hello and good morning

i am posting here to ask the sifus out there about this thing that has been bothering me. here is my story. I want to go on holiday next year around the end of january or early february. as of now i am stuck with my phone's camera 5MP and a crappy Olympus waterproof point and shoot.
My budget for a decent camera is very tight and i have been eyeing Canon 100D with kit lens on lowyatforum and Lelong. so far i found 2 price for the exact same model dslr. i assume the cheaper one is some grey import set/AP. i am clear that the downside of the AP/Grey set is the after sale and warranty issue, so what are your opinion on this? FYI the shop selling the AP/Grey set priced at RM16xx, while the malaysia warranty one is around RM22xx quite a hefty sum of money for me right now as most my saving has been allocated for the vacation.

1. do you think it is okay to buy the import set?
2. is 100d or DSLR generally durable as it look? or it break down easily? if break down easily i may have to reconsider seriously.
3. do they need service annually like cars do? or it is okay to go for years without any service.
4. how much usually you pay for service *if needed
5. the shop that i mentioned selling cheaper priced Canon EOS 100d is Miyamondo, do you guy have any experience with the shop aftersale? from the look of it, it is well established business
6. any tips or suggestions is welcome.

n/b: if you guys think it is not a good idea to buy the import set, i may have to scrap the plan for a dslr altogether. to be honest even the grey import set is already stretching my budget too much.

you can get 100D with Canon Malaysia warranty for RM1975 at http://kldslr.com/Canon-EOS-100D-DSLR-Came...0.html-14033057 with promo code bye2015

1. No problem except for warranty. Some shops might offer their in-house warranty, but if you prefer going through Canon Malaysia you'll just have to pay to get it fixed.
2. Canon DSLR are generally durable. Test it out in the shop first so you could do an exchange on the spot if there is any problem.
3. No, and yes you can go for years without service as long as the sensor doesn't get dirty/dusts sticking to it. Even so, cleaning it costs around RM50-60.
Btw, there is a shutter lifespan for DSLR, if i'm not mistaken 100D is around 100k shutter count (just an estimate, you could even go up to 150k depending on your luck). After that you'll just have to pay to replace the shutter
4. Servicing not required
5. Not familiar, but considering they have a number of physical outlets they should be okay.. But for an extra rm300, i'd go with a Canon Malaysia set.

I recommend you get a mirrorless camera instead. Brands like Sony and Olympus won't go wrong.

You will prefer to carry a smaller form factor when it comes to travelling.

I suggest Sony A5100. Price within your budget of rm1600. Original set from Sony, you don't have to worry about AP/non-AP.

Personally, i think the A5100 outshines the 100D in many ways. Do some online research as well.

a good small camera that you can pocket and be with you all the time is anytime better. I totally agree with lwliam choice.

at this stage using or purchasing the entire bigger array of Canon lens is I belief not in your consideration.

Technology has change so time you change your mindset too.. I abandon Nikon for the same reason..

The price different between import and original actually is not big.
You can get original set with cheaper price, ie below 2k.

The important question is why you aim for Canon 100d?
If you don't mind mirrorless, Sony A5100 is better choice within the same price range.

Original also you must see whether it's SRP or street price, SRP and street price gap is often huge.

Street price Ori set vs AP set, the gap is not much.

It's just a matter of whether you want to cut cost by a few hundred, to have the warranty handled by shop instead of the brand itself.

@Lego Warfare
thank you for the kldslr link. i completely forgot to check there and nice price too although a bit more than what i comfortable to pay. rite now still checking on miyamondo local shop warranty policy. and thank you for the info though

@lwliam and @chinWY
googled the mirrorless Sony A5100 very nice form factor . my knowledge about camera basically stop after i left school ~7years ago where i started to play with dslr. no mirrorless back then. a couple of question here. they look small(fragile) is it so? i witnessed 2 compact camera that goes caput when fall down on floor inside pouch with my eyes from hip level. are the mirrorless also the same? and about the ISO performance to they perform as well as their big DSLR(entry level DSLR la) or their sensor size equivalent?

@goldfries
street price is still has warranty under canon malaysia. do i understand correctly? can you pm me any shop near kl/klang valley

If you are tight and still prefer DSLR you can just go for the 1200D which costs below RM1.5k.
Most mirrorless nowadays uses similar APSC sensors (ofc you should go check first), which are similar to those found in entry level DSLRs so ISO performance wise should be roughly the same plus or minus.
But you should know some of the key differences btw mirrorless and DSLR, e.g. You won't be looking through an Optical View Finder with mirrorless, but an Electronic View Finder.
For some that's not an issue, but for me i prefer OVF which is one of the main reason why i'm sticking with DSLR. Different preferences for different people

Btw any cameras, even entry level DSLRs have a chance to get damage if you drop it on the floor even if it's inside a pouch.

This post has been edited by Lego Warfare: Dec 15 2015, 10:45 PM

Note on the a5100 though. It doesn't have a viewfinder so if you are used to using one, it might not suit you that well.

whats the downside of 1200D? i cannot recall, i did watch few reviews but as far as i can remember 100d has the touchscreen and STM lens.

absence of optical viewfinder is quite a downlside for me and upon closer inspection/some reviews on youtube, i noticed the a5100 does not have the hotshoe mount and i do plan to expand beyond basic of what i will get on purchase.

lens wise: is it so expensive for E-Mount lens? from the look of it since it is fairly new mount, i can say it is a bit more than canon/nikon

What is your priority in getting a DSLR/mirrorless? STM is useful for video shooting, not so much with still images. Touchscreen is convenient to have, but is also more useful for video shooting as well.
Briefly from the specs i've glanced through, the noticeable difference is 100D can shoot with ISO up to 25,600 while 1200D up to 6,400. But honestly with cropped DSLRs i wouldn't shoot with ISO higher than 1600 or if absolutely no choice 3200.

An advantage with some mirrorless like Sony is you can use 3rd party lenses e.g. Canon/Nikon with an adapter, but you might lose AF in the process.

Depending on the brand that you use for the E-mounts. Cheaper versions like Sigma are available too. Then again, you can just get the adapter put on A-mounts on it.

Then get the Sony A6000... electronic viewfinder and hotshoe mount for your upgrade woes.

If not mistaken, still holds the title of fastest auto focus camera in the market for 2 years now.

This post has been edited by lwliam: Dec 16 2015, 12:41 AM

I wouldn't trust reviews that much. Good as a reference, best is you go to the shop and test it out with your own hands

Grey sets are fine. They come with 1 year in shop warranty so you don't have to worry about buying a faulty lemon. I've never sent a Canon body for repairs yet. Lenses on the other hand are more likely to break, usually few years later.

I've never serviced my cameras. Oh well I treat them like tech. Like a laptop. If they break after a few years its time to change. But usually they don't so i'll keep them as backup cameras.

And yes I've bought from Miyamondo before. No problems from them. But I've never asked for repairs within a year so I don't know if they do back up their word and cover the warranty.

A5100 beat 100D in term of picture quality and performance.
Draw back is no optical view finder, no hotshoe and low battery life.

Don't go for 1200D, 100D is better choice if you stick with Canon.
If you prefer cheap and pencake lens, then Canon is better choice.
Get original Canon because you can enjoy 2 years warranty on body.

there are lots of goodies and features base on how deep is your pocket and how GREEDY you want to me..

Know your needs and stick to it.. otherwise you will be more confused than before you ask.

Technology changes fast and so do needs.. buying future needs is often bad planning to most users.. and more of marketing.

Honestly ask yourself how much photo have you taken in the past and will you be taking more than double with your current purchase?

All electronic stuff needs power and there is a trade off for size vs weight.. you cannot have both but you can always get extra battery or use powerbank to charge on the fly through third party options..

One of the advantage of Emount is ability to use legacy lens.. if you are from serious old school that is magic come true.. there are other camera that can do it but the most popular is still E mount..

With autofocus - really the viewfidner is just an added bonus. Again look at your existing photo and you will know what your coming needs are.. your new acquisition will/may change your skill level - but be again very honest with yourselves.. all the extra is cost.

Have fund deciding...

you should say local/ Malaysia set, all canon dslrs are original anyways

warranty wise, doesn't matter at all to me as I had 7 lenses and 4 bodies, non of them gave me problems.

Is better for you to get to the root of the purpose. Why do you need DSLR camera? If you want to take pictures during travel/vacation, I strongly suggest you to avoid DSLR. There are many other digital camera better than DSLR. I myself carried 7D to taiwan for 9 days, the 3rd day I have already given up to use it.

Let me know if you want to take Sony. I can give you better price.

This post has been edited by Belphegor: Dec 21 2015, 02:36 PM

Guys thank you for coming in and give opinion on this matter . After a lot of consideration, i think i want to stick to eos 100d. I know it is big, and not very friendly to my shoulder, but after serious thinking and surveying i found that 100d is the thing that i want. I did seriously look into mirrorless option like sony a5100 and a6000 even the eos M series, both are really attractive option and real delight to take with during vacation, but when i look into their lens lineup the price it is really cost prohibitive. And yes i do plan to buy lens, for now a kit lens and a 50mm is enough. A lot of people asking what i want to do with the camera, here is the list
1. Taking picture of my vacation in Turkey
2. Picture during my graduation day (portrait of friends and ceremony)
3. I love landscape and night sky photography(long exposure)
4. I don't do video (at least for now)
Q: Why 100d and not eos 1200d?
A: i simply prefer slightly latest model and features
Q: my plan?
A: buy a camera, and get 50mm lens at the same time
Q: why not mirrorless, it is small and easy to fit in pocket and bag?
A: as of now, the canon dslr lenses is cheaper compared to mirrorless one. I prefer not to use any adapter if i want to use cheap lens, later trouble with autofocus.

Now come a new headache, i want to buy, but where? So far KLDSLR looks good enough. Is it? Anyone have experience? Some other shop selling the AP unit really get me frustrated when they reply( miyamondo tell me they have no stock and dono when will restock despite listing the item in lelong that is after pm them on fb and whatsapp)(newspeed/camera valley after reading here in lowyat, some people complaint of getting refurbished unit but advertised as new) i think i should avoid them

Edit: sorry miyamondo and newspeed/cameravalley for bringing up your shop name if you are reading this.

This post has been edited by urra901109: Dec 23 2015, 03:00 AM