Which would you buy and why?

[TeeZeeMee]

also, i am just getting into this so i dont want to spend TOO much money yet seeing how im finishing up college and when i land that career then! just then! could i get a pricy set up.

i appreciate all the help though! and whatever other opinions you have let me know.

 

[Derrel]

T3i only because there is no auto focus motor in the D5100 forcing you to use AF-s lenses or manual focus. It limits you on a few great lenses and on some amazing older nikon lenses that are one hell of a bargain. Otherwise? The d5100 is a great entry level camera.

If you don't care about video and the video toys the T2i is the same sensor in the T3i. The T3i just has a few toys in the video department and the articulating screen. If you plan on being serious about photography you won't want the articulating screen down the line anyway.

Sorry, but this is somewhat of an inaccurate, or incomplete statement. The D5100 can accept,mount, and shoot with about 69,990,000 different Nikon-made F-mount lenses. Yes, you would need to manually focus "old" lenses, but the baby Nikons will use ALL manual focusing F-mount lenses, and will mount and shoot with ALL AF and AF-D lenses. So, if you want to buy 15 to 20 to 50 year old lenses, the D5100 will accept, mount, and shoot with ALL of them (except the rare invasive fisheyes from the 1960's). The majority of the new, affordable lenses a beginner would want will be AF-S motor style lenses that are affordable. If you want to buy $1100 AF-D pro-grade, last generation telephotos to use on a D5100, then you're a rare,rare beginner. Take it from me: the lack of an AF motor in a beginner-level Nikon body might seem like a drawback to a Canon shooter, but it also has a plus side of being able to use over 40 million manual focusing Nikkor lenses...

 

[TeeZeeMee]

T3i only because there is no auto focus motor in the D5100 forcing you to use AF-s lenses or manual focus. It limits you on a few great lenses and on some amazing older nikon lenses that are one hell of a bargain. Otherwise? The d5100 is a great entry level camera.

If you don't care about video and the video toys the T2i is the same sensor in the T3i. The T3i just has a few toys in the video department and the articulating screen. If you plan on being serious about photography you won't want the articulating screen down the line anyway.

Sorry, but this is somewhat of an inaccurate, or incomplete statement. The D5100 can accept,mount, and shoot with about 69,990,000 different Nikon-made F-mount lenses. Yes, you would need to manually focus "old" lenses, but the baby Nikons will use ALL manual focusing F-mount lenses, and will mount and shoot with ALL AF and AF-D lenses. So, if you want to buy 15 to 20 to 50 year old lenses, the D5100 will accept, mount, and shoot with ALL of them (except the rare invasive fisheyes from the 1960's). The majority of the new, affordable lenses a beginner would want will be AF-S motor style lenses that are affordable. If you want to buy $1100 AF-D pro-grade, last generation telephotos to use on a D5100, then you're a rare,rare beginner. Take it from me: the lack of an AF motor in a beginner-level Nikon body might seem like a drawback to a Canon shooter, but it also has a plus side of being able to use over 40 million manual focusing Nikkor lenses...

shouldnt i learn how to manual focus anyhow? haha that seems like a dumb question im sure.
everything seems very opinion based and that it just tends to be what you like as a person, ergonomically and all...

so that being said i feel like i should just get the one which will be most comfortable at first glance yea?

 

[TeeZeeMee]

when it comes down to it, what would be better specfications wise for still shooting?
a Canon T3i/T2i or a Nikon D5100?

 

[KmH]

Nikon AF-S and AF-I lenses will AF on a D5100. Having no focus motor in the camera body is essentially a non-issue.

Here is a list of 160 or so Nikon and 3rd party lenses that will auto focus on any Nikon that doesn't have a focus motor in it D40/D40x/D60/D3000/D3100/D5000/D5100. By the way, NONE of Canon's cameras have a focus motor in them.

List of Nikon F-mount lenses with integrated autofocus motors - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Derrel]

Nikon AF-S and AF-I lenses will AF on a D5100. Having no focus motor in the camera body is essentially a non-issue.

Here is a list of 160 or so Nikon and 3rd party lenses that will auto focus on any Nikon that doesn't have a focus motor in it D40/D40x/D60/D3000/D3100/D5000/D5100. By the way, NONE of Canon's cameras have a focus motor in them.

List of Nikon F-mount lenses with integrated autofocus motors - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dude--you mean there's only 162 CURRENTLY-MADE optics that will fit on a D5100? Is that all? Hrrumph....I would want at least 297 different optics...

 

[o hey tyler]

By the way, NONE of Canon's cameras have a focus motor in them.

...But every Canon lens is an AF lens. So that's "essentially a non-issue."

 

[Derrel]

By the way, NONE of Canon's cameras have a focus motor in them.

...But every Canon lens is an AF lens. So that's "essentially a non-issue."

Well, "sort of" a non-issue...what you mean is EVERY NEW, MODERN, EOS-mount Canon lens is an AF lens; there are 30-40 million older Canon FD-mount lenses that are useless,orphaned lenses. With the "baby Nikons" list that KmH referred to above, ANY F-mount lens made since 1959 and up to and including 2012, will mount, stop-down to shooting aperture, re-open to viewing aperture,shoot a picture, and will WORK, and have infintity focus. So, for the beginner, or the guy who wants LOW-cost lenses, the "baby Nikons" offer the option to use 53 years' worth of F-mount lenses. Meanwhile, the earlier Canon manual focus accessories and lenses are basically,useless,orphaned junk equipment, and they were made so by Canon's own engineering choices.

But yes, the statement that "NONE of Canon's cameras have a focus motor in them" is disingenuous, I'll agree.

As for the OP...you'll probably find that there are tactile differences between the low-end Canons and the low-end Nikons. Many people prefer Nikon's control layout, and control ethos, over that of Canon. The two companies have come at the camera business from different directions. The mid-level and higher-end cameras are where the differences become more pronounced,and more critical. I would buy the Nikon over the Canon simply because I like the way Nikon cameras are layed out and how they operate, more so than I like Canon cameras and how they are layed out and how they operate. But really--it's going to be YOUR CAMERA!!!!!!!!!! So, YOUR opinions on fit,feel,and like/dislike are going to probably be much more of a good guide than what Tyler,or Keith,or Derrel, or MLeeK have to say. I used to sell cameras...I have actually placed three bodies, and nine lenses and three flashes on a counter in front of hundreds of people, and seen how they react. "Some" customers REALLY like one system over another....some appreciate that they are "all good". Some will like two, and loathe the third. Some will like one and loathe two.

What's better: shrimp Alfredo, or chicken parmesagne??

 

[skieur]

I wouldnt buy wither because I shoot Sony.

the only sony i could find in town so far was the A55, and you suggested not getting that.
i wanted to try an a65 really badly though.

also, i could see how the articulating screen could be a benefit at times really... i guess it is just preference?

The articulating screen is extremely useful. Some kids and others tend to pose when they see the viewfinder go up to the eye of the photographer. To get natural shots, I use the screen in live view and shoot from the waist. Street shooting is also done more easily with an articulating screen to get natural shots too. Some photographers may like to get down on the ground to use the viewfinder but it is much easier for many to bend the screen, rather than themselves...as well as cleaner. Anyone who argues against an articulating screen doesn't have one and is missing the advantages.

The A65 or A77 are good cameras that are rich in features that are not on many other cameras.

skieur

 

[xj0hnx]

Shoot, if nothing else articulating screens are good because you can stow the LCD to keep it from get dicked up, or covered in slimy face oils when it isn't in use.

 

[MLeeK]

Should you learn to manually focus-Well, maybe. Usually not. You'll find that 9 times out of 10 manual focus is really inaccurate and hard as hell to do. There are a FEW who do it, but not many. Manual focus is used for macro shots and that is totally different than manually focusing other things.

The screen-it's a break hazard that I don't want to deal with. I almost never use the live view on my cameras in any way shape or form. I think the last time I did was for a self done family portrait taken 2 years ago. The viewfinder is much more accurate to use anyway.

Derrel is correct on the feel of the Nikon's over the Canon's. If you ask me Canon makes things in their entry levels a bit complicated to change aperture. However, I also don't change aperture a dozen times while I am shooting so? do I care? Maybe. Not really. It's a stupid design whether it really bothers me or not.

Just my opinion-you seem as if you are wanting to go further with this later and will be upgrading. Choose wisely because you will find yourself married to the system after you start building a kit of lenses. I shoot canon and I love my cameras, however the way things have been going for me and the type of photography I shoot I have found myself very Nikon envious in the past year or two. There are nikon shooters who say the same thing about canon. A perfect combination for me would be a Nikon body I could use my canon lenses on.
This won't be your forever camera and you've said that. If you feel the Nikon is the right setup for you go Nikon. Once you get to the pinch of the D5100 you'll be about ready to upgrade. The sensor in the D5100 is an excellent sensor for image quality.
If canon is what you want down the road, choose the canon regardless of the button setup. It's not that much of a hindrance at all and once you get out of the entry level cameras that's not an issue.

Which is better in terms of quality and specs? Neither.
Go to a store and play with both of them. One will feel right in your hands. That's the one you pick.

 

[KmH]

By the way, NONE of Canon's cameras have a focus motor in them.

...But every Canon lens is an AF lens. So that's "essentially a non-issue."

Well lets review some history so everyone is better informed.

As Derrel pointed out, every Canon lens is not an AF lens. Note: We won't count the specialized Canon and Nikon macro and tilt/shift lenses of today that are manual focus only.

Derrel also pointed out that Nikon introduced the Nikon F-mount in 1959, and Nikon still uses the F-mount today.

Pay close attention now because the history of Canon lens mounts is not nearly as simple.

In 1959 Canon used their R-mount, but replaced that with the FL-mount in April of 1964. The FL-mount was replaced by Canon in March of 1971 with the FD-mount, which got tossed by Canon in 1987 when they intro'd the EF-mount as part of the EOS system.
The EOS system eliminated all mechanical connections beteween the camera and the lens. No Canon lens made before 1987 will auto focus, or directly mount on a Canon EOS camera, though you can use an adaptor ring to mount an Canon FD/FL lens to a EOS camera. EF stands for Electro-Focus. EOS stands for Electo-Optical System.

Canon wasn't done with lens mounts yet though. Canon introduced the EF-S mount in 2003 for use on their APS-C image sensor cameras.

So today Canon has 2 lens mounts out there; the EF and the EF-S.

Canon's APS-C cameras will accept both lens mounts, EF and EF-S, making the 2 lens mount issue somewhat transparent to most Canon DSLR camera buyers, but the EF-S lenses will not mount on Canon EF camera (APS-H or full frame) bodies.

Nikon realized about 2002 that with the growing popularity of digital cameras, more and more women were becoming interested in DSLR type cameras, but were put off by the size and weight of the cameras that were available.

So to make a more compact, lighter camera that would appeal to women buyers, Nikon designed a camera without the auto focus motor and auto focus screw-drive system, the Nikon D40.

Nikon had been producing AF-I lenses with a coreless DC auto focus motor in them since 1992. The AF-S, in-the-lens ultasonic Silent Wave motor was introduced in 1996, so the lack of an auto focus motor was moot relative to the introduction of the D40 in late 2006, 14 years after Nikon started putting AF motors in lenses.

So Nikon has had 2 tiers in their entry level lineup of cameras since November of 2006 when the D40 was launched. The compact, lightweight, 'baby' Nikon's - D40, D40x, D60, D3000, D3100, D5000, D5100, and the entry-level cameras that have the auto focus screw-drive system - D50, D70, D70s, D80, D90, D7000.

I have a question for those more knowledgeable about Canon.
Why doesn't Canon offer spot metering mode in their base entry-level cameras? Even their newest - the T3 - doesn't have spot metering?

 

[MLeeK]

really... we're splitting hairs here. Go to a store and play.

 

[o hey tyler]

I have a question for those more knowledgeable about Canon.
Why doesn't Canon offer spot metering mode in their base entry-level cameras? Even their newest - the T3 - doesn't have spot metering?

For the same reason Nikon doesn't have a focus motor in their entry level bodies I guess. You've continuously misstated certain Canon cameras don't have a DoF preview button when I have pointed out to you numerous times that they DO.

You knowingly skewed your information by saying "no canon lenses have an autofocus motor" but failed to mention that all EF lenses (sans TS-e lenses) will AF.

 

[Infinite_Day]

Holy crap! The simple solution is this: Go to a store (Best Buy) and play with both options then decide which one you like best. It's that simple! Don't pay any attention to all the shenanigans so far. You buy what you like. If you're going to go full frame at some point then favor the Nikon some. You're not buying a pro level camera and it doesn't sound like you're going to be shooting for Nat Geo anytime soon and neither am I. That's it and that's all.