Jumping on the DSLR bandwagon
Armed with his own Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera, Mark Chew, 18, emerged as the winner of the Canon PhotoMarathon Singapore 2010 (student category).
"I got interested in photography three-and-a-half-years ago, and started using a DSLR two years back," the second-year student at Anderson Junior College (AJC), said.
"With a DSLR, I can set my aperture and shutter speed, and the image quality is also much better than on a compact camera," he told Yahoo! Singapore. "Actually, I wouldn't have gotten one if it wasn't relatively cheap."
Young, promising photographers like Mark are benefitting from the fall in DSLR prices over the years.
"There were 112,000 DSLR bodies sold in 2010, which was a 53 per cent growth from 2009," said Ms Shirleen Kok, a general manager at consumer industry research firm GfK.
"The average price for a camera and kit lens in 2010 was S$1,285, approximately 19 per cent down from S$1,587 in 2009," Ms Kok added.
Furthermore, in 2010, the number of active DSLR models available was 30, compared to 21 in 2009.
"Growth in our camera sales has been across the board, but there has been a lot of teenagers coming to get cameras with their parents," said Mr Andrew Koh, senior director and managing director of the consumer imaging & information products division at Canon, Singapore.
"The most popular model for 2010 was the EOS 550D, which combined affordability, user-friendly functions and a light weight into one package," he added.
Many more Singaporeans are entering the realm of the compact camera's big brother.
Although it is easy to get a DSLR, Mark actually said that most of his friends outside of the photography society stick to compact cameras as the DSLR presents a slightly steeper learning curve.
What about auto mode, which is available on DSLRs as well?
"I won't recommend auto mode for DSLRs. Just save the money and use a compact," Mark quipped.
Kok projects the number of DSLR sales in Singapore to rise by another 36 per cent in 2011.
