After several sleepness night, the shopping bug hit me again. I've been surfing the Net for days, researching on whether or not to buy a new digital SLR camera. It's the rage these days, ever since prices of these high end cameras were slashed. You know I am not a photographer. I just like taking pictures. I'm in fact the avid point-and-shooter of the family. For days, I've been convincing myself to practice on my old Digicam first, a Sony Cybershot DSC-60, which has served me well, for over 3 years now. But then, I figured I'll turn 30 in a couple of weeks, 17 days to be exact. I should reward myself with a gift, that will start me off on a new hobby, which I decided to be photography. In the early part of the year, I've been nagging my friends to come with me to Camarines Sur, to learn wakeboarding. But then, most of them were halfhearted into going. So my enthusiasm kind of died down. But it is funny, ever since I bought myself a Nokia N93 phone, I started taking shots everywhere and posting it here. So, this is the background that led me into my most recent impulse buy.
I've searched high and low in the Internet for camera reviews, crash courses in digital SLR photography and photographers' message boards and forums. I even bought myself a new book entitled, "Get the Most from Your Digital Camera" by Simon Joinson. I recommend it to beginners like me, so you can be enlightened on terms commonly used in photography such as, ISO, shutter speeds, aperture, etc. I am learning from it, and I like the photographs featured in this book. I wish I could get to make such great photos someday.
During my research, I found out that R. Hidalgo Street in Quiapo, found in the heart of Manila, is the haven for photographers. Here is where they recommend you to go for your photography gear, to avail of a wide array of choices and lower prices, of course. I planned to go there to make my purchase but I was quite apprehensive since Quiapo had been notorious because of pickpockets and shady elements. Despite the allure of getting big savings, apart from the fact that I think they only transact in cash, (I dont want to roam around the streets of Quiapo with a large amount of money) I just made a step back and decided to buy my camera from malls and more accessible retailers.
I narrowed my choices to two models, the Canon EOS 400D kit (which retails at P48500) and the Nikon D40 kit (SRP P34,900). Yesterday, I wandered around Mall of Asia to get a grip of these cameras. I found that the Nikon D40 fit my hand perfectly. Despite it being equipped with 6.0 MP, this was the one I chose. Main consideration, THE PRICE TAG!
The Nikon D40 shown here
I was about to purchase it at the BST-Pink Studio, one of the authorized dealers of Columbia Digital Sales in Mall of Asia, they didn't accept credit cards again... OOPS! They had it available at the Lito Sy studio, it was more expensive by almost a thousand pesos. In Digital Walker, they sold it for P30,000 (WOW!) but they offered only an in-store warranty. I suspected they were selling grey units, so I searched some more. For a while, I thought about the Canon EOS 400D, because it offered a lay-away plan for 6 months at 0% interest. But it was way too expensive for me... So I left Mall of Asia with a heavy heart, only a copy of the latest issue of Practical Photography, UK tucked in my arm.
By day-end, I dragged my sister to Megamall, as I called the Columbia Photo outlet there, and I found out that they had an available unit, sold at SRP, with all the perks. I was so happy! I spent P1400 for a 1 gig SD card and got for free the following, The One privilege card, a P1000 gift certificate for Columbia photo services, and a P500 discount certificate for photography classes at the FPPPI. It was a smooth transaction, worry-free, which was the premium I paid for, in exchange for the huge discount I would have gotten at R. Hidalgo.
I'll be really busy dissecting this camera. Maybe I could get to post some of my photos here soon! For me, Happy Clicking!
Oh by the way, I'm selling my Nokia N93 for P25,000. Used it for a month, comes with a 1gig Mini SD card, with 1 year Nokia Care Warranty. I need money to pay for this camera! Fast!
