Either you will never buy a DSLR or you shall end up buying a EVIL camera!!!

BTW, some of the EVIL cameras have a form factor which is way smaller (&lighter) than the OM1 or the ME!!!

Ah!! the rollei 35!!! the one which almost killed the pen!!!
Do you still have those beauties??? These are already in my 'to buy' list!!!

Help

Guys I want to buy a Digital camera but I am confused between Samsung PL210 and Sony DSC-WX7, which one should I buy ?

Yes , the nikon coolpix3100 is tiny and , and it is always with me in my sidebag , which is an absolute criterion for me . This is also why I haven't bought a Dslr yet ; I will buy one only when they make one in the total size of the olympus om1 or pentax ME . Even when I was using film , I seldom used to carry my canon T70 slr but either my Rollei35S or olympus XA compacts used to be with me all day everyday . The best camera in the world is the one that is with you when you need it . Cameras kept back at home can't make any photographs , no matter how many advanced features they may have .

I too bought a working Pentax Optio S50 from ebay for $6.4!!! Shipping charges was $4. I thought, if nothing works, I could salvage the lens and screen for other uses!! But to my luck, the camera works perfectly except the flash which is gone!!! But I wasnt as lucky as you are. I didnt get any memory card or batteries. But the good things are its a 5MP compact camera with a very good spot metering abilities!!! Beats my more costly Canon A610 in the spot meter department on some occasions!!! Being, small in size and having an optical viewfinder, this pentax S50 is default pocket camera for me now!!!

Absolutely correct, the zenitar is more of a compromise.

The only way to identify genuine filter is by close inspection , you should be able to see the coating quality and overall quality of the glass and it's mount , visit the site - HOYA FILTERS - The Difference is Clear , the standard hoya filters are good and economic and easy to maintain . Tiffens are very good too , but they are uncoated AFAIK . It is better not to use any filter at all than a so-so one .Digital cameras do not need any UV filtration at all . People use UV filters on them just for dust / scratch protection .

@kkrk2 - mine is an old nikon coolpix 3100 which I use for illustrations and webshots mainly . It has very good macro ability . I got it secondhand for 800Rs with a 256MB sandisk CF card , two AA Sanyo Eneloops and charger . That Helios 58mm is a direct copy of the Zeiss-contax Biotar and better picture taker than the current MC Zenitars by a big margin .

Thanks for your input sir ... well where can I buy genuine Hoya or B+W filters here in Mumbai ?? ... I got OSAKA one from jjmehta ... he had only Tiffen as other option ... neighboring shop had Hoya HMC for Rs. 850 but I am not sure if its genuine or not (can u suggest any ways to find it out?) ... I have also heard about Marumi filters but don't know where to get them ... can you please guide me ?

is this the same camera which is recently advertised on TV, post some pics here and tell us how is it................i am also planning to buy a camera in a month.......i have shortlisted....SONY DSC HX1 OR SONY DSC HX100V.

i also thought about this fujifilm.......but later discarded it because i think fujifilm is not that popular in india......so its performance is not known.

In the post above your post, I have mentioned it!! Also Pinaki explained it in more detail w.r.t DSLRs!!!

Thank you very much. My next project is to hold these lens in front of the camera and digitse the film negatives which I have been shooting for the past year or so!!! Around 15 of them lying around seeking my attention!!!

Spot on bravo, spot on!!! It is indeed the Helios-44-2, 58mm f2, M42 screw mount lens. But this was not found on the Zenit in this case. This lens was picked by a friend of mine from an old photo studio for 300/-!!! BTW, the Zenit 122K I am possessing now has MC ZENITAR - K2s 50mm f2.0 with M46x0.75 (I guess this is to identify the mount!!). Interesting thing about this lens is its almost like a pancake lens.

Some of the old nikon Coolpix cameras were really cool with the kind of applications one could put these into like attaching a telescope to it or buying a slide copying adapter (nikon used to make those adapters during the transition from film to digital!!) and digitising all those slide or negatives you have on your attic in faster and cheaper way!!! BTW, which nikon model do you have??

Yes they do share the same old F-mount!!!

Fujifilm Finepix S3300

Got the Fujifilm Finepix S3300 yesterday with 26x optical zoom. Anybody using it in the forum? Haven't read the manual yet but the features are good and I think its VFM. Got it for 14500 Rs with 4GB memory card and battery charger

Hopefully you have learned your lesson with filters , never buy substandard glass to put in front of your camera . Hoya filters are very good . Be aware of fake hoyas etc in the market . HMC hoya is difficult to maintain than MC hoya . Best coated filters i've used were nikons , hoya , canon & B+W . I still have a stack of em rotting in a box with my other film photo stuff . Circular polarisers are good for deepening blue skies and cutting polar haze like lights bouncing off a glass window pane or waterbody . Never found ND filters much useful , they just cut the light and change the exposure time .

@kkrk2 - ingenious method & wonderful photographs you developed there . I am really amazed that you managed these by just hand-holding the lens in front of the camera .. a difficult feat with two hands and tiny critters . Btw .. the only 58mm lens on slr's I can remember was the 58mm helios f2 on zenit slrs , is this that one ?
I am not well versed with digital photography having had just casual use of one old 3mp nikon coolpix upto now .
Yes lens reversal was one of the methods for getting fantastic magnification macro on film cameras . There was simple adaptors available for this for the canon FD / Nikon F / Pentax K mounts which allowed the lens to be put on reversed on the camera , as well as operate the aperture mechanism manually . That old Nikon F reversing-ring adapter should be usable as-in on current Nikons digital slr's too , as they share the same old F mount ,or not ? Other ways for macro was a) to buy a dedicated macro lens like the 55mm micro-nikkor . b) somehow mount a enlarging lens like a EL-nikkor 50mm f2.8 on the camera , c) use less quality dioptric magnifications lens which screws on to the filter mount just like an Uv filter .

Can some one please put light on the various types & brands of filters available in market and their usage ? ... I recently bought 550D and have attached OSAKA 58mm UV filter atop the 18-55 IS kits lens for protection. I am not happy with the daylight landscape pics which appear a bit blur, over exposed and smeary. Don't know if its filter that causing the probs or improper camera settings (I used Full Auto and CA modes) or due to my shaky hands.

Also I have heard a lot of CPL and ND filters. How good are these and which brands to prefer? I had option for Hoya HMC UV filter too but I went for OSAKA which were Rs. 500 cheaper compared to Hoya.

hey guys,

I bought a nikon d5100 recently. I have been experimenting with it recently, really happy with the results. i want to know a few tricks on using dslr. if anybody can post a link, i'd be pleased.

thanks in advance

There is sire, there is a way around!! Its called as the lens reversal technique!!! By using a basic lens reversal adapter, you get some awesome macro shots with whatever kit lens you have!!! Also there are some high-end reversal adapters too!!!

BTW, these images were taken with a 58mm reversed SLR lens hand held infront of a p&s camera (there is a slight shake in the pic, because I didnt had an adapter and I was hand holding the lens and the camera!!):





An extremely narrow DOF possible with a reversed lens!!

Thanks for the info ... But adding to my confusion, a new variable has been added ... I came across Micro Four thirds/Mirrorless DSLRs which are pretty good cameras on par with most of the DLSR at smaller size with interchangeable lens ( lens of DSLRs ) but slightly high on cost.... Like 30K for a entry level Sony NEX-3 or say a Olympus E-P1 ...Panasonic seems to be the leader in these Mirrorless DSLR but yet not launched in India (Panasonic GF2/GF1)...

Guess need to give entry level DSLRs/High end P&S a second thought .... Any disadvantage if any found in these Cameras other than may be slightly bad battery life .... Seems like i get the best of both world to some extent while loosing on few which to be honest i guess is something one needs to make do with

Any users here of Mirrorless DSLRs?