Everybody loves Nikon

As you might know, or well maybe not, I have a keen interest in photography. Those who read my about page would remember that it started when I was very little. Well now I feel that after 21 long years I have enough talent and knowledge about photography that I move into the world of SLR photography. Although why I didn’t do this much earlier is even unclear to me now that I look back. Anyway back to the point.

I have been researching entry level DSLRs for a while now and I have come to a very harsh conclusion. Since this is a relatively new and untapped market for camera manufacturers, there are so many models to choose from and yet all these models have so little separating them. So reviewers on the internet distinguish them with parameters such as “feel while holding camera”, “megapixels”, etc. Why did I mention megapixels you ask? Well, truth be told, people are being made fools by the Megapixel Myth. A camera does not automatically become better if it has more pixels that can record data. Ofcourse there is a huge difference between 10 pixels and 1 million pixels but there is hardly any difference between 5 million and 12 million. Unless ofcourse you plan to cover and entire 5 story building with a print of your photograph. For normal people, who don’t print in huge massive sizes, 4-5 megapixels more than suffices.

Back to the cameras. Sony does not seem to have a cheap entry level camera, the cheapest being around Rs. 30k. Canon and Nikon do really well with the prices. Although for some reason, everyone seems to hate Canon. The reason for which I do not understand. Canon have been around long enough to make good cameras. Everybody loves Nikon. For the same reason it feels better in their hands. Anyway I have zeroed into two cameras that I think are right for me. The Canon EOS 350D and Nikon D60. Kit lenses will slip out of use very soon people say. But I think I will make do with a kit lens for a while atleast.

I maintain that no gadget should be bought without having a “feel” of it in your hands. Sadly, none of the camera retailers I know of keep open pieces for people to fiddle around with. I found luck at the most unlikely of places. E-zone, the new electronic goods shopping mall doesn’t seem to care that customers fiddle around with expensive DSLRs. The one I went to today had a Nikon D40. I took a couple of shots with it and quickly realized how easy it was to use. Sadly, they did not stock any other DSLR models. I plan to make a visit to a DSLR retailer located in the K.R. Market area soon. Until then, on the internet I can never run out of camera reviews to read.

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