My Life in Photos

I’m a Canon girl all the way, but really both brands are fab. I got mine from B&H photo online and love it. Jenna wrote a great post about choosing your first SLR a few weeks ago, too, probably way more helpful than me. But my advice is learn how to use all of the functions on the camera and don’t just settle for the ‘auto’ mode. Good luck and have fun shopping!

I am a Nikon girl and LOVE mine!

I own and love the D300 but I’d actually suggest you wait a bit to buy. They are coming out with a new D300 in a couple months and you either would want to wait to buy that OR wait for it to come out b/c this one will go down in price drastically.

I have a Canon Rebel and it’s among my very favorite possessions… but I’ve often heard that the brands are interchangeable as far as quality goes, so you can’t go wrong there. I chose Canon because, at the time, I didn’t want to make a huge financial commitment, and got a ridiculous steal on a like-new refurbished Rebel on eBay. Have fun, you’ll love it no matter what!

My brother is a photographer and uses a Nikon. My parents just bought a Nikon. So when I went searching for my SLR I assumed I would go with a Nikon. However, I feel in love with the Rebel, and called my brother to see why he chose the Nikons. He said Canons are more user friendly, especially for people just diving into the SLR world- and his first camera was a actually a Rebel and he loved it. I have adored my Canon Rebel so far, and would suggest it to anybody. Good luck! Let us know what you choose!

Oh also- remember that its not the investment in the BODY but the LENSES that is the most important (and most expensive!) part. Best Buy has a really good package where you get two lenses with the Canon Rebel body and insurance. You should chec into it.

I’m a Nikon girl. When I started in taking photographs, I used Canon, but I switched. I liked the quality of Nikon lenses better. Instead of a D300, perhaps you might want to look into a D90. It’s a great camera body and a better transition if you’re a beginner.

I agree with pp that you should check out Jenna’s post regarding your first dSLR.

I am a Canon girl all the way. I have an old Nikon slr that I used in college when I was taking photography classes. Although I learned on a Nikon, I converted to Canon just for its quality and lenses. I bought a Canon Rebel a few years ago and even used it for some commerical photography work. We recently got the EOS 50D and LOVE LOVE IT! The best part is that we have all our older Canon lens and filters to use with it.

Its totally your preference and your photo taking abilities. If you are like me and do a little manipulation and editing on your photos in Photoshop then either one would really do. If you are all about taking un-edited photos I know Nikon has better settings to make that happen.

Ami out of those 2 cameras I would go with the Nikon d300. It is a great camera we still shoot with 1 d300 and it still delivers at weddings we shoot. Yes I love my d700 but for the price a 300 is great. The body is sealed unlike most canons till you get to the higher price point. So you will be a little safe at the beach or whatever those Chicago winds blow at you. Plus we can answer any Nikon questions. Also we will be teaching more SLR classes over the next year too.

I am also a Nikon girl all the way. It’s a personal preference and bias, but from doing a lot of reading and a lot of asking of professional photographers, as long as you go with Canon or Nikon, you’ll be in good shape - they make, hands down, the best lenses you can find and ultimately good photos are all about the glass, not necessarily the body. My first 35mm film camera was Nikon, all of my point and shoot digitals have been Nikon, my DSLR is Nikon and our wedding photog shot with Nikon so again, just my personal bias - I think you’ll be thrilled with the photo quality either way!

I am a Canon girl all the way. I have a Rebel, but I would love to move up some day to the 50D or Mark II (I can dream!) I fell in love with photography using Canon Point & Shoots, so it was a natural transition for me! I’m sure you will find that either would be a fabulous choice. If you are more familiar with one brand, I would say go with that. I know people who learned on Nikon P&S, and then got a Canon DSLR (and vice versa) and it drove them crazy trying to relearn where everything is.

Also, if you have a good friend who has one of the two, that can be helpful because they can show you the ropes if you have questions.

Just pick a brand and stick with it. That’s the best advice you can get I think. All of the add-ons are expensive and very brand specific. :)

I use a Nikon, and along with Anne I would also recommend the D90. I know that a lot of professionals use Nikons and I think they’re just better overall. But for what you’re using it for I’m sure the Canon would do just fine. It’s like the Lexus SUV vs. an Acura - they are both pretty nice, some just prefer one over the other. (I could live in a Lexus SUV they are so nice. My new dream car!)

I have had many cameras over the many years I have been a Mother (31 to be exact), The most important thing about any camera is that it should be small enough to slip into your pocket and it should use AA batteries so that you can always carry a few in your other pocket. It doesn’t matter how the camera ‘rates’ compared to others and it doesn’tmatter how terriffic the features are compared to other cameras. If it’s not handy to have accessable at all times, you won’t get the really great shots.

I have been wanting to buy a digital SLR for some time now, having used manual cameras (an old nikon100 i think?) years back… but I simply don’t have much money. Is it possible to buy a good SLR (ideally digital, but im guessing that wouldnt be feasible) for under $500?

Thanks!

Did you buy one yet? We purchased a Nikon D60 around this time and absolutely 100% love it. Could not be happier, do not want anything more.
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