hey guys,

i want to get into photography. i plan to purchase a camera by Christmas time...deciding between a Canon or Nikon DSLR...possible a D90 to start out with. which one is better? Canon or Nikon?

i am a TOTAL noob when it comes to photography. are there any links or good helpful forums for photography? like i want to start from basic..with definitions of terms/vocabulary and what not.

MODS: not sure where to post this thread. please put in appropriate section or leave as is. thanks.

 

Digital Camera Reviews and News: Digital Photography Review: Forums, Glossary, FAQ

 

[quote=Fitcious;717051]hey guys,

i want to get into photography. i plan to purchase a camera by Christmas time...deciding between a Canon or Nikon DSLR...possible a D90 to start out with. which one is better? Canon or Nikon?


Being a professional...it all depends on you. Buy an entry level DSLR, learn how to use it, then upgrade as you out grow the camera. As far as Nikon vs. Canon - they both are great. (I use Canon...love the "L" lenses, cost more than the camera...LOL) If you have friends who you can borrow lenses from, go with whatever you can borrow...

Good luck, and check out dpreview and start reading BEFORE you buy.

handymus

 

I think with a decision between Canon and Nikon DSLRs you will get some bias answers. I've got a lot of those when I was debating between Canon and Nikon. So I am hoping to be neutral in this reply.

I own two Nikon DSLRs (D80 and D700) and a Digital Canon Powershot. I chose Nikon because of personal preferences and comfort. The reason I chose Nikon is because I liked how the D80 and D700 interface was setup in the camera, how tight and snugged they were in my hand, and the locations of the buttons. They both were the right size. I like Canons too, but it was something about how the setup that didn't feel right to me. I tested all the Canons too.

Like handymus said, you want something something that is more of an entry level. I started off with a D80 and went to a D700. There are great Canon and Nikon cameras less than $500-$600, like the Canon Rebels and Nikon D40s or D60s. If you feel a D90 is something that fits you, then I say go for it.

Also, I want to give you an advice. Most people buy DSLRs because a higher megapixels mean clearer picture, but when they see how it comes out and compare it to other high quality and wonder why its not good, they end up buying lenses . It is a waste of money. Most of the the high quality picture comes from photo editing, the photographer, and lenses. I've seen people who take non-DSLRs pictures, edit them, and just blow the DSLRs pictures away.

So just research, test all cameras, and get a feel for them.

 

i went with a Canon Xsi. a nice entry level DSLR and any canon lens will fit on it.

 

Canon or Nikon? That's right there with Ford vs. Chevy. Wait, Ford has lept ahead once again i think...

On a serious note, I dove into digital SLRs once the prices became reachable (i.e. <$2000). i have a lifelong friend who is a professional artist and photographer - btw, he and his colleagues all use Nikon equipment. Hmmmm....anyway, he guided me to some invaluable resources. the two sites that have had the biggest impact on me are:

dpreview.com as been my one stop shopping for ALL the flippin SLR tech spec/compare/contrast info you'll ever need. an independent digital photography resource site owned/run by couple of professional photographers, Phil and Joanna Askey. don't even bother with the cnet style review sites....you want it from pros who're in the photography line of work and have done their time in the field.
...once on their site, left nav bar to "camera database" and choose yer Make. You get a thumbnail-view of models sorted by release date. clicking on the image of the model yer interested in will take you to their specifications page. however, what you really want is the In-Depth Review. Check one out, and you'll see why!

for inspiration, pBase.com has got copies of some really impressive work at the amatuer and pro level.

...off topic for this forum, but caught my attention.

 

I really like my Canon SLR, Rebel is a good one to start.

 

how did i get to the off topic forums?

 

We picked up a D40 used for about $250. Great price and the camera works wonderfully. I'd pick up something cheap like that to get started and go from there. As a side benefit, if you do like it and start upgrading, you can (usually) take nice lenses you buy for the cheapo-cam up to better bodies (like the D60/90) later.

 

You can't go wrong with Canon or Nikon. I'm a Canon guy and love mine. If I were to get a camera today for entry level I'd get the Canon T1i. It's about $850 with lens. It's 15.1 mega pixels and does full HD Video.

 

You can't go wrong with either Cannon or Nikon.

1/ Get a entry to mid level Digital SLR (appart from dpreview.com, I'd also recommend cameralabs.com for newbies researching about cameras)
2/ Buy a book or do a online course to learn how to compose good shots.
3/ Once you understand what type of photography you like to take (eg portraits, landscape or sports/action, you can upgrade your lens collection to suit.

 

Canon 1Ds Mark iii

You won't regret it.

 

thanks for the input guys. i am researching as we speak.

 

I think Canons have better image quality (slightly), and Nikons have easier controls and a better form factor. They both make excellent lenses, and Canon ones are usually slightly cheaper than their Nikon equivalents.

 

Right now Nikon has the best lineup of bodies, and in 2 years Canon will, and 2 years after that Nikon will... etc.

Just figure out what lenses you want and buy the corresponding brand. Price wise, the Canon lenses are little cheaper than Nikon overall, with the same quality if not better.

 

just throwing this out there, but if you're leaning towards the nikon, check out the sony alpha series. Nikons actually use the sony sensor in their entry-mid level camera bodies, but nikon, if you want vibration reduction, you have to use their VR lens. On the Sony Alpha, the SteadyShot is built into the camera body. Makes the lenses a little less expensive. I bought a Sony A100 (before they ever had any other options) and would love to upgrade to the A350, but if I had to start over again from scratch, I'd probably go Canon. Seems like they have more support. You can pick up an A100 pretty cheap now, but if you really want to get into photography, it's gotta be the camera YOU feel comfortable with.

 

It really depends on your budget. The body is very important, but which lenses you use will affect your image quality even more. Keep this in mind. It's better to buy a cheaper body but a nice lens than a good body and a cheap kit lens. Don't be afraid to buy used (as long as you can check it over in person) or refurbished to save money. Make sure you go into a camera store and try the camera yourself. For the most part, camera bodies from different manufacturers are very comparable and only differ in ergonomics, controls, and the lens lineup.

Photography on the Net is my favorite Canon forum. It pretty much covers everything that has to do with Canon photography. Check out their classifieds for some very good deals.

 

^ great info.
Another thing to keep in mind is that if you stay with the same brand camera, the lenses you can usually use with the new camera body. So going a little bit more on the budget side with the body for now is okay. Make sure you get good lenses though. You can use those with a different camera when you upgrade.

 

I went to a used camera store and bought a starter Canon Rebel for CHEAP!!! The XS or XSi are even better starters. The Nikon D90 might be a bit much $$$. But if you can get one under the Christmas tree then go for it.

 

BALLIN'!!!!

Haha to OP, I'd suggest Canon, even though I shoot Nikon.
I want a 5D Mark ii