[Kimified]

Ok. I am a complete noob in Photography. I am looking to buy my first DSLR. Have narrowed my choices down to Canon 550D , Nikon 5100D and the Nikon D90.

Have been reading a lot on these cameras and i just can't seem to decide. I have noticed that the same questions have been asked here before. But please suggest me which one would make a good overall buy right now.

Things which might help you suggest me one of these.
My budget is 35 - 50k (I am not strict on the budget. I am ok with stretching it a bit more if its worth it)
I mainly shoot outdoors (If this helps you in suggesting me one of the above). I don't have any specific subjects in mind right now. I am just starting off.

The 5100 has everything going for it, But i still see people recommending the D90 over the 5100.

The D90 is from a segment higher i think. But since its out of production and an upgrade is soon to arrive, I am a little worried.

The Canon 550D was my initial choice. But i like Swirl screen on the 5100. Don't know how useful it will be, But i like it. Being a noob, all i know is that canon has 18 MP while the 5100 has 16 and canon gives me a lot more options when it comes to cheap lenses .(I am completely ok with lower pixels since i wont be taking huge prints)

Considering all the above. Please suggest me a sensible buy and also any other models which i might want to look at. Thanks.

[VW2010]

.(I am completely ok with lower pixels since i wont be taking huge prints)

Even if you take huge prints an 8mp would suffice for most of the needs. So dont decide a camera based on MP.

Go to some camera shops or chrome like electronic shops and handle both the camera. Hold it, take some pictures and play with the buttons, menu and even the lens.

See which one suits you. At the end of the the difference between a nikon or Canon is so little when it comes to the final picture.

Have you even thought about the EVIL cameras. Check the samsung NEX100 or Olympus ones. They do most of the jobs and with converter we can even use the standard lens on these models.

[shajufx]

Originally Posted by rkbharat

.....But I think it does not have a quick access zipper for One section for a body with lens

Rajivji, ja ja ja ! Quick access zipper is seen on their slingshot bags not on flipside. The best thing I love about flipside design is, opening area is touching your back, so nobody can open it in a crowd. When you want to take out your cam, slide the shoulder pads, swing it to the front on the waist belt and open the zip (of the bag ) and you are ready to shoot. Usual bags need a resting place to do the same. Flipside will always stay on your body.

Originally Posted by Kimified

....The D90 is from a segment higher i think. But since its out of production and an upgrade is soon to arrive, I am a little worried......

If model upgrade is a worry, be prepared to buy a new DSLR every 2 years

[Sudipto-S-Team]

Originally Posted by Kimified

The D90 is from a segment higher i think. But since its out of production and an upgrade is soon to arrive, I am a little worried.

In the world of cameras, discontinuation of a model shouldn't worry you. That's a worry in the car market where you regularly need spare parts and stuff like that and getting spare parts for a discontinued model becomes an issue sometimes. In camera world, if you like a model in terms of features, price, image quality etc and want to buy it, go ahead and buy it. Often you get a good discount on a discontinued model, which is great.
Incidentally I drive an Esteem which was discontinued almost immediately after I bought my version. I am glad that I bought it on time. It's a great car and serves my purpose ;-)

[nvldvr]

Hi, my canon 1000d battery (LP E5) died out after only about 10 months or so. Checked up with canon, and they say its not covered under warranty. Have a few queries:-

(a) Possible reasons for battery failure? i always took the battery out of the camera when not in use. However, i used a big packet of silica gel to keep the camera mositure free. Could too much of silica have caused drying up of battery?

(b) New battery costs around 4k. Thats a lot. Checked up on ebay, and a few sellers have batteries costing 1600, with description of canon rebel Xs batteries. Are these the ones bought from US? Safe to buy? And anyways, even the original canon battery failed me in only 10 months time.

(c) If not the source mentioned above, any suggested source of purchase? I have now moved to Vizag where there is little likelihood of the battery being available.

(d) Suggested storage /usage methods for battery to ensure its long life. Dont want to end up buying too many batteries in the future.

[StarScream]

Originally Posted by Kimified

Ok. I am a complete noob in Photography. I am looking to buy my first DSLR. Have narrowed my choices down to Canon 550D , Nikon 5100D and the Nikon D90.

Have been reading a lot on these cameras and i just can't seem to decide. I have noticed that the same questions have been asked here before. But please suggest me which one would make a good overall buy right now.

Things which might help you suggest me one of these.
My budget is 35 - 50k (I am not strict on the budget. I am ok with stretching it a bit more if its worth it)
I mainly shoot outdoors (If this helps you in suggesting me one of the above). I don't have any specific subjects in mind right now. I am just starting off.

The 5100 has everything going for it, But i still see people recommending the D90 over the 5100.

The D90 is from a segment higher i think. But since its out of production and an upgrade is soon to arrive, I am a little worried.

The Canon 550D was my initial choice. But i like Swirl screen on the 5100. Don't know how useful it will be, But i like it. Being a noob, all i know is that canon has 18 MP while the 5100 has 16 and canon gives me a lot more options when it comes to cheap lenses .(I am completely ok with lower pixels since i wont be taking huge prints)

Considering all the above. Please suggest me a sensible buy and also any other models which i might want to look at. Thanks.

Hi, the reason why people suggest the D90 over the 5100 is to do with a lens compatibility issue for those who have older glass. But since you're new to the whole DSLR thing - its not a critical factor. And for more experienced users a body like the D90 has a few dedicated buttons to directly access certain functions, while in the 5100 you'd have to go through the menu on the back screen to do the same thing. Again that is not a major factor in your case.

The D90 btw has not been discontinued - it is still in Nikon's product line up. It has been superseded by the D7000 and therefore is probably on its way out.

The 5100 has the same fantastic 16mp sensor of the D7000 so you are getting newer technology in that sense. The flip out screen is a bit of a gimmick for photography but its useful for video, in my opinion.

All things considered, the 5100 is a very capable camera that will take you a long time to master. In other words, you're not going to feel the need for an upgrade any time soon. Since you have a budget of 50k, I suggest buy the 5100 kit for 35k and a little later, when you're more certain of your needs, use the remaining cash to buy some good lenses.

Just be sure that for full functionality on the 5100 you use lenses with built in autofocus motors - called AFS in Nikon nomenclature.

My answer is Nikon-specific. I don't know much about the Canon system. But as someone else said - go to a showroom, hold both Canon and Nikon in your hands and buy the brand that feels right. 16mp vs 18mp is an indiscernible difference.

[Kimified]

Originally Posted by VW2010

..
Have you even thought about the EVIL cameras. Check the samsung NEX100 or Olympus ones. They do most of the jobs and with converter we can even use the standard lens on these models.

Haven't checked the EVIL cameras. Will do so now. Thanks.

Originally Posted by shajufx

If model upgrade is a worry, be prepared to buy a new DSLR every 2 years

Originally Posted by Sudipto-S-Team

In camera world, if you like a model in terms of features, price, image quality etc and want to buy it, go ahead and buy it. Often you get a good discount on a discontinued model, which is great.
Incidentally I drive an Esteem which was discontinued almost immediately after I bought my version. I am glad that I bought it on time. It's a great car and serves my purpose ;-)

Nice. So i am not bothering about D90 being old anymore

Originally Posted by StarScream

Hi, the reason why people suggest the D90 over the 5100 is to do with a lens compatibility issue for those who have older glass. But since you're new to the whole DSLR thing - its not a critical factor. And for more experienced users a body like the D90 has a few dedicated buttons to directly access certain functions, while in the 5100 you'd have to go through the menu on the back screen to do the same thing. Again that is not a major factor in your case.

The D90 btw has not been discontinued - it is still in Nikon's product line up. It has been superseded by the D7000 and therefore is probably on its way out.

The 5100 has the same fantastic 16mp sensor of the D7000 so you are getting newer technology in that sense. The flip out screen is a bit of a gimmick for photography but its useful for video, in my opinion.

All things considered, the 5100 is a very capable camera that will take you a long time to master. In other words, you're not going to feel the need for an upgrade any time soon. Since you have a budget of 50k, I suggest buy the 5100 kit for 35k and a little later, when you're more certain of your needs, use the remaining cash to buy some good lenses.

Just be sure that for full functionality on the 5100 you use lenses with built in autofocus motors - called AFS in Nikon nomenclature.

My answer is Nikon-specific. I don't know much about the Canon system. But as someone else said - go to a showroom, hold both Canon and Nikon in your hands and buy the brand that feels right. 16mp vs 18mp is an indiscernible difference.

Thanks for the detailed explanation. I just happened to go to Croma on my way back from office. I played around with all the 3 cameras i have mentioned. I loved the D90 for everything except for the weight. Seemed too heavy with the 18 - 105 lens. (This was the first time i am trying out DSLR's, i don't know if i will get adjusted to it after i start using it). I removed the lens on all the 3 cameras and D90 seemed to be by far the heaviest and the 550D the lightest.

Considering that the D90 is kinda stretched out of my budget and will leave me with not much budget to buy lenses later, I think i'll have to settle with one among the 5100 and 550D. The D90 also looked a little more professional than the other two for me.

Considering that i have small hands, I found the grip on the 550D slightly better than the 5100. They both weight almost the same but you can still feel that the 550D is lighter.

I hated the plastiky feel on the 550, the shoot button is plastic and not Chrome like the 5100 (I am no chrome fan, but i think it looks better on the shoot button). 5100 easily felt better than the 550D overall. More solid.

I had read that the Screen on the 550D is better than the one on the 5100, But somehow i felt the 5100's screen to be better among the two. More brighter and vibrant. Although i liked the Menu on the Cannon better. Nikon's menu takes a little time to get used to.

The more i see, the more i am tilting towards the 5100. Like i already said, I love the movable screen on the 5100.

All said, I need to know one thing which is concerning me, I did a google search and found this.

Canon 550D vs Nikon D5100

I am not worried about the 550D being thinner/cheaper/more MP/slightly better shutter speed and other stuff. I am worried about the lack of Auto Focus motor on the 5100 which is there on the 550D. Can that be a deal breaker or can i have a work around for that ?. Like starScream already mentioned, I need to make sure i buy AFS lenses. Will that be a costly affair compared to say buying the normal lenses for the Canon ?

Thank you all for the response

[mukeshgoel]

Originally Posted by Kimified

I am worried about the lack of Auto Focus motor on the 5100 which is there on the 550D. Can that be a deal breaker or can i have a work around for that ?. Like starScream already mentioned, I need to make sure i buy AFS lenses. Will that be a costly affair compared to say buying the normal lenses for the Canon ?
Thank you all for the response

You (any many others) will be surprised to know that, every Canon DSLR is identical to the entry-level Nikons as they do not have autofocus motors in the body. They require an autofocus motor in the lens.

But all their lenses come with motor, so compatibility issue does not rise.

Autofocus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Canon, however, elected to develop their EOS system with motorised lenses instead. More recently, Nikon have also adopted this strategy with their AF-S range of lenses; their entry-level DSLRs do not have a focus motor in the body.

[nitrous]

Originally Posted by Sudipto-S-Team

In the world of cameras, discontinuation of a model shouldn't worry you. That's a worry in the car market where you regularly need spare parts and stuff like that and getting spare parts for a discontinued model becomes an issue sometimes. In camera world, if you like a model in terms of features, price, image quality etc and want to buy it, go ahead and buy it. Often you get a good discount on a discontinued model, which is great.
Incidentally I drive an Esteem which was discontinued almost immediately after I bought my version. I am glad that I bought it on time. It's a great car and serves my purpose ;-)

+100
Today, the world wants features and convenience over quality and performance.
Hence, older versions tend to be superior in performance to newer ones.

[nvldvr]

Hi, my canon 1000d battery (LP E5) died out after only about 10 months or so. Checked up with canon, and they say its not covered under warranty. Have a few queries:-

(a) Possible reasons for battery failure? i always took the battery out of the camera when not in use. However, i used a big packet of silica gel to keep the camera mositure free. Could too much of silica have caused drying up of battery?

(b) New battery costs around 4k. Thats a lot. Checked up on ebay, and a few sellers have batteries costing 1600, with description of canon rebel Xs batteries. Are these the ones bought from US? Safe to buy? And anyways, even the original canon battery failed me in only 10 months time.

(c) If not the source mentioned above, any suggested source of purchase? I have now moved to Vizag where there is little likelihood of the battery being available.

(d) Suggested storage /usage methods for battery to ensure its long life. Dont want to end up buying too many batteries in the future.

[phamilyman]

This AF motor lens logic is again amusing. Most people spend far less time learning how to take amazing shots (not that i'm a pro at all) than they spend on agonizing over the missing AF motor in the entry level Nikons. No seriously.

[download2live]

Has to be an issue with battery. There is no way a battery will go bust with that kind of care. Sheer bad luck I guess.

One thing. Always remember that a battery has a fixed number of charge cycles. So when you charge it charge it fully. Then keep using it till levels go down. Taking battery out to charge every now an then just costs you needless charging cycles.

The camera was a grey market purchase or one with papers? Can you check if the original battery was genuine via posting pics in forums like dpreview. If you want any help in that drop me a PM.

[tsk1979]

buy a third party battery on ebay.com. Heck, buy 2 of them.
They cost around 5$ inclusive of shipping

[vivekiny2k]

Not about the camera, but I bought a spare battery from ebay for my nokia. the cheap spare conked off in few months while the original kept going. So the cheap duplicates may be cheap for a reason.

[Captain Slow]

Originally Posted by vivekiny2k

Not about the camera, but I bought a spare battery from ebay for my nokia. the cheap spare conked off in few months while the original kept going. So the cheap duplicates may be cheap for a reason.

Dont buy them from ebay india, buy them from ebay.com.

My laptops battery went bust. Original acer battery Rs 5,000 + Oem battery locally 3,000 +

I got a good deal for a battery from ebay.com got it for 1,750 shipped to me in India! The seller was from China and battery gives me about 2 hours backup time. Even if it works for a year I will be happy.