Assalammualaikum and hello to all forumers..
I really like to involve in the photography world because i really love it.

At this moment i have no camera n would please to get ur guidance what type of camera should be bought worth for a beginner like me...price around 1.5-2.5k..

Why it is good for beginner n is there any class conducted for beginner like me? Im staying in shah alam..

Help me please my sifus..😁😁😁

Any known brand will do as long as it has manual overrides. It is not art of photography if in auto. I think there are many DSLR in that price range but I don't own any

If want to learn quick, class will help but it can be just simply self discovery by reading magazines and books because I think it is not difficult.

Advise: Don't start with selfie

Start anything will do, something like Nokon or Canon entry series

Hahaa i don't like selfie ok..
Anyway tq for ur advice zot..👍👍👍

Can u suggest the entry series?
What i know D310, D90 n D510..
Dono wats good or not..hihii

With your budget,

You can probably get a D3200 / D3300 (new) or you can top up a bit more to get the medium range D5XXX

But there’s really no hard rules to follow here.

It’s always recommend to get the brand your friends / family or the person who you are going to bug him / her to teach you is using.

If he use Nikon, then I suggest you to follow suit. Its easier for you to learn that way / try out his lens / accessories.

Or you can get some used gear, D90 seems to be a very good start just to learn the basic first.

I’m sure the above applicable to Canon with similar range models.

Why SLR?

For RM 2.5k you can get yourself a Sony A6000 with kit lens.

Very true

do yourself a favour and get the Fuji XA-1 Kit for under rm1400 at special discount now at lazada/ipmart

personally, I'd get the olympus XZ2 and a stupid crazy price of RM1K now (at lazada)

a fantastic camera with sharp lens

if you want to go up, the olympus Stylus 1 is now RM1800. crazy price !!

When I first got into digital photography I got and enthusiast compact - Canon Powershot S95. Impressive little camera with many manual stuff to learn from. I learn long exposure from that small camera. Back in high school film day you don't dare to do many things and really not learn much. All I was looking for that time was just a good camera that took good pictures. And the manual features spark interest towards photography. And then the video quality was stunning. The stunning 720p was mind blowing at that time. That got me into video and eventually got me to buy a DSLR to further learn videography.

I suggest buying a enthusiast compacts of today like the Sony RX100 or Canon g7x. You can learn plenty from them small cameras. Plus it will most likely stay as your travel camera even when you upgrade to a interchangeable lens system. A Sony RX100 mark 1 is a bit dated but still very good and going very cheap now. Start off with that camera.

Starting off more compact is best for learning! The smaller the camera the more likely you are to bring it out and shoot pictures. The more you bring out the more you learn!

Start with mirrorless

The weight & bulk of DSLR will deter u from bringing ur camera out

I started off with a Lumix LX3, mainly for a holiday trip to Europe. Loved the manual functions and versatility and had lots of fun with it but I was aware of some of the limitations.

I then upgraded to a Canon 550D which was an awesome small little camera. I then upgraded to a 60D because of the superior AF performance and it surely did perform much better especially in low light and faster focusing. Did several paid jobs using the 60D like weddings, convocation, fashion, etc and it never let me down.

After a while, I didn't really go out for photography outings as I was engrossed with other hobbies. I started to feel that the camera+ lens is heavy and it's a chore to bring it out just for a simple occasion like makan-makan with friends, family or outing. As I have always been interested in mirrorless cameras, one fine day, the Sony A6000 was released and it seems to be the perfect replacement for my 60D! Awesome picture quality, great AF performance, small and lightweight. What more could a person ask for?

And so yeah, that's my story and I'm still using the A6000 until today!

small shiny camera gets away with many things. for example security guards and shop owners are less touchy when they see those toy-like camera.

If Pentax K-01 is still in production I'll recommend that one too!

If u are serious about photography then I suggest you to buy a used semi pro camera like canon 7d or Nikon d7000.

There is a huge resource of information available on YouTube about photography. So learn from their. Also I suggest u to look for camera reviews on YouTube and comparison before buying one.

If u really decide to go wit slr, do consider ur frens are using which brand.

U do save a lot of $$ n time by sharing stuffs and some extra guides from them...

going by that logic, i might as well ask him to go buy film camera.

way cheaper but will learn super duper fast (because you only have 30 frames per roll, and you have to make it count!)

digital photography, people get to shoot more but in many ways cultivates the "aiyah my card so much space, shoot many one sure correct wan" mentality.

anyway, there's no such thing as "XYZ camera for you if you're serious into photography".

Hi,

There's loads of camera choice you can get for that budget... there's options of used or new as well... (you can PM me if you want contacts to get cameras either used or new... generally it will be cheaper than retail shops)

But first & foremost, most of the so-called photography classes would teach you most of the things you can get off free from the web... youtube & photography forums are good source to learn.. learn basic things like composition, rule of third, depth of field, what is & how aperture works, what is & how shutter speed works, etc.

You might think of format you want and why you want it... (DSLR, mirrorless, etc.)... in fact, mirrorless interchangable cameras are quite good nowadays (eg. Sony NEX series, etc.)... personally I started off photography with Canon S80 mid range point & shoot camera then upgraded to DSLR... perhaps you might want to try out by borrowing DSLR from a friend or test it out at a shop to get the feel of it... not everyone find DSLR suit them... and having DSLR doesn't mean you'll take good pictures... once you're certain of the format, then you can make your move from there...

last but not least, i think practice made perfect... if there's such thing as "perfection" in the world...

I started with CANON A700... learn to use T,A,P,M settings
Then 2nd hand camera+lens, cheap...
Once the skills improve, sell it & buy 2nd hand again...
And continue till today...
Coz I dun have a passion to stick to 1 model only
When the camera maker introduce new model with new features, i would like to try it out but of coz I need to wait around 1-2 yrs when the 2nd hand price is drop...

This post has been edited by epo: Dec 16 2014, 04:22 PM

Buy something professional and it will be a huge heavy monster that you wouldn't want to have always with you.
Buy something small and portable and you will have a lot of limitations from a semi-professional camera.

My advice - first camera should be cheap, really cheap, something that you can later just throw away and buy something that will really suit you the best.
Before you know photography you cannot know what kind of a photographer you are. So go for a simple DSLR, better a used one, read some free articles at digital-photography-school.com or take some classes at howtophoto.com and after several months you will be able to decide which way to take.

I started off with D50. Doesn't matter what camera you're using. The best camera is the one you own now, simply because without a camera you can't even record a photograph.

As pointed out, manual override is good. The three variable in camera is shutter speed, aperture and ISO. This you would need to do some homework. As you get familiarized you might add in external flash for advanced tech.

also focus on the lens zoom. because different zoom gives different perspective.

For the camera you should buy, buy the one which you feel it's "right" in your hand. I bought D90 last time which offers full manual function if you want to go serious. You can look for similar as the technology for digital camera nowadays is getting advanced.

*add on

It's better if you can borrow camera from friend or relative if they permits you, let's say for a week? my uncle poison me into photography by borrowing me his D50.

For learning part, I didn't attend any classes at all. All self-taught. It's really sufficient. youtubes, flickr, magazines, articles, maybe library if you have access.

Have fun in photography

This post has been edited by xCM: Dec 17 2014, 11:25 PM

i wouldn't say it's wrong but there are few ways to go about

some people prefer one off spending a lot and get really great stuff, their great stuff is usually outdated by the time their photography improves.

then again there are the ones who spend less, and later upgrade when their photography improves.

in the end, you'll have one camp that regret spending a lot at the start as they can't commit to their hobby and you'll have another camp that they regret spending twice!

to me things are actually very simple - get a new entry level camera and it will last you ages, especially as hobbyists. even for professional work (depending on field) could completed with entry level cameras.

how many hobbies we all had that didn't last more than a month?
all the new things lose at least 20% of the price when they leave the shop.

I think the best answer is down to your budget allowance. Some has already advised that go for cheapest option (used) for now as you never know if this hobby will grow old with you or just a temporary excitement.

So make sure you choose wisely using your own budget as a guidance, and get the most out of it.

My 2c..

New with warranty is actually easier to dispose of when it comes to Malaysian market.
Furthermore old stuff, if it breaks down before you manage to dispose off then it will incur repair cost, either that or it becomes a total write-off.

easier - true, but with more price drop.

1st, u gotta choose what "Brand" you really like (just like u choose your First Love)... if u like canon, then go for canon, if u like nikon, then go for nikon, if u like sony, then go for sony... if you like 3 in 1, then up to u as long u can memorize every single detail function each brand...

if you like nikon slr but u like canon lens, dont worry, plenty adapter available to attach it... same goes opposition brand slr...

my advise, start with current model dslr, such Nikon D3300 or Sony A38 or Canon 600D according to your budget for brand new, but if someone sell Canon 7D just RM1500 body only, hahahah! then hurry up! get it!

Nikon a great slr with plenty lens available...
Sony a great slr with great pictures but less lens available...
Canon a great slr with plenty lens available & great pictures...

if you wanna try out something new, get the mirrorless such Sony a6000, Fujifilm X-T1, or Olympus OM-D E-M10 / 5 / 1 but budget should be above RM2k but you can get the 2nd hand if you really want mirrorless...

solution if lens less available, get the adapter or 2nd hand...

after u get your first dslr or mirrorless, start to learn using all the function such aperture, program, shutter, manual exposure, scene selection, panorama then all the detail such histagram, ISO, shutter speed..

then learn 1 by 1 which lens you wanna go, either prime or zoom (my advise, go for prime first)

after all, u gotta learn more detail by your own self... google, magazine, book, youtube are everywhere...

i myself mirrorless user sony a6000 (migrate from slr to mirrorless cause i believe mirrorless will replace slr in future, just like 35mm film Kodak become memory card), i choose sony cause i like the function, lens, apps, accessories etc...

now its up to u, what brand u really want to expand & expose for ur entire life...

This post has been edited by CALiS*TX: Dec 19 2014, 01:03 AM

people new how to know what brand they like?

that's like asking a person who grew up on vegetarian diet whether they like beef, chicken, fish, lamb, venison or pork.

best is still to walk around shopping malls and have a hold on those devices, shops are usually willing to let you try.

Rice_Owl84 and people similar to his reply is a very nice advise. sometimes starting with a compact is good (those good high end ones) because it can turn into travel camera even after you upgrade. its is also a good idea because you never know how deep and strong is your passion for photography, i've meet countless people who started photography, spend over 4-5k, a year later, they totally stop or started a diff hobby.

going straight to huge chunky DSLR is no more a good thing, because most of the DSLR user (even at professional level) are putting aside DSLR and going for mirrorless system. you can ask any recent comer that jump straight to mirrorless, even pro tell you that you actually gets the same quality of DSLR (sony E mount APS-C)... and full control of it like a DSLR. so to say, the Mirrorless camera is at DSLR level now (or might be even better)

Dont too quicky jumping on the sub 1k camera like D3200 or 1100D, because you WILL regret badly knowing its a stripped off camera of technology and crazy limitations. because for 1.8k can get you A5100(or some fuji same price range), give you even better features, control and image quality!

go online read more info, go into canon, nikon, sony thread and check out the user feedbacks. try to ask question if possible but prepare for nonsense feedback sometimes. (u know how all trolls hang out in forum nowadays)... and good luck