Canon vs. Nikon SLR's?

[Mr. Mayor]

So, I'm considering taking the jump into the digital SLR world. Have been doing a lot of research and am torn between the Canon and Nikon line of cameras.

I don't want anything too high end. Something 'starter' or mid-range is ideally what I'm looking for.

Any thoughts or advice for someone that has been tinkering more and more with photography, and wants to take things to the next level?

I know Jarrod on the forums here is a Canon buff... I don't know enough about the brands to make any kind of informed decision!

[Phoenix_NZ]

Well after seeing ipods photos That he took using a Nikon I wonder if Nikons are better. Ive always wanted a Canon tho. But now that I have one Im not sure its that great. But now that I have it Im gonna keep playing with it till I become really good at it. lol Then will move on to better cameras.

Good luck with your search Mayor

[ipodtoucher]

for a beginner i would suggest a Nikon D40. I have the D50, but they don't make it anymore.... so unless you find a warehouse full of them, then you are SOL. But I have found that Nikon's can lack some of the composition that Canon's have. But it's nothing that iPhoto's 'Enhance button' can't fix. The biggest problem with the D40 is that there is no auto focus motor in the camera, so you have to by the special Nikon lenses. But in any case you will most likely get a kit lens with it. They are not the best, but they get the job done. I just recently bought a Nikon 50mm f/1.8, and at around $100 it is the best lens i have ever used. I will be posting pictures with it in a few minutes, so check them out.

The decision has to be yours nd only your choice. My best advice is to go to your local camera store, Ritz or something like that, and try out the different models. Tell them your price range and they will do their best to give you what you need.

My setup right now is:
Nikon D50
Nikon Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 D AF
Sigma 70-300mmD Macro
Quantaray 18-90mm Kit lens (broken at the moment)
QuantarayQDC 900WA Hot Shoe flash attachment
Tamrac Adventure 9 Series camera backpack in Camo
A few filters
Wireless remote
Wacom Bamboo Fun Tablet
Crappy tripod

All of this has been acquired over a years time. So don't go buy all this at once unless you have the money hahaha

Hope this helps a bit

[Jarrod Tully]

Bwahah... Here I am with my Canon fanboy input! Growing up, I was always big into Pentax. So it was hard to abandon that to throw my loyalty at Canon.

Both are quality brands so you can't go wrong with either a Canon or a Nikon. At the end of the day, it's not the name on the camera body, it's how well you learn to use it. I've seen some amazing shots taken with a crappy little point and shoot camera and some awful shots with a $10,000 SLR.

Just know that it's an investment so you'll want to pick one and stick with it. The only gripe I have with Canon is they charge through the nose for everything. Even a simple shutter release cable or lens hood is horribly over-priced. But it's like anything, you shop around, you wait for the sales and you pounce. Even more than the camera body, the quality comes from the lens that's attached to it so that should be your bigger concern. Get a quality lens!

I could go on all day about this. There's no right or wrong answer. People seem to be fiercely loyal to their own brand but it's not like Mac vs PC. There just aren't substantial differences between the two. Buy one and learn it inside out and you'll love it.

[chadaw]

Well I have always been a Canon fan. I have a EOS Elan IIE (Pre-digital), the 6.0 Digital Rebel and now a Canon 20D. I do not have experience with Nikon. I have always been pleased by the quality of Canon.

[roalgumo7]

I'm kinda in a rush here, but I think canon is better..

[Sam DaCool]

I've heard canon is more preferred by photographers seeing that my dad is a sports photographer. It also matters what you are shooting though. what are you planning on taking pictures of; still life, or action?

[corygreenwell]

I do concert photography (you can see my photos under each of the reviews available HERE), and I absolutely love my Canon. I didn't know what I was doing, but I got a press pass for a Feist concert, and had been planning on going DSLR for some time. I've heard Canon is better in low-light, which heavily influenced my decision, and with my 50/1.8 lens, I've had few problems getting shots in some of the darkest conditions. My nemesis is still red lighting....but I'll figure that out one day! (I hope)

[chadaw]

Wow great job Cory. Which Canon do you have? Did you do the graphic on top of your blog page, very nice as well.

[corygreenwell]

Guess I should have mentioned which camera I had, huh? ha

I've got the Canon Rebel XTi, and virtually only use the 50mm/1.8 (commonly known as the "nifty fifty"), unless at an outdoor festival.

The graphic at the top is a photo of the wall in my house. We had a graffiti artist come in & do a 26'x11' mural spanning three walls and a counter in our condo, depicting the Louisville, KY and Southern Indiana skyline. I should note that my blog focuses (almost) exclusively on the Louisville, KY music scene, including local bands and bands that travel through. If I'm at a concert somewhere else though, I usually try to review it as well...

thanks for the kind words about my photography...I'm still pretty new to it all, but the XTi and the 50/1.8 seem to make it all pretty foolproof!