to play safe, u should get urself a lens protector like a UV filter/MC filter. Those thing can act as a primary protective measure to ur lens juz in case that u accidentally scratched or bumped some sharp thing onto ur lens. Seriously, changing a filter cost much lesser than a new lens.

PS: lenses are very fragile =D

Also, get urself a LCD protector too. Same reason...juz in case if u scratched it =D

I'm sure that TheWandererX and myself would recommend Canon.

Canon has a pretty decent lineup for a budget of 1k. =D Not to mention that u can choose colors too.

This post has been edited by lugiamcg: Feb 19 2010, 02:38 PM

yeap, that's absolutely true.

PS: most dslrs that has a good grip doesn't come cheap due to the quality n size =D Of course, ur budget is still the KING =D

bro,
personally, those cameras u have in mind aren't my liking. Why? Coz they does not have a liveview.

IF u can, i'll advise u to increase ur budget a lil' more and get a Sony a330/380 or Canon 500D.


If u really can't, D3000 n a230 is ur best choice. The only thing to seperate them is ur personal liking. Test the camera out b4 u decide =D

Also, if u can find some dealers that offer cheaper price, do ask them whether they have a330 under ur budget anot =D Beware, of con mans, trolls, fakes, 2ndhands all those factors =D

lovely budget for a 500D with a standard kit lens

user friendly - 500D isn't so. Still, u have to play with it first and see whether u can cope with it anot. Some people do find it pretty easy but some doesn't.


but, don't feel like waiting for the 550D?

bro lugianmc, the way you are replying is counted as spamming, you should multi quote and reply once only

lol, sry. Juz that, for a certain post i've my ideas already. And some i don't.
So, while i'm thinking, i post for other peoples first.
That's why u can see some arrangement doesn't match on who asked 1st.

who cares? as long as everyone can view answer there

heyooo need advice from you all.. izzit worth to buy a rm1800 2nd hand canon 450d with kitlens 18-55mm and freebies( bag, tripod,4gb), shutter count =3446.. the fellow said still got 5months warranty...should i buy???

wow, I can't say whether is it a good deal or not but 1.8 is seriously way lower than a first hand 500D with no freebies.

One more thing, i dare not give u any advice on this. I've no experience on buying 2nd hand stuffs b4 personally.

But some factors that i would like u to consider are like, do u know whether the camera been dropped b4 anot, whether it has been in contact with any fluid-like substances anot, scratches and dirt particles in both the lens n the camera. If it has been severely contaminate, u gotto fork out some extra cash to clean it up as well. Obviously, im telling u that is bcoz it's better for the primary owner to clean it up first =D

Most importantly, think twice =D

2 cents...

This post has been edited by lugiamcg: Feb 19 2010, 10:40 PM

3446 is really, really low for a 7 month old camera. It's safe to say that it's a good deal.

Go for it. You won't regret be sure to check for any flaws first though.

bro lugianmcg...if compare overall for 500D wit D5000, which is better?? Coz i kinda confuse whether wan pick either of them since both prices are very near...

Most likely the D5000. Uses D90 sensor, a big plus point already. 500D is a bumped up 450D, IMHO not worth it. So far I've never grown to dislike any Canon model. The 500D being an exception.

Type of camera/lens/accessories : DSLR camera
Budget : RM3k include kit lens
Your Location : KL
Preferable brand : Canon or Nikon or Sony
Type of photography u want to do : Landscape, portrait, events or function
Any specific models in mind? : any model
Any specific features u want? : User friendly, light, able have many function such as white and black

need advise. thx

Type of camera/lens/accesories : COMPACT DIGITAL WITH WIDE LENSES
Budget: RM1500-RM2000
Your Location: KOTA KINABALU, SABAH
Preferable brand : SONY, CANON, PANASONIC, NIKON, OLYMPUS
Type of photography u want to do : LANSCAPE, PORTRAIT
Any specific models in mind? : -
Any specific features u want? : STABILIZER, ZOOMING, DATE, WATER & SHOCK PROOF, NIGHT SCENE, VIDEO RECORDING

well, since u asked, i'll tell u why i did not get that two models for my 1st dslr. Then, i'll troubleshoot u with some questions to give u a brief idea. Then, my own conclusion!

1) Yes, it's true that both of the models has a video recording feature. Personally, i don't do video recording much. So, instead of hustling on which of the 2 models are better, like u do, i rejected both of it. It saves me lots of time though.
2) If u're hoping for a fast focusing speed, neither of those 2 will give u a quick focus. I personally had tested both of it and even in Canon's quick view mode, the focusing speed is still quite slow and u'll get a split second of black screen in that mode. For me, that's something that i wouldn't want in a digital camera. Again, i rejected both.
3) Beginner friendly user interface - Canon doesn't but Nikon does but wait, there's a prob with Nikon's. Instead of having any shortcuts for changing different settings like ISO, color mode, focusing mode and so, it's quite troublesome cause u'll have to scroll through lots of settings in order to get there. Beginner wise, it should be alright, but wad if u're getting more pro and time is ticking out? Once again, rejected.


Alright, now, i think i should classify on their pros n cons based on my own opinion.
Canon 500D
Pros - Cons
High resolution 3 inch lcd with liveview - It has no tilting screen
Tethered Mode is available for free of charge - Bad news is, if u're not using it for studio purposes, it'll be useless. It's good to stand by though.
High ISO number, up to 12800 - u wont be using it, trust me. The noise level is way to high in this setting.
Full HD video recording - bad news, pretty low fps value in 1080p and, it's using H264 format which is pretty troublesome.
Higher sensor resolution(15MP) - Are u planning on a real photography career or juz merely for facebook? =D For facebook, 5MP or lower will do fine.

Nikon D5000
Pros - Cons
Tilting screen is available - lower resolution 2.7 inch lcd with liveview
Higher image quality(that's wad i personally seen) - not so high ISO value, juz 6400(good enough)
Full HD recording capability with a high fps and in a MPEG mode which can be easily edited.(how often do u use video in ur handphone)?


Alright, if u've read through all those tldr above, congratz, it means that u're really into photography. Now, some question that i want u to ask urself.
1) Facebook or Career? Low MP for facebooking and high MP for career =D
2) How often do u record a video?
3) Planning on camwhoring? ( Nikon has a backtilt screen that u can use to capture urself) =D
4) ARE U ADDICTED TO LIVE VIEW? Nikon has a smaller LV than Canon...think wise about this.
5) Like slow auto focuses? If no, reject both n go for Sony.
6) CAN LIVE WITHOUT BUILT IN IMAGE STABILIZER? If u say no, u can reject both models n pick Sony as well. =D
7) Tethered shooting mode? Trust me, it's useless unless u have a studio.

Verdict
Anyway, if u gave me no choice with juz this 2 models...I would pick the D5000.
Smaller screen yeah, but it's juz .3 of an inch smaller...in turn, i get a tilting screen.
Video, not so useful for me but it's good to have a fast fps one standing by juz in case.
Battery life, it's way longer than canon's( in Liveview mode) - 500 shots vs canon's 200 shots
No tethered shot...it's fine with me, I don't need a pc to take a photo =D
Lower sensor resolution...I'm a facebook guy, so, no matter how much u give me, i'll choose the lowest setting. =D
6400 ISO speed...no worries, the fastest i've ever used is 3200 =D
Not so intuitive user interface...it's alright. I'm not chasing a footballer down the field =D Though with my current camera, i chased Porches b4 =D


Bear in mind that those are juz my personal opinion and i hope that u would consider my points n made the best choice. Since it's ur first DSLR, make sure u like. Do u know why? That's simply bcoz, if u hated it once u used it, u wouldn't be back on photography anymore. U'll have a phobia. So, think wise and test out the camera to see which suits u the best.

imho if you don't plan to upgrade your lens so soon, or kit lens is good enough for you, then get the D5000

if you plan to upgrade your lens soon, or plan to skip the kit lens, then 500D might be a better choice as D5000 dont have built in AF motor, which means you have to buy a lens that got the AF motor, which also means more expansive

if got the extra budget, D90 is always there

never try and play with sony be4, so no comment

bro, juz a glance from ur requirements, the only brand that comes to my mind is Olympus.

U need one with stabilizer, water n shock proof, zooms, night scene...the best model is Olympus mju: Tough series. For the price, i can't say for sure coz there're many shops out there who're selling Olympus' cams. Also, it all depends on how tough the camera u want it to be ie: the tougher the pricier...

For video recording, it also depends on what kind of quality u want, whether it is SD or HD...

For other brands, I'm sure that most do not offer u with a built-in water/shock/crush prove technology...but i do know that certain brands do provide u with a waterproof casing. For instant, Sony does that, but there're a limit of the models which are capable of using that water housing. So, u gotto double check with the respective sellers on which model has it. Bear in mind that the waterhousing doesn't come cheap. The last i heard was about RM650+, it could be more by now...

Still, if ur budget doesn't allow, get an Olympus.

Type of camera/lens/accesories : DSLR camera
Budget: RM2000-2500
Your Location: Bangi
Preferable brand : Nikon
Type of photography u want to do : Mainly portrait
Any specific models in mind? : D3000
Any specific features u want? : err...anti-shake?

hi, complete newbie here. and I've already done my research here in LYN and decided to buy D3000. the only reason I chose Nikon because my mom's a Nikon user too, so it'll easier for me to borrow her things(flash ect). So my questions are, apart from buying the camera and the kitlens itself, what important things should I buy along and is it expensive?. does lens for D60 interchangeable with D3000?

thinking of buying the camera at photo shangri-La at midvalley next month.

advice from you guys are really appreciated

bro, i b4 i proceed further, I would like to clarify something with ya' =D.
Pretty simple, u said u want a dslr which is light. Well, it all depends on ur definition of 'light'. Do u consider 200g as light? If yes, then, there are no dslr that meets ur requirement. In fact, i think such dslr has never been created b4 =D
On the other hand, if u say that 1kg is light, then u're good to go. There're a whole bunch of DSLRs in the market that u can have...all depends on ur lens...since u want one with juz a kit lens, i guess it wouldn't reach 1kg =D

Since, any models would do, then i should give u a list of models within ur budget
models that u can get from the main dealers...
Sony a230,330,380 all with kit lens...a330/380 u can have a choice of two lenses
Canon 1000D, 450D all with juz one standard kit lens
Nikon D3000 with a kitlens only

models which u can get from other shops...
Sony, a230,330,380 all with kit lenses and u can get freebies
Canon 1000D, 450D, 500D with a standard kit lens and some freebies
Nikon D3000 and some shops, D5000 with some freebies

Models that i don't recommend
Sony a230, a330, Canon 1000D, Nikon 3000D. Those few are some cameras that i personally don't feel comfortable using. Of course, different users has a different opinion, who knows, maybe it suits u well =D
Why do i hate those 4 models?
1. its either they got no liveview or a slow response liveview
2. slow auto focus speed - i need that speed seriously
3. low battery performance - i don't feel like carrying a spare battery for now
4. small body size means a small gripping area
5. and many more minor n useless details...

So, i suggest u to try out a few models and see which one do u prefer.

If i were to choose, i would go for a380 twin lens.