SLR users only! Who makes the best digital SLR ever?

Question

My favorites are Canon and Nikon, What about you?!

Answer 1

Ask 3 people that question and you'll get 4 answers. Some are obviously better than others, but among the top brands its only a matter of preference. For what its worth, I'm a Nikon fan.

Answer 2

Which is better? Chevy or Ford? Porsche or BMW? Mercedes or Lexus? Nikon or Canon? These are all unanswerable questions as they are all "the best" in their class, depending who you ask.

If you have no personal preference, perhaps you would do best by going with the recommendation of your local camera shop pro or a friend who has something that he/she likes. If you have someone who is willing to help you learn how to use a particular camera, add ten points to that brand in your decision making process.

Personally, I am in the Nikon camp. I own a D70s and a D200. My wife has a D50. Okay, there are "better" cameras, but nothing I feel like lugging around enough to put down my D200. It's just a great camera. Don't forget that when you buy an upscale camera, you are buying into the lenses as well. Nikon optics are simply superb.

I am sure that there are people out there who feel very strongly about one brand or the other, but at least I admit that they are both wonderful cameras, once you get in the "over $1,000" league. (Under that, I strongly favor Nikon's because the Canon's are just missing too many features.) This would put the D200 in competition with the Canon EOS 30D as they are close comparisons. You might also be interested in the Canon EOS 5D, which is a great full-format camera that costs about twice as much. I'm also ignoring the most expensive Canon's because of their massive size.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=canon_eos30d%2Ccanon_eos5d%2Cnikon_d200&show=all

Answer 3

I own a Nikon D80, I love it, but with that said, I don't think there is actually a best dSLR out there. I mean, it really depends on what you are doing with it. We could be talking about a medium format camera with a digital back, you would obviosly not use that for sports photography. I think you should just goto a camera shop and hold a few of the camers, see how they feel, then if you have a memory card, take some pictures with them at different settings and just judge how they look, then you can take into account the features, and the price. After all that, make a choice as to which one fits your situation.

Answer 4

I agree with Dr. Sam. I LOVE Nikon - I started working in camera sales over 5 years ago and I was sold, mostly because of my coworkers that had Nikons. Now the people in my store are half Nikon users and half Canon users - it really depends on your budget and personal comfort level. Maybe go to a place that sells both - play with the display models and see which model is more comfortable?

Good luck in your search, but be comforted in the fact that both manufacturers make an excellent product which you likely will not be dissappointed with!

Answer 5

Maybe neither. Hasselblad announced a 22MP Medium Format Digital SLR, and it had an MSRP of $19,995. This was a big fat $10,000 less than Phase One's 22MP back. Mamiya has announced a 22MP, interchangeable lens, DMF SLR, and is rumored to be around $12,500 USD.

Never heard of those companies? Most haven't, because most of us can't come close to affording a Nikon Dx anyway.

Answer 6

I would have to say the Hasselblad H3d with the 39 megapixel back. I still don't have the $30,000 to buy one, but at least I have a nice scanner and a older hasselblad V series. I figure in about 5 years or so I will buy the cheaper 22megapixel back on the used market.

Answer 7

Hasselblad or Lieca