Noel's Camera Buying Guide for 2011

Here's a quick of options for those looking to buy a camera to get into photography, or treat themselvesfor being good this year by upgrading!

CAMERAS

What brand should I choose?
I am a Nikon or Canon guy...not saying that Pentax, Sony, or Olympus make bad cameras, but I know that Nikon and Canon will always be making cameras...the others may drop their SLR's if they aren't profitable, and then you are stuck with useless equipment.

If you force me to choose, I will say go NIKON. Their flash system is much better than Canon's. And before you say I'm only saying that because I shoot Nikon, the fact is I've shot with Canon's for years with the Telegraph. I've used both systems extensively, so I think I can bring an unbiased opinion.

I will list the various models, some info on them for comparison (megapixels, lens included, price) Prices are taken from www.henrys.com as of November 12th. Not that prices will most likely get better the close you get to Christmas.

I have to break the cameras up into two levels-Consumer and Pro-sumer.

CONSUMER:

For those just getting into photography and want to photo general subjects, these are a good starting point. They are lower in price that should fit most people's budget, and the money you save can be spent on other lenses, flashes, etc...
If you want to get into more serious photography, you can always upgrade!

NIKON

Nikon D3000 $450 10.2mp 18-55(non VR)

Really great starter camera, but doesnt do video.

CONSUMER WITH VIDEO
NIKON
Nikon D3100 $600 14.2mp, 18-55 VR Full HD

Nikon D5100 $850 16mp, 18-55 VR Full HD

Canon
Canon T3 $550 12.2mp, 18-55 IS Full HD video

Canon T2I $650 15.1mp, 18-55 IS Full HD

Canon T3I $900 18.0mp, 18-55 IS Full HD video

For Nikonions, for the extra bit I would be more tempted to go for pro-sumer Nikon D90 over the D3100/D5100...not as many megapixels, but a much better camera.

PRO-SUMER
You need a pro-sumer model camera if you shoot lots of sports, action, outdoors, as the cameras are more rugged, have faster autofocus and continuous drive. They also have TWO dials, one for shutter speed, one for aperture...a MUST as far as I am concerned!

If you want to make money shooting weddings, portraits, etc, you should have one of these models.

NIKON

Nikon D90 $850 12.3mp, 18-55 VR, 720p HD

although I would go for the upgrade to the 18-105mm for another $200.

Nikon D7000 $1500 16.2MP, 18-105 VR, FULL HD

Nikon D300s $1600 12.3mp, 18-105 VR 720p HD

The D90 is older, but still a great camera, and you can't beat that price. But I have to say, my D300(now the D300s) is by far the best camera I've every owned...

CANON

Canon 60D $1700 18mp, 15-85 IS, FULL HD

Canon 7D $2000 18mp, 15-85 IS, FULL HD

Both cameras are great upgrades from the T2/T3. Especially if you do a lot of flash photography, as Canon has finally wised up and made the pop up flash a COMMANDER! (so you can use it to control a flash off-camera...took em long enough...)

PRO
Nikon D700 $2500 (body only) 12.1mp, FULL FRAME (FX) Sensor

-This camera is FULL FRAME, meaning if you have a DX lens, it will be vignetted if you use it on this camera. So if you buy it, you will have to replace any DX lenses.

Canon
Canon 5D MkII $2800 21mp 24-105 IS, FULL FRAME

-This camera is FULL FRAME, meaning if you have a lens from a crop sensor canon, it will be vignetted if you use it on this camera. So if you buy it, you will have to replace those lenses

LENS UPGRADES
Most of those cameras comes with an 18-55, but if you can get a 16-85(nikon) 18-105(Nikon) or 17-85(canon), that will give you the perfect portrait lens as well!

That's just a bit of an overview of your options, for more in-depth analysis, head to www.dpreview.com.

WHERE TO BUY
I am a big fan of buying local when possible, for a few reasons.

1) You are supporting a local business
2) If you have any problems, the local people are usually easier to deal with. Buying from an out of province/country dealer, if there is a problem, you will most likely have to pay to ship it back to them. There could also be warranty issues if buying from another country.

if you are in Saint John, go to Appleby's, in Fredericton, head to Harvey Studios. Tell them Noel sent you!

If you want to buy online, Henrys in Toronto(also Halifax) is a great store that I've dealt with personally and for the Telegraph and had no issues with.

Avoid buying from ebay, unless it is from a reputable dealer. I've seen lots of "great deals" where you seem like you are getting a whole lot of extras...but in reality, it's a bunch of extra crap. bad lenses, crappy tripods, no name brand memory cards...not worth it.

Once you've bought a new camera, check out some of my photography courses so you can use it to it's fullest potential! More info can be found at www.learnphoto.ca, on contact Noel at nchenier@nbnet.nb.ca