What camera to buy

[TheAnswerIs42]

DSLR question

Since I'm the person that asked the first question they referenced, I thought I would report back. Because now I have been a DSLR person for a year, and I just finished a DSLR course, and my teacher did cover what kind of camera to buy. It is more than just name when you buy Canon and Nikon, it is compatibility and staying power. They are the big guys, which means that you can find any accessory you want to go with your DSLR and you know that they are even going to continue to make them for long. You could buy a Sony, and Sony could decide to give up on the DSLR market in a couple of years. Canon and Nikon are not going anywhere. And the funny thing is that nobody cares about the difference between the two. You would be perfectly happy in either camp, you just pick one and stay there the rest of your life. (Because no one wants to start over buying their lenses and everything else.)

It all comes down to how serious you are about this. If you just want a small step up from a point and shoot, then the cheaper ones like CPM mentioned would be fine. But if you are going to want to buy lenses and flashes and actually invest in it, you want to invest in a company that isn't going anywhere.

I have a Rebel XSi, and as the questioner said, that is a good camera. If you are looking at a different body, then dpreview.com was a place that my teacher recommended to see the specs on everything. You have to weigh the options and the price and see what you care about. Do you want it to do video, like the brand new ones do? Etc. I haven't had any reason to want anything better than the XSi, but I'm not going pro or blowing my pictures up to poster size either.

[Laser Jock]

I realize that Pentax isn't quite as popular as Canon or Nikon, but they're hardly a newcomer to cameras either. They've been making camera-related equipment about as long as Canon and Nikon.