BuckeyeBilly Loc: St. Petersburg, FL

Welcome to UHH. Thank you for your question and, as you've discovered, you'll almost always get deluged with advice and recommendations. My suggestion is to put more of your money on better lenses, especially on the ones for taking photos of the subject matter you might lean towards more than others (e.g., landscape, portrait, sports). A good website to see unbiased opinions and reviews of a multitude of lenses is found here and for which you should bookmark it for future reference:
http://www.cameralabs.com/lenses/Latest_DSLR_Lens_reviews.shtml

My other piece of advice is to LOUDLY say that you do not need to have the latest and greatest camera for photo-taking. Almost any DSLR made within the last 4-5 years will suffice, especially if you spend money on better lenses than the kit ones (although even these can get you some pretty decent shots). A good place to prove this point is to direct you to the National Geographic website that has interviews with 10 of its world-renowned photographers and that clues you in on the cameras they use for their world-class photos. The link I'm providing takes you immediately to an interview with Steve Winter, an award-winning photographer known for his photos of BIG cats. You'll discover that he uses a Canon Rebel T5i to capture these gorgeous animals (and I think I read somewhere that he has also purchased a T6i). The point is that the T5i has been out now for 3 years and yet here is Winter continuing to amaze with his breath-taking photos.
http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/travel-photographers-favorite-cameras/#/camera-trap-steve-winter_86620_600x450.jpg

I said all this to make this point: the camera and lens do only what YOU as the photographer tell it to do. You make the difference in your photos so the main thing to consider now is perfecting your knowledge about light and how to capture it with the camera and lens you finally choose to get. A good place to also bookmark for referring to for any question you can think of about photography fundamentals is here:
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/

richmarch2

If you have a large investment in Minolta lenses, I would look at Sony again, as a Sony will use Minolta lenses.

Mojoni Loc: Eastern Tennessee

👍👍👍

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

I like what Dennis has to say. There are a lot of people that will say that one is better than the other or one of them is crap. I'll tell you how I decided to go with Canon. First off, I've owned several of the point and shoot Elf Canon cameras and I knew how the menu systems worked. So I had already owned a couple of Canon cameras. Second, my girlfriend at the time decided to buy a DSLR and she chose Canon. So I figured I'd have someone that could help me figure out how to use it and vise verse. Third, at the time I explored the web and checked to see what Nikon and Canon had to offer. At the time, 2010, Canon's prices seemed to be about 10-20% less in price. They both had camera bodies and lenses that competed with each other. They both have quality equipment. They both get great reviews. But the 3 things (1.I owned 2 other Canons, 2.had a friend with one, and 3.the price of Canon vss Nikon), were my deciding factors. It's funny though, Canon raised their prices and became more expensive than Nikon for a while. Canon had delivery problems with new products that I was chomping at the bit to buy. I almost switched to Nikon because of it. I'm glad I didn't though. It would have been a costly switch. It's best to choose one and stick with it unless you have unlimited funds.

So if you know someone with a Nikon that can help you learn the menus etc, or a Canon, or a Sony, it may be some help for you. As far as prices go, they are very close now. So price shouldn't be much of a factor. The quality shouldn't be much of a factor either. They both make quality equipment along with Sony. Sony doesn't have a large a selection as Canon and Nikon, but they are catching up. Good luck with your choice.

Reinaldokool Loc: San Rafael, CA

I have primarilly shot Nikon cameras for over forty years. I just made the decision (a few months ago) to purchase a Sony a6300. It is comparable to the Nikon or Canon, but has several advantages. No mirror. What you see is what you get (In regard to DOF, exposure, etc.) It is half the weight and size. It can be totally silent. It will shoot 11 frames per second for quite a long time before the buffer jams and much more. It does have one major disadvantage. Sony has not offered lenses beyond 200mm. However, adaptors let you use Nikon, Canon, Minolta lenses. Higher priced adapters carry the electrical circuits through, but the cheaper ones make it all manual. I use my Nikon 400mm on it regularly. Also my Rokinon fisheye.
Compared to my former D7100 it has only one missing. Only one card slot. I was skeptical at first, but I realized that I haven't had a card failure in a long time. SDcards have gotten better.

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

How large of investment, are you going to use those lenses? I have heritage lenses, I considered using them, for the lenses I ahve and what I lose bey buying the adapters ,ie: auto focus and AV auto exposure only and auto diaphram I decided that it was not worth it, and one is a very nice Carl Zeiss JENA, not worth using it against the modern Canon lenses, Bob.

wmurnahan Loc: Bloomington IN

A real plus for the Nikon is that lens made since they started making SLR's will fit and work, although manually, on a new Digital. Canon changed their mount so only newer lenses work on the Canon. Opens up some cheaper options for glass.

BudsOwl Loc: Upstate NY and New England

When I took a 4 session photography course at a local community college, the instructor who used a Nikon professionally recommended that we might want to look carefully at a Canon. I followed his advice and have been a Canon digital user for over 10 years. Of course it helped that I had owned a Canon SLR film camera and had some lenses which were usable on the Canon DSLR. I also tried a Nikon mirrorless recently, but was turned off by its menu system. Again, this may have been because of my familiarity with the Canon menus. Whatever, you would not be wrong going with either, so just go to your local camera store and look carefully at what they have to offer.
Bud

Jim Bob

You know good and well that posters don't do that. It means we see the same topics over and over again. Sucks.

CAS1951 Loc: San Diego

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

I think OP is a new guy, might not know about search yet, Bob.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

Since you are starting over with regard to glass, I would answer: Probably neither, I would go with Sony, because of the glass you already have!

CAS1951 Loc: San Diego

In addition to what everyone else wrote, I would also check out the customer service reviews. Nothing is more aggravating than buying a good piece of equipment and not getting the support you need from the company.

Kuzano

The first Sony DSLR was actually a Minolta in fact.

The transition Minolta>Konica Minolta>Sony retained much of the Minolta technology, and the mount for most of the early Sony DSLR was actually a lateral move, requiring no adaptors.

So it's entirely possible that some of your (excellent glass by the way) Minolta lenses will fit on many of the Sony used and refurb DSLR's.

Not to mention that Sony is certainly in the heat of competition with Nikon and Canon, as are may others.

If I were you, I'd check this out thoroughly.

Nobody here has an appropriate or correct answer for you... only opinions biased by what they bought and what they shoot. Me as well. Most of us made our choices based on the same lack of research and inquiry you are doing.



Another thing you may want to know about. Large numbers of people actually posit that both Canon and Nikon are really made by one company called CaNikon and branded for sale with separate mythologies regarding their strongest markets. Get on of each to cover everything.

bob4pix Loc: Iowa now

I started with Nikon back in the 60's when a friend in the service brought one back purchased while he was visiting East. Of course I slowly picked up additional Nikkor lenses so was commited to the brand. The only camera that I ever sent in because of a camera issue was a D70s, and it was my fault for carrying it attached to a tripod while in a cave; broke the integrated flash. I did own a Canon product (for my wife), for something to fit in her purse. I have never been unhappy with any of my Nikon products and as mentioned, no issues with any of their products. Now that I have related this, something will probably happen. I have heard that Canon menue's are easier to navigate. Review's of the Nikon products that I own have been good using DXO as a guideline.