What type of camera should an amateur photographer get?

The question kind of sums up everything. I'm new to the photography world and I would like to know this. Which brand is also the best or better; Nikon or Canon?

If you can't see beyond those two, you'll never be a photographer.

You need to work out a budget and talk to a dealer, ALWAYS buying the best you can afford.

Pocket compact - As long as you avoid Kodak, Benq, Vivitar and GE, you'll get something adequate - Canon and Nikon are unremarkable here, but they charge more.

Bridge Camera - Fujifilm all the way, with a nod to Olympus and Panasonic - Canon and Sony are either unremarkable or expensive here, Pentax, over-priced and Nikon dire (L-series), or good but shockingly expensive (P-series). Do not consider any model without a viewfinder.

EVIL/CSC The Pentax K-01 is still available, unlike others, it takes DSLR lenses without an adapter, making it fairly economical. Pentax' Q-series and the Nikon1 are junk, Samsung unreliable and Olympus, Sony and Panasonic relatively good. Canon's EOS-M looks good on paper, but hasn't had time to prove itself. Lenses for these things are stupidly expensive, and serious photographers have little time for this class as a whole.

DSLR - Pentax now have 4 models ranging from the budget K-500 to the advanced K-5 II (no full-frame models) all have 100% pentaprism viewfinders (unlike the mirror prisms found on budget Nikon and Canon) and all but the K-500 are weather-sealed. Take (and meter with) MF lenses, body integrated anti-shake system. Pentax built the first Japanese SLR, and they can probably be forgiven for the first AF SLR, the horrible ME-F.

Sony's SLTs use a pellicle (fixed) mirror and an electronic viewfinder, they're the best for video. Body-integrated anti-shake system and take Minolta AF lenses as well as their own (Sony bought Minolta, and its experience, years ago). Minolta built the first multimode SLR, the XD-7/11, and the first successful AF SLR, the (Maxxum) 7000.

Nikon - Boast that all lenses made since 1959 fit - not entirely true. Pre AI lenses can damage the camera, AI and AIS lenses don't meter on budget models. Non-motorised AF lenses are MF only on budget models. Anti-shake system only available with certain lenses.

Canon - FD (manual focus) lenses DO NOT fit modern bodies. All lenses motorised, anti-shake system only with dedicated lenses. Cropped-sensor lenses DO NOT fit full-frame bodies, cropped-sensor bodies take both types of lenses.

You selected the right brand atleast nikon and canon are the best! If you are amateur i recommend you to get nikon d7100 i personally like nikon better but it's your choice in the end. Sony and olympus are also option but you will not grt good performance from them! Pentax is also a nice option but still not better than nikon or canon!

Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax, Olympus are all good brands, also a few others. But really if you just want to snap then almost any camera will do, as long as it is not Vivitar or a 'stores own brand'. If you want to use photography artistically then you need a camera with good control over focus, shutter speed, aperture, ISO.

Ideally, if you want to progress in serious photography, you should buy a DSLR, starting around £350/$500.

Depends on your budget. Amateur cameras are dumbed down in terms of ergonomics, robustness and weather-proofing. Nikon D3200 is a very popular choice at a low price point. Canon T4i (there's a T5 just announced) might be more future-proof (not need to upgrade so soon). However, Pentax K30 DSLR arguably leads the entry level class today, and it's weatherproofed.

Given that a DSLR offers more scope to aspiring photographers than a compact that would be the one to go for if nobody else in your family or group of friends has a different band that you could share accessories with.

Canon and Nikon top the popularity league both at amateur and professional level, but Canon is slightly more friendly when it comes to metering using older lenses, and Nikon is slightly better with image quality from the sensor.

If you must get a more affordable compact then get a Canon G15.

Get your self a simple slr camera to get started with your photography and then later on you can switch to a dslr. Go to www.ankaka.com to get further information on these cameras.

Nikon D3200 would be a good one to start with.