Looking for a good camera, suggestions? Nikon vs Canon?

Ok, so I've been looking for a nice camera. I've heard a lot of good things about Nikon and canon. My mom has a canon, its not a super nice one though ($400) and i don't really care for it at all. I would like to start practicing photography with this camera, i don't want to spend over $800, are there any nice photography cameras out there for that price that would be totally worth the money? I would like to know anyone's experience with Nikon also.

Pentax K 30 is just out and is the cat's meow! If you decide on it buy it with the 50-200 lens in kit form!

So which do you want, a good camera or one of the Idiots' Two?

Canon and Nikon do make some good cameras, but there are a lot of stupid people walking around with both because they didn't know any better.

Find a dealer and handle a few candidates within your price-range, picking the one you like best.

I'm a Nikon fan and would happily recommend the D5100.It's a very good price right now because they've just launched the D5200, so they are selling old stock off. It's an excellent camera with everything a beginner would want, but enough advanced features for any serious amateur who might want to delve more deeply into the subject. It has one of the best performing sensors - the same as the bigger, heavier, more expensive D7000 - and it is one of the best in low light at high ISO settings.

Having said that, Canon do make good cameras as well, and having Canon cameras in the family already does mean that you could share lenses and flashes as well as knowledge, so maybe the Canon 600D would be worth a look.

Yes, Pentax do make good cameras too, but no better than Canon or Nikon and no cheaper either. Pentax owners seem to need to prove themselves for some reason. They seem to have such a chip on their shoulders that they can't justify going for Pentax without insulting Canon and Nikon owners. Strange.

Sony is the other manufacturer that you should consider. It is the number 3 for DSLR sales now, after Nikon and Canon. They have a very good range of cameras, lenses and accessories and are fast catching up to Nikon and Canon for choice of both Sony and independent lenses and accessories.

Pentax is number 4. Its range is nowhere near as large, but is good enough for most people, and they don't sell many of the ultra-long mega-expensive lenses that Canon and Nikon do, which most people can't afford anyway.

The big difference between Nikon/Canon and Pentax/Sony is in image stabilisation. Nikon and Canon both do stabilisation in the lens. Sony and Pentax stabilise their images by moving the sensor in the camera body. The Nikon/Canon system is meant to be superior, but it does mean that you have to buy stabilised lenses if you want that feature, which are a little more pricey than the non-stabilised ones. The Pentax/Sony systems mean that if you buy a stabilised body then all of your lenses get stabilisation automatically - but if you buy a cheapo body without that feature then you don't get it at all.

In practice, all 4 manufacturers' image stabilisation systems are effective. Nikon and Canon probably have the edge, particularly with their very long lenses, but most people aren't going to be buying them anyway.

When it comes down to it, image quality is about sensor size, sensor quality and lens quality, A recent DSLR from any of the big 4 manufacturers will produce excellent images in the hands of a good photographer. It really is very difficult to go wrong.

How the camera feels in your hands is just as important as any other feature. You say you don't care for your mom's Canon - so get to a store and see which ones you do like the feel (and look) of. One that doesn't fit your hands will be worse than any missing esoteric feature, so try some out and see how they feel to you.

Personally I'm very happy with my Nikon D7000 and my wife loves her D5100, which is much lighter and has the flip-out screen, which is great for her macro (closeup) photography.