for a 500-1000 camera, i would say all the cybershot series will give you lousy pictures.
try and consider the Canon Ixus 85.
if you still insist on Sony cybershot, then anyone in that price will give you same image quality

you coconut, nice pictures of arowana you have there.
for aquarium pictures, you need really clean aquarium glass

for aqurium shooting highly suggested that you get a flash and can be triggered off camera. so better get a nikon.
suggest you to get a used D60 and a SB600 flash to start.

share more fish pics after you got your gears

coconut, for fish photgraphy, you'll need fast shutter speed to freeze the fish as the fish is constantly on the move.

you can try without flash but your aquarium must have pretty decent lighting. from the 1st pic think no flash was used. 2nd pic i think a flash was used on the right side top

does any of your frens have dlsr so you can loan?

coconut, the 300D is quite a old camera.
is he selling together with lens?
you can get a 50mm F1.8 for ~Rm 300 so you can use faster shutter speed

from the pic looks quite bright but not too sure.

Off topic...why your fish looks a bit stunted? same fish or 2 different fish?

depends on which lens she is selling together.
bag, tripod, strap, 2gb memory are not worth much. but just nice to be included.
1k is bit expensive for a 5 yr camera.
300D<350D<400D<450D

400D you can find for about 1.6k used.
a brand new 1000D is about 2k
so do you think the offer is ok?

This post has been edited by DecaPix: Mar 16 2009, 05:13 PM

free items usually we ask for stuff that need to use with the camera.
Ie memory card, bag, screen protector and UV filter
can even ask for cleaning kit

babytensai...
for 1k+ budget it's bit tough to get a decent DSLR
think you can look for those used sony A200 but Sony not so good a high ISO which is needed for night shooting.

Else...get a used 400D and pair it with the 18-55 IS lens.
but that will set you back around 1.5k or so

2k can get you either a 1000D or a D60.
depends which one your fren has so at least you can learn from them or borrow some of their gears if you need to

but i'll recommend 1000D as it has 7 AF point over 3
Dont need special AF-S lens to get autofocus
better noise handling at high ISO and comes with IS lens and live view

tippman, for 1k i guess you cant go wrong with the Ixus 870IS
comes with IS, wide angle lens and noise handling isn't too bad

shinjun, Liveview is not useful but comes in useful sometimes.
Like when doing macro or on tripod.

for beginer to play?!?
camera phone
state your budget and camera type la bro

wow..budget 500-800 but want 10mpx and above

can consider ixus 80 for ultra compact
or A1000IS

clovi3z, i would say get a 870IS. it's nice and compact suitable for a lady. kinda stylist too.
The LX3 would looks a bit to manly and not so compact
the 870 has image stabilizer and quite clean pictures for night shots

kate qru, you want nice slim n stylist camera?
sony t series really good for lady..but dont expect really nice pictures from it..hehe
dont cosider kodak..not nice iamge at all!
for such a tight budget, maybe you can look at canon powershot A1000IS
or if you dont mind the size, powershot A590 or A720IS

vince86, refer to comment for kate qru
but i would say go for panasonic if you dont like canon series

edison, for your budget i'l suggest getting a Canon 1000D.
Pair it up with a 55-250 IS lens. Total cost bout 3k
That'll cover you from 18-250 mm
can use the 55-250 for track for some panning shots!

For those looking for budget compact, can take a look at this review
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q408budgetgroup/
for standard compact
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q408slimgroup/

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Added on March 28, 2009, 11:07 pmhiulee..for wide angle and semi pro compact camera,
cant go wrong with LX3. it has 24 mm lens
but it's abit out of your budget

This post has been edited by DecaPix: Mar 28 2009, 11:07 PM

i would say go for the FX series
the fx 38 has 5x zoom and wide angle of 25mm!
it has iA mode too

for normal use, 4-5 mp is good enough! haha
but camera manufacturers now making them more and more coz consumer only look at that aspect in buying camera

WAH!!! which shop you went to what says Canon is RM1400 and Nissin is RM 800?!?
please tell us so that we dont go there!

Canon mid range flash 430 EXII is about 1.1k, high end 580 EXII is 1.6k
Nissin is about 500
Nissin not too bad for the price. but recharge time abit slower.

jeneration, uncle google is our best fren
dont be shy to ask him
this is what i got from him
Panasonic DMC-FX38 (FX37) Specs

* Type: Fully automatic, fixed lens digital compact camera.
* Lens: Leica DC Vario-Elmarit f/2.8-5.9/4.4-22 mm (25-125 mm as 35 mm equivalent). 4x digital zoom.
* Focusing Range: W/T 50 cm/1.0 m to infinity; macro W/T 5 cm/1.0 m cm to infinity.
* Shutter Speeds: 8 to 1/2000 second.
* Metering: Multi zone.
* Exposure Control: Program AE.
* Sensitivity: Auto, ISO 100/200/400/800/1600.
* Sensor: 11 mm CCD, 10.1 million pixels.
* Image Size: 3648×2736, 3072×2304, 3648×2432, 3648×2056, 3072×2048, 3072×1728, 2560×1920, 2560×1712, 2560×1440, 2048×1536, 2048×1360, 1920×1080, 1600×1200, 640×480. Continuous mode: 2 shots at 2.5 fps (max res); other rates at smaller image sizes. Movies: 1280×720, 848×480, 640×480 at 30 fps.
* Formats: JPEG, Motion JPEG. PictBridge and DPOF compatible.
* Flash: Auto, red-eye reduction, forced off and on, slow synchronisation. Flash Range (ISO Auto): Wide 60 cm to 6.0 m.
* Viewfinder: 6.4 cm colour LCD (230,000 pixels).
* Storage: Removable SD/SDHC/MMC/memory card (none supplied), 50 MB internal memory.
* Interface: USB 2.0, PAL/NTSC AV, DC input.
* Power: Rechargeable lithium ion battery, optional AC adapter.
* Dimensions (WHD): 94.7×51.9×22 mm.
* Weight: 125 grams (without card, batteries).

This post has been edited by DecaPix: Mar 30 2009, 02:55 PM

Kenvess, for 870 vs 970 vs 980
better go for 870 as it has digic 4 processor, bigger screen and wider angle lens.
the only extra features ofr 9xx series is manual control which most users doens use
also for normal use, 4-5 MP is mroe than enough! haha..

For 80 vs 85 vs 95,
i would say go for 80.
8 MP is more than enough. the other features are almost the same.
the price diference is huge!

zellleonhart..
hmm why dont you consider D40x?
has almost everything of D60 except the dust cleaning

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Added on March 30, 2009, 11:44 pmactually the 18-55 VR lens with SWM will actually enhance your shooting experience and will get you more keeper shots with the VR

This post has been edited by DecaPix: Mar 30 2009, 11:44 PM

wypua, with that kind of budget, stay away from olympus and sony!
since you want optical zoom why not Panasonic FZ28?
comes with 18x zoom!

impedance, LX3 optical zoom is only 2.6x while G10 is 5x
so decide whether you can live with the short zoom or not

abechik, it depends on your eyes on how sharp is it able to detect focus is in or out
my eyes not good enough to detect
remember that DSLR is actually has norrow in focus range
which means you can get alot of pictures that are out of focus
but you can get AFS lens which has motor built in but a bit pricey only
can start slow with D60 with the excellent 18-55 VR lens and grow from there

suizai, dont buy a DSLR just because "everyone" has it
be sure you have the passion to learn and appreciate the output of it
it's not easy to carry such big chunk of metal+plastic around everytime you want to take picture
once you decided to go for DSLR then Nikon D60 or Canon 1000D suits your budget
which to go for depends on yourself

actually how many times zoom are you looking for?
Panasonic with it's iA mode is quite good.
able to take nice clear shots at night
Can go try it out at shops. bring your own card to shoot then go home see the pic

er...perfect picture? that one depends on alot of stuff and how you interpret perfect

well largely it depends on the guy behind the camera!

for your budget i'll suggest D60 or 1000D
both kitlens is 18-5 with VR or IS.
image quality is not bad.
some site says Nikon 18-55 VR lens is better than the Canon 18-55 IS

So how to choose?
depends more of your frens has Nikon or Canon lo
can "borrow" their lens and stuff ma

if not, just go to shop, play with both and see which one you like
you are the one who ends up using it anyway

@cfcho, my 2 cents is to get the D60, newer body so features should be better. Think it has dust cleaning system while the D40 doesnt.

who says you cant find 40D anymore?
just go around shopping instead of asking here and you will know the real answer

@shafique, cheapest and lowest price?
Dont think anyone can beat Sony A200 price!

wypua, What you mean overexposure lighting condition?

@k3sh, depends where you are.
Can try YL at pudu plaza, Photo Selangor @ pertama and J One @ amcorp

sunnyzai, normally AA battery will have a shorter battery life compared to Li-Ion, but good thing is you can carry alot of AA with you
size?!? depends on you la. go shop test it.
i would say any pns camera can bring to travel since i carry a DSLR around

This post has been edited by DecaPix: Apr 5 2009, 10:00 PM

sunnyzai, for that range of camera, the sx 110 is quite good.
the only competitor is panasonic TZ25
But the panasonic does not have manual control.
you can test both and see which one is better for you.

@hungry jack..why are you looking at D90 and A700?
never consider 40D or 50D?