Are canon and nikon digital SLR operating systems very different from one another?

I'm a visual communications student and will have photography later this year. I have my eyes set on nikon d5500 cause its the best camera which fits my budget. The problem is that i think my professors would be teaching with the help of canon dslrs (for demonstration purposes) and i don't want to get stuck if they talk about some setting change that applies to canon but doesn't apply to nikon. My canon alternative would be the t6s, but it doesn't pull me toward it cause of the AA filter and lower quality… Also its a little bit more pricey than the nikon d5500.

please help and i'm open to suggestions on the d5500 and t6s.

Added (1). by lower quality, i mean lower quality images(sharpness).

Unless your course specifies that you have to use a particular camera, then this shouldn't be a major issue. Cameras are all basically the same in terms of how they work, it's just that the buttons and dials are in different places. The actual functions such as focusing, adjusting exposure, playing back the image, etc etc etc, are going to be the same. If you spend some time learning the basic ins and ours of your camera then you shouldn't have any trouble.

Think of Canon and Nikon as US and UK English: while they are recognisably different, they are also 99 percent mutually intelligible. I haven't used a Canon camera in years, but hand me one and at the very least I will be able to get a shot with it. Ditto a Leica, a Hasselblad or a Sony.

As for choice of camera, whichever feels better to you. Won't be much difference in performance.

The lectures you receive in photography classes apply to ANY camera, 35 mm, digital SLR's, medium format cameras, even 4x5 inch view cameras.

Your choice is perfectly fine and its sensor actually outperforms all current cropped sensor Canon sensors

See lnk below

Although the settings menus and controls on Nikon and Canon cameras are different, they perform the same functions and if you have a good instructor who explains them well, you won't have any problems figuring out which control or setting you need to use.

There's no difference between Canon and Nikon - or Pentax for that matter - Nikon and Pentax even use the same sensors, which they buy from Sony.

Were I starting out, I'd be more interested in a pentaprism viewfinder with 100% coverage (rather than a 96% penta-mirror) and weather-sealing, over which of the idiots' two would satisfy non-existent criteria, and would choose the Pentax K-50 (which has both) over either of the two you mention.

A photographer buys the camera that feels best in his hands, and looks at All the alternatives first, not just the two who bray to the four winds how great they are.

Don't worry. As long as you are familiar with your camera (read the manual 10X over), you won't feel the difference.

Here's the thing. All dSLRs are basically the same. They all have controls for shutter speed, aperture size, ISO and white balance. Anything apart from those can be considered a nuisance feature if you want to. Control layout may vary but all the functions are the same.

If you're open to a waterproof camera with two kit lenses at a cheaper price, see this.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/..._zoom.html

They all have the same settings, but just different ways of getting to just some of those settings. If you get the camera prior to the class, READ THE FINE MANUAL, and practice a bit, then you shouldn't feel confused at all.
The main things you should be able to do is:
Set and change your exposure mode from Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, and Manual.
Set and change your ISO.
Set and change your file type to and from RAW and JPEG.
Set and change your flash modes.
Set and change your white balance from Auto (AWB) to another setting like fluorescent or incandescent.
Engage Live View mode.

While there's going to be a huge array of adjustments in the maze of menus, these are the main settings that you'll set/change out in the field on a regular basis. For what it's worth, Nikon is known for having some of the worst menu systems. I shoot Pentax which has one of best. Most reviewers comment on how they DIDN'T have to read the manual to use them. Although I shoot Pentax, when I've picked up a Canon, I have had no problems. But for some reason, I can't find things on the Nikons. They just seem to be designed by an engineer while the Pentax and Canons seem to be designed by photographers for photographers. Not saying you shouldn't get a Nikon, just be aware that you will have to read the manual a few times as the learning curve with their system is among the highest.