I have decided that the next digital camera I will get will be a DSLR system. I don't plan on getting this system for a year or more, but I would like to start saving up now for it so that when the deal comes on something good, I'll be prepared.

I would want to get either a Canon or a Nikon. I would also need to get some lenses:

• A Long zoom telephoto for photographing far away lights
• A "normal" zoom lens
• A wide-angle
• Maybe something else that someone can reccomend

I would want to get something nice, at least 6MP. I wouldn't want to spend much over $2000 if I can help it. I was hoping that you could help me price out a good system, so that I can start putting away for it.

Hi Greg!

I would tell you to stick with Canon for a couple reasons. First off, the selection of lenses is much greater, and therefore more affordable, and second of all, they have more to offer than Nikon in the lower end priced DSLR bodies than Nikon. Heck, with the rebates they have going now, if you bought a new DRebel and two lenses you can get $300 off the DRebel and it would cost you around $500 right now (for the body only). It's hard to predict what is going to happen this winter with a potential new camera announcement from Canon, replacing the DRebel, but my guess is that there will be a 8MP version out in the next couple months. If so, the price on the DRebel will drop even further. I just bought my 10D with battery grip used for $900, and less than a year ago that same kit would have cost $1700.

I guess, I'd have to give the opposite suggest. I prefer the Nikon, what Canon makes up for in cost saving, you lose in image quality. I have been shooting professionally for fifteen years, and have used both the Nikon and Canon system, and I found that the image quality from the Nikkor glass, and from Nikon's digital processing to be superior to that of Canon's and would suggest the D70.

The other reason I also would suggest Nikon over Canon is that Canon's CMOS sensor sizes vary from body to body, hence making a 50cc lens a different focal length among each of their bodies. (Unless, you went with their top of the line EOS 1DS which is full frame. )

I actually shifted from Canon digital to Nikon digital because I was so displeased with the Canon system setup.

Aaron, I don't think the CMOS sensor is an issue for Greg, who sounds like he will be shooting with a lower budget DRebel, 10D, or 20D, which are all 1.6x factor sensors. The next size up in Canon Sensors is a 1.3 and those bodies are over $2K for just the body, and probably out of Greg's budget. I was a Nikon shooter for 5 years and Nikon has commendable equipment, but for the budget in which he has, Canon has more affordable choices than Nikon that will still offer him good quality, given the proper selection of lenses. Some of their cheap zooms are junk, but with research he can get some affordable good glass.

Aaron, which lenses were you shooting with in Canon that were giving you such poor quality? I know some of their consumer lenses are junk, and you do need to be careful about which ones you purchase. I am now shooting with all "L" professional zooms and the faster primes, and will no longer shoot third party lenses after a bad rap with a Sigma lens.

For the money I would suggest the Nikon D70 at this time... Everybody that I have talked to that owns one has been very happy with the camera.. Also the reviews I have read rank it high on performance...

You might want to find a camera store in your area that will allow you to shoot with a couple of different models of both Canon and Nikon on your own media and then download the results on your computer and compare the results of each yourself... not all stores will do this but some will. You may find that the results are the same but one camera or the other just feels better in your hands which is important also... plus how easy it is to operate.

Paul

I don't even know what a CMOS sensor is. What does it do? Either way, it doesn't matter all too much...there are other things that I am more worried about.

There seems to be equal support for both brands here right now. Just don't forget...I don't plan on buying this system for abotu 2 years. I just got my Canon Powershot S1 IS in June, and though I'm loving it, know I will be ready to step up to an SLR in a couple years. Who knows what the future will bring for cameras, but I'm pretty confident that there will be a model similar to all those in consideration at that time. Right now, I am just pricing out, so I can figure out how long it wike me and how to save for the system.

Keep the suggestions coming...they're helping a LOT! Just remember, though I would love a $2000 camera body, I will probably be about 16 when I buy this, and thus still reasonably poor. I'm going to want something that, by this stage, can last me a loooong time (longer than how I plan on going through a P&s, seeing as an SLR is really as high as you cango on the ladder), but still has higher models that are compatible with my lens investments.

Greg, the CMOS sensor is the "heart" of a DSLR - basically the digital version of a traditional mirror in a film SLR. A film mirror is 24x36mm in size, and a digital sensor is smaller, and size depends on manufacturer and camera body. The DRebel, 10D, and 20D are a 1.6x factor. This affects lens sizes. For example: a 28-80 lens on digital is the same as a 44-128. Fantastic little bonus for telephoto shooting - my 200mm lens is a 280mm on digital! However, it's a pain for wide angle. My 17-40mm lens is a 27-64mm on digital, and the superwides are big bucks.

Paul's suggestion is a good one. Try out the different bodies, compare features, and see which one is best for you. I cannot stress enough, though, to research your lenses first and base your DSLR purchase on which lenses you want and can afford. With a new DSLR on the market every year, and they keep getting better and better, at some point you will want or need to upgrade your DLSR body, but make the investment in good glass. Also, buy name brand glass. The initial investment for third party lenses is cheaper, and some are comparable quality, but if you ever want to change out/upgrade your lenses, Canon and Nikon brand glass holds it's value ten times over third party glass (Sigma, Tamron, Tokina). I purchased a 200mm Canon lens off eBay last year for $350 and sold it a couple months ago for $511 - USED! Just watch for good deals and it certainly doesn't hurt to buy used equipment, either...

From Jen:

Jen, did your old camera still maintain your magic touch?

bobo

Not to put too fine of a point on it, Jen, but the sensor in a DSLR ISN'T the equivalent of the mirror in an SLR body. DSLRs use a mirror the same as an SLR. That's the only way you get the image coming in through the lens up to the viewfinder in an SLR-type camera body design. The sensor sits behind the mirror and is the digital equivalent of the film in an SLR body if you want to talk in terms of equivalents. The sensors in DSLRs vary in size from 24x36 mm (the size of a 35 mm film frame) downward depending on the body. There are also several different types of sensors in use, CMOS happens to be what Canon is currently using. When you trip the shutter in an SLR or DSLR, the mirror flips up out of the way exposing the film or sensor, as the case may be, to the light coming in through the lens. The only exception are a few SLR camera bodies that use what is known as a pellical mirror... you change the charge on the mirror surface and it goes from being a mirror to optically transparent and doesn't have to be flipped up out of the way, allowing you to shoot more frames/sec. I don't think anyone has yet produced a DSLR body with a pellical mirror.