Can you advise between Nikon and Sony?

Entry level for the enthusiastic amateur! We can't decide between Nikon D3100 and the Sony a37 Digital SLR. Reviews seem to conflict. Sony has stabilising and is good for video (not the most important aspect) but Nikon is often preferred. Very confused. Would appreciate some help!

First, Nikon does its stabilizing in the lenses, while Sony and others do it in the camera. Some Nikon lenses do not have stabilizing (VR in Nikon terms) but many do.

You might find this tool useful in comparing the two cameras.
http://snapsort.com/...om/compare/Nikon_D3100-vs-Sony-SLT-A37" class='ext_link'>http://snapsort.com/...ny-SLT-A37

It's quite simple: all these camera's take excellent pictures; The differences in image quality are very minor, with a slight edge to the Nikon, probably.

Buy the A37 if you want the smallest and lightest DSLR. It's only downside is the back LCD which isn't as good compared to the other two.

The A57 is slightly larger, has better battery life, better and larger screen, higher frame rate (12 vs 7 fps) and it shoots 1080 60p, which means better full HD video.

The D5100 has slightly lower noise at high ISOs, and has a slightly better battery life compared to the A57, but that's about it. The A57 has a larger viewfinder, higher frame rate (12 vs 4 fps), built in image stabilistion, better video autofocus, built in focusmotor and more AF points.

Most important aspect: go to a store and compare them; look through the viewfinder (Sony's have electronic viewfinders), and feel if the grip is comfortable. If you have small hands, the A37 may be it.

I certainly considerd a Nikon, but went with the A33 because of the faster AF in video, built in stabilisation, easier operation, and I'm now happy with the A57 with even better video, sound and image quality. Just compare them in store.

For more Inf see this link
http://snapsort.com/compare

It is either a Nikon or a Canon, any other and you won't be satisfied!

Personally I think Nikon offers a more comprehensive system of cameras, lenses and accesories. Nikon has after all been doing the photography business since the 1950's, so things are just right. Remember this is your first system camera, you'll be upgrading in the future, and that's when the Nikon comes into it's own.

So the on-paper performance of the Sony does seem impressive, but it doesn't quite handle like a DSLR camera, and has it's own strange quirks. And practically you can't really shoot more than 3FPS without suffering some real drawbacks (it's not really comparable to a Canon 7D or Nikon D3/4).