I am debating what version camera to buy.

I want something that is somewhat professional. 

I am no way a professional, actually a beginner, but I want something that will allow me to venture into photography and look somewhat professional. 

I have looked at Nikon's and not sure if its better over the Canon models.

http://shop.nikonusa.com/store/nikonusa/en_US/pd/productID.213427500

I am debating to get the D90 model.  Its $899.00 online, but I know there are much cheaper places to buy it.

What do you all think? 

I actually just bought my husband a new camera earlier this summer but we (well, I lol) didn't want to dive right into buying a Canon 7D or something similar for about 2K+. So I got him a model that was very cheap and between the model he had and the 7D --a Canon T1i. It has HD video and everything you'd need and you're not spending an arm and a leg. The D90 would be comparable.

But the thing is, I bought him a refurbished kit version. The thing is brand new, you can't tell it's "used" at all ('Specially with T1is not being around very long). I got the camera, the kit lens (which is image stabilizing) and all the extras for about $600 when it goes for about 1K at the NEX (with out the bells and whistles). With the kit lens, a zoom lens and then a Nifty Fifty lens you could do a lot of things!



I'm sure people with better knowledge and who are not partial to Canon can help better with advice. But my husband couldn't be happier with it for the type of photos/video he takes --and the same with me for the price. Lol.

Thanks Liz. A friend I was just talking to, he is a professional photographer in the states. He just told me to buy the Canon 7D.

I dont want to spend 2K for it though. He said you can get it used for about 1300 in the states.

I dont want used though....

I was actually looking at that T1i too.. I am still talking with him right now about the cameras..

The 7D is quite the investment... we'll buy it one day... One day, lol. It really is an amazing camera and it's used in a lot of professional work. Music videos and whole TV episodes have been shot with it.

Here's where I got the one I bought --it's actually under $600:

http://www.adorama.com/ICADRT1IKR.html

Thanks. I just mentioned that website to him. He said he knew it.

He also recommended: http://www.bhphotovideo.com

This is my friends website:
http://www.jusayphotography.com/

JUSAY Photography

He is out of New York..

He has a Canon 5D Mark II.

Too much for me..

I will check out both sites liz. thanks for the help.

I actually went through this process a few months ago when buying a camera for my honeymoon to tanzania. You really can't go wrong with either a Nikon or Canon. The only realy difference is the menu and button layouts. You should pick what you feel most comfortable with.

I chose the Nikon D90 and it is a great camera. It is a mid range DSLR but is only a step or two shy of a full professional camera. Lots of wedding photographers and similar actually use D90s for work.

Remember though, the body of the camera is in many way the least important. You need to get very good quality lenses in order to take decent pictures. Your budget definitely needs to include lenses.

I have a Pentax K100D. Love it. Have always owned Pentax. Don't limit yourself to Nikon or Canon.

Im more of a Nikon person but the truth of it is that Nikon or Canon can take great pictures. Moving up to better cameras just gives you a few more bells and whistles to make taking pictures a little bit easier. I think that if you want to take really great pictures you should also look into taking art composition classes or at least reading up on it to learn how to make your pics a bit better. It is by far the most worth while thing you can do to start taking better looking pics. Also remember that the more expensive the camera then usually it becomes a little bigger and a little heavier. Is it something your willing to carry around on trips?

My wife and I are looking into cameras as well. She wants a Nikon and I want a Canon. I'm looking at the Canon Rebel XS 10.1MP. She's not sure what she wants just yet. Either Canon or Nikon isnt bad. There are other brands just as good though.

Can't go wrong with either Nikon or Canon. Go to a store and handle the cameras you want and see which feels better in your hand. Also, research lens prices for both brands.

My first camera was the Canon 450D and for what you want, the T1i and a speedlite is definitely good enough for what you are using it for.

I'm a Canon gal, myself, but to be honest, I am going to go along with a few statements posted above.
7D...excellent camera. If you are just starting, I would start off with a less pricey model, and spend the dough in a good quality lense (L series for Canon). It makes all the difference in the world.
You can't go wrong with Canon or Nikon...it has more to do with preference than anything else for the most part, IMO. There ARE some minor differences, but unless you are shooting professionally, you won't really notice the difference. Same goes for the fact that this will be your first DSLR, so you have nothing to compare it to.
Canon and Nikon are NOT your only options.
I started off with a Canon...only because the photographer that I was studying under was a Canon user. Keep in mind this was also back in the day of film. A couple years later, a shipmate was selling a limited edition Pentax. I STILL own and love that camera. I just don't get to shoot film as often as I would like. Then I moved back to Canon once I stopped fighting the anti-digital war in my head....because I owned more lenses in that family.
I love my 40D (no longer in production), but I have been feeling that it's been time for an upgrade for some time now. I've looked at the 7D (and know many professionals stateside that use it and love it), as well as the 1D Mark IV. Not sure what I'm going to do. I have one of each sitting in my shopping cart with B&H as well as a $1300 lense. HA! They've been sitting there for a week now.

I am a Nikon owner. I have the D60, and its very simple to use. Either brand (Nikon or Canon) are known for their simple instructions to use right out of the box. They are well worth the money. The best part about it, is the quality of the pictures. Do your research. Iin the end, you decide what you can afford, and what feels good in your hands. Best of luck.

Thanks everyone for the feedback.

I am probably going to go with the Nikon D60.. What type of extra lenses should I purchase?

I have seen you can buy the stock with no lense, and then just custom make it yourself.

Is that a better way to go, and not get the standard lense they give you?

I'm not familiar with Nikon, but if they are anything like Canon, the kit lenses are usually not that great. Then again, not sure if you want to spend more than $500 for a lense either.

My daughter is an aspiring photographer, she swears by her Nikon D60-I got it at the Black Friday sale. My husband has a Canon Rebel T1i, that is a little better than her Cannon at fast action pictures. I recommend both brands as they are both excellent cameras. The Nikon lenses run much higher than Cannon, but I was able to catch them on a 50% off sale at the NEX.

Hello to all - I am the 'new' photographer on the block. I am a straight-up Canon fan - between the two, its best to look at a few things to really compare:
shutter release time - the bigger the number, the longer the camer takes to actually take the picture - shutter lag
ISO settings - in this case, the larger the number, the more versatility you have with light conditions
Burst Shutter Speed - the number of 'frames per second' - the higher the number the better
User Friendly/Intuitiveness - handle both cameras - see which one 'feels' right to you - where the buttons are located, ease of use, change settings to see how easy it is to go from Program to full Manual - adjusting shutter speeds/aperture/film speeds - are the buttons you will use most REALLY at your finger tips :-)
The actual size of the imaging device itself and the type of imaging device - this is the crux of the whole digital camera buying world - you might really want to do some research on this topic before you jump :-) Go to your favorite search engine and type in "Comparison between Nikon and Canon" that would be a good start - you will see many independent folks who love to give their opinions (usually fact based :-) on the two leading manufacturers - best of luck 

rTiffany,

Do you recommend any specific model..

I am bouncing back and forth which one to get. Today, I actually was discussing the differences with someone. I guess I may go with a Cannon.. Is the T1i the best one to start with?

My buying may be a bit skewed - I will always go for the Canon because I just like the way they are layed out. They are rugged (and I have personally tested that one - dropped, banged, knocked - they are not pretty, but they still do thier job). The other thing to keep in mind - I have a large investment in lenses - this can be the big catch for folks. I love my canon lenses and won't give them up :-) I just moved to the 50D - haven't found the need for the $3k ones yet - but soon :-)

As far as starters - think long and hard on this one - once you start buying lenses, it's hard to justify a switch. Any of the Eos/rebel lines are a good place to start and the lenses will fit anything you purchase down the line. The big thing is, look at the lens/lenses that come with the kit - as someone stated before, they aren't the best quality, but a good place to start.

But again, I am a Canon type of guy - been using them since the 70's!

Good luck :-)

If I do purchase one, I will order it custom made. I dont want the standard lenses, so I will probably order a much better one to start off. Thanks..

Just one more thought - many folks are getting into the 'Still-Motion' thing - shooting video AND stills with one camera. If this is your path, keep the video option in mind - many of the DSLR's still do NOT shoot video - this is a relatively new thing. Test the video options out before you commit - the internet will have a plethera of information on this subject :-)

Thanks. yes I was interested in the video option. I am going to be shooting A LOT OF video coming up soon. I have a very nice HD Sony camcorder, which does excellent video, but a friend of mine, shoots music videos with his Canon camera. He said that it takes amazing quality videos.. I definitely want to keep that option open down the line, so thanks for the tip.

I ended up buying the digital camera today.  I was strolling through the exchange, still undecided which one to buy.

It was either the Casio T2i or the Nikon D90.

They had a pretty good sale today, on Casio's..

It's going on until November 18th, I believe.  It is a combo Camera and Lens set for basically the camera price only.  So you get the free $280.00 lens for free.

I think its a 200mm lens.  I will check in a few, but I believe that is what it included.



About to start playing with my new toy.  Have to get to be good at taking photos.  All those experts out there, that know how to use this thing, anytime you want to meet for lunch, please let me know, so you can teach me... 

If you're interested in learning about shooting with a DSLR, http://www.digital-photography-school.com/ is an INVALUABLE resource. There are TONS of tutorials and the people in the forum are uber-helpful. I found this site when I got my first DSLR and I'm not really sure what I would have done without them!

I just purchased a Nikon D5000 for my wife. She seems to like it. Still need to play around with it a little more.

If you're interested in learning about shooting with a DSLR, http://www.digital-photography-school.com/ is an INVALUABLE resource.

Thanks Ham.. I checked it out, and started reading the forums.

Its on my favorites. Appreciate the help.

BTW, anyone recommend a good tripod? I am probably going to buy it online, I just wanted to ask, before I started looking to get one.

On, and BTW, the camera I bought takes amazing pictures! The extra lens I have is a 250mm, so it zooms fantastic!