nikon Center direct, save you time(since is near to you).

If the item is already beyond its original warranty period then Ori / Import set wouldn't make any difference. You bring to service center they'll still service, they'll still charge the same.

If the item is still within warranty period then Ori set would be better as you can send to brand service center but the Import set you have to send to the shop.

One such articles http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Canon-L...ray-Market.aspx

For local, you got it here http://www.photomalaysia.com/forums/showth...d-Imported-Lens

usually they'll just charge because it's still their brand user, they can't reject.

BUT they charge because not import under them, thus considered as warranty void.

not really la. camera stuff are generally very solid. In fact truth be told, you buy new go to shop also there's a risk that you donno the price and seller sell to you at SRP when actually they can sell at street price.

the "test kau kau on the spot" doesn't work too well, regardless new or used because usually if there's any issue. Whether manufacture defect or user created problem, it may take quite some usage to notice.

Till date I've bought more used stuff than new, and my used stuff all working fine till today, and now other people are using my stuff already and all well too.

If it's really bad condition, usually it's noticeable, most people wouldn't even dare sell it.

Buyer side just use common sense, if you see physical damage then best avoid. Wear and tear due to usage is normal, for example peeling of skin or writings. Dents and scratches are the one being main indicator.

Ask seller to give personal warranty, when I sell my stuff I have no issue giving personal warranty for a short period. If I'm not confident of my items I won't be selling.

Even if you buy a refurbished unit it will come with some 3 month warranty, this was my experience from B&H Photo, and that lens lasted me half a decade or so.

If not mistaken, they are charging double.
And now they don't simply sell parts to unknown parties.
So, why take the risk? Some people are encouraging others to buy grey set usually having direct interest on it.
Being a forum leader, I feel shock with such irresponsible statement, encouraging others to buy from unknown sources.
You are giving me an impression that, you are selling grey sets also.

http://nikonasia-en.custhelp.com/app/answe...%3D%3D/theme/my
And next time before spitting out nonsense, do check out on their policy against grey sets first.
Also it is very misleading to use Canon when we were discussing on Nikon.

This post has been edited by supersound: Dec 27 2014, 08:55 AM

LOL you're funny. I'm just giving information about grey sets just as you did but funny how you can even get such impression.

Unknown sources eh? It's not uncommon even for reputable shops to carry import set, this is to cater to the request of people who understand what import sets are and are willing to go with it.

Reputable shops will still handle the warranty for you, shops like Shashinki for example.

what else you want? I stated so clearly "the Import set you have to send to the shop. "

Just giving example articles. Go ahead if you have a lot of free time fault finding.

What does owning a "Grey Market" Nikon product mean to you?
Nikon Authorised Distributor in a country cannot provide any technical support or warranty service on Grey Market items. Additionally they cannot perform any fee-based repair work on Grey Market items. Please do not contact any Nikon Authorised Distributors for help with any Grey Market products. Please contact the reseller or importer of your Grey Market items for warranty and service information as well as software updates and downloads.

If you can quote some and not all, so do I, after all, both of us has intention here, to mislead others. The main difference between you and I is, I'm "misleading" people not to buy grey sets while you trying to justifying crime is right. This article shall be read from top to bottom, not simply take out part of it.
And this is not fault finding, more on lies busting

haiya, just buy whatever u sukak n shoot la
canon or nikon or grey or white or mirrorless or prism or crystal or diamond... bugger this thread sux talk so much but still no photo to show

Well if you're very particular in dealing online, still the best way is to go directly to a retailer, but still there is a chance that the retailer closed the business and you still cannot do anything. Just like CEX in the forum, very reputable seller but end up closed his business suddenly. So, buying online and buying from a retailer have the same risk too. Depend your luck.

Yes, this is right, whether grey or not, it is still the same product from the same manufacturer and from the same factory. We understand that the product is not officially carried by the local distributor only, therefore the service centre is not accepting them only.

Anyway, goldfries didn't misled TS, and if you're a smart consumer, when dealing online for your very first kit (whether it is camera, handphone or what), you can always bring your experienced or skilled friends along with you to help judge the condition of the item, so that you can buy the item confidently.

Anyway:
New Grey Market: Consider imported and the warranty is same period as manufacturer (sometimes importer provides more) , you cannot RMA your products in service centre, only from the retailer, and usually they are cheaper.
New local market: Warranty period is followed and you can RMA your product in service centre, usually the price is close to SRP.
Used market: Get the purchase receipt and claim accordingly to the retailer of grey or local market, if there's no warranty left on the product, it doesn't make any difference. So you have to convince the seller for providing personal warranty, when dealing with a well-reputated seller, trust me, they can handle their responsibility, and not avoiding.


Well, just my 30 cent from the sexiest female forumer in LYN.

Thanks for sharing, i was almost misleaded. he he

This post has been edited by KenDiriwan: Dec 27 2014, 10:12 AM

funny fella like supersound: w

Grey units doesn't mean can't go for RMA, as Acecombat jiejie... said are true...

I bought so many Grey units of smartphones from Shops and didn't faced any shiets (like h/w problematic)

and who says that used unit aren't good... ....

Here, here..

Simply said that to recommend you any DSLR, just buy whatever as long its a good bargain. You can practically buy something brand new below 2K. If you worry about factory or local warranty, you shouldn't worry much because the investment is not so big plus you can still claim for warranty regardless. For whatever it is, take good care of it, it won't spoil. 10years as a photographer, so far so good except one unlucky incident whereby my camera sensor was hit by laser light during an event. Thus, i got my sensor changed.

If you aim to sell later, buy a DSLR and NOT mirrorless. Its harder to sell a mirrorless than a DSLR.

The whole point for you is to buy a camera. ANY CAMERA with controls in order for you to learn. Don't listen to those saying Nikon is better or Canon is better. They're saying that because they can afford such model and ego claims whatever they own are the best. Good luck!

Wow, suddenly so many people trying to justify grey sets are good to buy.
BTW, phone parts are easily to get as they don't restricting the parts. But does this apply to DSLR also?
Buying grey sets is, the shop offer workmanship FOC while parts still need to pay.
Like previous D600 that having parts failure, will be grey set covered on parts?

I'm pretty sure Nikon Service Centre accepts grey sets or second hand grey sets without any extra charge compared to an out of warranty first hand set.

I've send a grey SB600 flash with a blown flash tube to the service centre.
It didn't cost me more than RM 100 to get it fixed.

Its a good bargain hence a good buy. It isn't good to buy. Confused?
Lets not talk about parts, lets talk about how can one handle and take care of their camera. Therefore, it won't rosak. Furthermore, with an additional above RM600 you can get full warranty camera. If one have a budget, why not? I didn't have extra cash when I bought my Canon 6D. I bought a grey set. The money saved from buying Canon Malaysia set, I bought a grey unit of Sigma 50mm 1.4. Good bargain hence a good buy.

To the TS, cakap orang melayu, ikut you punya poket mau beli apa dan boleh beli apa. Stretching your budget will kill you IF:
- you think photography is a waste of time
- you feel you suck
- you have no more money to buy other accessories

Again, Good Luck!

tl;dr all 5 pages, browse through the first page tho.

im not a pro, but i've been in this line of work for at least 4 years. on and off, accepting freelance assignments since 2010.

i also recommend you to get a second 60D or D7000 as per mentioned by one of our lyn admin at the first page. most of my working senior also recommend that getting second hand (official import set) stuff is much more worth it than getting a new one, unless you have a lot of money. Ofcourse, as a smart consumer, always do proper research before dealing.

This post has been edited by AlexLee277: Dec 27 2014, 06:28 PM

my impression is that dude has PMS.
can drift from a point to another irrelevant point.

Of all my gears, only my first body was brand new. The rest are all used. Everything still works well. When getting used items, maybe you can bring an experienced friend along during COD if takut kena con.

And with budget in mind, try out the models you've shortlisted then just pick one you fancy most. If your interest lasts, you'll get the itch to upgrade anyway lol.

ehhhh before this he was very against used items, now after everyone recommending used items he suddenly support pulak

haha, let him be. i dont want to become another 'smart' fella.
i just drop by to gain some photography knowledge.

Dunno what is wrong with supersound, but I vouch for Goldfries. and if Goldfries let go his goods second hand (i care not about gray or non gray or whatever color set), I would buy it off his hands if it's within my budget and if i'm keen for that particular lens / camera body..

I ventured this path around 3-4 years ago if memory serves me right. I was skeptical at first.. believing new is the way to go.. I bought D5100 + 18-55 new.. and a couple of months went by, and the auto focus in my new 18-55 died for no reason.. i didn't drop it or whatsoever (first camera.. sure sayang kaw kaw).. brought it back to nikon and had it fix.

while waiting for the fix, i bought a new 35mm f1.8 to use.. after 18-55 came back, i never had any problems with it for the past 3 years.. my point for this is, even tho it can be new, you may get lemon copy out of bad luck (retailer / nikon didn't do a con job on me).

on the other hand, i've purchased a AIS 55mm f3.5 lens (you can be darn sure that this lens is 2nd hand and is older than me) and it served me so well that even tho it's troublesome to use, full manual and all, i still unwilling to let it go cause it's just so damn good..

I also bought 2 nissin di622 2nd hand from 2 diff LYN forum-ers and both are going strong till today (2 years +) both product didn't have warranty left. only personal warranties..

i did have a problem when i buy a rangefinder film camera, where the shutter leaf doesn't close well for certain shutter speed, and I told the person i bought it from, he agreed to refund to me.. as a matter of fact, he refunded back to me before i even post the camera back to him..

there are good buyers around, just check well the item before purchasing and check the person's trade history..

i deviated far from the topic and back to topic..

here onward is my own personal opinion from experience:

if you have an experienced friend, bring him along to purchase 2nd hand goods. 2nd hand goods will save you some money which you can invest on other things like another prime lens / flash / tripod and etc

decide mirrorless vs dslr.. as mentioned before by other members, the difference in quality is very small unless you really pixel peep or nitpick on certain details.. mirrorless size and weight would be very encouraging to bring out.. even i myself feel lazy to bring dslr out if i just wanna have a walk.. cause of the size and weight of course.. but for my usage, i prefer control over convenience (the placement of buttons for quick access), that's why i would stick with dslr.. but if you not the type that change parameters a lot, i think mirrorless would be a more enjoyable experience..

how good a photo is, depends largely on the person handling the camera rather than the camera itself.. so dun fret too much about the gears and get one that you like, then stick and learn how to handle it..

Dnt get me wrong..d7000 is considered higher level alrdy back in d day for aps-c camera..not full frame la...cuz i started wit d beginner d5100..n kinda regret didnt go for d7000 at d time..if got budget a d7100 is a good investment....but u will not go wrong wit d d7000..always remmber..better a good lens with a decent body than a good body with a crappy lens.

Yup, that's right, what I hate most on DX is the lens selection are quite limited.
I also started with D5100 last time and found if were to change, go for FX

Im not ready for Fx world yet..haha..still looking for 2nd hand d7100 with good value.

hahaha

im also hunting for 2nd hand d7000

but the only problem is i dont know what to check when buying 2nd hand camera ..... is my first camera though ......