Which DSLR

Mrs_Arcanum

Love my Lumix DMC-FZ28 (has a great Leica lens) and most importantly will photograph in RAW which is more useful for editing.

daggy

Hi, definitely looking for a DSLR.

I got the bug when I was at summer camp in the US, as I filled in as Photographer for a week - they had a Nikon.

custardy

daggy wrote: »

Hi, definitely looking for a DSLR.

I got the bug when I was at summer camp in the US, as I filled in as Photographer for a week - they had a Nikon.

well advice can only go so far
its a very personal thing
did you like the Nikon? If so go with what you know

daggy

I tested the nikon d3100 and the canon 1100d

both were really nice, I prefer the button layout of the nikon, but the contoured grip on the canon is more ergonomic than the nikon's rubber pad.

Does anybody have any pros and cons of both cameras?

I'll read some reviews, but any other opinions are more than welcome.

Thanks everyone

moonrakerz

andygb wrote: »

It should be noted that Sony make sensors which other manufacturers use - Nikon and Canon included.

It should also be noted that the most important thing on a camera is its lens. Nikon and Canon make their own lenses (and have done for MANY years) - which they do not supply to others !

There are a couple of independent lens makers (Sigma & Tamron) who make lenses to fit other cameras. Some of these are VERY good and much cheaper than the branded makes.
These lenses will nearly always fit Nikon/Canon, whether they will fit Sony, Pentax, Olympus, etc, can be problematic.

patman99

Sigma make lenses for all the popular DSLR's. They use the same internals and just use different ends where the lens mounts the camera. Konica/Minolta made their own lenses, which are right at the top of the quality level.

When it comes to adding to your lens-count, the following may be of interest .

Canon - Can use all EOS-2 lenses + EOS-1 lenses (manual focus only)
Nikon - Can use any Nikon Nikkor lens made since 1959 with a few exceptions.
Sony - Can use any Konica/Minolta AF mount lenses with exception of those designed for Minolta's 'X' range or cameras.

The Sony A100 when launched, was PCPro's 'Best DSLR' for nearly a year and really shook Nikon and Canon up big time with it's superior image quality. At the same time, Sony launched the A700 aimed at the serious photographer.

I had a good play with a few DSLR's when looking to buy, and even read real end-user reviews on sites such as 'Dooyoo'. I settled for a Sony A200. It was a good camera, but not as good as the 2nd hand A700 I picked-up last year. The A700 has produced some stunning images.

One point to look for, what type of memory card will the camera use ?. SD cards are very fragile (have had 2 quite literally fall-apart when I took them out of the camera). CF cards are both the highest capacity (137Gb) and the fastest for writing-too (CompactFaster cards can top 1Gb/sec). CF cards are also virtually indestructable.

bylromarha

I am a camera widow.

OH did loads of research a few years ago and decided Nikon was the one for him. He's upgraded twice since then and his lenses are all Nikon fitting, so make sure you're happy with your choice before you invest in a range of lenses.

We now have a good friend who he goes shooting with and I'm so bored of their arguement of Canon vs Nikon...it really is down to personal choice - decide what you want it to do and then go talk to an independent camera shop (Jessops have been known to make a few crucial technical mistakes when OH has spoken to them)

Can't believe OH has turned me into someone who now responds to camera threads...argh!!!!!!

tberry6686

There are so many variables that it's impossible to really advise, however -

As has already been mentioned Nikon use Sony sensors and just tweak the software to suit them - reqarded as being the best performer at high ISO,s. Nikon also use 2 slightly different lens types so you need to know which type you require.

Canon make good kit but are known for having slightly off colours. (I could not get used to their menu system - but thats just me)

Sony aren't as good at high ISO's but do have exclusive access to some of the best lenses made (Zeiss). The only lenses that you cannot get for the sony cameras are highly specialised (I only know of tilt/shift lenses being unavailable).

SOny has just released the replacement for the A700 so second hand versions may be a good buy. Canon and Nikon are both due to announce new cameras soon.

There are also sigma, Pentax and possibly other companies doing DSLR's at the moment so they best thing to do would be go to a good camera shop and try out cameras from all the main manufacturers and see what you like.

moonrakerz

patman99 wrote: »

Sigma make lenses for all the popular DSLR's.

Yes and No................ that was the point I was trying to make.

Sigma do "make lenses for all the popular DSLRs" - but not every Sigma lens is available with a fitting for every make of DSLR. Whereas every Sigma lens which has a choice of fitting will fit a Nikon or a Canon. (and a Sigma !)

ukcarper

patman99 wrote: »

Sigma make lenses for all the popular DSLR's. They use the same internals and just use different ends where the lens mounts the camera. Konica/Minolta made their own lenses, which are right at the top of the quality level.

When it comes to adding to your lens-count, the following may be of interest .

Canon - Can use all EOS-2 lenses + EOS-1 lenses (manual focus only)
Nikon - Can use any Nikon Nikkor lens made since 1959 with a few exceptions.
Sony - Can use any Konica/Minolta AF mount lenses with exception of those designed for Minolta's 'X' range or cameras.

The Sony A100 when launched, was PCPro's 'Best DSLR' for nearly a year and really shook Nikon and Canon up big time with it's superior image quality. At the same time, Sony launched the A700 aimed at the serious photographer.

I had a good play with a few DSLR's when looking to buy, and even read real end-user reviews on sites such as 'Dooyoo'. I settled for a Sony A200. It was a good camera, but not as good as the 2nd hand A700 I picked-up last year. The A700 has produced some stunning images.

One point to look for, what type of memory card will the camera use ?. SD cards are very fragile (have had 2 quite literally fall-apart when I took them out of the camera). CF cards are both the highest capacity (137Gb) and the fastest for writing-too (CompactFaster cards can top 1Gb/sec). CF cards are also virtually indestructable.

The cheaper Nikon DLRSs do not have a focus motor in the body and will only use lenses that have one ruling out a lot of older lenses. Personally I think that the difference between the lower price DSLRs is so small that for what you want they would all be ok.