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Originally Posted by Stephen Fox
I cant add anymore to what Greypoint has already stated. Try to avoid purchasing a Canon this or Nikon that, look at each camera on its merits relative to you and your application. Personally I dont like where the on switch is located on the Canon's. Nikon's rotary switch on the shutter release is much more sensible and faster to locate in a hurry! Image quality will be marginal so feel and feature set become more important in any choice. Choose carefully as you probably live with the brand for the rest of your photographing days due to lens legacy. Lenses far out live any camera body.
Choose carefully  |
I think that you've contradicted yourself a bit there - I'd agree that buying a camera based just on the brand name might not be wise, as the handling of a dslr is very important. However, as you've stated, due to the longevity of lenses this purchase is likely to set all further camera purchases to eth choosen brand.
I think it's important to consider thr big picture when buying a dslr - look at other models by the same manufacturer, thes could be your next camera... look at the cost and availability of branded and third party lenses and accessories. This is what I did when going digital (and it's why I moved away from Minolta) and I decided I'd be happy with Canon or Nikon. The final deciding factor for me was that a friend uses Canon, so by going the same way we can now use eachothers lenses...
When I went digital I got an EOS 300D and have since changed to a 350D - for bird photography the fast wake up time, good shooting rate (3 fps) and big buffer of the 350D have all been great improvements over the 300D. The 350D also performs very well at high ISO, delivering great results upto ISO800 and acceptable ones at ISO1600, this is a huge help in keeping shutter speeds high. The biggest problem I had with the 350D was the handling, though adding a battery grip soon solved this.
My recommendation is to take your time making this decision. Look at all the angles, try them cameras yourself (don't just rely on reviews), and don't be swayed by people like me telling you how great a particular camera is (we almost all love our own kit).