external flash would help a lot for low-light indoors, but then it'd make ur camera less portable. us casual photographers wont need wireless trigger

i really like the GF1, but for the price i'd still get a dslr. it's still too big for a jeans pocket, so im still gonna be carrying it around my neck n shoulders anyway.

as TheWandererX said, 14-45mm wont be considered a wide lens already on a m4/3. crop factor is 2x~ shud consider DSLR or a compact for wide-angle IMO

uhmm i vote for the D90, not bcuz of the video, but just because i prefer nikon. the canon 50D would be nice as well. both are very good cameras. if u want something smaller, can go for nikon d3000 or canon 1000d. they're lighter as well, n only rm2k so u get to spend 1-2k on a nice fast lens, zoom lens, a good bag, n maybe an external flash

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Added on January 19, 2010, 6:36 pmmm have to be sensible lah, 2k wont get u a D5000. secondhand G1 maybe laa

This post has been edited by dvlzplayground: Jan 19 2010, 06:36 PM

ure missing out something called crop factor. nikon D90 crop factor is 1.5x. u need to remember this

while a 18mm focal length is considered a wide angle, when attached to a nikon 'DX format' DSLR, the 18-105 lens will become a 27-158mm lens (multiply by 1.5). thus, those lumix cameras with 24mm is actually wider than an 18mm lens on D90.

the 18mm of the 18-105 kit lens is referred to as the 'wide end' meaning it's the furthest u can go. however it's not 'wide angle' because it acts like a 27mm lens. the 18mm end can only be considered as a wide angle lens if u put them on FX format DSLRs since they have no crop factor (it'll still act as a 18mm lens).

yeah this stuff is confusing this is all because the D90 (and other DX format nikons) have a smaller sensor than a photographic film

digic 3 n 4 is the image processor. i think the main difference is digic 4 handles noise better

im not sure about 450D vs 500D. if u're comparing D3000 vs D5000, the d5000 is kind of a mixed bag. it's got a lot of the tech from D90, but limited by the controls of the d3000. if u dont want the d3000, might as well jump to d90 lah just my opinion

u can try ask for a memory card, screen protector, and probably a bag

LX3 for buildings (wide lens), landscape (huge sensor for a compact), low light (fast summicron lens), and portrait (shallow depth of field)

what do u mean by taking pictures at the edge of roof? do u mean u need good zoom?

look for Nikon D3000, Canon 1000D and Canon 450D (this one a bit over ur budget). if u dont mind second hand, try to find a Nikon D40, D40x, D60... and also Canon 350D and 400D. a secondhand D80 fits ur budget as well, but i wont recommend for beginners

main difference between DSLR n PNS is that DSLR can change lenses...so u can have different lens for different purpose. other benefits are of course better colours, almost no shutter lag..basically more creative control lah. but kinda rugi if buy DSLR but juz play with the lens that it comes with (not buying extra lenses), because some PNS n superzooms can beat it in certain situations

oh i see. if good zoom is really2 needed then i think u can write off the LX3 and G10/11

This post has been edited by dvlzplayground: Jan 25 2010, 11:37 PM

only 24-60mm though. other than zoom it's a very good camera

might wanna consider canon powershot S90 too. these two are much btter than the ixus

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Added on January 26, 2010, 1:56 pmmmm not really, depends on how u define semi-pro lah. if u mean manual compacts like lx3 and s90, then they are PNS. if u mean superzooms like fz35, then no

fz35 is pretty easy to use

This post has been edited by dvlzplayground: Jan 26 2010, 01:56 PM

dude, u cant compare the design of PnS and DSLR. DSLR are bigger cuz need bigger sensor, pentaprism, mirror, n more electronics inside.

anyway, i think the S90 looks quite okay what. DSLR are always bulky and they all look almost the same

cheapest nikon with bulb mode would be the D5000. with 18-55 kitlens shud be around RM3k or so. i dunno what else to look for in astrophotography

criteria ah...i think most important is availability of lenses. the rest err...
- video or no video?
- (for nikon) with AF motor or no AF motor?
- live view
- burst frames per second
- full-frame or cropped sensor

best to go to a shop n compare a similar priced nikon and canon model. see which menu u like better

he mentioned canon 40D, not nikon D40 bro. but D40 is a good choice too cuz very cheap, but for bulb mode consider getting nikon ML-L3 remote release

well, depends which lens u wanna get most of the lenses i want are AF-S so i dun really mind

P90 is hardly pocket sized G10/11, P600 n P90 i dun think would fit in a pocket... LX3 maybe la but would be a very tight fit.

consider Canon S90. roughly the same size as LX3 but without the protruding lens

budget? panasonic LX3 is a good choice..can focus very close, as near as 1cm from the lens price around 1.5k

worth it for me

im doing fine with no IS at 55mm

that's why ppl buy dslr

forumer goldfries does a lot of food photography. u can try PM him ask for his recommendatios

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Added on February 3, 2010, 11:55 pmlol i agree with you

i think we need a pinned thread on buying entry level DSLR

This post has been edited by dvlzplayground: Feb 3 2010, 11:55 PM

i agree with andrew9292

the thing is, the subject of which entry-level SLR to get (so that's d3000, 1000d, d5000, 500d, 450d, a550 n so on) has been asked to many times, so over time people get tired of answering it.

im proposing a pinned thread for introduction to DSLR for beginners. explain whats the difference among brands, importance of lenses, etc. maybe i can contribute a bit for nikon, but im stil a beginner myself n dont know much abt other brands

on the other hand, Destro89 and andrew9292, u can juz go read the past posts at the Wanna buy new camera thread. a lot of people asked the same questions already. they may not be much, but the general consensus is probably like this:

for a budget of 3k, get a 2k camera (that'd be nikon d3000 or canon 1000D), then spend the rest on a fast lens and a cheap flashgun. if u want video, then get d5000 or 500d, n start saving up for flash n lens cuz both are important.

to decide between nikon or canon, juz try both at a shop n see which one u like. dun let the salesperson influence u cuz some prefer this brand some prefer another. another good idea is to get the brand most of ur friends use. that way easier for u to learn abt the camera, borrow lens, etc

sorry i cant comment much for sony, pentax etc

This post has been edited by dvlzplayground: Feb 7 2010, 09:44 AM

price still high because demand still high

image quality LX3 wins for the bigger sensor. if u dun mind the size, i think fz35 is more suitable to most people...zoom comes in handy at times

i think S90 and LX3 not much difference. probably the main ones are LX3 is thicker, but got hotshoe so u can play with external flash if u dun really care about external flash or optical viewfinder, i think S90 better since it can fit it ur pocket without strange bulges

see above. canon s90 and panasonic lx3

if the price not much difference...n if it reaches malaysia quickly... juz wait la.. hehe

or get nikon d5000

wow dude...u might want to research the price of a550 and d90 1st.... 2k not even enough for body...