I am in the market to buy a DSLR and I have been looking at Sony's and I love them, but I am a beginner in this area and I was wondering what are the best ones?

It's not just about the body, you have to consider the entire system (lenses, flashes, remotes, etc). For this reason I would only consider Canon or Nikon since there is tons of gear available for them and lots in the used market as well.

Personally I consider Canon to be better than Nikon as well.

Tough question for someone other than yourself to answer.

I prefer Canon's personally, at work we use D2x's which are pretty good workhorses, i'd rather have a 1Ds though. But further down the line the 40D and D300 are pretty evenly matched.
I own a 30d and a 350D, love them both.

The newer Nikons dont allow you to use the majority of Nikon's lenses with Auto Focus as they lack an internal Focus motor (D40, D40x, D60) whereas canon can autofocus on any EF or EF-S lens.

Also, you can't beat the bundled photo software with the Canon

Another vote for Canon here.

If you are a beginner, I highly recommend the Nikon D40.

6MP is fine for anything but the largest prints (we're talking beyond the size that any consumer would print a picture in the first place). Point-and-shoots have to make up for their tiny, crappy CCDs, but a DSLR has a sensor many times larger.

The camera body build quality of the D40 and D60 are much better than the Canon consumer DSLRs and much more comfortable to hold. The Nikons also have better low-light performance, which is great for beginners and just shooting in general because many times you will be indoors and not using a flash with no tri-pod.

But above all these factors is that the D40 is a fantastic camera on its own, and it is the cheapest option. I would definitely not buy a DSLR that was not a Canon or Nikon. Sony is starting to get serious about their camera division, but they're still not up to par with Nikon and Canon.

I'd vote Canon. In terms of bodies, Nikon are probably doing slightly better at the moment with the FX sensor in the D3 and D700 being epic at high-iso. I do think Canon in terms of a DSLR system win out though, in terms of lenses, flashes, accessories and so on. And really its boils down to the glass more than the body, so I'm inclined to say Canon. Sony/Olympus have some good stuff, but imo lack the range and established selection of lenses/accessories that Canon/Nikon to.

And if you want REALLY good glass, you probably have to go German anyway. Lecia and Carl Zeiss should make EF mount stuff!

nikon, But I do agree leica and carl Zeiss should make teh glass

its all personal preference and wat u are gonna shoot.

What price range?

High end: I think Nikon.
Low end: I think Canon.

But I think the difference between Canon and Nikons is "do you want to settle for a 9.3 when you could have a 9.6?" They're really close, at least to me.

You can't go wrong with either Nikon or Canon. Wide support and flexibility in choices of lens and accessories.

Sony's a late comer to the game--not a big fan of them. Their DSLRs use a proprietary hotshoe instead of the standard iso one used by Nikon/Canon.

My vote goes to Canon.

Nikon runner up

I'd say go for the Canon Rebel XTI or XSI. They are both amazingly great cameras, and also Canon just released the Rebel XS, coming soon.

Couldn't have said it better

Either Canon or Nikon. My first SLR was a D70, so I'm sticking with Nikon now Got myself a D300... also whoever said 40D and D300 are close... I disagree. D300 has a noteworthy edge:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond300/page22.asp

I'm after a DSLR as well - probably something low-mid range.

My friend has a Olympus E-3, and it looks incredible. But it's far too expensive/hi-tech for what I need.

For me its Canon and then Nikon.

All of you are WRONG, Canon and Nikon dont have a thing on Hasselblad systems. Sorry, both companies just got owned.

Incorrect. The Nikon D40/D40x D80 and D60 all use a CCD sensor which has a lot more noise at higher ISOs than the CMOS sensors that the Canon's all use (and the D300/D3)

Whatever you get, you will be happy.
I got a Nikon after owning a Canon G7 because I wanted something completely new.

I like the thoguht of Nikon

actually hasselblad don't qualify in this vote cuz its products have nothing to do with the dslr brands listed here. can't compare them to medium format. try shooting sports with a hassy.

he never gave specifics :-) all it says is Nikon, Canon, Sony, Other. This is 'other'

Read the title of the thread.

the hassy is a dslr.

Not all hassys are dslrs. (they make just backs too) Defining "best" in image quality, you'd be right for the H3D (or a Phase One, Mamiya)--but otherwise it's far from flexible in most situations. That's why there is a large market for the 1Ds.

Just a guess, but is it even any where close to similar prices of main stream DSLRs?

Leica has far better optics in their reflex systems

Also, dont get cocky, the original poster clearly said he is a begginer and wanted to try a dslr, Hasselblad its not for him.

Canon IMO, but followed close by Nikon

Sony's are not that great (compared to Canon and Nikon)

Canon

IMO Overall "Canon" (not Cannon), but I shoot with a Nikon.

I believe canon is winning in the image quality arena, especially with high isos. The nikons feel more sturdy and hands on however. The canons tend to feel a bit fiddly.

Sony's are good, i prefer cannon, Im sure they all make good ones but i prefer canon over anything else

The best DSLR is the one you will use most after you buy it. Regardless of how good a DSLR is, if it sits around the house without use, it's a worthless item. That is the fate of many DSLRS.

Like others have said, it's not so much the DSLR that matters, it's more of the "system" that it's compatible with.

If you develop into a prime shooter: Canon
If you like zooms: Nikon

If you like LCDs that don't look like garbage: Nikon
If you like a lens selection that's larger than the digits of pi: Canon

In the end, your lens will matter far more than your camera. If light comes through crap, the camera will record it as crap

If you choose to go with Sony or some other brand, you will still make awesome pictures. You can ALWAYS sell those off and switch to Canon/Nikon if you find yourself outgrowing your camera's system. Do not let tech comparisons and measurebating get in the way of just buying a camera and shooting pictures

Not the D3/D700/D300!

I've just changed the pool by adding more options. There was 3 ppl voting for others which I deleted and as maybe should fit with the other options I added. If not, please those ppl should revote

You beleive or you wish?  It used to be the Canon 5D that had a decent advantage but now with the new Nikon D300/D3 and probably D700, the Canon 5D is now far away behind.

Canon all the way. My Rebel XTi suits my needs perfectly. Mind you, I don't know a whole lot about Nikon, but I can tell you that a Canon has worked perfectly for me as a beginner.

the 40D and the D300 are technically in the same class. With that being said, however, the real competitor to the D300 would be the 5D...the 5d has the full frame sensor and thus is not compared to the D300. The D700 and the 5D are officially the competitors in that class now.



I agree with that statement. The new Nikons have superb ISO control. I was at the local ma and pa camera store talking to their canon guy and he was talking very very highly about the new Nikon cameras.