Buy a new entry level DSLR

sorry to kinda thread jack but figured we should include the other gear required and approximate prices:

Bag: R400 Will this price get me a bag for the body plus the 18-250mm lens?
Card recommendations: 8GBC10 R120 16GBC10 R170
Filter recommendations: 62mm UV filter R165
Extra Battery: ??? is it even required?
 
R400 is borderline for a camera bag ... I have a small Tamrac shoulder bag that only fits my camera + 1 item (either flash or extra lens). It's small and convenient but in hindsight I should have bought something bigger for everyday carry. Before the great depression I owned some sort of Lowepro AW bacpack that was simply awesome but I see they retail for between R2000 & R3000 these days which is a bit insane for a plain old bag.

Personally I would rather carry two 8Gb cards than a single 16Gb. 4 x 4Gb would be even better imho simply looking out of a data corruption / lost card perspective. When the paw-paw strikes the fan I would rather loose 25% of my photos than 100%.

UV filter is always handy, especially in our harsh sunny conditions. Just double check that 62mm size, that's a pretty uncommon size. Most kit lenses are between 52-58mm with the big dogs usually running anything between 67-77mm.

Extra battery will eventually become an essential item in your bag but save yourself some moolah and simply get something from ebay for 1/4 the price of an original. While you're at it order 2-3 batteries and get it done with. When you buy that battery grip in future you'll already have the batteries ready.
 
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Deezil said:
R400 is borderline for a camera bag ... I have a small Tamrac shoulder bag that only fits my camera + 1 item (either flash or extra lens). It's small and convenient but in hindsight I should have bought something bigger for everyday carry. Before the great depression I owned some sort of Lowepro AW bacpack that was simply awesome but I see they retail for between R2000 & R3000 these days which is a bit insane for a plain old bag.

Personally I would rather carry two 8Gb cards than a single 16Gb. 4 x 4Gb would be even better imho simply looking out of a data corruption / lost card perspective. When the paw-paw strikes the fan I would rather loose 25% of my photos than 100%.

UV filter is always handy, especially in our harsh sunny conditions. Just double check that 62mm size, that's a pretty uncommon size. Most kit lenses are between 52-58mm with the big dogs usually running anything between 67-77mm.

Extra battery will eventually become an essential item in your bag but save yourself some moolah and simply get something from ebay for 1/4 the price of an original. While you're at it order 2-3 batteries and get it done with. When you buy that battery grip in future you'll already have the batteries ready.
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Thx for the tips and advice :thumbup:
 
Picked up my gear yesterday at ODP.

Will test drive her tonight

uploadfromtaptalk1380881336037.jpg
 
Congrats and enjoy!

My D3100 has served me very well for 3 years. Upgraded to D7100 few months back but Still not selling my D3100.
 
Deezil said:
When the paw-paw strikes the fan I would rather loose 25% of my photos than 100%.
Click to expand...

I dunno, the more cards you have, the more chances you get to spin the wheel of failure. I would prefer to spin it as few times as I have to - 2
 
pixel_ninja said:
I dunno, the more cards you have, the more chances you get to spin the wheel of failure. I would prefer to spin it as few times as I have to - 2
Click to expand...

Yeah. I'm a big fan of using as few cards as possible. Constantly swapping cards opens you up to losing or damaging either the card or the camera's card reader.
 
uploadfromtaptalk1380924657795.jpg

Put it all together a few minutes ago. Looking thro manuals. Took a few test shots. It's heavy.
 
LazyDemoni said:
- Dual Control Wheels
- Top LCD
- Bracketing
- In body focus motor (for old AF lenses)
- Flash Commander Mode (not on D3100 I think)
- Pentaprism

But both are good cameras.
Click to expand...

Just saw this list and I have to comment.

While the D3100 is "newer" tech and whatnot, the D90 is still a remarkable camera with more powerful features, even though it is an older model. I owned a D90 for over a year before it got stolen and that camera was amazing.

The 2 biggest differences that will matter to you?
1. The in-body focus motor. Since the D90 has a motor in the body, you can use both G and D lenses on the D90. G-class lenses are newer lenses and have focusing motors built into the lens. A D-class lens does not have a focusing motor built into the lens, so if you try to use a D lens on the 3100, you will have to manually focus it. No autofocus. Why does this matter to you? You can buy some amazing D lenses for a lot cheaper than G lenses.

2. The Top LCD. It uses very little battery power and displays a lot of useful information without you needing to waste battery on the LCD at the rear to see this info. Why does this matter to you? Being aware of your settings when taking photos will help to improve your photography, and saving battery is always nice. I sometimes left my D90 on for weeks in the bag and still had battery left over to shoot with.

Still, I see you did get the D3100, hope you enjoy it.
More often than not the photographer matters more than the equipment. :)
 
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