Nikon D3100 v. Canon T2i

**asmosis** · 12-21-2011, 11:39 AM

Anybody have experience with either camera? I'm trying to decide between these two. Going to buy from B&H and they both come with an 18-55 lens for about the same price. I'll be buying a 50mm 1.8 fixed for which ever I buy.

I've been researching both pretty well and can't seem to decide. Pretty equal cameras. Nikon is built better, and has advantages like continuous focus on video, lower noise at high ISO and better color depth. The Canon has better light sensitivity (6300 vs 3200), is faster and has a higher resolution (18mp vs 14mp).

Anybody feel strongly one way or another?

**Sterling4Cy** · 12-21-2011, 11:59 AM

Originally Posted by asmosis

Anybody have experience with either camera? I'm trying to decide between these two. Going to buy from B&H and they both come with an 18-55 lens for about the same price. I'll be buying a 50mm 1.8 fixed for which ever I buy.

I've been researching both pretty well and can't seem to decide. Pretty equal cameras. Nikon is built better, and has advantages like continuous focus on video, lower noise at high ISO and better color depth. The Canon has better light sensitivity (6300 vs 3200), is faster and has a higher resolution (18mp vs 14mp).

Anybody feel strongly one way or another?

I bought the T2i off of Amazon the day after Thanksgiving. I love it. Very easy to use and takes great pictures. Very user friendly. I'd check out Amazon. When I bought mine they had great package deals, free carrying bag, free 8g memory chip, free uv lense filter.

**Die4Cy** · 12-21-2011, 12:04 PM

I have been doing research into cameras and the Canon T2i is always very near the top, and usually costs less than the Nikon. For the average user the differences between them wouldn't be noticeable, IMO.

I like the user interface on the Nikon better than Canon's though.

**MNclone** · 12-21-2011, 12:08 PM

it seems in general that you can find some great seals on T2i's right now. Not so much on the Nikons. Nikon has had issues at there manufacturing site (Thailand I believe) that has really slowed their throughput. Because of this, they havent been able to put the volume on the market to allow for great sales. Canon on the other hand has been running a ton of offers to take advantage of Nikon's issues.
We were debating between a D5100 and a T3i a few weeks back and ended up with the T3i due to findin a good deal. I determined that the two had very minor differences that probably wouldnt make a difference to me, so price was king.
Check Slickdeals: The Best Deals, Coupons & Discounts on Laptops, Computers, LCDs, TVs, Dell, HP, Apple, Amazon for good deals on the t2i. There are quite a few out there right now.

**isustud07** · 12-21-2011, 12:08 PM

Canon all the way :) I am biased though. I am the opposite of the guy above, i think the canon menus are much more user friendly and easier to navigate. GL with either one you buy, photography is a lot of fun. Plus, the lens is really the key in getting great pics.

**dmclone** · 12-21-2011, 12:13 PM

I've been happy with my d5000.

**MNclone** · 12-21-2011, 12:13 PM

Oh and one more thing, I believe that in general the Nikon 50mm will run you around 200 but the canon is only 100.
We picked up the 50mm for our Canon and love it!

**Psiclone** · 12-21-2011, 12:16 PM

Originally Posted by isustud07

Canon all the way :) I am biased though. I am the opposite of the guy above, i think the canon menus are much more user friendly and easier to navigate. GL with either one you buy, photography is a lot of fun. Plus, the lens is really the key in getting great pics.

Bingo, right on the money re: the lens being the key to a good photograph. I love my Canon L-series lenses and have won many awards for photos I took using these lenses, and have also had photos published in the NY Times and Vogue. I am taking a 17-40 L wide angle and 135 L on my upcoming trip to India.

I have absolutely no problems with the use interface, though I have not had any experience with the Nikon interface.

**asmosis** · 12-21-2011, 12:16 PM

Originally Posted by MNclone

Oh and one more thing, I believe that in general the Nikon 50mm will run you around 200 but the canon is only 100.
We picked up the 50mm for our Canon and love it!

Yep - 215 for the nikon 50, 105 for the Canon. One thing keeping Nikon very much in the price fight is free overnight shipping on the Nikon camera and lens.

**Chad** · 12-21-2011, 12:54 PM

I just recently bought the D3100 and really like it. Came with the kit lens of course, and I quickly bought a 50mm f/1.8 and a 55-200,zoom lens to try different kinds of shots. I haven't used a Canon, but being new to photography I really like the Guide function on the D3100. To me it seems like it's in between the Auto Mode and the other Manual, Aperture Priority, etc. Modes. You select what kind of shot you want to take, and it guides you in changing the aperture, flash, iso, etc. in an easy to use UI. I think once a person gets used to all the options/settings and gets comfortable in Guide Mode, you could transition to the more manual modes and feel more confident that you know what you are changing, and how it will impact the shot, and do it more quickly.

**brianhos** · 12-21-2011, 01:13 PM

Whatever you decide, this is the last time in your life you get to decide. Once you pick one road, you are stuck since your lens collection will be much more $$ than a camera body.

**MNclone** · 12-21-2011, 01:21 PM

Originally Posted by brianhos

Whatever you decide, this is the last time in your life you get to decide. Once you pick one road, you are stuck since your lens collection will be much more $$ than a camera body.

Perhaps.... I just made the switch from Pentax to Canon. It was a tough decision, because there was a ton that I really liked about my Pentax, especially due to the compatability with legacy glass. We needed to upgrade the body and decided to change brands in spite of the lenses we had for the pentax.

**dmclone** · 12-21-2011, 03:25 PM

Best money I spent on the camera were some classes through DM continuing education.

**djcubby** · 12-21-2011, 03:44 PM

Originally Posted by dmclone

Best money I spent on the camera were some classes through DM continuing education.

My wife and I are also looking to buy an entry level DSLR so this is something that we would want to do, as well. What kind of experience did you have walking in? We are both pretty inexperienced when it comes to ISO, apperture, all of that stuff.

**JP4CY** · 12-21-2011, 03:52 PM

Originally Posted by djcubby

My wife and I are also looking to buy an entry level DSLR so this is something that we would want to do, as well. What kind of experience did you have walking in? We are both pretty inexperienced when it comes to ISO, apperture, all of that stuff.

I'm in the exact same boat.