mborn Loc: Massachusetts

good advice, OP need to go and try out the different cameras to see what he likes, We all have our favorite Brand but a person must decide that for him or her self

Jbcjoy

Dear Dennis, Thank you for your thoughtful reply to this question. I appreciate you taking the time to answer as well as the comments you made. It is a big purchase for many and all input is helpful. jbcjoy

oldtool2 Loc: South Jersey

After deciding these things go to a camera store and handle the cameras you have chosen. When looking for a store don't forget stores like Best Buys. If you can't find a local store that carries them find a camera club. Most members won't mind letting you handle their camera. At this point you can decide what feels best in your hand.

By this point you should be becoming fairly educated in the different types of cameras. Then you can come back and ask questions and get answers to them.

Jim D

Skibo Loc: Richmond, Va.

Before you go with any of the big name 2, Nikon or Canon, check out some of the great deals that Pentax is offering right now. B & H have some super deals on Pentax from their new flagship K-3 model on down the line. Don't buy before you check these out. Great cameras at a fantastic price.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Dear Nguyen, if you are planning to marry this camera, then I suggest you go to a store that has all the brands, and feel the bodies with your hands. Do this for several days. Then marry the one that looks and feels the best.
If you are merely going to take pictures with the camera, then watch the upcoming Super Bowl and just get the brand that most of those photographers are using. Most of those photographers are professionals, and pros often know things about cameras that us amateurs just don't know, thus they go with the best camera system.
Plus, it may be a good game.
Good luck and GO SEAHAWKS !!
SS

PS, Nguyen, why do you have a last name for a first name?

Bugfan Loc: Toronto, Canada

Which is the better car maker? Which is the better television maker? Which is the best smart phone maker? Can you answer any of these questions? Most likely not.

Every manufacturer, if it's to stay in business, produces high quality products and also lesser quality ones for those who can't afford high quality. Some also specialize for a specific market like the professional market or the consumer market. To do anything else is to go broke.

In forty two years of photography I've used a lot of different cameras and I do have my opinions as to what's "best". However that "what's best" opinion is based on my photographic challenges and preferences, on my disappointments with some brands and these are not necessarily yours.

The best camera for you is the brand that cost effectively offers you the tools you need today and into the future, a brand that can grow with you as you become more sophisticated, a brand that enables you to achieve your photographic goals. None of us can help you make that decision without knowing intimately what you need both today and into the longer term and how much you're willing to pay to fulfill that need.

Finally, if you're just an amateur or someone who likes taking snapshots, for you all those brands are best, all of them will give you satisfying results each time. In that sense buy on price and how it feels in the hand. It's only when you become sophisticated and ever more demanding that the brands start to be separated.

So decide what you are, what you demand now and in the future, how much you're willing to pay for that perfection and, since no camera can meet all your needs, decide what you are willing to compromise to get what you want or need.

At that point you'll have the answer to your question either by discovering it yourself or by providing us enough detail so we can advise you.

Hando Rei Loc: Long Island New York

Depending on your intendant use plus the budget which we do not know many cameras will fit the bill . It is hard to recommend a camera since as was said people will tell you to buy the one they are using . I shoot both Canon and Nikon but will not tell you to buy either. The choice will be yours. Are you Vietnamese ?

gusto7670 Loc: Tampa, FL

Most of the cameras that you listed are good. Forget about the brand and consider what you want.

wings42 Loc: San Diego, CA

Kodak Brownie Hawkeye. I had one. They take great pictures.

RKraatz Loc: New Castle, DE

So where for art though Nguyen Khai?

wj cody Loc: springfield illinois

i agree with you, Dennis. there is no camera which will do everything. if there were, i'd not own 9 different camera systems and lenses! everytime i open my equipment closet i gag!!!

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Wings, finally, somebody with a real opinion. So rare these days !
The Hawkeye is a great camera. Simple to use, rugged and reliable. A great recommendation, but he may have trouble getting warranty work done.
But Wings, since that camera has few controls, does the OP still have to feel it, coddle it, drop kick it, and date it, or just see how it feels in "the" hand?
I second the recommendation! ;-)
SS

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

wj, PLEASE, tell me you're kidding ?!?!
Even if you aren't, welcome to the Hog. ;-)
SS

wj cody Loc: springfield illinois

hiya SS:
okay, here goes
leica m6 w 50mm 1.4 summilux
35mm f2.8 voigtlander for same
nikon (2005) s3 with 50mm 1.4 nikkor
105mm 2.5 for same
135mm 3.5 for same
2 contax g1 and 1 gontax g2 cameras with all lenses from 21mm through 90mm
2 leica cl bodies with 40mm and 90mm lenses
1 minolta cle with 28, 40, 90mm lenses
nikon f6, and my 1959 f bodies with 50, 105 f2d and 135f2d lenses
minolta xk w/aes finder and 16mm 2.8 and 24mm lenses
mamiya 6 with 50, 75 and 150 lenses
mamiya 645 with 80 f1.9 and 50mm lenses
2 hasselblad 500cm and 1 501cm body with
80, 100 and 350mm lenses
baby linhof technica 6x6 through 6x9 with a couple lenses
4x5 linhof technica with the usual fuji, schneider and nikkor lenses
oh, yes, and the rolleiflex 6008af with the 80mm schneider and the 120 makro planar lenses
so, okay, i lied - more than 9 (sigh)

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

wj, holy moly, my head is still spinning. I hope it stops spinning soon, cause I still have a 1/2 a day here at work!!
Good grief, you must be a multi-brained octopus! :-)
SS