No, not me, you! :)
I often get asked for recommendations for people who are just getting into photography. These days with digital photography it is getting easier and easier to get great gear for relatively low prices. Even just ten years ago a wedding photographer would most likely have had slow and expensive medium format equipment. They would have taken the time to set their camera up on a tripod for every photo, used a light meter to get light readings, had people pose and look at the camera and clicked off an image that would have cost the photographer $1 for every time they took a photo, whether it turned out or not.
Even when professional digital cameras came out many people were still using the same techniques—plus they were way too expensive for most amateurs to consider. Kodak's first digital SLR camera came out in 1991, had a 1.3 megapixel sensor, and cost nearly $15,000!
As I write this, several of today's camera manufacturers have digital SLR cameras of over 10 megapixels for under $1000.
So what should you buy? Well, of course that depends on what you plan to do. I'm just going to focus on digital SLR cameras in this review, rather than the point-and-shoot compact cameras. Right now the main contenders are: Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, Olympus, and Pentax. Sony bought out the Minolta Corporation, which means that Sony's cameras are more-or-less re-branded Minoltas.
I have owned or am familiar with all of these cameras: Canon Digital Rebel (the first one), Pentax *ist D, Nikon D200, Nikon D2X, Canon 5D, Fujifilm S5, Canon Rebel XTi, Nikon D300.
As a professional, I don't really consider price as much of a factor. If you want professional gear you pay whatever it takes to get what you need. For me the main things that distinguish between brands are the available lenses, high ISO image quality, and lighting equipment. Although these things change all the time, so far Canon, Fujifilm, and Nikon have consistently been ahead in these things. Oh, I should mention that Fujifilm cameras are fully compatible with Nikon's lenses and flashes; they don't have their own lens and flash line-up.
Let's go back to what I recommend for people starting into this who aren't particularly concerned about having the latest and greatest pro gear. Any of the companies I mentioned above are a good choice. Some things to consider are:
Pentax has, in general, a slower auto-focus system than any of the others. They also don't have great flash options. This won't be a big deal at first, but may bother you later. Also, they tend to be years behind other companies in keeping up with technological advancements and options. Pentax cameras tend to be easy to use, though.
Olympus does not have a big range of entry-level (i.e., cheap) lenses. Their professional lens list is pretty expensive, too. But what they do have is usually of very high quality.
Canon cameras feel much less durable than any of the others. For the semi-pro or advanced amateur category, a Canon 5D feels like it's made of Lego compared with a Nikon D300. Canon has the most extensive lens line-up, easily. However, there are a lot of really nasty lenses you can get stuck with if you don't really know one from another. And the way the have their camera menus and buttons set up it can be a bit of a pain to change the settings if you want more control over the camera.
Sony/Minolta are playing catch-up in the digital world. Now that Sony is running things I expect them to do very well in a year or two, but right now they're lagging. Great lenses and awesome auto-focus, though.
Nikon can have the worst after-sales service of any company in the world. If your camera goes bust you might as well throw it out and get a new one.
Fujifilm don't really have entry-level digital SLRs. They put out their S series for beginners and professionals alike and they start at over $2000 when they're new. So if you want something cheap you have to look second-hand or wait a while until the price drops (the current model is actually well over a year old and is now retailing at $1500 in Calgary stores). Fujifilm cameras have the best dynamic range, which means that they capture far more detail in the brightest and darkest areas of a photo.
So, let's get to business. :) Which camera would I specifically recommend for someone who is enthusiastic but not a professional? Well, right now it would be one of two models: Canon's Rebel XTi or Nikon's D60. The Nikon D60 is the newer camera and the better choice right now. But Canon and Nikon leapfrog each other every six months or so and the best camera today will be second best in a few months. There's really so little difference in the end result—the actual images—that the only real way to pick one is to go and try them out and just see which one feels best to you. The Nikon D60 will be better than the Canon Rebel XTi at auto-focus, ease of use, and natural-looking flash photos. So right now I would recommend that one.
Canon has just announced their newest Rebel camera, the Rebel XSi, which will probably be much the same as the Nikon D60 in terms of image quality and so forth, and maybe even a bit better. Like I said, there's so little difference in these cameras today that it really comes down to personal taste more than anything.
Wow, this was a long blog post! I hope you found it helpful. If you want in-depth reviews on nearly any digital camera on the market, check out this website: Digital Photography Review.
Next week I'll write up a lens review for beginners looking to buy their first few lenses.
