I've been looking into buying a DSLR camera, and I've spent a while looking through reviews and such, but I'm not really sure whether I should be getting a canon or nikon. I've heard good things about both, and bad, but I'm not sure which one will be better for what I want to do. I want to use it for sport's photography (mostly horse shows and action kind of portraits - I've been currently using a basic digital camera for all of this). So I need help deciding exactly what I should go for, and then what kind of lens. I don't want to spend a lot of money, considering I have to buy this myself, but I'm not too concerned about prices.

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Either brand will serve you well, as they both have extensive systems and outstanding optics. Here's one very interesting survey. http://www.jdpower.com/electronics/ratings/digital_camera/dslr The bottom line is, which camera feels best in your hands? Canons and Nikons are different in size, shape, and control layouts. You need to decide for yourself which is most suited for you, the shooter. I use Nikon DSLR's exclusively and love them. Here's some shots I took with a Nikon D70 and a Sigma 28-300mm lens. http://www.spmsportspage.com/images/college/football/2007/California-42-Louisiana-Tech-12-09-15-2007/DSC_8135_GHYoung.html And some I took with a Nikon D50 and a Nikon 75-300mm lens. http://www.spmsportspage.com/images/college/football/2007/California-45-Tennessee-31-09-01-2007/DSC_0065_GHYoung.html You'd love the instant response of a DSLR and will notice the difference in quality, control, and flexibility when compared to your point & shoot digitals. I hope this is helpful for you.

i think you should go for cannon 400D, you will not regret buying it ,that would cost you around 1300$ with kit lens the same if you buy from singapore would be even cheaper.at the same time if you dont want to spend much then you can go for second hand 350d cannon from e bay it can be yours for less than 500$ and belive me you will just enjoy taking snaps the feeling is great

What 35mm camera are you using? Just buy a matching DSLR body that uses the same lenses. There is NO reason to change brands when you already have great lenses. The business model would include NOT changing systems because of a better marketing program at any given time frame. That was easy!

I've heard a lot of good stuff about the Canon 40D. Seems to be a pretty solid camera IMO. You might want to check out Gizmodo.com and see the reviews on it there. They also have a link here to flickr to see some of the shots taken with the camera. http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/digital-cameras/canon-40d-dslr-sample-shots-on-flickr-299257.php On the lens, from what I know about photography its always better to use a lens like a 20-70mm, because when you get into the higher ranges, your ability to take an action shot worsens from not enough light entering the lens. It also depends on how close you are to the subject. If it's well-lit and you're close, then you should have no problems taking pictures with no motion blur at 1/2000 or 1/1000ths of a second. Just make sure that you set your f-stop correctly, so your light meter doesnt misjudge what you want.

If you take a look at pro photographers at most sporting events, you will see the vast majority of them use Canon digital SLR cameras. The main reason for this is because Canon makes the best image sensors which show the least amount of noise at high ISO levels. This is very important in sports photograph because photographers need to use very fast shutter speeds to capture motion without blurring and it is easier to do this if they are using a faster ISO speeds. Nikon's best SLR cameras use image sensors made by Sony which are still are not as good a Canon's. I am planning to buy my first Digital SLR soon, and I like almost everything about the Nikon's over the Canon's except for the image quality at high ISO's. I am waiting to see how the image quality of Nikon upcomming D300 compares to the Canon 40D before I make my finale decision. If they are almost identical in image quality at high ISO's, I will buy the Nikon. If not, i will get the 40D. What I would really like to buy is the future replacement for the current Canon 5D, but it will be out of my price range when it is first released.

canon are used by 90% of sport fotogs, because they make the big white lenses you see at sports events so get say a 40d and a 800 or 600mm to fit it - thats what 90% of pro sports shooters use a

You can go for the Canon Powershot G10, because the shutter speed is amazing. However, if you dislike Canons, you can also opt for the Nikon D40 and D50, or Sony DSLR Pro A100. Hmmm, you know what? there is a very powerful superDSLRcamera out there... wanna know? it's the Hassleblad, with 40 mpixes and much more cool stuff.....

You don't have to get a Canon or a Nikon. There are other brands out there you know, and usually they are cheaper and have the same or better image quality, and cheaper lenses. For sports photography you want a long zoom with a fast aperture. All camera brands make those. Look at popphoto.com for an article about using the Olympus E-510 at the US Open. It performed very very well. And this camera only costs about $800. Look into Pentax and Olympus, as well as Nikon and Canon. You will be doing yourself a service if you make yourself aware of all your options. Don't let yourself be blinded by the Canon/Nikon fever that so many consumers fall victim to. F-stop