Camera Advice Please !!!

[Drumbum27]

I am looking to get into taking pictures on a more serious basis but have a limited budget. The three cameras in my budget are an STL-A57 sony, a T3i with both kit and an extra 75-300 zoom and a nikon d5100. I want something to take pictures of my children with but mostly also outdoor photography. I love nature and would love to get more into photographing scenery. I know they are most likely all capable camera, but the only site i saw I could rate all three put the sony first then the nikon and the canon last. I havent heard much good about sony so this makes me worry and I know a friend who had to replace there d5000 cause it kept shooting all black photos and after them telling him to reset his camera 3 times he ran out of warranty and this seems from searching the web to be a nikon issue on there 5100 as well that they dont seem to want to fix so it makes me a little weary of that camera. Could really use some advice Ive held all three and all seem ok to me but I have to pick the camera tonight before the family member who is helping me purchase it leaves town. Thank you all in advance for advice. Also if you could tell me why you prefer what ever camera you list. Thank you

 

[Designer]

What is your budget?

You can read all kinds of things on the internet, some of which are true. Apparently your friend didn't actually send his camera in for repair, so how can you fault Nikon?

Yes, I am just a little prejudiced, but whichever one you pick, it is you who will have to be satisfied with it, not I.

The good news is that retailers are making some really good package deals these days, so you can grab a good deal just about anywhere.

 

[sekhar]

It's hard to give you a useful answer because this is a personal choice (like telling you what shirt to buy). If I were you and the those were the three choices, I'd get the Canon. Canon and Nikon have been in the business longer and will support you very well as you grow. Try those two cameras again and see which one you like better. Remember though that the Canon lenses you'll be getting are likely EF-S mount and will NOT work on full frame cameras with EF mount that you might upgrade to as you move up.

 

[Drumbum27]

He didn't send it in for repair cause he called them two times and both times they told him to just reset his camera. And it would work for awhile but it turned out to be a bad board in the camera which from checking forums online I have found over 600 ppl with the same complaint in the D5000/D5100 line.

 

[SCraig]

You show me ANY consumer product made, I don't care what it is, from cars to toothbrushes, and I'll find you a list of people who are unhappy with them.

Be aware there there are TWO types of Nikon products sold in the United States: Nikon USA products and imported Nikon products. Reputable dealers will CLEARLY state whether they are USA or Import, non-reputable dealers may not. Nikon USA will ONLY (and I mean **ONLY**) service and repair products that carry a Nikon USA serial number, they will NOT repair import products unless the owner can provide proof that they were purchased in the country of manufacture and then brought into the USA by the owner. How many of those 600 tried to get them to repair imports?

 

[Drumbum27]

This I am not sure of Scraig I just cant afford a bad product cause I cant afford to repair or replace it and this is the camera I will be stuck with for quite awhile money is an issue for me. So which of the three would you recommend?

 

[SCraig]

This I am not sure of Scraig I just cant afford a bad product cause I cant afford to repair or replace it and this is the camera I will be stuck with for quite awhile money is an issue for me. So which of the three would you recommend?

It's unfair for me to say because I shoot Nikon, so I would obviously recommend the D5100. I personally know several people with D5100s, none of whom have experienced any problems whatsoever with them so I would not have any reservations whatsoever in recommending it.

That said, I would also have no problem whatsoever in recommending anything made by Canon. In my personal opinion both Canon and Nikon are effectively equal in capabilities and quality throughout their range, and the basic difference is in how they physically feel to the photographer. Some people like how a Nikon feels in their hands better than a Canon, some people feel better holding a Canon. Sometimes it really does come down to something that simple. As far as build and image quality, and feature comparison, I honestly believe that in trained and competent hands there is not a bit of difference and one is just as capable as the other. Keep in mind that both manufacturers do have differing grades of cameras from consumer through prosumer to professional, and comparing one manufacturers consumer grade to another manufacturer's prosumer would be unfair. But staying within grade I do believe that they are equal.

I also think that the accessory market is tailored to those two manufacturers and if you want anything at all you can find it for a Nikon or Canon before anything else.

Unfortunately I personally do not believe that Sony is in that same league. They do make some good equipment, but I just don't think they are as good as Nikon or Canon. I have a Sony bridge camera and I've never been very happy with the quality of the images from it, even considering that it's just a bridge camera. When I decided I wanted a DSLR my experience with that camera pushed me away from Sony.

The bottom line is that IN MY OPINION you would be well served and happy for a long time with either the D5100 or T3i. Both are excellent cameras with a long line of accessories behind them and well-established companies to back them up. There are hundreds of thousands of them on the market so they have been thoroughly field-tested and proven. If I had to choose, that is without question the way I would lean.