Get the Canon A3300 or maybe higher budget to an IXUS?

')+Dec 22 2011, 09:56 PM-->A330 is way too old (which is my 1st and current DSLR). Since you are interested in Sony, get the latest A55 or A35. Sony performs the best in video recording.

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Added on December 23, 2011, 2:19 pmCanon IXUS 230 HS is ok if it suits your budget. Lumix have some nice models also although I didn't really get myself updated for the latest models.

This post has been edited by Ryou: Dec 23 2011, 02:19 PM

I would recommend NEX-C3 although I'm a big fan of X100.

The reason is simple, the Fuji is abit overpriced.
Any C3 will give you more customization.
Since X10 is not using APS-C sensor as X100, I don't think it can perform as good as C3 in image quality.

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Added on December 25, 2011, 12:43 amNikon uses sensors from Sony so both will give you nearly the same image quality.
I would suggest Sony a35 with 18-55mm kit lens. Nikon D3100 no Built in motor so old lenses can't do AF. Nikon and Canon use lens-based image stabilization/Vibration Reduction, so their lenses are relatively more expensive.

I personally recommend Sony because of its completeness. All Sony DSLR/SLT come with Built-in Motor and Body-based Steadyshot System. These 2 important features give you AF on most lenses and make the lenses cheaper.

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Added on December 25, 2011, 12:44 amSony NEX-5N with many reasons. You should be able to read them through this thread where I recommend NEX.

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Added on December 25, 2011, 1:00 amFor a starter (an future's professional too), I recommend Sony A55. Sony simply gives all you need and you should be able to learn well with it.

If you would look deeper into brands (although you don't mind), Canon to me, is good in their current prime lenses-line up. They are the current system to offer 50mm f1.2 and 85mm f1.2. But I believe other system such as Nikon and Sony will soon come out with the same (As they both used to have it in the film's era).

Nikon attracts me the most in their durability. And The zoom lenses suit my photography purposes as well. For example Nikkor 16-85mm DX is one of the very good lenses you can get for the APS-C system.

I'm also impressed by Olympus's toughness and the premium quality of Zuiko lenses. Pentax in another hand successes in the quality of lenses since film's lenses til now. You will definitely like their limited lenses (31mm f1.8, 43mm f1.9 and 77mm f1.8 are the examples.)

Sony to me, offers the users a balance of photography. You get a nicely designed SLT technology to shoot excellent video. Built-in AF Motor and Steadyshot allows you to have cheaper lenses. Sony produces excellent image sensor too. The combination of their G lenses and Carl Zeiss lenses from Germany will satisfy every purposes of photography.

This post has been edited by Ryou: Dec 25 2011, 01:00 AM

S100 will serve you well since you are a fan of Canon. But I bought an Olympus XZ-1 after comparing deeply with S95. The difference of image quality is significant and noticeable enough for me to give up on S95. Both are priced at almost the same range.

This could be quite challenging, as I never measured the thickness of the camera. lol.
However, some Lumix camera are slim enough to be fitted into a small handbag but I can't recall the model correctly.

Olympus XZ-1.

The reason is very simple, f2.8 even at telephoto end. S95/100 will only give you f5.9 at their respective end, which I would say is not usable in low light.

I tested XZ-1 and S95 side by side and the image quality is significant enough to differentiate that XZ-1 is sharper and less noisy. Dpreview, however showed a different result, they claimed that S100 will have better image quality, and I doubted it.

There are still many reasons for me to go for XZ-1, but most are personal preference. =)

Enjoy buying camera and taking photos! =)

There are also some guidelines for you when decision making seems to be difficult.
1. What kind of photography you do the most? (Landscape? Go for XZ-1, you will love how nice the blue is; Portrait? Canon S100 may perform excellently as well, but I never tried it though)
2. Often shoot in low-light? (Olympus will definitely win with its f1.8-2.5 and the capability to mount external flash. You can even do wireless flashing with it!)

Cheers! =)

You can easily get from Lowyat or some shops in PJ digital mall. For lowyat, check the price in garage sales before going, for pj digital mall, go www.mobilemegamall.com to check for the price then only you go. Remember to go shops to shops and ask for a lower price.

about filters. UV nowadays is mostly for protection. It's cheaper to replace a filter than a lens. The shops will usually give cheap UV filter so DON'T BUY when they ask you to top up extra money for a FREEBIE.

However, cheap UV filter will somehow downgrade your image, although not very noticeable. If you want to invest in filter for superb quality, that's another thing. Hoya filter is very popular but doesn't mean they produce the best filters. In fact, only Hoya HD is ok, I found that normal Hoya is weak to light reflection which will affect the transmission of light. B+W produces very superb quality filters, and their XS-Pro series is very good in both protecting and anti-reflective coating. Sony does produce good filters also. All Sony filters come with Carl Zeiss T* coating which is also a type of anti-reflective coating. Some claimed that it also enhances the saturation and the contrast of the image but it's yet to be confirmed.

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Added on December 29, 2011, 12:47 pmThe shopkeeper is wrong. Nikon mostly relies on Body, and their entry-level DSLR doesn't come with built-in motor. That's why old lenses such as 50mm f1.8D can't focus on D3100/D5100, because neither body no lens have motor.

Canon does however buitl-in AF motor on body so you can AF on 1100D without any problem.

Anyway, Nikon doesn't release a new series of lenses with AF motors. I believe that the motor is not the only reason for their higher prices. New Nikon lenses come with newly-designed optics so will probably deliver better image.

If you compare a cheap RM300 Canon 50m f.18 with the new Nikon 50mm f1.8G, I bet you will see the difference yourself. Whether worth it or not, it totally depends. =)

This post has been edited by Ryou: Dec 29 2011, 12:47 PM

A set of cleaning equipment will do fine. It consists of a lens-pen and a blower. Be aware that both are very cheap item. Lenspen costs only RM15-20, but shops in those shopping malls are selling at RM60++. The same goes to the blower as well. Both item should not cost you more than RM30.

Bag will most probably be given as a freebie. Ask for a screen protector if you can.

Sony NEX-C3 will suit you in every aspects.

Sorry for my humble opinion, but I'm sorry but I think no one model in the current market will suit you.
It's like asking a proton to run as fast as BMW and cost like a Toyota.

Sony NEX-will give you DSLR- quality image, but not fast enough to capture (normal children ok but not hyper-active children).

Olympus Ep-3 should give you much speed but since you mentioned that it's bulky.

Nikon 1 claimed to be current fastest, but the image quality is not comparable to DSLR.

If you want both speed and image quality, NEX-7 will suit you. But it's bulky and cost about RM4000+

Canon A3300.

Look into other brands too, such as Lumix and Olympus. But I don't know the exact models. =)

You can't get any, honestly.

The only nearest camera would be like Olympus XZ-1 or S100. But they won't allow you to capture fast movement if the indoor light is getting lower during evening.

If speed is your concerned, XZ-1 is the only choice as it has the largest aperture. My girlfriend owned one, which delivers good image quality with rich colour, but after a side-by-side comparison, my old Sony A330 which is a DSLR, still have better dynamic range. XZ-1 can give you sharpness nearly reaching the quality of DSLR but not dynamic range.

P/S: I like how Olympus render the blue colour. lol

"One" of the best lenses. lol.

how you define best lenses?

LX5, S95 are old models. P300 is not really a serious performer (due to its really small sensor). TZ20 and TZ18 are for zooming but its telephoto will be unusable in night due to its relatively small aperture.

S100 is the only one which is near to your requirement. But I would still recommend XZ-1. Because of its much larger aperture (XZ-1's f1.8-2.5 VS S100 f2.0-5.9 and you know which to choose). Since you mentioned you want speed, aperture is one thing you totally can't ignore.

For ISO, I believed S100 however, will still beat XZ-1 with its re-designed sensor, but ISO will not help much if the aperture is that small. Very simple calculation, S100's f5.9, 5.0, 4.8, 4.2......2.5, you lose more than 5 stops in aperture in tele-end. XZ-1 will give you more than five stops advantage in aperture, which I believe will compensate its weakness in ISO performance (which can be easily tweaked in post process). Remember, Noisy pictures are always better than blurry pictures.

If you are really dealing with fast moving scenario, XZ-1 is capable to use external speed light which can freeze fast actions easliy, S100 wouldn't grant you this.

Anyway I'm not trying to hard sell XZ-1 and I hope you can try it out yourself. Compare side by side, and take my advise into consideration. It will at least give you a guide when doing comparison. Enjoy your purchasing and enjoy photography !

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Added on December 30, 2011, 9:23 pmIt could be easy to just grab any model but it could be complicated to look through into yourself and ask yourself what kind of photography you really like. By knowing that what you shoot the most and understand that there are some limitation from compact camera, you will achieve good pictures.

Tell us more what you mostly choose and we will know what to recommend. =)

This post has been edited by Ryou: Dec 30 2011, 09:23 PM

If you are good in bargain, Nikon P300 is your choice. The image quality is good and you can have full manual control (just in case you find that photography is fun and starting to learn). Some shops are selling at RM1000+ but I did find some selling at RM900+. But make sure they are genuine.

However, the lens can't zoom into very far away subject as it's not designed for that.

I only had a little time to play with my friend's Fujifilm's polaroid, as there is no way to "try and play" the camera without wasting the films. So no comments, sorry bro.

You should be able to get a 2nd hand D90 but not sure whether it has a lens or not. Some are selling only with body.

Get the D90 or you will still thinking of upgrading after you get the D5100.

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Added on January 1, 2012, 4:06 pmIf you are only comparing both Nikon 1 and Sony NEX, I would say that NEX is way better in image quality and MUCH cheaper. It worth every bucks. Nikon 1 will only give you "fast AF" which I believe it's not a very important element. If you are concerned about the AF speed, get DSLR instead. Nikon 1's image quality will not withstand NEX's quality AT ALL. And Nikon 1 is just way too overpriced.

This post has been edited by Ryou: Jan 1 2012, 04:06 PM

To be honest, shutter count is just a guideline and it doesn't estimate the left lifespan very accurately. If the shutter count is less than 1000, then it should be very new. But expect 10k and above to be normal.

Checking the appearance is also very basic but yet important thing to do so that you know whether it had been dropped or not.