Hardest Part to Buying a DSLR Camera

I think the hardest part to buying a DSLR camera is researching & deciding which camera that you really want to buy. It is easy to fall into the trap of buying the newest DSLR just because it is new, only to find soon enough that another new DSLR model is in the market & start feeling crummy about it (which means that you may have bought the camera for the totally wrong reasons). It is good to be buying the newest DSLR provided that you use the new features & the price is reasonable. The trick is to focus on your necessity & of course, your budget.

I am writing through my recent experience when buying the Olympus e-420. I was eyeing the Olympus e-510 at first & decided to wait about six months for the price to drop by almost 30%. While waiting, Olympus announced that it will release the e-520 in June/July 2008. No way was I going to buy the e-520; being a new release, the model would fetch a premium price of about $700. Thank goodness, the new e-420 costs just about the same price as an e-510 nowadays. It was then that I thought to myself that I do not need the IS (Image Stabilization); the only difference between the e-420 & the e-520.

I can purchase my new Olympus e-420 with inclusive package (prices shown below) over at Photo Flash in Ampang Point. Photo Flash is the closest retail camera shop nearest to my home & I felt happy not having to travel far to do my purchase.

MYR 2400 ($750): 2 kit lens Olympus e-420, 1 tripod, 1 photo bag, 1 CF Ultra II storage card

MYR 2000 ($625): 1 kit lens Olympus e-420, 1 tripod, 1 photo bag, 1 CF Ultra II storage card

Besides, the e-420 is smaller, lighter & holds the title for being the smallest DSLR in the world. I was not attracted to the e-410 initially because it had no IS but the e-420 has digital image stabilization. Good enough for me since my photos are pretty much taken inside my photo studio. Also, the Canon XSI looked very appealing (silver) & has similar features of the e-420 except for the wireless flash feature. However I am upset to mention that the Canon XSI costs an extra $300 over the Olympus e-420! So, the point is that you may never really know, like me, which DSLR you shall buy in the end. Thankfully, we can at least narrow down our choices.