Ask Me Help Desk - Nikon or Canon?

We've been thinking of making the upgrade to a DSLR. For the money and our experience (which is minimal).

I've narrowed it down to either a Canon rebel T3 and the Nikon D3100. Both seem to be considered great entry level SLR cameras. The Nikon seems to have a little more going for it, but people keep telling me to go with a Canon over Nikon.

Both cameras seem to have great reviews, especially the D3100, but I am simply torn between the two. I could really use some insight from some camera people.

Let me also clarify what it's use will be...

We just want to take quality pictures... nomething too fancy. Family related pictures... I would love to get into some nature and still life photos and I'm sure my wife will start taking some bird pictures (I know we'll need a different lens eventually for that).

I would say, go with a Nikon over a Canon. You are getting the same quality (better in some cases) for a smaller price.

My preference in cameras starts with Nikon at the top, Sony next, and then Canon... That doesn't reflect what I own though... I shoot Sony and I really like their stuff as well. In general, Sony is the bottom of the price range but they have some great features too...

Your price range seems to be from $550-$650... The Nikon has more pixels... Otherwise they are pretty much equals... Another option, for another hundred dollars is the Sony A33... there are some more features built into a slightly smaller camera... There is Face Detection (great for family photos where you want sharp faces). Sweep Panorama (for any landscape shots)... The rest of the feature match the Nikon including Mega Pixels...
Sony also has the bonus of having the image stabilization/vibration reduction built into the body (Not the lenses). That means that new lenses cost less. And if you happen across a decently priced old Minolta lens, you can probably use it on a Sony... Sony uses Minolta's A-mount lenses. AKA Alpha mount lenses...

I know I'm pushing Sony, but for the money it is a great camera... OH! Also the Nikon cameras actually use Sony sensors (basically the digital film)... Just thought I'd throw that out there... And I must confess that I am biased and brand loyal. BUT! I have gotten some great images out of my Sony... :)

Good luck and happy shooting. I hope I helped... And didn't just make things harder to choose... :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by hauntinghelper

We've been thinking of making the upgrade to a DSLR. For the money and our experience (which is minimal).

I've narrowed it down to either a Canon rebel T3 and the Nikon D3100. Both seem to be considered great entry level SLR cameras. The Nikon seems to have a little more going for it, but people keep telling me to go with a Canon over Nikon.

Both cameras seem to have great reviews, especially the D3100, but I am simply torn between the two. I could really use some insight from some camera people.

You are going about this all backwards.

First, you need to identify why your current camera isn't meeting your present photography needs. Odds are good that you haven't yet exhausted the capabilities of your current camera. A lot of people think that a DSLR will "take better pictures" but in most cases a pocket camera will do better! A DSLR takes more *skill* to get better pictures.

It also takes better lenses. The price for the camera body is small potatoes compared to what you need to spend on good glass to get good photos. The kit lenses are not very good. You can easily spend 2x-3x the price of the body to buy just ONE good lens.

The camera body you buy will depreciate 50% within one year and be mostly obsolete within 5 years. What matters most are the other items that will hold their value, the lenses and flashes. I bought into the Canon line because Canon had THE LENS that would do what I wanted (the 70-200 IS f/2.8 lens, used for sports photography). But today I'm doing a lot of off-camera flash photography, and there are some who are getting GREAT results with the Nikon line, and Nikon's flashes are much easier to use in this field than the Canon flashes. If I was advising someone who really wanted to get into off-camera flash, I'd tell them to go Nikon.

You mentioned your wife will want to take bird photos. For good wildlife photos you need a good telephoto lens (good glass + fast glass = expensive). The camera body needs to have a fast shutter response (the lag between when you press the button and it takes the photo, which varies even among DSLRs) and a high frame rate can also be very helpful (high number of frames per second in burst mode) and neither of these are present in the entry-level DSLR models you are considering.

Finally, it really helps to have a network of people using the same gear you can contact to get help. If everyone in your network has Canon gear and you buy a Nikon you will not get as much out of your camera as if you had purchased a Canon, and visa versa.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hauntinghelper

We've been thinking of making the upgrade to a DSLR. For the money and our experience (which is minimal).

I've narrowed it down to either a Canon rebel T3 and the Nikon D3100. Both seem to be considered great entry level SLR cameras. The Nikon seems to have a little more going for it, but people keep telling me to go with a Canon over Nikon.

Both cameras seem to have great reviews, especially the D3100, but I am simply torn between the two. I could really use some insight from some camera people.

Also see the answer I posted here: https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/hobbie...ra-589585.html

Well, maybe I should rephrase a little... I do know SOME stuff about photography. My main question was really between the brands of Nikon and Canon. I have heard good and bad about Sony as they seem to have a overheating problem. I'm aware of the need for a different lens if my wife wants to take some bird shots... our point and shoot cameras are terrible. If I come across an A33 I might consider it if the price is right, I just haven't seen one yet.

How much are you thinking of spending on everything you want? That also can play a key roll.

Well of course we are on a tight budget, especially for a SLR, that's why I was looking at those specific models... they fit our price. Again, I'd be open to a Sony, but there are not too many around here and I've read some bad reviews on them, more so than the Canon or Nikon.

I've messed with both in the store as much as you can on a demo, and I'm partial to the Nikon D3100, but I just hear so much talk about Canon being preferred, so I was wondering if there was some secret I didn't know about?

Quote:

Originally Posted by hauntinghelper

Well of course we are on a tight budget, especially for a SLR, that's why I was looking at those specific models...they fit our price. Again, I'd be open to a Sony, but there are not too many around here and I've read some bad reviews on them, more so than the Canon or Nikon.

I've messed with both in the store as much as you can on a demo, and I'm partial to the Nikon D3100, but I just hear so much talk about Canon being preferred, so I was wondering if there was some secret I didn't know about?

When cannon built the "sure shot" camera they also built a following. From there they gained many loyal customers. That is why so many look to them in this day and time. Nikon has been a staple amongst cameras for awhile. But with that comes price. A nikor lens for what your wanting to do is around $250. So with the body and a zoom lens your looking at shelling out $750 to $800 for what you really want from a nikon purchase.

That price is near the same for a cannon outfitted the same way. So if your budget looks OK then go for it. If not you might want to save a bit more and when you get there the newer things of now will be cheaper to get.

As I said before "First, you need to identify why your current camera isn't meeting your present photography needs." Neither of your follow-up comments have addressed this. Without knowing why you are having problems with your current camera, I can't give you any advise about which make (Canon or Nikon) has better addressed the problems that matter to you and your photography needs.

Both companies make good cameras. They each have strengths and weaknesses in *certain* areas.

I shoot with Canon cameras, and I recommend Canon to my friends and family in most cases (except when I recommend the Lumix cameras, which are an exceptional value). The primary reason I recommend Canon is because I know it better, and that I can help provide support to my friends and family if they buy Canon. I don't know the Nikon UI. If someone calls me with a question about "how do I do X?" with a Nikon, I can't help them.

I could easily give you a bunch of reasons I love Canon cameras. I could snow you into thinking Canons are the best. But they are NOT the best for some *particular* uses. Which brings me back to:

"First, you need to identify why your current camera isn't meeting your present photography needs."

Because our first camera is actually failing... mechanically, electronically it is not working properly. We only dropped maybe $250 for it almost 7 years ago. Our other camera takes much better pictures but it is very dinged up and scratched... I found it in a park. Long and short of it, we have two very cheap point and shoots and we want to upgrade.

I love the cannons. They have the best quality and stability as far as I can see. Nikon is a close second.