45 comments

  1. Now i am thinking if its essential to indulge myself with a DSLR..Man i am so frickle minded.. But seriously without this post, i wldnt have known owning a DSLR can be such a baby..

    I rather spend on something else..i wont mind if there was an offer..

    On the other hand, its a good investment 🙂

    Thanks for sharing sis 🙂

    1. Frozeefa, if you buy a DSLR now, make sure the husband is extremely cooperative. You can manage either Zahra or the DSLR 😀

      But seriously though, if you want to take really good pictures of the baby, I would suggest you buy a very good point-and-shoot camera. They cost less than a DSLR, are much smaller, and take extremely good pictures.

    1. Oooh, that’s absolutely right! I love how the Nikon D40 feels in my hands, plus I can take pictures of anything – even a dried twig – and people look on in awe (specially back home) 😀

  2. Generally, while photographing what matters more is not the camera, but the eye behind the camera.
    Yet DSLR has the flexibility and charm.

    1. Thank you so much, Smiley! I’ve met some people who would ask – after looking at some of the pictures that I’d taken – “What camera do you use?” And when I tell them that it’s Nikon, they’re like, “Ah okay.”

      I feel offended. Like the pictures came out the way they did because of the camera brand.

      Then I show them some old shots, and they comment, “Wow, such vibrant colors. Nikon is really good!” And I’m like, “I took those with my Kodak point-and-shoot”. 😀

  3. Assalamoalaikum,

    Oh and before you get confused, Raheel, my brother and I are the authors of the same blog…

    JazakAllah for the tips, I have bought a DSLR some time ago, but the shake problem IS there.. grr, InshaAllah waiting to upgrade to a better one soon. Though the EOS 500D is really new so far..

    1. Walaikum Assalam. Thank you for the clarification; I was about to get confused 😉

      I’m sorry to hear about the shake problem. Once you upgrade, don’t forget to post a review on your blog 🙂

      And welcome to the Purple Journal!

  4. Thanks for this! Extremely helpful. Now I know how expensive a hobby it can be! 🙂

    I am still debating Canon vs Nikon. I had a Nikon point and shoot sometime back and returned it because I didn’t like the pictures it was taking, and switched for a Canon instead and was quite happy with the results. And all my friends here have Canon and swear by it.

    And then I look at your Nikon pictures and re-think again.

    I am most interested in shooting panorama and HDR pictures (so for me I need a camera that can shoot the same image in 3 exposures).

    1. You are most welcome, Mezba!

      It’s best to go and hold both brands with your own hands. They say only then you’ll know 🙂 Either way – Canon vs Nikon – you can’t go wrong.

      I love HDR photography too! But I’m not quite ready to get into it. However, from what I have read online, it seems that Nikon D3X is the favorite camera of HDR photographers. Then you’ll need a wide angle lens ( Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED AF which is my dream lens).

      And apart from Photoshop, you’ll need Photomatrix too.

  5. These are really useful tips for buyers 🙂 , but for me it vl take some years to handle DSLR …since I’m a kido in photography can’t even handle a small cybershot 🙁

    1. Thank you, Niyaz! You are definitely not a kiddo; I’ve seen some of your pictures on Facebook and the composition is great! Keep practicing on your Cybershot in the meantime. It’s a very nice camera.

  6. Although the camera itself is good, MashaAllah, most of the DSLR’s aren’t comletel y immune to Shake. If I rest my camera on something or hold it firmly and press myself against the wall, it really helps, but most of the shake problem for me occurs in night photgraphy, where crisp images mean shake and no shake means higher ISO 😀

    Anyway, I would sugge st a tripod. It is a must unl ess the camera is MarkI. I am not accustomed to Nikon or other cameras, I ONLY use Canon Cameras or Nokia Phones, the basic and boring !!

    Oh and I will definately buy NIkon next because the lenses are almost half the price! and cameras are cheaper too and the quality is almost the same of the photos!

    1. If you’re shooting outdoors in bright light, shake shouldn’t be a problem. But in low light situations, even high end cameras don’t produce the crisp images unless you mount it on a tripod. So you are right about tripod being a must-have. The one I have is not the big, sturdy type. But it’s doing its job 🙂

      I’m not sure whether Nikon lenses costs half the price compared to their rival brands. What I do know is that lenses are truly expensive. I will have to work with my kit lens for now.

  7. Thanks a lot for the tips Nadia. I was just thinking abt these things because in future I do want to buy a DSLR Insha Allah. 🙂

  8. Man! Photography is an expensive hobby :-O. How about an excellent and an outstanding mobile that has a small tiny camera in it as well :-P. A talking camera you know (Y) :-D. I’d post the pictures I plan to take with my mobile camera, if ever I buy one :-D… (Yeah the mobile I currently have doesn’t even have a camera in it (Y) :-P)

    1. Very expensive! However, an excellent and outstanding mobile phone will do a lot of things a DSLR can never do. AND since the one you have doesn’t have a camera *shock* *horror* you better spend your hard-earned money on a phone than a camera 😀

  9. I won’t comment any thing ’bout the photography stuff ‘cuz thats not my cuppa..
    rather i would like to say that….the new theme of your blog is looking extremely refreshing !!

    really nice..

  10. yeah sis…i think i rather get a gd quality camera..wow looking at the amt of monery spent on the maintenance..i rather get her smtg educational…more worthwhile for me at this point of time…meantime enjoy taking snaps and do continue sharing those beautiful pics…:)

    1. Yes, I agree with you on that. We need to set our priorities straight.

      Also, keep posting those beautiful and fun pictures of Zahra on Facebook. I love going through them! 🙂

  11. I agree with one of your reader comments totally! It is like caring for a baby… that’s why in the end I settled for having the real baby… the lens baby will come later when my son is a little older I guess… 🙂 But a very comprehensive guide to someone like me who might want to venture into photography! Thanks for the post!

    1. Taking care of/handling your DSLR is indeed similar to caring for a baby (except that you can pack your camera away after cleaning it) 😀

      I’m glad you liked the post. Thank you!

  12. Thanks for the tips…photography is my hobby and to be spend on my spare time and holiday.

    I just got a 50D canon, and I love it!

  13. Oohh I just got a DSLR, a Nikon D3000, and I’m in LOVE<3
    haha, I have yet to decide it's gender, and I have a lot to buy for it…maybe you can do a review of the accessories? Love the post, thanks 🙂

    1. Congratulations on your first DSLR! LOL @ I have yet to decide its gender 😀 Even though I’ve decided that mine is a boy, I still haven’t named him. And I too have a lot to buy; there’s so many interesting lenses and accessories out there. Unfortunately, it doesn’t fit our budget yet. So I will have to wait for sometime before buying a new lens.

      If you do not have a cleaning kit and/or a tripod yet, I suggest you purchase those first. And please post pictures on your blog soon 🙂

    1. Thank you, Sudha.

      Regardless of the camera, beautiful photographs can be captured if the photographer is patient and creative. The photographs in your blog are good.

  14. your tips are really nice and very simple. and It looks like you’ve put a lot of work into this. very good article, thanks for sharing

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