All We Want Is …

Ahem… we just bought a new DSLR camera – Canon 40D

I got recommended to get a DSLR camera when I spoke to a professional photographer at a wedding we visited last week. With the twins on the way, he told me, I should get one.

So I went online and did some research. The most popular site has always been dpreview.com. The site has reviews on the latest cameras, buyer’s guide and real photo samples to see for yourself if the image quality matches your requirements. The tests are all done by professionals so the conclusions can be trusted, but of course, it is just an opinion.

Being very new to DSLR, I was quite overwhelmed by the amount of information that is available. But who to trust? Which model to buy? Which brand should I go for and why?

The first I did was go to a shop and asked what was available and this by the way, is the wrong approach. Explaining to the sales person what I wanted to do, he recommended the Canon G10. The G10 is a compact camera with a fixed lens. Basically a very sophisticated point and shoot camera. Don’t get me wrong, the G10 is a great camera if you are looking for a compact model. However, I am really interested to learn about photography and I needed a camera (body) with exchangeable lenses. So I left the shop and told the sales person that I would do some more research first.

Then something else came to mind. I knew there was a bookshop 100% dedicated to photography and not selling cameras so that was my next stop. Since I was at Funan DigitaLife Mall, I went to RiceBall Photography Bookstore.

How nice “RiceBall”.. I love (glutinous) rice balls. Anyway, spoke to the keeper of the bookstore. The bookstore sells books on specific camera models, photo alteration software and even DVD’s on how to use your camera. I think I will get a DVD one day. A very nice guy, told my whole story again and he just got it. So there are few major brands in DSLR but only two brands really stand out – Canon and Nikon.

Which is better? That is for you to find out. Although Nikon is one of my favorite brands, Canon is what I bought. I can write a whole page on why and why not, so I’m gonna spare that one for someone who really wants to know.

Initially, the guy recommended to start off with a Canon 50D or a Nikon D90. We discussed some other options and I thought that the Canon 40D was a good enough camera as it wasn’t that much different from the newer 50D. Some interesting pointers; don’t look at the specifications like MegaPixels but look at your budget. Next start off with a kit. A kit is a camera (body) + lens. Or you can buy a camera (body) only and purchase the lens separately. But a kit is the way to go to start off. Afterall, I have no idea which lens is for what yet, right?

He then recommended me to a store on the 5th floor. The shop is called John 3:16. I passed by that store numerous times and I always thought that it was a book store selling books. But in fact, it is a dedicated photography store. And wow was I impressed!

I was sent upstairs and asked for Samuel. I told him that I was looking for a Canon 40D and if he had stock. He told me that the 40D went down in price tremendously (as the 50D is considered the newer model) and that he had stock! One tip – if you want to buy something in Singapore, before you ask the price, ask them if they have the item available first. His return question was body or kit? Aha.. this time I came prepared and asked for a kit. So I got the kit with the standard but high performance zoom lens. (EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5–5.6 IS)

He took the camera out of the box, assembled all the pieces and gave it to me to try it out. As there were only 2 of the 40D left, I asked for the price. It was within my budget including a 50mm lens so I gave Samuel a downpayment and told him that I would pick it up in the next few days.

On my way back to the MRT, I called Azlina and told her about my findings. She got quite shocked because of my commitment with the downpayment. But at the same time, she was so excited that she took a cab down to meet me! So while she was on her way, I slowly went back to the shop and told Samuel that I wanted to take the item with me today and that my wife was on the way.

Chinese always judge a good restaurant according to the number of people inside. Well if this is true (and I believe it is) John 3:16 is one of the best stores in Singapore. The time I spent in the shop waiting for Azlina to arrive, people come in and out of the store and actually buying stuff!! And this is a weekday!

Samuel lend me a book on the Canon 40D and told me to return it once I finished reading it. I thought that was a very nice gesture. All the staff in the store are very customer focused and really know what they are talking about. They take all the time it permits as it can be very very busy and hectic in the store. And you will leave the store as a happy customer.

So here’s what we got – the kit which comprises of the Canon 40D with a standard zoom lens + an “indoor” EF 50mm  f/1.8 II lens (suitable for indoor picture taking)  + a camera bag + two 4GB CF Cards + a illustrated user guide (which is not standard).

Pictures will be uploaded soon! I made some really nice shots already.

~ His ramblings