What camera shall I chose?
I'm very enthusiastic about photography and I have 2 years of experience with my fathers DSLR's, the time has come for me to upgrade from my own canon 450d, the only problem is that id like to explore other manufacturers of DSLRs and upgrade into something I can grow into. I'm also confused if I should continue with canon or go into nikon. I love taking pictures of architecture, people and close ups of plants and animals. Please help. And my budget stretches up to £1000. Thank you
Added (1). I like a DSLR with great colour and detail!
Since all the sensors in dSLR cameras are capable of producing great colour, that does not narrow your choices much.
If you have been watching the news about digital cameras, you probably have noticed the new generation of Nikon cameras either here now or on the horizon. If you do not have a lot of money invested in Canon lenses, then this may be a good time to move over to a Nikon system
Here is a link that compares your old 450D with the current Canon 7D and Nikon D3200.
http://www.dxomark.com/...nd3)/Canon
As you can see, the Nikon D3200 sensor out performs the Canon 7D at a fraction the cost.
Measuring camera performance by photographing charts is a really poor way to show their performance. DXOMark is a ridiculous website, the only people who should be concerned about what they have to say are high end professional photographers who may need that tiny bit extra dynamic range or that tiny bit extra colour rendition out of the camera.
You shouldn't have to worry about any of this if you're shooting RAW (which you always should be).
Don't believe a camera review that was done by taking photos of charts, go out and use the cameras in real world environments to see which performs better.
One thing to prove how inaccurate the DXOMark site is, is that with the link Fhotoace posted the 60D and 7D should measure exactly the same on every test as they use the exact same sensor, exact same motherboard, the exact same low pass filter and the exact same firmware - yet they don't perform the same, hmm, funny that.
Both Canon and Nikon will do everything you want them to do, the real performance lies in the lenses. Tilt shift lenses will make for better architectural photographs for example. And in terms of portraits Canon offer F/1.2 lenses which Nikon don't make.
If you already have a Canon camera and lenses then stick with Canon and invest in lenses, Canon are on the verge of releasing their new line of DSLRs with the 70D and 7D replacement (as well as an entry level full frame camera) so hold out until you at least see what new cameras Canon has to offer. Two will be announced before Photokina in September.
Don't forget about other brands too, Pentax make lovely camera that are built to withstand pretty much anything. For the price, they're more durable than anything Canon or Nikon have ever produced.
There's no point in jumping ship, you will have nothing to gain. Besides your 450D is still a capable camera, and your money is better spend in getting good quality lenses. Especially if you're interested in architecture, you could think about better quality wide angle lens as well as a portrait lens.
You'll just end up losing money jumping ships or upgrading camera body.
Sorry but there's no dSLR with dull color and no details unless you hand it over to a person who insist on shooting in the dark.
All dSLR's are basically the same. The best is to stay with the brand you are already familiar with. You will need a macro lens for closeup shots of flowers and animals and a tilt-shift lens for architecture. For everything else, the 18-55mm kit lens will do unless you have other more specific requirements. As for the body, again, any will do. Color and detail will depend on your skill. The camera is just a tool.