spphoto Loc: Long Island,N.Y.

The Sony A55 has been up-graded to the A57 ,so you can get good buy's.I had the Sony A55 and took great pictures,(now have two Sony A77 ).Before you buy the A55 see how it fits your hands I found it two small for my hands,I kept on hitting the White balance button.The A65 is a little larger and is easier to hold .
Sony takes great pictures I would recommend the A65

Taken with A55

CAM1017 Loc: Chiloquin, Oregon

I shoot Canon's and love them. That said, you did not have Nikons, Panasonic and Olympus on your list. They are all excellent and since you are just starting out. Look at everything on the market.

KTVasser Loc: Los Altos, California

One of the tools I used to make my decision was www.sortable.com plug in parameters - like price point, and a bunch of other priorities - then it has a checklist of things that are important to you. It will compare cameras. Or - the cameras you mentioned, compare them to each other and see which features are more important to you. I was so torn when I was purchasing, but ended up deciding on a Pentax K-5 because of the weather sealing, low light performance, size of the camera (which was comfortable for me) AND the fact I already had lenses from my first Pentax way back in the 1970's that work perfectly on it. I am extremely happy with my new dslr. The other review sites are also good too - dpreview etc. Actually DPReview will also let you do a comparison with another camera at the bottom of the review where they rate it at the conclusion. You already know what you want to use it for, so you are ahead of the game. You'll love whatever one you decide on, they are so much F U N !!!

KTVasser Loc: Los Altos, California

sorry - one more comment. You can get a great deal at Costco (West Coast) - Canon 60d which is a great camera - for a very reasonable price! They also have the Nikon D5100. They probably have the Sony's as well. I think they even carried a Pentax awhile back. Their return policy is incredible. I didn't notice where you live. What they show online, and what they have in the store can also be very different. When they start stocking for Christmas (which is unfortunately probably late August ...) they carry lots and lots of camera.

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

Will you be shooting video, the new T4i has made advancement in video shooting that make it somewhat unique. That might be a consideration, beyond that I think that all the cameras you are looking at are good choices and will be more limited by your learning curve than the camera technology.

wlgoode Loc: Globe, AZ

Although I may get some argument here. One saving grace is, it's nearly impossible to buy a bad DSLR. Just some are stronger or weaker in certain areas. IMHO the "Pixel Wars" is largely one of marketing. All other things being the same, the sensor size is more important (one case in which bigger IS better).

RixPix Loc: Miami, Florida

I shoot Canon and like many on this board have a bias toward the brand I shoot.

That being said, here are the same remarks I would make in person to anyone who asked me this question:

I would say stick with either Canon or Nikon. The other brands are good but as far as stability of the company and future availability of lenses these two brands outshine all the others. You may be asking yourself "What is this guy talking about?"

When you invest $1000 in a camera system you in most cases signing on for the long haul. That means your future purchases, lenses, flashes, additional or replacement bodies are already determined unless you scrap everything and start over. If you buy a Nikon body, you will have access to all the lenses for Nikon. Likewise if you buy a Canon body you will have the ability to chose from any of the Canon lenses. However, if you choose one of the others your selection of high tech lenses is limited. You can use old Pentax lenses on your Pentax and Minolta lenses on a Sony but, once you use the new style lenses you will soon realize that the new technology is both easier to use and better performing under most conditions.

Canon and Nikon are for the most part imaging companies. Although Nikon is a part of the Mitsubishi group and Canon is a stand alone company both are primarily in the image business. Sony is an electronics maker with severe business problems at present. Pentax is no longer a manufacturer but a brand built by contractors and their share of the market is so small it is barely worth a mention. In fact, a good friend of mine bought a Pentax DSLR to use with his old lenses to save money. However, once he started shooting with the new lens that came with the camera he never used his old lenses. He told me recently he should have stuck with a Canon or Nikon as he has used my Canon and his brothers Nikon and both are superior to his Pentax.

The T4i and the Nikon 5200 are the latest models. They represent the best (for the money) the industry leaders can come up with. Once again, I shoot Canon and after using a T4i with Canon's new STM lens I can safely say that these are going to be the new standard for auto focus systems at least until something new comes along.

wlgoode Loc: Globe, AZ

Because of the eminent release of the D5200 the D5100 is now discounted. I just bought one (ex B&H) and am impatiently awaiting it's arrival.

outsider Loc: Antelope Valley, California

I don't see where I was "Hammering" Sony Cameras at all. I just know Sony is having severe financial issues. That is all I meant by saying them being in it for the long run. I'm sure they make fine cameras.

hangman45 Loc: Hueytown Alabama

I agree some of the old Pentax lens and I stress some of the old lens are not as good as some of the new. That being said I have a few old primes that I would put up against any of the new lens that are out they are sharper and colors are hard to beat. Pentax even though it has a small market share that does not take away from the quality of the cameras they make they K-5 is rated as the best APS-C camera by most if not all review sites.
The K-x and K-r were some of the best low light performing beginner DSLR's. The new K-30 is the only camera in it's class that has weather sealing and dual control dials. They have a road map for the next 2 years with many new lens plus new bodies Pentax is back on the right track they may never be as big as Canon and Nikon but as long as they produce cameras that beat the competition where it counts and that is image quality and performance I will still recommend them to anyone.
And as far as being a manufacture I have to disagree they are still manufacturing their own cameras yes the contract out for the sensors just like Nikon matter fact they come from the same place.

johfoley

I bought a Pentax K10D for the simple fact that I am cheap...
I shot a Minolta SRT-201 first, then later several different Pentax's so I had a boatload of lenses and accessories for both. I considered the Sony's, but my older manual focus Minolta lenses do not fit the Sony's. That narrow3ed it down to the Pentax. In addition to the ability to use almost all the older lenses, the Pentax bodies have built in image stabilization. Is it as good as the shake reduction in Canon and Nikon lenses? I dunno... but I only have to buy it once, and I can buy decent used Minolta and Pentax lenses all day long at second hand stores, for next to nothing. That said, even though I am quite happy with my Pentax, you must consider that Canon and Nikon lenses (and bodies)can be rented just about anywhere. Pentax rentals are few and far between. Probably the same with Sony. Truth be told, you can't go wrong with any of them, but it's nice to have the option to rent what you can't afford to buy.

johfoley

I bought a Pentax K10D for the simple fact that I am cheap...
I shot a Minolta SRT-201 first, then later several different Pentax's so I had a boatload of lenses and accessories for both. I considered the Sony's, but my older manual focus Minolta lenses do not fit the Sony's. That narrowed it down to the Pentax. In addition to the ability to use almost all the older lenses, the Pentax bodies have built in image stabilization. Is it as good as the shake reduction in Canon and Nikon lenses? I dunno... but I only have to buy it once, and I can buy decent used Minolta and Pentax lenses all day long at second hand stores for next to nothing. That said, even though I am quite happy with my Pentax, you must consider that Canon and Nikon lenses (and bodies) can be rented just about anywhere. Pentax rentals are few and far between. Probably the same with Sony. Truth be told, you can't go wrong with any of them, but it's nice to have the option to rent what you can't afford to buy.

RixPix Loc: Miami, Florida

Sony has very real issues corporate wide. They are no longer considered a innovative leader in the highly competitive electronics business. Samsung has eclipsed them in TV and Apple pretty much owns the mobile audio market. While Sony has grown its market share at the expense of mostly Canon but also Nikon they have a long way to go to become an industry leader. Canon has about 40% of the worldwide market and Nikon has about 27% according to the latest IRI data. Sony has about 11% up from virtually zero a just few years ago. They majority of their customers in the first couple of years were previous Minolta users. Now, their business is mostly "new to DSLR users" with no film camera experience. Sony knew this going into the game. They only market share they can get is attracting new to the market buyers. Brand changers are rare in this industry due to loyalty and financial investments in lenses as critical factors. This is in no way an indictment of the quality of their products or the results. I would think if they continue to invest in improving their product they will achieve a market share equivalent to Nikon. Of course at the expense of both Nikon and Canon's market share. I saw some data a few months back on on the median age of the various brands of cameras. Sony has the youngest median age, Nikon the oldest. (Canon's median age not as young but closer to Sony's than Nikon's.) This information may have been the motivating factor to use Ashton Kutcher as the face of Nikon. They are attempting to buy into the youth market. Canon on the other hand IS Canon. The number one selling SLR camera in film then and now the number one brand of digital. In fact, Canon's status has been unchanged for nearly 40 years. They are number one in Europe by an even greater margin than here in the US in the core demographic of 18-35. It is thought that the initial camera purchase makes or breaks brand loyalty. Both Sony and Canon's point and shoots are considered to be superior to Nikon's offerings. For Nikon to grow they must improve their REAL entry models the point and shoots. This can be an expensive investment and as most Nikon users will attest Nikon is spending a lot of money on the middle and upper ends of their line especially in the DSLR category. Their products are great but without a loyal younger base they may not be as popular as Canon or Sony.

Regardless where your brand loyalties lie...it is up the manufacturers to keep you happy and coming back. They all know that. New brands from new sources are always popping up and Pentax-Ricoh Imaging is working with Samsung so who knows what's around the corner. The first to make a commercially viable and affordable actual 3D video camera will be the one that will garner the most New to market buyers. We will just have to wait and see

RixPix Loc: Miami, Florida

Well, let's see some of your photos. I am sure they are great!

RichardSM Loc: Back in Texas

Hello

Take a good look at the Canon T4i I think it cost a little less which you use for a extra lens or two.