Camera Wish List
Posted by Jonathan Ng | Filed under Personal
I’ve always wished to own a dSLR camera. Few years back, I would just put the whole thought of photography aside, as the costs were way beyond my reach. When I did my industrial training, I got myself a Sony DSC V3.
Don’t get me wrong, the DSC V3 is a feature packed camera. Other than the Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority modes, there’s features like AE lock, flash levels, manual focusing (you can set the focusing distance) and even RAW support. The only limiting factor, is the lens, which is not interchangeable. It cant go to f1.8, it cant go to 18mm, and it’s only 4x zoom.
I didn’t go for a dSLR as back then, it would cost around RM 2500 or more. So after learning the basics of photography, I’m ready for the next level! More importantly, since I’m going off to UK in the summer for a semester, it’ll be great opportunity to snap like mad!
So what’s on my mind?
Canon EOS 400D / Digital Rebel XTi
The reasoning for the 400d is simple: it’s in the entry-level class, the only class that I can afford :p. Other than that, it’s got better image quality and noise handling than the Sony A100. Nikon D40? Nah, I’d have to get lenses with internal focusing motors and it doesn’t have a auto lens cleaning mechanism. Since it’s a Canon (and not other brands like Olympus, Pentax, Sony etc), there’s a huge catalog of lenses available (new or used).
The only thing that sucks hard about the EOS 400d is the grip - it’s small! There’s the battery grip, but it’ll only come in handy when taking portraits. I doubt I’ll be taking much portraits while traveling, so I’ll just have to make do with the EOS 400d by cupping it with my left hand.
Cost: I asked around a few places and cheapest I got is RM 2270 with the kit lens.
Canon 18-55mm f3.5 - 5.6
This is the lens included with the EOS 400D. Vi King recommended me the Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 lens as a replacement for the kit lens, and the constant aperture of 2.8 is definitely attractive. Though it’s also built with better optics, it’s price exceeds 1k, and I think it’ll be better for me to go for a tele lens.
Canon 50mm f1.8
I love bokeh! Unfortunately, the 50mm f1.8 is the only one I can afford. It’s got only 5 diaphragm blades, which means it’s bokeh is not really smooth. The f1.4 USM lens is over 1k, and I guess I’ll leave it to a future upgrade. Meanwhile, I can only drool at photos like these.
Cost: around RM 300.
Sigma 70-300mm f4-5.6 DG MACRO
To round up my starter lens collection, a budget telephoto lens. I did consider the 18-200mm lens, but then again, the aperture is a measly f3.5-6.3 - a whopping 6.3 at 200mm! It’s way to dark for night usage. The kit lens + the 70-300mm will be much better, but of course, it’s 2 pieces compared to the 15-200mm. I notice that the Sony A100’s dual lens kit is also similarly spec-ed.
As a bonus, this lens has got macro mode! Flip the switch to macro mode, and the focusing distance reduces to 95cm. Though the subject will need to be at an arms length, the 300mm max zoom will easily make up for that.
Cost: $200, which is around RM 700.
Last but not least, before going off to UK, a second battery will come in handy (I saw a third party battery at RM 70). Memory card? No worries, I have a 2 GB 150x CF card, which can easily keep 1500 or so JPEGs - heck, the batteries will run flat even before the memory card is full!
Of course, all these would only be possible if I can manage to find a part-time job come February. Wish me luck!
2 Responses to “Camera Wish List”
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mike Says:
December 29th, 2007 at 3:15 amDoes RM stand for Ringgit Malaysia?
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Jonathan Ng Says:
December 29th, 2007 at 11:17 pmYeah, RM is Ringgit Malaysia. 1 USD = RM 3.5
