Another one of those help me decide threads :D

[KevinP]

Hey guys so I'm in the market for a new camera, I currently have a Sony DSC H2 point and shoot and its partially limiting me. So after about 5 years I'm going to move on to a real DSLR! I have read a lot about cameras and I believe that I have narrowed it down to the Canon T3 or the Nikon D3100 (still open to other suggestions). From what I have read they are both pretty similar (like ford vs chevy) and it will depend on my lenses. Since I am a total noob with lenses (my p&s couldn't change them so i never learned) I need your help. Which camera has the best selection (maybe even cheapest?) of lenses for the stuff I like to photograph.

I shoot:
Automotive
Studio Portrait
Studio Products
Architecture
Generally Around the House

Also I would like to have some decent video as I also film the various products I photograph, and I am interested in starting filming my clients cars that I photograph, and my family around the house. I would also like to get into strobing and off camera flash, that always seemed fun. And I would like to preview my photos on my laptop before I take them when I shoot in studio (I believe that's called tethering?).


I know that this is a large list but I'm pretty sure that both cameras are capable of doing everything that I have listed. But maybe one camera can pull ahead of another somewhere.




Thanks for the help!


Kevin


p.s. I have held and shot both the d3100 and t2i (not exactly the t3 but close) and I really have no preference ergonomically.

[inkista]

Hate to say it, but it's pretty much going to be even-stevens on this. Nikon might pull ahead on wide angle lenses, but Canon has a 17mm tilt-shift. And of course, neither of those differences are going to matter if you don't plan on spending $1500+ on a single lens.

What I would do, however, is suggest that you read up on lens basics, so you can have a bit more of an idea of which lenses you might want to be looking at. A lot of what lens is going to work depends not only on your subject matter, but also on how you shoot it.

The one factor that might have helped you decide is one that I think doesn't really apply in your case, which is the focus motor thing with entry-level Nikon bodies. The D3100 and D5000 do not autofocus unless the lens has AF-S. Most of Nikon's zoom lenses have AF-S, but only two of their lower-priced primes do: the 50/1.4 and the 35/1.8. If you need other fast primes for fast action shooting, then you're at a disadvantage (say, for stage shooting or indoor sports). But a car in a showroom or a building can sit still and wait for you to manually focus.