What camera should you buy?

As the unofficial Google Photographer, I get numerous emails from many of my colleagues about which digital camera they should start out with. I got another one yesterday:

Wesley,
What are your thoughts on Canon Rebel XTi Vs the Nikon D40X. This will be my first real camera, so looking for something that doesn't overwhelm me, but does let me explore some of the fundamentals of photography.

Thanks,
[name redacted]

I thought I'd share my thoughts on this topic since I get asked about this so often. My assumption if you're reading this is that you're new to photography and/or you're looking to upgrade to a more sophisitacted, dSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera like the Canon EOS-30D or Nikon D40x.

(1) Canon or Nikon? There are two dominant camera "systems" on the market today that manufacture over 80% of the cameras and lenses that pros use: Canon and Nikon. You have to decide which one to go with since once you make an investment in one system, it's really difficult to switch. The lenses also aren't interchangable: a Canon lens won't fit on a Nikon camera body, and vice versa. If you really get into photography, you could very well invest in over $10,000 in lenses, so choose wisely.

I exclusively use Canon bodies and lenses, and am extremely happy with my choice. I have close friends that swear by Nikon and have made an equally large and expensive investment in Nikon lenses. You have to pick one, and there have been endless debates about which brand/system is better. (I chose Canon, so much of what I speak below will echo this).

(2) Lenses. Most people fail to realize that the glass (lenses) that you buy is probably more important than what camera body you start with. Almost all dSLR camera bodies are sold without the lens. And (good) lenses are not cheap.

What lens you choose to buy depends on what type of photography you choose to do. I personally use a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L lens ($1700) for 70% of all the photos I take, but switch out to other lenses (such as the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS, $1800) as the situation dictates.

Most people starting out usually photograph people or landscapes, so a lens I recommend starting with is the Canon 28mm-135mm f/3.5-f/5.6 IS lens ($425). First, it is both a wide-angle lens (28mm) so you can take great photos of landscapes, as well as a telephoto (135mm) lens, so you can zoom in on your subject if you want to take a portrait of someone. Second, it has something called an Image Stabalizer built in which helps compensate for camera shake by reducing camera blur. (This is probably one of the coolest technologies to hit photography in the past decade). The 28-135mm lens is a great start and can give you great photos in a wide variety of situations if used properly.

(3) Buy a camera body. I'm really agnostic about what body people buy since a new one is released every couple of years (so you have to upgrade often), and the quality of your photos is really affected more by what lens you use than how fancy your camera body is. I take crappy photos when using a crappy lens and a state-of-the-art body, but have spectacular photos when using a great lens (and having good lighting) on a several-year-old, obsolete dSLR body. The current "starter" dSLR bodies on the market today that are worth checking out are the Canon Digital Rebel XTi (10 megapixels) and the Nikon D40x (also 10 megapixels).

You can't go wrong with either body, but you can go wrong by choosing the wrong lens to start with.

(4) Pick a project to learn how to take great photos. Phil Greenspun has some great advice about building your first dSLR system: choose a couple of photo projects to start with. Photograph your dog or your kids, go take a trip and take some sweet photos of a waterfall--the possibilities are endless. Post the photos up on the web to share with others and enjoy the results of your new camera.