entry level DSLR - Canon 1100D or Nikon D3100

I'm vaguely aware this might be one of those partisan debates, but...

I'm looking for an entry level DSLR, the Canon 1100D or Nikon D3100 seem
to about the same price (eg £319 on Amazon).

I want to do some 'higher quality' still photography, but I also want to
do some video. The Canon only does 720p, the Nikon 1080p.

I don't have any legacy lenses, and the 18-55 that each comes with seems
perfectly adequate for my beginner's needs.

Any reasons to go one way or the other?

 

< snip >

Hello Pd. I'll offer the usual "go to a camera shop and try them both"
response. Might cost you more (LCE web site shows the D3100+18-55 at £340
and the 11D+18-55 at £350) but it may save you buying a camera that you
don't get on with.
I'll offer another usual comment "have a look at second-hand cameras". LCE
have second-hand D3100 from £230 (body only) to £280 (body+18-55). Gives you
a chance to get used to the camera before spending too much money.
Final thought is - if there is a camera/photography club near to you then
visit it for a chat about cameras.

Hope you get the camera which suits you,
Ian.

 

Part of my reason for asking, is that I have an irrational preference
for Canon, and maybe I'm trying to justify it since looking at dpreview,
the Nikon seems like a better bet.

 

Thanks Ian. We used to have a Jessops in town, but they've gone kaput.
I'm not sure who the local camera shop is now.

Second hand - the fear of a scratched lens or intermittent problems
makes me reluctant to go that way.

Photography club - good idea. Will look up who is local to Worthing.

 

Hello again Pd.

May I suggest that you try to retionalise your preference for Canon and then
see if it really is beter for you than Nikon?
If you can get to a camera shop or club then do have a look at the other
makes - Sony, Pentax, Olympus. You could also see if a bridge camera would
be suitable for you. DSLRs and their lenses and flashguns are nice to use
and very flexible but they can get heavy on a day's hill-walking.

Yes, things are different now there's (currently) no Jessops web site to
browse. I think that the main multiples on the High Street are now Wilkinson
(based in the north-west) and LCE (seems to be spread around England;
nearest to you would be in the Portsmouth - Southampton area and central
London).

I appreciate your concern about buying second-hand. I would not buy camera
equipment from general second-hand shops (such as pawnbrokers and the like).
I buy from specialist camera retailers where the staff know what to look for
in second-hand equipment. I've bought 10-22mm, 8mm, 55-250mm, 60m macro and
105mm macro lenses, a ring-flashgun and a 350D+18-55mm second-hand and I had
no problems in regard of damage/scratches with any of them.
In fact, I was lucky to get the 8mm as the Canon fit seems quite rare. Its
asking price was 2/3 of the new price and I reduced it further by buying it
with a part-exchange.
I was not happy the 105mm macro. It was slow to focus and hunted in/out of
focus. A new one was the same. I eventually sold it and lost less money than
if I'd bought a new one.

Best wishes, Ian.

 

If you are staying with the standard 18-55 then the Nikon is a
significantly better lens than the Canon - or to be more exact
the Canon is not very good.

If you are in the Nikon camp have a look at the D3200 which is
24Mp and so <should> be sharper than the D3100.

If you don't mind 2nd hand then the D60 is actually quite a good
camera.

There is a point to remember. For printing anything up to A4 6Mp
is more than good enough. 6Mp is also a turnover point where
quality stops improving significantly but thermal noise starts to
be a problem (unless you go full frame.) Thus you would probably
be better with something like a used D60/D80/D90 (yes, I know
they are not the most modern) than the D3100. From the other side
the D5100 offers much more than the D3100 in facilities for not
that many more pennies. If you get a body with the focus motor
inside (as distinct from one in the lens) such as the D80 or D90
then you will also have the option of using the older Nikon AF
lenses which many will tell you is better glass than a lot of the
modern equivalents.

Someone else mentioned other makes which might be worth
considering. Sony is effectively rebadged Minolta albeit now very
much changed and improved so you have a huge range of lenses
available. Olympus use the 'odd' 4/3 sensor which imposes
limitations. However do not be frightened by Pentax which has one
major advantage over the others - image stabilisation is done in
the body so almost any lens made in the last 20-30 years that
will fit can be used.

I would not even think about video. If you want movies buy a
movie camera. Having said that, if a movie camera is out of the
window, then consider even a good compact with a large range
lens. I have a Sony HX5V (I think) that is 10Mp and 10x zoom
(25mm wide equiv) and I tend to carry that more often than my
Nikon dSLR these days. It's anti shake is quite novel; it takes
5-6 shots very rapidly at a shutter speed that is fast enough to
hold steady-ish, then knits them together into one shot - and I
have to say that despite initial scepticism it actually works
very well.

I have personally tried several times to use a bridge camera and
I cannot get on with them. The main problem is the relatively
poor resolution of the EVF which, being small, also becomes very
cluttered with icons making the picture difficult to see. If
however you intend <never> to use the EVF then they should also
be considered.

Finally, and above all, remember that a dSLR shutter release is
just about the same as a film SLR in terms of response, but on
any other type of digital camera there can be considerable lag
between pressing the button and the picture being taken - most of
which is focussing. My first digital was a Ricoh SS30 which
proudly boasted that the time between pressing the button and the
picture being taken was 220mS maximum: yes I know it is now quite
old but I have an Olympus C5050 (which otherwise is a superb
camera) that takes the better part of 4 seconds (!!) between
press and snap. Historically Fuji, Casio, and Canon compacts are
pretty quick, whereas Olympus, Pentax, and (sadly) Nikon tend to
be on the slower end. Sony, Panasonic (Lumix) and Ricoh fall
somewhere in the middle.

You should play with any camera you are going to buy as you have
to live with it. What fits my hands may not fit yours, and if it
don't fit you won't use it - simple. Sadly with the demise of
Jessops you will probably not have much local availability but
there are still shops around for the sake of digging, and there's
always John Lewis who will take the time with you provided you go
during the day in the week.

Good luck.

 

Do you have any friends with DSLRs? If so, it might be worth getting
the same system as them (so you can borrow lenses from each other).

Otherwise, play with some kit at a camera shop and/or photography club.

 

Good pointer - they must be pretty good given how well they're holding
their price.

Fair enough. I have a Fuji s5700 which takes adequate movies in good
light, but I hoped a dSLR might be better. I've seen a lot of
professional quality movies taken with cameras like the Canon 5D, so
thought that the lower end dSLRs might also do a better job than the
compacts or bridge cameras with video.

Thanks for your input, Woody.

 

The Fuji 5700 is an excellent camera, and , being objective, I dont
think you will get better pics from a DSLR.

I've got the Fuji S2000, after having the similar version, but with a
smaller screen, cant remember the model.

The main advantage of the DSLR will be the choice of lenses, also the
speed of use, but then you have got the extra bulk to carry.
I also had a Canon Dslr until recently, but it was being used so little,
that I sold it, the Fuji was the one I picked up every time I went out
to take pics.

If I was to get a new DSLR, I'd be looking at the Pentax range, they are
pretty compact, whereas the Canon and Nikon seem far too bulky for me,
but that is personal preference.

Alan.

 

My Canon 60D fits my hand perfectly. I endorse the advice to try the
cameras at a shop or club.

 

It is a good camera, but having had the use of a Canon 20D for a while,
it reminded me of my early days with an OM-1 when focus, aperture and
shutter speed were all adjustable easily without taking the eye from the
viewfinder, and I wanted something similar in dSLR form.

However, now I've had a look and re-assessed my needs, I think I'm going
to stick with my S5700 for now and get a camcorder. Unfortunately there
doesn't seem to be a site for camcorders similar to dpreview, where you
can line up similar cameras and compare specs, features and results.
camcorderinfo.com (.co.uk) seems to be the closest, but doesn't compare
the Sony CX250 with the Panasonic V700, for example.

 

what's a camera shop?

P

 

A camera shop (aka photographic retailer) is a place where they sell (and
buy) camera equipment.
For example: London Camera Exchange, Wilkinson, Mifsud, Park, ffordes,
cameraworld, SRS Microsystems, Grays, Luton Cameras Repair Service, Clifton
Cameras, City Phototgraphic ...

Use them before they vanish.

Regards, Ian.