camera buying inquiry! nikon vs cannon & lenses

[sunnyc]

So, I love photography and I have been wanting and researching the camera I want to buy for about a year... I have been too scared to finally make the plunge and fork out the money.

Here is what I am wanting:
I want to be able to photograh weddings and do wedding announcements
photograph children
photograph my horses
and do nature photography

I am deciding between the Nikon D200 and the Cannon 30D.
I'm leaning toward Nikon because it seems more user friendly, but I just want the best camera that I can really learn and have fun with.

Also, I'm wondering what lens I should buy- and how much I should spend for them.

Finally, I know in the photography world, places like ebay and other online vendors seem to be taboo, however they are much cheaper at these locations--- what are your ideas?

Thank you for reading this and I would be EXTREMELY grateful for your advice and wisdom!!!

THANK YOU :)

[Saralonde]

Welcome, Sunny.

Hereis a side by side comparison of the two cameras: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=canon_eos30d%2Cnikon_d200&show=all
Both are good cameras, you will be able to learn and have fun with either of them. Have you held either one to see how they feel?

As for lenses, how much is in your budget? What do you like to shoot? (macro, landscape, portraits, sports, wildlife, etc) Sometimes the best thing to do is get the camera with the kit lens or a general "walk around" lens and learn how to use the camera and find out what you like to shoot before you invest in another lens.

Check http://www.resellerratings.com/ for the ratings of camera sellers. Be very wary of ebay sellers whose prices are too good to be true.

[wulf]

It sounds like you have been spending a long time making up your mind on this. If you still aren't sure which way to turn and you have the necessary funds for a D200 / 30D, how about this for an idea (assuming you don't have a DSLR already) - buy something from the cheap end of either the Nikon or Canon range (eg Nikon D40) and spend lots of time taking pictures for at least the next six months.

If you find yourself limited by what the body can do, you can upgrade that and still keep the same lenses (as long as you stick with the same brand). You may instead find that more lenses or ancillary equipment like tripods and filters is what you need. You may even decide that whatever camera you got is good enough to stick with or that you hate it and want to swap brands (at least you won't have invested so much to begin with).

However, whichever way you go, you will have at least six months of experience with a decent SLR and thus be in a much better position to decide how to proceed.

Wulf

ps. What camera(s) are you using at the moment?

[Nicole]

I agree with Saralonde, either camera will let you learn and have fun, it all comes down to which camera feels the best in your hands (and it also can be a consideration if anyone else that you know has the same brand of camera so you can swap lenses ;)).

As far as lenses go, I think you'll find it very hard to find a single lens that lets you shoot all those things well. Especially under $1000-$2000. For weddings, you'll want a fast lens, something with a max aperture of f/2.8 or lower. Even with photographing children you'll probably want a lens that is fast. For nature and horses, well, it depends if you want to get very close or have far away shots. You might want a wide angle then.

With Nikon, you could get the 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 (http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5&productNr=2159) and it would actually suit much of your shooting because it's definitely an all around lens. The only problem (aside from the ~$900 price tag) is that at 200mm, your maximum aperture will be f/5.6, so if you're trying to use that at a wedding in say, a dark reception hall, it will be very difficult to get a well exposed shot.

Just a few things to consider when you're making your decision. There's lots more things too, but come back and tell us a bit more detail about the sort of shooting you want to do :)

[terryjoey]

Canon, before I bought my canon 70-200-2.8L Is lens, I went to a wedding and took many shots with the thrifty fifty 1.8 II ( 80.00 lens ) and they turned out great, can't go wrong with either camera like BMWs and Mercedes, they are both great.

[Digidave]

I can't really add to much to what has already been said. Just don't fall into the trap of, buying the Nikon D200 because it's expensive & it must be a good camera right, & you think you'll grow into it. Keep in mind that the lenses are half of the camera if not more. My Nikkor 18-200mm VR lens cost more than my camera body(D70s). I'm just taking a shot in the dark here but, I'll bet you would be just as happy with a Nikon D80 or even the D40. The D80 is almost the same camera as the D200 & about $400 less, if I'm not mistaken.