Canon EOS 1000D Kit 18-55 or Nikon D3000Kit 18-55mm

[Voya]

Hello guys & ladies.

After reading the forum for some months, i decided to register and post my question. I am new, but not absolutely new to digital photography. Back in the summer, i was shooting some photos for stock photography together with my friend. I had the post-processing required skills (ACE Photoshop), and my friend had camera and gear. We used to shoot with Nikon D70, and had some kind of success - about 50 photos were accepted on dreamstime.

Unfortunately, i am no longer able to shoot with him, thereby i need to get my own camera and gear and i need your advice. My motivation is financial (stock photography), but i do like photography as a hobby, so i want to explore the photography world a bit.

My budget will allow me to get either Canon EOS 1000D Kit 18-55 or Nikon D3000Kit 18-55mm + the lighting gear i need. As a said, i would be aiming for stock photography (mostly isolated photos of subjects), so i would like to hear which one should better suit my purpose.

Also, as my photography knowledge is very limited, near 0. I would like to learn more about it (ISO's, shutter speed, lens mm's, color balance.... everything). Can you recommend me an ebook that is easy to understand and can teach me the basics of digital photography? Keep in mind that i don't have post-processing trouble at all, i am web designer by profession and my skills with Photoshop are expertish. Need to understand how it works, with some examples.

Thank you for your time and input.

[Raoul Isidro]

This is my personal preference... and with a bit of a contradictory branding choice.
The Canon 18-55mm (IS) beats the hell out of the Crappy Nikon 18-55mm (VR) many times over... but....
The D3000 is so much user friendly than the 1000D....
ahh... dilemma...

[Voya]

User friendliness should not be a problem, i will befriend it one way or another ... So the Canon will produce better stock photos rather then Nikon, what about some nice ebook?

[Raoul Isidro]

Originally Posted by Voya

User friendliness should not be a problem, i will befriend it one way or another ... So the Canon will produce better stock photos rather then Nikon, what about some nice ebook?

This one is available here in Australia where I live.

Discount Digital Photographics: The Ultimate SLR Camera Course

but I suggest you should get one more in tune with your regional location for warranties, etc.
Cheers!

[Dennismc]

Originally Posted by Raoul Isidro

This is my personal preference... and with a bit of a contradictory branding choice.
The Canon 18-55mm (IS) beats the hell out of the Crappy Nikon 18-55mm (VR) many times over... but....
The D3000 is so much user friendly than the 1000D....
ahh... dilemma...

The 18-55mm Nikon lens Is far from crappy.

The reviews on it have overwhelmingly been very very good. Just to put it out there.

As for your choice, Go somewhere where you can try out them both, hold them, take a few pics, go through the menus, find the one that is right for you.

Keep in mind with the 3000 there is the addtional lens issues, you will need af-s or (hsm if sigma) with the built in focus motor. Not a real big deal if you are starting out, as most new lens from nikon have this, but older af lens will work but not autofocus on that camera.

I have the d40x, which the d3000 basically replaced and love it, very friendly and takes some great photos. The stock 18-55mm lens is very good. Can not speak on the canon.

Asking that direct question here is going to get you a lot of go witht his I love it responses and not to many un biased ones, just the nature of the owner opinions. That is why I say go try them both out..

[inkista]

Both kits are pretty equivalent. Here's the kicker for me:

EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro = $530
Nikkor 105 f/2.8 ED-IF AF-S VR Micro = $890
EF 100mm f/2.8L USM IS Macro = $950

Canon lets you decide whether or not you can afford stabilization in your macro lens. And even if you go with a 60 macro:

EF 60mm f/2.8 USM Macro: $423
Nikkor 60mm f/2.8 AF-S ED Micro: $540.

Canon's still less expensive. Now, you only get a 1 year warranty with the Canons, and five years with the Nikons, so it's not like you don't get your money's worth. But I prefer having the cash to blow on other toys.

The only other big difference between the two bodies is the focus motor issue. The XS will autofocus with all Canon EOS-mount lenses (except for the TS-E tilt-shifts and the MP-E macro which are manual focus lenses). The D3000, otoh, will only autofocus with AF-S lenses (the Canon equivalent to USM). The AF lenses are manual focus only. So if you were planning on any action photography that requires autofocus, you'd be limited to using only AF-S lenses on the Nikon side.

But on the third hand, Nikon's flash system is better-featured. However, a D3000 is still going to require a commander unit on the hotshoe, just as the Canon system (except for the 7D) does. And that's the biggest selling point of the Nikon bodies for a Strobist--getting a body with a commander in the pop-up flash.