but really i am a beginner here.. and i want to buy my very first DSLR..
i can afford a D90 but if im not going to benefit the most out of it because im still very new then i would rather buy something cheaper in the meantime and upgrade lens / body later...and the difference in price for d80 and d90 is more than rm1000. so maybe i need something which can satisfy me... or is sufficient for me to learn ... and use for around 1-2 years?

are 400D or 450D in the discussion??? are they reasonably worth the price and suitable for beginners ?
i definitely dont want to get stucked with d60 and MF all the time...  >.<

thanks

As what WandererX asked, what do you intend to shoot more.

The Nikkor 50mm F1.8 which will fit your budget will most probably be the 1.8D. The most common one which we find out there.
It's an AF lens, which means you can only autofocus with a Camera which has a built in focus motor. (D50, D70, D80, D90, D300, D700...)

First, the 70-300mm is a soft lens (the non VR version as i see the price budget is around Rm500). It had not been highly rated. At such, it would be a better choice to invest in the 55-200VR than this lens. But if you think that you prefer a zoom lens and would not want to spend on it yet, then i suppose this is the only choice you'll have here.

Regarding the 50mm F1.8, it's a pretty fast lens, and quite sharp too. But, shooting with a prime is a different thing than shooting with a zoom lens. Many people will find it a bit hard to use as many sifus had pointed out that 50mm on a cropped body (50x1.5=75mm) is a rather awkward focal range. Anyhow, if you plan to do some casual portraits and just for general use, i guess it's ok. A lot of people would recommend you the 35mm F1.8 AF-S lens which gives you a true focal range of around 50mm on a cropped factor DSLR. This would have been an easier lens to use in many's opinions.

If you have the budget and are serious into portrait photography/really need the extra 1-2 stops, then get the 1.4, but 1.4 is much more expensive than the 1.8.

To all Sifu...

need some advices here, i'm planning to get my 1st DSLR (being playing with my old Sony V1 for quite sometime)

i really have no idea on the lens stuff (technology, functions, code name.. etc) any website to learn on those basic thing?

Type of camera/lens/accesories :  DSLR
Budget: 4000 max
Your Location:   Penang
Preferable brand :  Nikon , Canon, Olympus??
Type of photography u want to do :  Portrait, landscape
Any specific models in mind? :  no idea
Any specific features u want? :  no idea
Thanks.
Regards,
Khan

thanks to all who replied to my question 

is the kit lens good enough? 

someone told me to forget about kit lens..  better to get a cheaper body but get a better lens..