Hi all,I'm new to camera.
I own 2 digital cameras but I find that they're not too fun to take quality photos.
1 is an old Minolta and the other is a 6MP casio.

Therefore,I'm thinking of getting a pro-sumer camera to start first before I move to DSLR.
Any recommendation for budget around RM1k? 2ndhand?

Also I like to ask is it better to get those which comes with lithium or rechargeble AA batteries?

fuji prosumer is great but no IS, other brands like canon and panasonic very noisy, better go dslr straight, Canon EOS 350D w/18-55 II Kit cost only rm2k.

if you're getting a digicam with image stabilization, make sure it's either optical based stabilization or sensor shift based stabilization... not those lame automatic ISO/shutter speed shoot fake IS.

I'm not ready for DSLR yet.

So any recommended models?
Plus is it better to get those which uses lithium or AA batteries?

Fujifilm FinePix S6500fd, around rm1150.

lithium and aa both got their own advantage.

Lithium and AA,which provide more juice?

I'm also looking at Fuji S5700 as well.

that's what i told myself before i wasted money on a prosumer that only lasted me less than a year before switching to DSLR.

lithium more juice, but AA has it's inconveniences & conveniences. You have to bring along a lot of spare rechargeables but at the same time, if you run out of batteries wherever you are in most parts of the world, you can run to the nearest convenience store.

I see..
Usually how much does a lithium cost and how lasting are they?
AA tends to lose juice when kept unused.

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Added on October 13, 2007, 2:32 pmOh yea.. If possible I would like to get like the S6500fd as it has a manual zoon lens.

This post has been edited by Tainted: Oct 13 2007, 02:32 PM

really dependant on the camera model you're buying. not sure how much spare one costs? RM80?

s6500fd might have a manual zoom lens, but does not have image stabilizer & uses AA... you might want to weigh that as well. Yes, AA tends to lose juice, but then there's Eneloop, and a recent few others that claim to have long discharge times...

Yeap.. I know about Eneloop. Any idea how much is that?
If lithium is abt RM80,then I wouldn't mind buying one which uses lithium.
Yeap,one drawback it does not have IS.

From the reviews I read,it's a good and fast camera which takes quality photos.

If i were to compare S5700 and S6500fd,which is better as both of these are around my budget.

Is the Canon Powershot SX100 out yet?
Looks impressive...

Another well-rated prosumer is the new Lumix DMC-FZ18.
Crazy 18x zoom with surprisingly good optics and improvement in high ISO performance over previous Lumix's.... I am quoting a review in Digital Camera Magazine Oct 2007 edition. Costs about RM1600 RSP.
Too bad no hotshoe.

The Lumix has improve a lot.
But the price of that is out of my budget unless by the time I can spare more.

Well, if RM1k is really your upper budget within this given time period of purchase, then why not try out the versatile Canon Powershot A5xx or A6xx? Preferably with IS. Lets you learn as you have access to a lot of manual overrides. Most of the overrides like aperture/shutter priority, exposure compensation, flash output, metering zones, etc. that are on it are also very relevant on SLRs. I jumped straight from a lowly A510 Powershot to DSLR...

RM1k - RM1.3k plus lah..
It depends,I might be able to extend it more.

Planning to survey now and wait for the price to drop as I want to use it by next month or so.

The RM1600 I quoted for the FZ-18 is RSP as reported by the magazine... should be up to a couple of hundred RM cheaper if you know where and how to get good deals and bargain.

Also, ask yourself, between now and next month, how much are you willing to pay extra to be able to learn to use it earlier vs waiting for its natural market price drop? Especially when you need to practise for a critical event like taking shoots at someone's wedding or some official event? Assume it's like paying for training.

As a rule, I try to get a new piece of equipment at least 1 month before any important planned usage so that I may have enough time to discover if it's a faulty product and exchange it or have it repaired in time.

ur budget suite can buy the pro-sumer camera like canon powershot S5 IS .. really good cam

Ok Thanks.
Will look into it.

S5 IS? Is it good if compared with the existing choices like S5700 and S6500fd?

Nikon P5100! Great camera and cheap too. You'll get to work with RAW and also with optional hot-shoe!

What about s9600? Got rave reviews.