1st of all if you read properly D5000 is the same as D60/D40
means that it'll only auto focus with AF-S/AF-i lens
fortunately, the kitlens supplied it AF-S lens
the problem only arise when you get 3rd party lens or any lens that doesnt have motor in it.

if not mistaken D5000 price is about 500D price or just abit lower
cant compare 1000D to D5000 as there's a gap in the price range
oh btw, Mp doenst matter
D40 6 megapix is enough if you know how to use it

again..obviously you didnt do your homework enough
and didnt read properly!

kitlens is AF-S!

basically there's no better camera
what i would suggest is get the camera brand that your fren has
so you can learn faster from them, borrow their lens, flash etc
if all your frens dont have then you can go to the shop and pick up and play with the camera and decide which suits you better

strong point on Canon is that there's a wide range of zoom lens and prime lens to choose from.
strong point of Nikon is that their colour is more vivid and some ppl prefer that. their off camera flash is cheaper to play

if canon promo is still on then you can get BG-E5 @399
left 1.1k for 430 EXII only
1.5k only barely can get you 580 EXII

@raige23
i dont think there's a worst DSLR
it's all in the lens
any worst DSLR paired with an excellent lens will trumph any compact
another thing is DSLR has BIG sensor compared to compact

which shop?
any Canon shop should be able to get the BG-E5 if the promo is still on
the flash...major camera shops should have it
where you from anyway?
KL can visit pudu plaza, pertama complex
PJ can go amcorp mall, maybe digitalmall

RM 2800 is a nice budget to start off
but it's just a bit low to get the new Nikon D5000 or Canon 500D
so...it's either Canon 1000D or Nikon D60
Price is about 2k for Canon and abit lower for Nikon
just get the kitlens 1st and you'll be off to a new world

Do you have any frens who uses DSLR?
if not then it's all up to you. go to shops and hold it n play it.
like which one buy which. simple!

@raige23
sorry to say this but please do your own study
since you say you are new in this, it's better you go read up on the difference and ask things that you dont understand instead of asking ppl to spoon feed you (bloody education system of bolehland)

kitlens means the lens that is packaged with body and usually comes very cheap together
1000D, 500D, D60 comes with 18-55, D90 18-105 etc..

er..raige23, where did you get the statement from?
basically it means the sensor of the DLSR
as you can see, it's quite big (bout the size of a thumb print)

CCD is the type of sensor
some say CCD produce nicer, warmer colour
some say CMOS gives better noise control
higher end nikon uses CMOS
all Canon uses CMOS

J-one is quite reputable seller
so can buy with confidence

if you are looking for value buy...then i would say 1000D
that would set you back almost 2k
left a bit more get a flash so that it will help with your event shots

actually 450D has a few advantage over 1000D
2 more AF point, IR sensor for remote, eye proximity sensor
but then IMHO those are very tiny advantage to pay RM 600 extra

i would say get 1000D, use it, master it. when you feel like it's limiting you, then only upgrade to 50D or 60D later

Spot metering is useful but you have partial metering in 1000D and you can adjust EV to suit your taste of exposure

no problem yvne

raige23...what is wrong with you?
tot i told you to do your own study?!?
go back to page 94, scroll down to post 1874 (just before your post)
read that

haha yvne, like i said, spot is useful but you can live without it
have you tried partial metering with 1000D?
you can still tweak the EV to get the exposure you want if the camera gets fooled. after all, camera is just the tool, it's the user that makes the great picture

anyway, in those situation, better to use flash to light up your subject so that the background wont be blown out

yvne, if i am not worng partial metering is 11% of the center frame while spot is 4% the partial metering the circle is bit bigger than spot

seening, go to page 96 Post 1905
listed are the difference
1000D street is about slightly less than 2k
450D should be 2.6k or so

Think of it this way..for another RM 800
i can get 55-250 IS lens already OR
a Nissin flash with the nifty fifty 50mm F1.8 prime lens
So your pick...

define hardcore?

if you have the budget (1.5k) i would suggest you to get it too
the image quality from the camera is well worth it

if you want to compare it's actually A300 vs 1000D vs D60
D40 is quite old same as A200
if D40 vs A200 then D40 would be better
higher up abit..either 1000D or D60

same advice, touch feel and see which one you like
if got frens, uncle, cousin using same brand then better go same brand

@shahdelee
2199 is the normal Canon retail price.
i am sre if you shop around you can get better deal as street price is usually lower than the retail.

@emolutionist
i think shahdelee just answered your question!

@dr farnz
if your choice is only Nikon cam and D80 or D40
then i would say get D80
it has body motor for auto focusing
so means you can use almost all lens built for Nikon
D40 or D60 only can use AF-S and AF-I lens

@seening
the advantage of 450D over 1000D are:
eye proximity sensor, IR receiver, 2 extra AF points, 2 Mp & spot metering.
to me that is not worth ~600 extra.
i rather spend that 600 to get another len or flash which will greatly change the image output

@xerexz
this has been discussed many times before
but to me 1000D has a slight advantage
dedicated ISO button, 4 more AF points, live view, D60 only can use AF-S and AF-I lens for AF to work
but then the choice is yours

xerexz
if you like the colours from Nikon then by all means get it
to me the colour appear a bit fake.
too rich to my taste la
any camera can get that rich vibrant colours. just up the contrast n saturation

this actually tells us the camera uses 1/2.5" sensor size
the lens is actually 5.2mm-26 mm
convert to 35 mm standard is 29mm-146 mm (5x zoom)
can see the camera there written 29 mm wide lens