on buying your first ever camera part 2.

Seorang rakan telah memberi komen tentang previous post aku yang agak berat sebelah dengan mengutuk-ngutuk kamera lain puas-puas, pastu aku kutuk Olympus ala-ala cubit manja sahaja. Huahua. Aku lupa nak tambah pasal Olympus nie, due to its different ratio of sensor size, ia tidak memberi depth of field se-shallow kamera-kamera dari brand lain pada bukaan aperture yang sama.

Pada yang tak reti menatang hapa pasal all the technical jargons namun gigih gak nak baca, aku recommend link ini untuk mengetahui sedikit sebanyak pasal what dslr is all about. Even though some of the features mentioned are brand-specific, but the basic philosophy is there. Plus it is very very easy to understand and doesn't feel like reminiscing bad memories about studying quantum physics post-SPM.


Ok, berbalik kepada isu utama. Ada bermacam-macam faktor yang anda kena timbang sewaktu nak beli kamera.

1) Niat.

Penting nie. (seperti yang diulas Imam Nawawi dalam hadis pertama kumpulan Hadis 40). Kalau niat anda cuma sekadar nak mengikut trend semasa, lantak anda sebab duit (scholar?) anda. Tapi rata-rata yang datang bertanya tak berapa minat sangat pun nak jadi macam Ted Adnan or people of the same ilk. Kebanyakannya cuma mengagumi kejelasan dan kebersihan gambar yang dihasilkan dan tiba-tiba sedar what they've been missing with their old compact cameras. Kalau sekadar nak gambar yang cantik untuk percutian, rata-rata semua dlsr tak kira brand apa pun dah lebih dari mampu untuk melakukannya. So shoot for the lowest price you can possibly find. U might wanna save some dough for your trips. Kalau ade kamera mahal lagi canggih tapi pusing-pusing pun tangkap gambar ayam dalam reban belakang rumah anda, baik tak payah. Baik sembelih makan ayam itu. (huh ape kene mengene?)

Since the quality of images these entry-level cameras can offer is about the same, you are now looking for perks that each of them can offer.

2) Features

Live view facilities I think is a tad too overrated. In the end, the fun of photography is all about connecting with the scene through the viewfinder. Canon eos 450D has the largest viewfinder among all while Sony and Olympus has the smallest, hence the need to squint a little bit more. Tapi kalau anda dah biasa menangkap gambar dengan melihat skrin di belakang kamera, this can facilitate you to get used to your dslr. Sony usually has the best live view facilities with its alpha 300 and 350 models. Hands down, the award of best live-view implementation goes to them. If you are still wondering what exactly is live-view, go Google.

I'm quite indifferent with the dust-buster facility that has become a must-have for any manufacturer that is rolling out new models. If you regularly change lenses for various occasion, go for one with the most effective dust remover. Olympus has received rave reviews for this, yang lain-lain tu aku tak pasti sangat. But again, if you're primarily using your camera for nice vacation shots and almost likely to own a single lens for a long time, this feature will not matter much.

Even newer models (but slightly more expensive) model like the Nikon D90 even has a movie mode. Yeah you dimwits, u can't shoot movie with a dslr. So Nikon d90 is a little bit of s a breakthrough.

3) Harga

Harga kamera dslr sekarang boleh didapati dari serendah 99 sen, terbanglah dengan airasia. (huh, saja mengarut sket). Ianya boleh didapati dari serendah rm1500 hinggalah berpuluh-puluh ribu ringgit. rm1500 is not rm5, so i am sure it matters so much for you to get your perfect camera (kecuali bapak anda tokey ladang gandum).
Selalunya kamera-kamera dari sesuatu jenama dibahagikan mengikut target pasaran dan titik harga.

Yang paling murah ialah the entry-level line up (nikon d40, sony alpha 200, canon eos 1000d, olympus e420), has the most basic set of features dan berharga dalam lingkungan rm1500-1800. Eloklah untuk orang yang nak gambar cantik untuk jalan-jalan dan nak save up duit.

Kemudian atas sikit dari entry level aku pun taktau naming convention dia tapi selalunya berharga dalam lingkungan rm2000-3000. Selalunya dengan model-model seperti Canon eos 450D, Olympus e520, Nikon d60, dan Sony alpha 350, pengeluar kamera memperkenalkan the latest set of features while trying to keep the price down to keep the buyers happy. If you're starting and have even a tiny little hunch about this might grow into something, I recommend you start from here.

And then there's prosumer level camera. Harga pun selalunya dah lebih dari rm4000. Ini untuk orang-orang yang banyak duit ataupun dah kerja ataupun intend to make some money with wedding photography etc. Contoh kamera ialah seperti Olympus e30, Canon 50D, Sony d700, Nikon d90 or the d300. They're usually bigger and harder to lug around but offers the most amazing and latest set of features you can possibly get.

4) The bigger picture

Ini khas untuk orang-orang yang rajin menambah equipment. Kalau di Malaysia, Nikon reigns supreme with the most number of accessories possible. Senang kalau nak bertukar-tukar lens sesama member-member anda dan trade in second hand items. Canon pun begitu juga. Olympus dan brand lain agak kurang, but i'm sure the fans are out there, though less in number.

Canon premium glasses are exorbitant in price, so is Nikon and Sony with its Carl-Zeiss specials. Unless you're content with the piece of mediocre glass you currently own, you pretty much would have to burn a very deep hole in your pocket to get the best out of your camera. Olympus punya premium glasses pun mahal gak cuma taklah mahal sangat macam yang lain-lain.

Nikon is also known for its great flash accessories. The nikon sb600 and sb800 are very highly regarded. Jenama-jenama lain pun ada flash masing-masing and you usually have to fork out around rm800-rm1500 if you think a flash accesory is vital for your photography.


Kesimpulannya:

Belilah sekadar yang mampu. Tak guna beli yang mahal-mahal sangat dan sibuk berdebat pasal equipment namun gambar hampeh2 je. Plus there is no one perfect camera that does it all, so u should weigh your options, know the strengths and weaknesses that each camera possesses.