charlienow Loc: Hershey, PA

A few years ago i entered the DSLR world by purchasing a D5500 with the 18-55 and 55-300 zoom lenses plus a bunch of other stuff i bought with the kit...including an sb700 flash and an 18-140 zoom...Never used the 18-55 zoom and rarely the 55-300. as a side note here I dislike changing lenses especially while outside and I don't like carrying the extra gear...I typically plan my day out shooting with one lens and extra batteries and memory cards in my pocket..I used this camera heavily on a trip to Europe...I was very happy with the photos i took, but not the gear so much...I bought an 18-300 and find this is my go to lens, especially while traveling...it covers all my needs...

Move ahead a few months...I decided i wanted a little better body than the D5500. I looked around and played with a few bodies...i narrowed down my choices based on feel and cost of the bodies...i liked the feel of the 7200 over the 7500 so decided to go with the 7200. No regrets..I much prefer it over the d5500...and with the 18-300 lens i rarely change lenses...i sold most of the gear i first bought for a rather sizeable loss...but i am happy with my decision to trade up to the d7200. wont be looking to buy new gear for quite some time if ever...love what i have...

When I bought the d5500 my choice (budget wise) was between the d3xxx series, 5500 and 5600...I felt that the 7200/7500 was way out of my budget...

enough said...good luck in making your decision....but if you have any thought or reason to believe that you might really like photography, bite the bullet now and go for the bet body you can afford...Wish i had with my first DSLR, I would have saved quite a bit...

jdub82 Loc: Northern California

The Canon T7i would be a very good choice. It has one of Canon's more advanced processors, fast focusing speed, and improved low light performance over other models. The Canon 77D is another option worthy of consideration. I have a 77D which has many features of the T7i, with the added benefit of the top LCD information screen. Either camera is a great choice. I have been very pleased with my 77D. Both cameras have a smaller form factor than the 80D, but are larger than the SL2. I agree with those who have suggested handling the cameras you are considering at a camera store or Best Buy, before you make your decision.

anotherview Loc: California

The Canon Rebel T7i will serve your needs. You and others may call it "an entry level" DSLR. Yet it can take high-quality photographs. And it has settings for the sophisticated photographer.

Further, this camera can mount several dozen Canon lenses as well as lenses from third-party vendors.

Consider putting the Canon EF-S 17-85mm lens on this fine little camera. B&H Photo has it on sale for $299.

I own and use this camera with this lens as a walkaround camera, with very good results.

Buy this camera used or refurbished to pay less than for new.

Good luck.

TommiRulz Loc: Corpus Christi, TX

All the cameras you mentioned are great entry level cameras - you can't go wrong.. I like the SL2 for travel because it is just enough smaller to really make a difference in my comfort level, all while providing great DSLR quality photos. I always paired mine with one of many Tamron mega range zooms (like the 18-400 and the 18-270) again light and good for travel. I took SL2 and Tamron on a long biking trip and it was hardy, easy and got great pics!
If if your going to be doing a lot of walking on your trip you (and your back) will appreciate the smaller camera.
PS... Recently I sold my SL2 to try mirrorless..... NOPE - I am back on Ebay now looking to buy another SL2.

olemikey Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida

Welcome aboard, you found a happy photo place. Those are all good cameras, would be hard to find fault with any.

Knowing nothing about you or your photographic needs, I'll address another aspect; physical characteristics, comfort and ease of use. How large are your hands? How steady are you? How strong are you? Do you have any impediments? You don't need to answer this publicly, but you should consider these things. These may seem like strange questions concerning a camera purchase, but if you spend any time here you will understand why I ask.

I have some small form factor cameras, and they are great, for short time use. I have a mix of different size DSLR cameras and I found something interesting in long term use. I require a larger camera body for hand/finger comfort for periods of long use, especially with large lenses. Small cameras (In my case a Nikon D3200) proved to be uncomfortable to use for any length of time due to not matching my hand/finger size, and my hand/fingers would start to cramp on longer shoots, from the "pinch style" of holding said body. Add a larger lens, and it was even more pronounced, due to the package being front heavy.

I have found that my ideal body size to be at least equivalent to the D7xxx Nikons and larger. I don't have strength/steadiness/balance or other impediments, but a small body/tight dimensions if a turnoff every time. It took a while for this to make sense to me and after I altered my approach I've been much happier. Like another post (CHG CANON) said, go somewhere that has bodies you can touch, feel and hold, find the physical comfort zone... then look for the features you want. Whether large, medium or small is the choice, you will be glad you determined this prior to buying.

My $.02

agillot

start with a kit , like nikon 3400 or similar in different brands , canon , pentax +++ .seen articles on google about basic dslr kits , and the opinion of the writer is that they do just fine .

jackm1943 Loc: Omaha, Nebraska

I have a camera with an articulated touch screen and I can say that YES, it is worth the extra and would be a deal breaker for me. After getting used to it, I can't imagine ever having a camera without an articulated touch screen.
For your crop frame camera, something like a 17-55 would be perfect IMO.

genocolo Loc: Vail and Gasparilla Island

I suggest you look at Costco online or in store. Not bad selection of Nikons and Canons at prices that are very good. My choice would be the Canon 80D. Costco’s return policy is very liberal. You can try it and if you don’t like it or want to try something else, you can.

ronaldwrightdallas

I have always been a nikon person. but I switched to sony a couple years ago. just my choice of features available that matched my needs.
but on the way to an expensive set of sony cameras and lens, I picked up a sony a6000 with the standard 16-50 lens. I was amazed at the quality of images compared to the cost. there are more features and better lenses, but this is a good startup camera and lens that is available used at a very comfortable price. (yes is know it is mirrorless not dslr, but I bet the dslr has about run its course with todays technology)

traderjohn Loc: New York City

[quote=E4Mafia]Canon. By far. Bc they have a cornucopia of lenses to chose from.

Please remember that by using a cropped sensor camera you lose (or gain) some distance though.

For example: a 35mm lense on a cropped sensor is really a 52mm lense. Or a 20 mm lense is really a 30mm.
But, a 300 mm lense is really 450mm so instead of losing, you gain free distance.
To figure it out just do some simple math.
-canon: (any mm)×1.5
-nikon: (any mm)×1.6

I suggest to purchase a used FF camera and save yourself the hassle of spending extra on a small mm lens to get the one you want. I.E. 20mm lense cost roughly $700usd. And thats to get close to a 35mm look.
Also note that sensors do not give you the pixal count that the manufacturer states. No matter the sensor size. Lenses just block too much light. Thats why everyone says that the lense matters most with a camera. The better the lense, the more light it lets in. So stay away from kit lenses. Youll see the difference yourself if you really want to. Just compare a kit with a good quality lense.


"

traderjohn Loc: New York City

"So stay away from kit lenses." Nikon pairs a 28-300 lens with their D610. By your definition the dreaded and maligned kit lens. If you already had a Nikon and wanted to add a lens and decided you liked their 28-300 MM lens and bought it would it have the same level of inferior quality as the same dreaded kit lens

BuckeyeBilly Loc: St. Petersburg, FL

Greg, welcome to the forum. I also have had good success with Canon and will advise you to NOT be afraid of purchasing refurbished products. What this means to you is you can save money and get a one-year warranty to boot. Everything in Canon's arsenal of refurbished products has been reconditioned to like new status and it's such a great deal!
Here are links to the 2 Canon models you're looking at:
This one is for the T7i with a good 18-135mm lens that would have the advantage of just having one lens to deal with as you walk around during the day.
https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/eos-rebel-t7i-ef-s-18-135-is-stm-kit-refurbished
This one is for the SL2 with the standard 18-55mm lens.
https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/refurbished-eos-rebel-sl2-black-ef-s-18-55mm-f-4-5-6-kit
This is for the list of refurbished lenses you could add to either of the cameras if funds are available.
https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/lenses-flashes/refurbished-lenses#facet:&productBeginIndex:0&orderBy:11&pageView:grid&pageSize:&

I know you've mentioned Canon as well as Nikon in the brands you're considering. However, if you're open to other brands, I would heartily recommend the Pentax K-70 because, not only is it in the price range you're considering but it also has other very important features built-in that are great for taking photos. Things like having Image Stabilization in the camera, a faster shutter speed (1/6000 ), dust removal on the sensor, a top ISO setting of 102400, 24 megapixels, a variable angle LCD screen that also adjusts to the brightness of the light so you'll never have to guess about it, 6 frames per second shooting, and it's also weather sealed that allows you to take pictures in -10C weather. And a whole lot more. Here's a link for you to see it for yourself.
http://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/english/products/k-70/
Buying places here.
https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/buying-guides/pentax-k-70-deals

John_F Loc: Minneapolis, MN

Someone suggested refurbs from camera stores. As you seem to prefer Canon, be aware they also sell refurbs that they have rebuilt to factory specification using factory spare parts of their manfacture. A camera store will mainly selling third party refurbs, who might not rebuild to factory specs or use factory parts. They might depend on 'cannibolized' parts that will be 'used.'

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

You can check the comparison yourself at B&H: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/compare/Canon_Rebel_T7i_vs_Canon_Rebel_SL2/BHitems/1318277-REG_1346737-REG

The T?i series has been the entry level camera until the stripped down T? models came out.

Both the T7i and SL2 have a touchscreen (at least according to B&H). I have one on my 80D and while I wasn't looking for that feature, I find it most handy. You can pull up the "Q" (Quick) view of the major camera settings and select which to adjust via the thouchscreen, then dial in the new setting.

There are differences. The T7i has a better focusing system with 45 focus points to the SL2's 9, and more. Note that the image stabilization indicated is for video only.

Todd G

I've had the t7i for a little over a year and I love it