gdgt

Thanks Brett.

I checked out a Canon and Nikon and like you didn't find the Canon's to be as uncomfortable as most reviews have said. I actually preferred the back button layout as well. My gut is saying Cannon so I'll most likely go that way.

Yeah, the XSi that I had was very comfortable and my dad's 5D Mark II is great. A buddy of mine has a 50D that is also really comfortable. Other people may not like them but it depends on your hands.

As an XSi owner, I went with it simply because my dad had an old Rebel (35mm film!) with several lenses, so I wanted to use his lenses for my XSi. However I ended up skipping over >ALL< of his and going straight to a 50mm f/1.4 USM, which is AMAZING for portraits and a 70-200 f/2.8 L Lens that I constantly borrow from my friend, which produces DROP DEAD GORGEOUS shots for the sports photography that I do on a near weekly basis.

I have not had any experience on the Nikons though.

Camera technology advances quickly. The major manufacturers release improved models every few months, with the depreciative effect that new bodies start loosing value as you’re driving home from the store. In two years, a $2000 camera may be considered obsolete, even though it works to capture perfectly salable images.

Lenses- stay current for years when compared to the bodies. They took great pictures then, and they take great pictures now.

Different companies manufacture a stable of compatible glass for a range of applications: telephoto lenses for sports and wildlife, portrait lenses for weddings, tilt-shift for architecture, and so on. When you buying a camera, you are buying into a lens system that will work from now until the expiration of the laws of physics. Lenses are an investment. The camera back, on the other hand, is an ephemeral throwaway.

It’s a fact of the SLR market that some years, Canon will make the best camera. Other years, the honors will go to Nikon. Or, in this case, Sony. Playing the who-has-the-best-camera-now game is simply not winnable for anyone but the manufacturers. If you are buying an SLR for the first time, you’ll still want to evaluate which lens system is best suited for your genre of photography.

I chose canon for the very same reasons. Now I got a mentor that also emphasize on the very same thing. The colors are outstanding and also the lens quality.

It's funny how everyone's opinion on feel is so different.

I have a friend who shoots canon so hopefully we can do lens swaps. He's a bit further along than I am but I'm looking forward to learning, again, and just getting out and shooting.

It does help, can you elaborate more on why the maneuverable screen is such a bonus for you?

Sure. Well for one, it makes taking certain shots much easier. For instance, if you are recording yourself with video let's say, you can turn the screen to face you so you can see what the camera is recording while you do it. Another instance where I find them useful, is taking awkward angle shots. Like, let's say I'm trying to take a picture by setting the camera on the ground and laying on the ground to see the screen while I'm taking the picture. With the movable screen, I can set the camera down and point the screen up at me so I can simply kneel above the camera and take the shot without plastering myself to the ground to get the shot. Does that make sense?

Absolutely, thank you.

No problem.

Have you found lenses from either manufacturer to be better than the other or they're pretty on par with each other?