Nikon or Canon? Any difference?

Hi! I'm just about to purchase my first real camera. Been using a 4x zoom 12.2 mpx Samsung camera for about a year now, and I need something that I can switch lens on whenever I want.

My question, and please don't go "Canon sux" just because you have a Nikon, or vise-versa. I want honest and true answers.

Should I buy Nikon or Canon? Or are they just about the same? They look almost the same, and my friends say they're just like brother and sister, or twins with different names.

I live in Norway, and yeah, generally cameras here are extremely expensive, like everything else. But Nikon seems to be half the price than a Canon when on sale. I always loved Canon, since all my great photographer buddies have' em. Only one got Nikon.

But I'd buy a Nikon too if it is just as good, so, any pointers, please?

Canon > Nikon.

Both Nikon and Canon make good cameras. The most important think is to get a camera you like and not just settle. The quality of the image on comparable models look to be the same quality. There will be minor differences. The question I would ask is which feels better in your hands and since cameras are more computer than camera, which can you interface with easier and changes the settings and use the advanced features. Another question I would have is how tight are you with your Canon friends. If you can borrow a lens from a friend to shoot an unusual project, then it would save you money borrowing rather than buying. If you shoot Nikon, then your only option is what you can afford rather than expand your resources to that of your friends.

You need to do a lot of research.

Lately many of my colleagues who shot sports have moved over to Nikon to take advantage of the amazing low noise at high ISO feature.

Here is a place to start your research

This link will show you how various camera sensors perform under different conditions and an overall score

http://www.dxomark.com/...r-rankings

These are links to both the Nikon and Canon websites where you can do more detailed study of each, camera, lens and system as a whole.

http://www.nikonusa.com/...epage.page

http://www.usa.canon.com/...lr_cameras

In the end it does NOT matter what your friends use or don't use. What is important is that you start building a camera system that provides you with the tools YOU need to do your photography

This might mean you buy an entry level dSLR (under $1, 000) like the Canon 550D (T2i) or amazing Nikon D3100. Whichever you buy will lock you into using that system for the next few decades unless you come into a lot of money and can afford to switch systems later

Unless your needs are very specific (such as the high-ISO sports photography that someone else has mentioned) then Canon and Nikon have very similar offerings.

I went into a camera shop open-minded when I bought my DSLR and the shop let me have a go on two models each from Sony, Canon and Nikon. They all had the features I wanted, but some of them felt plasticky and some of them felt a nice size and weight in my hand. That's what I based my choice on - and you can't work that out from reading reviews online. In the end I chose a Canon 450D.

So I recommend you look at reviews and make a list of all cameras in your price range that have the features you want, and then go into a shop and pick up and try each of those cameras. Soon you'll know which is the one for you.

I prefer Canon, for a few reasons:

1) I find their button placement and menu breakdowns more user-friendly and coherent (though I've heard Nikon users say the same thing about Nikon).

2) In my experience their lowlight performance is better (less noise at high ISOs), however, the new Nikon D7000 looks like it does extremely well with high ISO.

3) Their entry-level camera bodies and entry-level lenses will all autofocus together, so there's no need to watch out for specific pairings. For instance, the Nikon D3000, D5000, or D3100 will not autofocus with the 50mm f/1.8 Nikkor lens, which is the lens I recommend to 99% of beginners.

4) Canon's 85mm f/1.8 lens rocks, and I use it all the time for portraits. Nikon's 85mm f/1.8 is terrible; to get a good 85mm, you have to spend about $1400 on the 85mm f/1.4. Because I use that lens so much, I could never switch to Nikon.

Anyway, that's just my personal preference. You can get fantastic photos with Canon or Nikon. Just go with whichever calls to you more.