Discovering My 1st DSLR.
It was way back in July '10 that my search for a DSLR started. As a Tech freak I was reluctant to ask any pro photographer about what to buy. I went about my search in the most intricate manner. Learning how every part of a camera is made & it's function.
The foremost contenders for my purchase were Pentax, Canon, Nikon, Sony & Olympus. Pentax I soon found had no presence in India in terms of sales & support. Not that these DSLRs go crazy on you but lens availability, cost & not enough as a competent product @ that time closed the doors on Pentax. Sony on the other hand is growing in this Market. Even lens compatibility is increased by the use of the same mount formerly used by Konica-Minolta. But yet again the after sales support & lens portability options left Me blank. Olympus had impressed Me with their Prosumer SP 570 UZ. But again lens availability & the EVIL Micro 4/3 put Me off. Especially the 4/3 sensor was disappointing considering the awesome reviews of Zuiko optics. The options had boiled down to Canon & Nikon. I figured out My budget, made some enquiries & got the 2 competing models fitting in My budget. Actually 3 cameras. Canon with EOS 550D/Rebel T2i/Kiss X4, EOS 50D & the Nikon D90. The Rebel was soon chucked owing to it's comparatively Poor Low Light & High ISO performance. Mind You it boasted of 18megapixels of images & Full HD Video recording. The 50D is a semi-pro model having a Magnesium alloy body & Excellent IQ. No video though. The D90 sprung out to be Jack of all trades. It neither had Full HD video nor the Magnesium alloy body. But the weakness of the Rebel was the Biggest strength of the Jack. It was at this time that Canon was buzzing around with their soon to be launched EOS 60D & Nikon was doing rounds with the rumoured D95. Not that I was interested in those models, but hoped that their launch would reduce the price of the model that I choose. Finally I approached few practising Photographers for their take on 50D vs D90. As it turned out this Canon vs Nikon war is like the same between Ferrari vs Lamborghini, Intel vs AMD, nVidia vs ATI or even Honda vs Yamaha !!! Those who support Canon will swear on it while those who use Nikon are anti-Canon. So it all went down on which deal is cheaper. The prices in USA are much cheaper than back here in India. Warranty is an issue, but as I mentioned earlier these Cameras don't give up so easily & the price difference was enough to convince Me to buy from USA. Now that I had enough time to buy, since My friend who was going to get it for Me was coming in December, I started to look for the cheapest deal around. September arrived as did the awaited EOS 60D, just 200USD outside My budget. The 50D wasn't getting any cheaper while the D90 price hiked !!!
Bammmm, Nikon launched the D7000 in October, way out of My budget !! Wait, the body only option was just 100USD off my budget...... Was it worth spending so much extra??? I asked myself this question a zillion times & never got a positive reply. The D7000 launch nose dipped the EOS60D value by a whopping 200USD making it the Best option out of no where. 50D & D90 were out of reckoning !!! 4 months of brain wracking had almost turned waste !!!
The 60D didn't have the Magnesium alloy body from it's predecessor nor the same burst rate. It did have Full HD video & a super swivel LCD display. Nikon, beat that !! It also looked stunningly beautiful better than any DSLR in My price point. Not that looks are important, but it's always an added Boasting point.
I turned My attention in gathering all the money & looking to someone who would buy Me the camera back across the Atlantic. A family friend agreed & I was ecstatic. Few of My Canonite Friends were also Happy !!
Test results had started to pour out soon enough & those explained the price drop of the Canon. The Nikon D7000 simply competed with the higher end cameras such as Canon EOS 7D & Nikon D300s, often outperforming them. Afaik these tests can be rigged more often than not & an intelligent user would just use them as a guide line & not the only basis of buying. Till then I had handled the Rebel, D90, 50D. For My hands the D90 was the most ergonomic, indirectly giving the D7000 an edge over Canon due to similarity in the respective upgraded cameras. But it was still very expensive...
My Tech Freak head had started to take over My Hobby now. It was no more 'The VFM Hunt'. Dual SDXC slots, a better Viewfinder, Handling & Ergonomics, partial Magnesium alloy body ( Polycarbonate in EOS 60D ), weather sealing & most importantly overall performance except video were good enough points to rack My brain further. Canon was about to lose a Customer !! Yet Money was going to be a problem. I could have got a Tele lens, multiple filters, a tripod with the D90 & yet saved some money. But No, D7000 was poking it's nose ahead of both the semi-expensive EOS 60D & the cheaper D90. Now to gather the extra money was even more worse. Mom comes to the rescue!! Yay :D
Catastrophe was to soon strike... As usual Nikon had announced the D7000 well before being shipping ready. The stocks were rare & expensive. The rare reviews coming added more to the agony as mega shops started to have more than 45 days waiting!! After keeping tabs on almost stores, My friend finally got hold of 1 piece @ Best Buy. While the camera travelled from Kentucky to New Hampshire to California, heading for India as the final destination, I even got the Sandisk class 10 SDHC cards. How these cards are monstrous was to be learnt later !!!
Well this sound to be the ending of the story, it actually isn't !! I had just 'Bought' My 1st DSLR not Discovered it by any means..
End of Part 1
Tune in further for the 2nd part...
