Narrowing down to.....

[bubbie]

I asked a while ago about cameras and got lots of great advise!!
I am now trying to make a final decision between the Cannon Rebel T3; T2i; or the Nikon D3100.
I am a beginner, take a lot of sky pictures, would like to try to keep it between $400-$500. I am just beginning but I know I want a DSLR camera and these three seem to be in my price range. Can anyone tell me the pros and cons?!?!

 

[cbrown222]

I've used both the D3100 and the T3i, and between the two I would choose the D3100 with the 18-55 kit lens. The T3i doesn't have nearly as well-thought-out menus or ergonomics, and I think that the D3100 generally seems to produce better looking pictures. If you're taking pictures of the sky the kit lens should be fine, and if you save up the money you could get a fast prime for not much money. If you can find one cheap, a D90 or D80 used would be a good choice as well. This might be a little biased just because I've used Nikons more, but like I said, between the two I would go D3100 for sure.


Edit: if you have the chance, I would go to a Best Buy or store of that kind and just hold each camera to see how they feel.

 

[o hey tyler]

I asked a while ago about cameras and got lots of great advise!!
I am now trying to make a final decision between the Cannon Rebel T3; T2i; or the Nikon D3100.
I am a beginner, take a lot of sky pictures, would like to try to keep it between $400-$500. I am just beginning but I know I want a DSLR camera and these three seem to be in my price range. Can anyone tell me the pros and cons?!?!

First of all, I've held a Canon T3, and I do not think you would want one. There's no rubber grip on it, which made it feel very odd in my hands. The T2i and the T3i are very viable cameras. Especially the T3i, if you can manage it into your price range.

The pro's of a Canon body is that every Canon EF, or EF-S lens will focus on the camera without doubt. I've also heard that the movie mode on Canon's is better than Nikon's offering (I don't really know the particulars, therefore I can't really comment... This is just what I've heard). Canon's lenses are often times cheaper than the Nikon equivalents, especially the lenses you'd need in order to AF on the D3100.

The pro's of a Nikon body are that they have much more backwards compatibility right out of the box. You can slap any Nikon lens on a Nikon body all the way back to the 70's. They also have color aware metering in their bodies, but that may not be a big deal for you as a beginner. The D3100 does not have wireless flash transmitting AFAIK, which the T3i DOES HAVE but the T2i doesn't, so that may play a role in your decision (as it turns out, the T3i, and T2i also have color aware metering).

In summation, if you were between the D7000 and the 60D, I'd suggest the D7k, but when it's in the entry level field... I'd recommend a Canon. Mainly because you'll probably save a bit of money, and I think they offer a little bit more value (especially the T3i over the D3100).