Hello,

I'm planning to buy my first DSLR camera. My budget is somewhere around RM2,600.

I want to buy a camera that I can use for a long time. It will be very helpful if you can help to give suggestion on which camera to buy under my budget.

Currently I'm looking on Nikon D3400 and Nikon D5300 since the price point almost the same. If anyone have been using either of this camera can you suggest me please?
I also afraid if warranty of the older model is not covered by Nikon.

Hope this forum can help me with my new passion. Thanks in advance.

Good choices but note that the D5300 is very old since the latest is D5600.

The D3400, though lower is of the latest.

They are generally very similar, only the D3400 being smaller in size and does not have certain features.

The generation gap is the one make me confuse actually. But they have almost the same feature and D5300 have higher based on what I "Googled".
If you given the choice to choose between this 2, which one you will pick? hehe

Choose the one with better autofocus.

Take a look at snapsort. being said that the 5300 is performing better in low light situation and better auto focus. but is an old system though http://snapsort.com/compare/Nikon-D3400-vs-Nikon-D5300

This post has been edited by ervinlew: Jul 28 2017, 10:18 AM

Wah..... This also consider as reply ah?

Anyway back to TS,
No love for mirrorless? Hehe just thoughts.

My budget is low currently. The max I can go now is rm3000. Decent mirrorless seems like exceed my budget limit.

sony A5100 can get below 2k & then 1 more lense to yr preference. only isue is lack of hotshoe

A6000 comes with hotshoe and is within his RM2.5k budget.

*sorry, 2.6k with a max of 3k

why not get a used D7000 or D7100? it has advanced mid range features that you will come to appreciate once you have the knowledge and experience..

Get a Nikon D3xxx series, upgrade the body only when you feel that the current body doesnt keep up to your skill.

This post has been edited by lwliam: Jul 28 2017, 04:24 PM

I would so go for a6000

why not D5500 (i own this)

also considering mirrorless
Olympus OM D E M10 Mark II
Fujifilm X-A3
Panasonic DC GF9k

go for mirrorless, they are more or same alike, if entry level dslr i would really recommend get a 2nd hand unit, because u dont know what you want at first

canon 200D

I dont have experience in photography yet, so I worry to buy 2nd hand camera if they might have any problem with it.

The price of D5500 is beyong my budget value. The max I can go now is RM3000

11st, lazada <2.6k

Can I sway you to mirrorless? Like taikoliam and jijai suggest, you wont regret Sony a6000 unless u always want to take photos in very dim environment where mirrorless will struggle a bit with AF. Somemore, a6000 is very compact and easier to carry around with you compare to most dslr. You wont want to be like countless others who bought dslr and left them at home only after a short while because they are so cumblesome to bring around.

On the other hand, if u really insist on a nikon dslr, get the nikon d5xxx series, which as Atsumori suggested. I just saw one display unit at a mall yesterday, i got to say, quite sleek looking. If not d5500, get d5300 if that is what u can afford. Never ever go for the d3xxx series unless you can always take photos with good lights. The low light capability of the d3xxx series are absolute pain (for me) to work with in indoor setting. Dont save pennies where you might regret later. Just my 2 cents.

This post has been edited by Loseeker: Jul 28 2017, 09:41 PM

A lot of people automatically think they need a DSLR to take better photos. A lot of people end up keeping their DSLRs in a drawer somewhere.

Consider a mirrorless camera. You don't lose out on quality at all (same sensor), and the small size makes it easier for you to actually carry around and practice.

canon is the best

Is it safe and reliable to buy camera from shop such as "Miyamondo'? They offer way more cheaper price for D5300 and D5500. Iworry the unit might be fake or faulty,

Technically, there's no 'fake' camera (not including the likes of GoPro of course).

Go to the shop to shop for yourself. There should be a warranty card for you to fill and if you're doubtful, call the company hotline to verify the serial number (Nikon, Canon, Sony etc.) Test the camera on site (bring a friend who knows about camera gear along with you to test for you if you're worried about it being faulty).

But the unit that those shop sell with lower price dont have Nikon Malaysia warranty. Those shop only provide 1 year shop's warrant. (Confused)

Your logic of "2nd hand unit because you don't know what you like" should be applied to mirrorless as well.

A6000 is nice ......... .until you look at the lenses. Price quite high.

Actually la if you have problem with low light on D3xxx series then D5xxx series also not any much better.

Is it a wise decision for me to choose d3400 and get a good tripod, extra battery, and remote rather then spend more money on d5300?

Good tripod applies to even if you're going to get a 20,000 bucks camera. So, that's a given.

Ask yourself, how commited are you in the camera? Will it be a 3-4 months fad or do you intend to be using it for many years to come? If it's the latter, I suggest you to get a more updated model as much as your budget will allow you as to prevent the technology being outdated quickly.

Are you comfortable carrying around an equivalent of a weight of a medium sized hardcover book when walking around? Technology nowadays are swaying towards mirrorless cameras and they are matching and even exceeding dslr in some areas (except Canon EOS M and Nikon 1 series, stay away from these at the moment - sorry Canon and Nikon boys and girls), with the benefit of being lighter and hence more likely to be brought out with you wherever you go.

I have not personally shopped at Miyamondo before. But so as long the paperwork checks out, I don't see any issue buying from them if you find their price meets your budget.

This post has been edited by lwliam: Jul 29 2017, 07:47 AM

His budget allows to get it with kit lens. So that's got him covered for now.

Or save up a bit more and get the RX100 IV.

hi! no worry about miyamondo i always bought from them at damansara uptown Miyamondo this shop their service is quite good plus got cantik kakak haha you can ask them also to test before you really bought it. anyway if you bajet is Rm3000Max why not go to sonya 6000 quite good
af compare to your nikon D5300 and d5500 plus. Anyway got other suggestion is you can go to http://www.kldslr.com/ to survey also their shop is on ss2 public bank beside right side upstair only. Cheer and Happy hunting.

This post has been edited by Edisonkim: Jul 29 2017, 08:32 AM

Personally owning the mark3, it's a complementary camera at best if he's interested in photography in the long run. It won't quench his want for a larger sensor camera, plus, if he want more flash than the measly pop up, he's SOOL.

if u into photography more than videography...d3400 is fine, and it's 3 years newer than d5300.

u will improve your skill faster if u use an entry camera actually.

Thank you sifus for all you opinion and advice. After a week of thinking I have decided to buy Nikon D5300 although it is a older model. Actually I already bought it yesterday. hehe.. Thanks a lot.

So bad ah? I'm eyeing on Mark IV leh. As a walk-about camera, after all have 24-70 with wide aperture.

Flippy screen with focus peaking for me to do videos.

It's not bad, a very capable camera. Coming from a Canon or Nikon which doesn't have these functions, it's certainly a joy to use. But my main camera already have them, so it's very much a complementary piece.

Congrat! I think the D5XXX series are good bang for buck camera. Hope you enjoy it. And don't forget to post and share your photos here.

p/s: If you have some spare money, perhaps invest in a Nikkor AF-S 50mm f1.8G if you're into photography. Recently I had the change to play with this lens attached to Nikon D90 of my cousin. I've to admit, viewing from my tablet, I can't really tell the different between D90 from my a6000 (attached Sigma 30 f1.4) despite the year different in age of the 2 cams.

Yes, I'm planning to get a prime lens also, and 50mm is my first choice. Have to wait few months maybe to get the money for that. hehe

These are true but these might not be Malaysian sets. So you might have issues with warranty if it should come up.

I would recommend you to be patient and search for a good deal on a second hand camera. While searching for one, research on details on how
to purchase a second hand camera. Speaking from experience, I was also deciding on getting the D5300 new. However, after a month or two searching
for used ones on carousell/mudah/fb/lowyat I managed to find an excellent condition D5600 w/ the 18-55 af-p lens for only RM2000 (1year 10 months nikon malaysia warranty left).
So yea, don't be afraid to get a used one. Its been 3 months for me with my camera, never regretted my decision.