On a tight budget? You do not need the latest and brightest whizzes in your DSLR system: There's as much goodness to be milked out of older or cheaper versions.
Go for older models
Take the Nikon D40 (we had quotes of $740 and less). It may be two years old but it can swop lenses - an absolute must for a DSLR - and comes with a very decent 18-55mm kit lens that produces sharp images.
You sacrifice, however, dust-reduction capabilities, megapixel count (only 6) and shutter response.
Good for students and beginners on a tight budget.
Go for generic brands
Especially for accessories such as flash units.
Third-party alternatives may do the same job at a lower price at the expense of some non-essential features.
Take flash units. Brands may tell you their makes are inherently superior in matching their DSLR camera bodies.
However, Sunpak's PZ42X flash unit ($210 for Canon and Nikon mounts at M S Color, 6457-6380) has a tilt and swivel flash head for creative flash photography, such as bouncing the flash off a white ceiling or wall for a softer lighting effect.
It is adequately powered with a flash guide number of 42m, which means that you will be able to photograph those school events with relative ease. An AF-assist lamp helps auto-focusing in low-light conditions such as your school prom.
Through-the-lens (TTL) metering in Canon and Nikon bodies is possible - just like the brand-name flash units.
What you sacrifice is a comprehensive feature set like a multi-button layout, higher flash power and wireless flash compatibility.
Shop smart
Do your homework: Do you really need three 2GB memory cards? Have you got a tripod already? Do your photography kakis own a particular brand of lenses? Accessories too pricey?
These are some of the questions to ask before you spend.
Some retailers throw in a lot of freebies that you may not need to pretty up their package. Find out what you specifically need and just go for these.
This article was first published in The Straits Times Digital Life on September 17, 2008.
