I guess this is a question every wannabe photography junkie keeps asking himself. For many years the good old SLR camera had been the de facto standard for many a professional photographer. Then came along the digital camera in the 90′s which took the photography world by storm and revolutionized it. From being huge clumsy gadgets, these cameras soon started to evolve into sleek sexy gadgets. Now you had a choice to make – is it the standard compact point and shoot digital camera or the DSLR digital camera?

This article is not to belittle the capabilities of a DSLR camera – definitely not! I am just trying to articulate some of the points I have in mind which would help you to make a decision between a compact digital camera and a DSLR digital camera. Firstly look at your needs. Are you serious about photography? I used to own a Canon IXUS which I could pretty much take around everywhere with me. It was a great beginner’s camera as far as I was concerned. I could take some great shots even though it didn’t have all the bells and whistles of a full blown digital DSLR camera. You could play around with some of the settings and get the hang of the 3 main aspects of a camera namely aperture, shutter speed and exposure. Once you get the hang of these 3 aspects you will pretty much know what kind of settings will work best for different situations.

A sunset picture captured with a compact camera can still look good

But once you get serious about photography, then you might want to consider a DSLR digital camera. With so many choices available, you should try to get a beginner’s model. My choice would be the Nikon D3000 and I recently purchased one. Definitely worth every single cent that I paid for it. You see, the satisfaction you get by “creating” your own picture through the DSLR digital camera is priceless. You can start off with the standard 50mm lens and then move on to other kinds of lenses like telephoto lenses or macro lenses depending on your favorite photograpy subject.

But a DSLR can make it awesome by playing with the exposure

Not to forget color composition too

You might still want to keep your compact digital camera even though you might have purchased a DSLR digital camera. It certainly will come in handy when you need something small and easy to handle like an office party. If you were thinking of whether to get a DSLR digital camera I hope that this post might have helped you in some way.

My favorite DSLR camera – Nikon D3000

What’s yours?

After spending countless weekends in KL due to my work commitments I finally had the time to spend some time with the family in Penang. It was a great weekend and boy am I glad we decided to go to the beach. Not just any tourist spots that you would normally find in Penang, but one little obscure beach in Teluk Kumbar. This little town in Penang in known more for its Mee Udang rather than the beach. The beach here faces the open sea and one can look at airplanes landing at the Penang International Airport quite regularly. The beach is quite scenic and free from any kind of water sports, foot massages and tourists too. How do you get to this beach? Very simple… read on!

Head towards the airport from Bayan Baru. You will need to pass the airport and will reach Bayan Lepas town. Go straight further and soon you will be in Teluk Kumbar. The road is kind of windy and you will need to take care while driving. Keep a lookout for a mosque on your left which will be visible when you get to sungai batu. Turn left when you see the mosque and drive in all the way straight until you hit the end of the road. Park your vehicle by the side of the road and prepare to walk in about 500 meters to get to the beach. Don’t bother to don any fancy shoes as the trek is nothing close to comfortable. Prepare to rough it out and wear a regular slippers/sandals for the walk. Better to be wearing shorts too.

The walk will be through a small Malay kampung and the residents there are quite friendly. You will be greeted with a warm smile from time to time. Keep a lookout for little chicken! Once you reach the beach you will definitely be able to able to see the local residents there relaxing by the beach with their family. You might also be able to watch a game of sepak takraw which I guess is a popular pastime among the residents here. There are also small drink stalls in case you feel a bit worn out from the trek and the sun beating down on you. Best time to be there is around 5.30 in the evening and you can watch some brilliant scenes.

View of the open sea at Teluk Kumbar

This was also a perfect opportunity for me to practice my photography skills with my canon ixus 860 IS. Although I want to get a DSLR soon (probably a Nikon D3000) I am currently using the manual mode on my Canon IXUS to get the basics first. It was a pretty fun evening as my kids were playing in the beach and I could take photographs to my heart’s content.

Not only can you enjoy the beach, but you can also enjoy a bit of fishing if you are an avid angler. My friends and I have gone fishing quite a few times and have landed puffer fish, stingray and some smaller fish as well. We’re still waiting for our big catch . This is quite a famous spot for fishing for the locals here too. According to them the fish here could be quite big if you are lucky enough to land one. Use prawns or cuttlefish for bait.

Local residents enjoying fishing on the rocks

The picture looks a bit grainy as I had to use maximum zoom (digital zoom) to get a decent picture.

So what’s a trip to the beach without a picturesque scenery? I managed to capture one of the finest moments of the evening before returning. It was a nice picture of the sun peeking from the clouds (it was a cloudy day) and the sun’s reflection on the water which looked like a bridge of light.

The bridge of light

I hope these pictures would entice you to visit this small but picturesque part of Penang. I’m very sure you will not be disappointed especially if you are a nature lover and would like to get away from the hustle and bustle of Georgetown. The place looks like it has almost frozen in time (except for the new housing developments happening around the area). Let’s hope that the beach will not be commercialized like the rest of the beaches around Penang and will still maintain its innocence for years to come!