Is a Nikon or Canon better?

I'm looking for a Digital slr camera. Currently I have a sony point and shoot, and I love photography and I have hopes of becoming a professional one day and I want my next camera choice to be a good one. It needs to be around $500 ( a lil more or less ), take good pictures, good quality, and have a wide range of lenses. I have done some research but I can't decide whether a Nikon or Canon Dslr is better… What do you think?

For $500 you'll be hard pressed to find either one with a decent selection of lenses, the body is going to cost $500 to $600 and another $100 for a cheap lens. Canon and Nikon are on par with each other and both provide a decent device, its all a matter of preference with brand.

I had a canon camera and now i have a nikon one. To be honest I prefer the Canon one. Nikon only produce camera's so theoretically they should be better.here is the camera I had http://www.canon.co.uk/.../IXUS_105/

Whether you go Nikon or Canon really depends on how comfortable you are while handling the camera.

They pretty much have the exact same lens lineup and accessories.

Check out the Canon Rebel T3 (1100D) and the Nikon D3100

they are over your budget, but well worth it if you can put together some more money.

I think a canon is better.

For that price, why not try a Sony DSLR. The a390 is about that price. Plus, Sony has the image stabilization on the inside so the lenses are cheaper. I went from a Sony Cybershot to a a330 and am moving up to the a650 when it comes out in about two weeks.

Plus Sony designed the Nikor sensors. They make very nice DSLRs and will continue to grow.

This question is very controversial as ''a egg first or a hen''… It depends on personal choice… But every proffesional photographer have both of them… But my personal choice is nikon is better in dSLR than canon… Its totally my personal openion… But I heard that canon is best for a sports cam (for fast moving object)… U r watching for a good cam and you r not a proffesional yet so you can't differ them… Go for any cheaper cam for starting level… When you will learn how to handle then you can answer this question yourself…

Happy to help always…

Top of the line Canon lens have ustrasonic auto focusing motors built into them and they are fast auto focusing.
Several other camera mfgs have motor built into camera body and rely on small stick like connectors to auto focus the lens.
When the motor dies the whole camera body is junk or repaired (very expensive).

What do you expect us to say? Canon is much better? Wouldnt you already know that if it was obvious to everyone. Why do pros use both, and so do amateurs? Are all using Canons actually wrong? No, both brands are good.

Canon EOS Xs, T3, Nikon D3000 are your options are $500.

Here's a DSLR Buying Guide - http://www.the-dslr-photographer.com/2009/11/which-dslr-to-buy/

The Canon 5157B002 includes the EOS Rebel T3 Digital SLR Camera and the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS type II Lens. This camera and lens is perfect for photographers ready to make the move to digital SLR photography. The EOS Rebel T3 delivers beautiful photos and video, speed, simplicity and fun. It features a 12.2 Megapixel CMOS Image Sensor and Canon DIGIC 4 Image Processor for richly detailed images and quick camera response. It has Canon's amazing 63-zone, dual-layer metering for accurate exposures and features Canon's Basic+ function, HD video recording and Live View shooting, plus a convenient in-camera Feature Guide.