Thread: Nikon 5100 vs Canon 550D

You could spend many hours in the Photography section of whirlpool and find a huge amount of info on the query you've put up here.

I cannot offer advice on the Canon v Nikon debate, suffice it to say that if you've used a Canon in the past and found it to your satisfaction then that may be all you need to continue buying Canon.

If you haven't tried a Nikon DSLR then I'd head to the shops and try one in your hand to gauge how it feels compared to the Canon. Be sure to play with each of their menus/setup screens to see if you prefer one over the other.

There are quite a few grey market options around these days with the usual caveats re warranty claims. I have recently bought a D7000 and the extra $250-300 I paid for Aussie stock and a reputable dealer's warranty is worth it IMO. I don't wish to play games sending cameras back to SE Asia or the US in order to find that the retailer I purchased from is not going to honour the warranty claim, etc...they will still have your malfunctioning camera and quite likely charge you to have it returned. And the whole time this is playing out you are still sans-camera. I have found these guys to be great to deal with in the past (Brisbane based). Nikon D3100 twin lens kit $995 + $19 delivery.

Having said all that I could probably summarise that at the budget/entry level end of the market you are very unlikely to be disappointed with either of these cameras.

Keep us posted with your questions and research. Cheers.

Originally Posted by moggly73

Hi all,
am thinking of branching into budget beginners Digital SLR photography and wondering which of the 2 above camera's are better. Have trawled a few sites and some rave about the Nikon, while others have them fairly even. It will be my first digital SLR, and probably the one i'll need to keep for quite a while. One retailer has a Nikon kit with 18-55 and 55-300 lenses for not a great deal more than the 3100. I've used a Canon 550D and quite liked it, but am open minded!

Cheers

Hi Moggly73,

I agree with Bell1975 that there is no substitute for playing with the camera, its functions and how it feels in your hand. I have a mate that swears by Nikon. I played with the Nikon and didn't like how the functions were laid out. The Canon felt more intuitive to me. Then what Canon model to buy. I could afford a new entry level but found that the smaller body didn't fit in my hand. My hand monstered the body. I ended up with a second hand pro-consumer 7D.

The body aside, the money is in the lens. Beg, borrow and steal to buy the higher quality lens. L series for the Canon. The equivalent in the Nikon. You will also appreciate a wider aperture F2.8. You will have the flexibility to shoot in low light hand held, stop action with the higher shutter speed and play with the depth of field to blur out the fore and background.

I may be pitching above your current budget, sorry for that, but something to think about in your purchasing decision.

I hope you fall in love with photography like I did.

cheers MLD

Both brands are good, Canon lens are cheaper than Nikon/Nikkor and many of the Nikon bodies (D90. D300, etc) can use lens over 30 years old. Canon cannot.
I am a Nikon user for many years.
Cheers

Hi MLD

welcome to the forum.

Cheers Arthur

It's a little bit of a holden V ford thing - which ever feels better in your hands is the one to buy, both are very good for what you buy.

I personally have nikon but would never say one is better than the other, as I am not a good enough photographer to use it to it's max.

Originally Posted by Chucaro

Both brands are good, Canon lens are cheaper than Nikon/Nikkor and many of the Nikon bodies (D90. D300, etc) can use lens over 30 years old. Canon cannot.
I am a Nikon user for many years.
Cheers

Please note that although you will be able to attach the lens to the camera in the case of the new Nikon body and an old lens, don't expect it to make use of the auto focus or automatic aperture setting that you will get with a modern lens.

Originally Posted by slug_burner

Please note that although you will be able to attach the lens to the camera in the case of the new Nikon body and an old lens, don't expect it to make use of the auto focus or automatic aperture setting that you will get with a modern lens.

Not correct my friend , I use 30 years old and 25 years old lens in my D300s

I own a nikon d90. but both brands are very good cameras

the lens thing on the cannons doesn't really matter.
your probably never going to want to use a lens that old.

as someone said money is better spent on a high quality lens.