First DSLR (gift for someone)

[itsmeharsh]

hello, i have had a good experience on this forum. it helped me select canon sx50 hs for myself. so here i am now to get help to select a DSLR as a gift for a friend. he is good at clicking pictures but he has got just a decent PnS. it is a canon sx110 is. he badly wants a DSLR but he does not have resources to get one, so few of us friends are thinking of getting one for him. i think he will be able to use a DSLR properly. below is the questionnaire:

What's your budget?
no set budget as of yet. would want as low as possible proportionate to value for money.

Camera type?
DSLR

Body Style?
no choice here i guess. bulky...

How much zoom do you want/expect?
he is interested in both macro and telephoto. please advice a appropriate solution. having more lenses should not be a problem.

Do you care for manual exposure controls?
yes

What will you be shooting with this camera?
outdoor nature shots, birds, macro, landscapes too...

Will you be shooting mostly indoors/low light and/or action/sports?
not mostly, but still quite a lot

Video?
would prefer, but not required. even 720p would be more than enough.

Do you have any particular model(s) in your mind?
no

Any brand preference? Like/dislike
no but canon and nikon are on the top of the mind of course

From where will you be buying?
depends on where i get good price.

Any other features you need?
i am leaving this question as you can judge better what should be required for a first time dslr user.

Anything else you would like to tell us?
well, i guess nothing is left....

 

[sujoyp]

I think Canon 1100D+18-55+55-250 twin kit combo for 26k is the best solution for him ...he will definitely love it ...as he have less resources to invest later on... I wont suggest getting him a high end DSLR coz if I suggest a 600D now he will have to get other lenses later..

Canon EOS 1100D DSLR Camera Rs.26501 Price in India - Buy Canon EOS 1100D DSLR Camera Black Online - Canon: Flipkart.com

 

[itsmeharsh]

thank you sujoyp for your quick reply, but it is a gift for him. he is not gonna pay for it. some of us friends are gonna pool for it. so we can still stretch the budget a little more if it is better value for money than your suggested combo.

 

[The Incinerator]

The next best option after the 1100D would be the 1200D twin lens kit for around Rs34000 which gets the superb 18 mpx sensor and Digic4 processor of the highend DX cameras of Canon sans some features,ofcourse. The 600D twin lens will come next for Rs 40/41K at the moment.

 

[itsmeharsh]

The next best option after the 1100D would be the 1200D twin lens kit for around Rs34000 which gets the superb 18 mpx sensor and Digic4 processor of the highend DX cameras of Canon sans some features,ofcourse. The 600D twin lens will come next for Rs 40/41K at the moment.

okay will look into it...

btw, i 100% agree with your sig

 

[nac]

Recently I came across a very similar thread. You can ask him, what he wants. Tell him that you guys have x amount of money and he can choose a camera and accessories for it.

He will sure be happy with the dslr you guys choose, but he will be happier if he chooses the one he wants. What if the one you choose is not even in his wish list?

 

[sujoyp]

or maybe he would like a bag, a simple tripod and a memory card too along with the DSLR and twin lens combo ....I would still say stay with 1100D+18-55+55-250 and get other accessories if you have the budget...that will make him happier

Canon will give him a bag...if not, a good bag will cost around 2.5-3k then a simple tripod will cost another 2-2.5k and a 16GB ultra memory card will cost 1000-1200 more

 

[itsmeharsh]

well, that makes sense...

 

[pranav0091]

Recently I came across a very similar thread. You can ask him, what he wants. Tell him that you guys have x amount of money and he can choose a camera and accessories for it.

He will sure be happy with the dslr you guys choose, but he will be happier if he chooses the one he wants. What if the one you choose is not even in his wish list?

I strongly second this opinion. DSLRs are rather personal choices.

 

[Hrishi]

Get him a DSLR with inbuilt AF motor and Image stabilization. Since he would be purchasing lenses on his own later own , so he will have to invest lesser on them.
I think lenses with AF , and IS are expensive.

After reading so much into Camera and all , I feel it's not which camera is good or bad , ( unless you are going into the high end pro cameras.) , it's about a choice and biased decision that you have to make.
Almost all of them will get you a good shot at pictures , it's just that which ecosystem you want to get into. Whether you wanna go for Nikon , Canon , Sony , Pentax , or whatsoever. Look at the long term aspect , and then the picture will get more clearer.
Just my personal opinion.

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At the same time look for the availability of accessories and expense of TP and Macro lenses for the cam you are looking forward to. Once you buy a Camera , the Lenses become more important than the body.

 

[itsmeharsh]

Get him a DSLR with inbuilt AF motor and Image stabilization. Since he would be purchasing lenses on his own later own , so he will have to invest lesser on them.
I think lenses with AF , and IS are expensive.

After reading so much into Camera and all , I feel it's not which camera is good or bad , ( unless you are going into the high end pro cameras.) , it's about a choice and biased decision that you have to make.
Almost all of them will get you a good shot at pictures , it's just that which ecosystem you want to get into. Whether you wanna go for Nikon , Canon , Sony , Pentax , or whatsoever. Look at the long term aspect , and then the picture will get more clearer.
Just my personal opinion.

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At the same time look for the availability of accessories and expense of TP and Macro lenses for the cam you are looking forward to. Once you buy a Camera , the Lenses become more important than the body.

i agree with your point of view...

...

he is interested in 600D + combo lens which is available for 43k on amazon.in .... is it a good price? shall we go ahead with it?

 

[nac]

^ It's not attractive after Canon stripped off the discount. It was selling under 35k few weeks ago and now to push the sales of 1200D, 600D's price spiked. And if I remember correct even the MRP is not that high.

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The cost will be much less than the price you quoted if buy them separately. ~28k for camera+kit combo + ~10k for the zoom lens.

 

[itsmeharsh]

^ It's not attractive after Canon stripped off the discount. It was selling under 35k few weeks ago and now to push the sales of 1200D, 600D's price spiked. And if I remember correct even the MRP is not that high.

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The cost will be much less than the price you quoted if buy them separately. ~28k for camera+kit combo + ~10k for the zoom lens.

well, i am not much aware about dslr terminology but the 43k set i told about has 600D body + 18-55 + 55-250 (+ 8gb card and bag)... which is today available for 41570 (!) so... what do you recommend?

 

[Hrishi]

Ask him if he loves EVF cpared to OVF ??
Also do consider taking a look at Sony's lineup. Alpha A58/A57. ( the ols minolta lenses are compatible with them as well.)
Advantages ?? -> live preview of shots , better auto-focus ( inbuilt focus motor.) So you don't necessarily have to buy lenses with inbuilt focus. ( cheaper ).

Image stabilization in the camer itself , so don't meed to buy lenses with IS feature that are expensive .

Autofocus in video mode too!!!! And that pretty darn fast AF.
Lesser shutter lag and noise due to absence of mirror flipping.


Disadvantages ??
Sacrifice OVF , but still the Oled-EVF are not less than OVF.
A little lesser low light performance(theoratocally) , but when I compared results with DSLR , I found mine performed better instead at high ISOs.

 

[nac]

well, i am not much aware about dslr terminology but the 43k set i told about has 600D body + 18-55 + 55-250 (+ 8gb card and bag)... which is today available for 41570 (!) so... what do you recommend?

I didn't use any...

He has said he wants 600D, buy him a 600D with 18-55 kit lens, costs about 28k. (Yes, you will get memory card, bag and all along with it).
The price is too much, I wouldn't suggest to get that dual lens kit combo. Just go with body and 18-55 kit lens for now.

 

[sujoyp]

yaah if combo is 41k then better get 600D+kit and 55-250 saperately ...this way you will save some money or you can get some other accessories with remaining money

 

[The Incinerator]

I think the EOS600D is not available anywhere for 28K with 18-55mm lens online. Ebay is the only place where you can pick up a dual lens EOS600D for Rs 39K or less with coupons with Canon India warranty.

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@ NAC ,mrp for dual lens kit is over 50K for the Canon.

 

[nac]

^ What? They have increased that too... ??? It was 41 something...

 

[sujoyp]

D5100+kit is 26k and its competitor increased the price above 28k ....thats unfair practice CANON

 

[itsmeharsh]

nac, when you said "~28k for camera+kit combo + ~10k for the zoom lens." i got confused as the combo already has zoom lens

he has decided to wait for few weeks. in the meantime he will be following the prices...

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Ask him if he loves EVF cpared to OVF ??
Also do consider taking a look at Sony's lineup. Alpha A58/A57. ( the ols minolta lenses are compatible with them as well.)
Advantages ?? -> live preview of shots , better auto-focus ( inbuilt focus motor.) So you don't necessarily have to buy lenses with inbuilt focus. ( cheaper ).

Image stabilization in the camer itself , so don't meed to buy lenses with IS feature that are expensive .

Autofocus in video mode too!!!! And that pretty darn fast AF.
Lesser shutter lag and noise due to absence of mirror flipping.


Disadvantages ??
Sacrifice OVF , but still the Oled-EVF are not less than OVF.
A little lesser low light performance(theoratocally) , but when I compared results with DSLR , I found mine performed better instead at high ISOs.

now that's a new point of view... i hope he does not get as confused as i am feeling right now