always wanted to get serious into photography work but still considered a beginner. Been looking around for a DSLR within my budget and the Nikon D40 seems good. You may like to follow this link to take a look at the D40 if you have not seen it before.
http://www.nikon.com.sg/productitem.php?pid=976-3f08245016
Anyone has any comments on that or advice on which SLR is suitable ?
It is fine for beginners and people who want to step up from point and shoot cameras. I agree very strongly with teef_au, though. See if you can get a D50. It is "more" camera and it is selling for exactly the same as the D40, if you can find one.
With either camera, just put the mode dial on the green "Auto" icon and it works just like a point and shoot with much better images. Many P&S cameras have about a 4×5 mm sensor. The D40 and D50 have about a 24×15 mm sensor. This has a HUGE effect on the image quality.
The "kit" lens is a decent lens optically, but you might want to upgrade to the Nikkor AF-S 18-70 f/3.5-4.5G ED DX lens for a bit more range and a lot more durability.
Get a 1 GB memory card, such as the Sandisk "Ultra" for decent write speed.
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d50.htm
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Nikon/nikon_d50.asp

The Nikon D40 in an excellent Camera for the price, packed full of features any experienced photographer, or beginner would be proud to own. Only one thing worth mentioning, that probably wont apply to you since you dont already have equipment or Nikon AF Lenses, the Nikon D40 does not take all of the Nikon Lenses. If you dont already own lenses, dont worry about it.
I wish they had a workhorse like the D40 around when I was first learning photography!
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