Nikon D3100

Not sure you feel the same or not, when a lot of folks try to invest to for their first SLR, usually they will have a lot of hard time in choosing which SLR worth to spend their hard earn $$$, go for Canon, Nikon or Sony? of course there are other brand out there but in Malaysia this 3 are the top runners. I group top 6 considerations that bugging their mind the most

1. Cost of the camera
2. Branding (which one better, Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus, Pentax)
3. Lens choice
4. Weight & Size
5. Image quality
6. Do i really need SLR??

But if you are looking for the first SLR that won't put a big hole to your pocket and answer all the worries above, personally i would recommend Nikon D3100. Why? price is very attractive loh, tag at RM1988 in Shashinki with free SLR bag & 4GB memory. Sui leh...Compare to Canon still selling 1000D as their budget line with dated features, Nikon really outshine in

• 14.2 megapixel DX-format CMOS sensor
• 3.0" LCD monitor (230,000 dots)
• Image sensor cleaning (sensor shake)
• 11 AF points (with 3D tracking)
• IS0 100-3200 range (12,800 expanded)
• HD movies (1080, 720p or WVGA)
• Live View
• Ability to shoot Raw + Fine JPEG
• Expeed 2 Image processing engine

Image below compare side by side between Canon 1000D & Sony A390. Three of them almost the same in size. D3100 is quite lightweight, so no worry to carry around. 

Ok, let review again the top 6 considerations for D3100

1. Cost of the camera - Cheap, less than RM2k
2. Branding - Nikon leh, big brand, no worry on build quality
3. Lens choice - plenty out there, but your lens need to have build in motor lo..
4. Weight & Size - only 505grams. lightweight lah.. small in size, easy to carry around
5. Image quality - impressive for a budget SLR standpoint
6. Do i really need SLR?? - ask back yourself

Alright, i hope i do provide a little help before you make up your mind which SLR to go. Watch the quick hands on from youtube, the ISO performance is remarkable good for a budget camera, good job Nikon.