Have to disagree with a few points.

A300:
accessories hard to find...very subjective..in some place..it is very easy to find..but not in Australia

Accesories in Malaysia are all at retail price, not many shops (if any) carry them at a cheaper price like how Canon and Nikon accessories are.

D60:
lighter with ok-ok grip - good for girls*if u r girl*

Good grip, not ok-ok only.

And to add onto few things in the 1000D:

7 AF points compared to D60 (3 AF)
Build quality is good if you don't think about plastic. Sturdy, but not as sturdy as the intermediate-leveled ones.
Low light shooting is on par with D60.

Live View isn't important at all. It's more of a 'gimmick' on the Canon as they don't have a tiltable screen.

AF is important if you wanna do panning shots as unless your reflexes are darn well quick, it's nearly impossible to get a perfectly sharp shot.

On the D60, you won't be able to AF on lenses which aren't AF-S or AF-I as there is no motor in the lens (they were made before AF motors were) and there isn't a motor in the body either. You will have to focus yourself. No choice. And that opens up a possibility of a poorly focused shot.

Correction: Most people use auto area, so yes it will happen occasionally, unless you set your AF point. Sometimes even if you set AF points you have to target accurately also.

Live View is stupid on the 1000D, you have to press the AE lock button (the 'zoom out' button on the top right of the back of the DSLR) first before focus is achieved, and when you press the shutter down the mirror is flipped then only the shot will take place, which causes a massive slowdown in taking a picture (if it matters to you).

Fast setting? Every DSLR has that. Rotatable LCD? Sony then. Live view? Sony again.

Conclusion: If you REALLY need the LCD/LV go for the Sony. Don't need it? Go for a Canon/Nikon.

Even if you're using the viewfinder, your settings are displayed on it.


Taken from Imaging-Resource

Does have. It's displayed in the middle of the screen while using LV as a semi-transparent menu.

If you want to do everything with a DSLR you'll need lenses to achieve each.
Candid: Telephoto
Landscape: Wide-angle
Portraits: Telephoto/Prime
Macro: Dedicated macro lens/Telephoto
Zooming: Telephoto

Just these will already cost you a bomb already, much over 5k (at least). Compacts are mostly preferred as they're easier to use compared to DSLRs.

I'd suggest you get the FZ28/TZ7. Canon's zooms are overpriced and Olympus zooms' performance are mediocre.

thanks for the suggestion, until now i still cannot determine which to get If I get canon 450D now, scare later the price may drop in May when 500D on sale! So i am thinking of used Nikon D90 (body only), will my old nikkor AF 28-88mm F3.5-5.6D fully compatible with the D90, is there any focusing issue especially with old lens?

This post has been edited by eddie89: Apr 19 2009, 08:44 PM

hmmmm... a sony...
first impression is very expensive and sometimes hard to get third party accessories...
correct me if i'm wrong...
and what's the LCD for Canon/Nikon if there's no live view??
displaying the settings?? or.......
anyway.... what's your opinion for the live view thingy??
izit really necessary for a DSLR?
and what camera is suitable for hobby and leisure... rather than for amateur... =)

@ TheWandererX
thx for pointing out the number of AF point. Yes live view isnt important, but its good to have it and it is a norm in DSLR nowadays. Canon/Nikon LV is too slow...Sony is much faster... IMO 1000d is plasticy feeling...if u compare 1000d/a300/d60 side by side..then u will feel it. i know u r using 1000d but nvm... I dont use auto area...it sometimes will not focus on the subject..then i need to release the shutter and focus again. Well..this is up to each person.
@eddie
yea..u r right..450D might drop when 500d is out. But this is the world of tech..keep coming out with new technology. U cant always keep urself up to date..*unless u r rich * D90 is a good choice...i think should be no problem with ur old nikkor lens juz like xandman mentioned in nikkor thread. Besides, D90 is better than 450D....it is comparable to 50D in term of ISO and IQ. However, 50D has weather sealing...faster fps magnesium alloy body

---

Added on April 19, 2009, 9:40 pmSony's entry lvl cameras are the cheapest...their lenses are not as expensive as u think.. maybe 100-200 difference. But getting second hand lens is a problem here. Sony's external flash is the cheapest! the LCD is for playback when u have snapped a photo, show ur settings. LV is not necessary...

This post has been edited by AlphaBeta: Apr 19 2009, 09:40 PM

since you suggested that LV is not so necessary,
my choice has narrowed to Nikon and Sony... and Panasonic too... XD
so what actually should i get...
something not for starters but also not close to professional...
just in between... haha...
thanks... =)

@bboyrice
Canon: 450d or 500d if u can wait.
Nikon: D90/D80
Sony: erm...i think A700..

dun take panasonic la...thier market so small..unless u really know wht you wan and wht u r getting.

This post has been edited by AlphaBeta: Apr 19 2009, 09:55 PM

new DSLR from canon... ooooo...
shall go do another hell of research again..
thanks for the great info anyway...
will take that as my guideline... =)

@ alphabeta,

may I know what makes you to choose nikon D90 over the rest?

which rest? if u r saying 1000d/d60/a300...then i cant say much. Coz u r comparing entry lvl cameras with semi-pro/mid lvl camera.(call it wht ever u wan)

if against canon 50d nikon d300 sony a700..then i say ISO and image quality r as good as these semi-pro lvl cameras with much cheaper price. But lose in build quality, frame per second and weather sealing . However, i dont need these 3 features..erm maybe the weather sealing im craving for.

Will drop. 100%. Wait for the 500D, get the 1000D or suffer if you do take the 450D now.

Yup your D90 will be fully compatible with ur old Nikkor. D90 has in-body AF motor.

There is Live View but it can't be tilted or swiveled or anything. Not really necessary for anybody in mind, just another feature that the minority of people would find useful.

My brother's using a D300, previously a D90, so I'm equally poisoned by both sides.

Live View is important as a marketing factor, that's all lah, in terms of Canon/Nikon's LV. Hopeless, mirror flipping and shutter is operated by same motor take almost half a second to shoot a 1/60 shot. Agree on Sony's superb LV. Anyway, I also agree that the a300/D60 feels sturdier than the 1000D but 1000D still usable lah, not to say flimsy until whenever you carry it you worry about dropping it or it coming to pieces.

Adding on, D90 is in the middle of 450D/50D. Sadly it's something like jack of all trades. 450D's IQ can be compared with the D90's, D90 also can compare with the 50D, but the price leh? Rather opt for a 40D, cheaper and still better (FPS, weathersealing, lots more).

In fact all their DSLRs are cheap. The a900 for a full-frame camera is the only one that should be more heavily considered because it faces the strong Nikon Dx series and the legendary (to be) Canon 5D/5D MkII.

Panasonic? Forget it. Worse off than Sony in terms of reliability... Never even seen a Panasonic DSLR in Malaysia either.

In between? I'd recommend the Canon EOS 40D.

wow ur bro using Nikon d300...why don u use nikon too? can share lens mah no matter how strong build..with magnesium allow wht ever...i will still be careful 100% all the time. Juz like laptop with shock resistant..u dare to drop it? same analogy haha.. Yea i did consider 40d...but few things turned me off...the wheel, no built-in wireless commander and 320k pixel screen only. No built in flash commander really made me went for d90.

Type of camera/lens/accesories : DSLR
Budget: <RM3000
Your Location: PJ/KL
Preferable brand : Canon / Sony
Type of photography u want to do : Landscape, portraits, macros
Any specific models in mind? : Canon 450D(500D), Sony A350
Any specific features u want? : -

hi all, i m very new to DSLR... i had do some research .. but stil dono which to buy between A350 and 450D(or wait for 500D). can give some advice on it? thx.

so you means that nikon d90 support the wireless creative system (CLS)? Actually how does it work? Is it same like sony alpha 200 with sony flash?

yes...but im not sure whether Sony can adjust the power for each off their wireless flash.. for example..in nikon..i can adjust group A in Manual mode..and fire 1/50 power..group B with full power...group C with TTL..something like this.

wow seems like nikon D90 is worthy with the price! It have most of the function that 450D don't have!

exactly...

Hi, just lost my D70s with all the lens

Want to buy new one but don't know which one should get, D80 or D90?

I know that D80 is discontinue but I see some shop still selling it. The price is much cheaper than D90.

I want to buy kit set as I don't have any lens now (damn the stupid thief ) My question, it is worth to buy D90 if I don't use the LV and also movies shooting?

Type of camera/lens/accesories : Dslr
Budget: RM 4000-6000 or maybe lesser
Your Location: KL
Preferable brand : Nikon Or Canon
Type of photography u want to do : Landscapes, potrait
Any specific models in mind? : Not a clue but budget too far less for D700
Any specific features u want? : Superb color output and fast candid shooting.

to all sifus out there. Please do help me on some useful suggestions. thanks !

This post has been edited by gooleng: Apr 20 2009, 03:16 AM

hi guys..any idea which dslr to buy for a newbie like me? thinking to learn to shoot photos for hobby budget max rm2k

Type of camera/lens/accesories : Lens Nikon
Budget : Not yet set
Your Location : PG
Preferable brand : Nikon
Type of photography u want to do : Portrait
Any specific models in mind? : 35 mm vs 50mm
Any specific features u want? : None, basically i'm using D40 now and 50mm autofocus lens is more expensive than 35mm autofocus lens...trying to understand if i really need that 50mm lens? or will it be ok to use 35mm lens and save the money?

appreciate inputs... thanks!

p/s: why the hell la got 35mm and 50mm? why not 40mm?

This post has been edited by kevyeoh: Apr 20 2009, 01:05 PM