Canon vs. nikon dslr?

proZach

proZach

Active member
used to take pictures a lot with a crappy point and shoot. had decent results. fell out of it when I went to school. now I'm graduating and going on a few trips this summer. essentially more time to take pictures. I've been looking at some dslrs as the price has dropped drastically in the past 5 years. not too experienced, but want a camera that'll produce good beginner results, while allowing me to expand what I know and learn something about photography.
been looking at the canon rebel xsi and the nikon d3000. any thoughts? suggestions? thanks
 
Go check them both out in person, seriously. But I would suggest the Canon Rebel XSI.

I have a 5DmkII and sometimes I switch back to my XSI to use my macro lens, and I'm still super happy with it. Really solid camera for the price.
 
thanks. yeah I'm definitely going to a store to play around with any before I buy it. I've seen too many people just read reviews and when they get their camera it's not at all what they've expected. a buddy of mine has a nikon d20 (or 40 I forget), but he loves it. said I'd probably be really happy with either though. hoping someone here can recommend either, or another type, brand, etc. suggestions definitely welcomed
 
the thing to look at really aren't bodies(as both brands have bodies that are very similar) but the glass. nikon glass is more expensive for the most part, but canon you will sometimes not get a sharp copy
 
another nice thing about the rebel series is the fact that they arent quite a full size body, so in terms of carrying them around they are a little smaller/lighter.

idk what your price range is, but the new t2i is essentially the 7d, but without the full frame sensor
 
nope, same size sensor with 1.6x crop. the 7d has a couple of features that separate it from the t2i, but for video, relatively the same.
 
haha you think it would be for almost 2x the price, but its the 5dmarkII and 1dmarkIV that are
 
i was in this same situation about 6 months ago and i decided that i liked the Nikon d3000 more i went to my local shop played with both and decided the Nikon was the better fit for me i have been really happy with the image quality and all around performance of it. go play with them and go with the one that will fit your needs best.
 
Yo if you want something thats pretty small but has interchangeable lenses and is cheap,Check out micro four thirds cameras. There a new type of camera made by Olympus and some other brand.
 
probably anything up to around $600. not tryna get too nuts, but still want a decent picturestick.
so pretty much what you guys have said, nikon has a better glass, while more people are recommending canon as a brand?
 
Micro 4/3rds are definitely NOT cheap. They are essentially DSLR's with the internal mirroring removed, but you will be paying a premium for the portability. The GF1 (basically G1 without viewfinder and subsequently the mirrors) body alone will cost you $600, while the G1 probably costs around half of that. The processor is identical I believe. The Olympus EP1 is probably around $500 body only now that the EP2 is out, but it'll still set you back $500. The lack of viewfinder in these cameras means it won't be ideal for bright situations, and a hotshoe viewfinder will set you back another $150. You get limited lens selection, unless you wanna shell out another $200 for an adaptor. Definitely for a different demographic than the OP.

@ OP, I'd take a look at the entry level Canon - you can get a decent setup for a reasonable price, and put some money aside for lenses. Learn your way around the camera first, then upgrade later. Oh, and you'll probably find yourself sticking with the brand you started off with
 
yeah I want something that has basic features, but allows me to figure out the more in-depth features. and I definitely want to set aside some money for some lenses. thanks
 
how much money do you have to spend?

i have a T1i. it's pretty cool, but i out grew it in 2 months..

if you have the money, go for a 50d, or 40d. maybe even a 7d (thought it will cost a ton)

you will be much better off for the future.

and for those of you that say "omg get an entry level slr omg"

if you have an ounce of sense and a little bit of motivation you can adeptly learn on a pro level SLR.
 
i have the d40 (older version of the d3000) and i love it to death. i would recomend it because i love nikons so much and i feel that they take better pictures. also i like the layout that the nikons have as opposed to the canons. i think they are a lot more user friendly than canons. and yeah as apposed to glass. nikon is deffinitly leaps and bounds better than canon. the kit lens that comes with the nikon is one of the favorite lenses that i own. and the one that comes with the canon kit is basicly a piece of shit. but thats just what ive herd from all my friends who use canons...

 
Oh, and if you get a Canon, don't get EFS lenses if you can help it, especially if you want to upgrade bodies at some point. It blows to have lenses sitting around that you can't use on a different body.
 
Also, in response to the OP. I learned on a Canon Rebel XT. I wouldn't recommend that exact camera today, simply because there are better ones for the money, but it really was a fantastic camera to learn on. I'd highly recommend getting the T2i if you're interested in shooting video too. If you don't really care about video, most of the rebels are pretty similar. The XSi would be a great choice. I personally don't like the layout of nikon cameras, but that's just because I'm used to canon. Canon 30D and 40D are great cameras to look at as well, although they may be a bit out of your budget range.
 
probably around $550-600.
definitely both brands are well received, I think I'm just going to have to go to a store and play around with each of them to see what I like better. oh, and I don't really care about video at this point. thanks everyone
 
I've been talking to my aunt recently and she recommended the panasonic lumix series. She's been involved in photography for years from anywhere from portraits to underwater to pretty much everything. The camera she recommended is the same as my aunts/uncles/cousins recently bought- pretty much around $250 for the body. I can't find any reviews on this, but I'm now a little confused. She mentioned that she thought getting a Nikon, you're paying a bunch for the name (where I was thinking for the reliability?). What is separating these two cameras I've listed from other brands that are a few hundred cheaper? Thanks!
 
The body really isn't that different, and their target user range's price is about the same. Nikon glass is better though. It's really personal preference.
 
have you had any problems with the colors on the T1i? ive read some stuff that said the colors were off on it.
 
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