Looking at a DSLR for my daughter. Seems like the Canon Rebel is the fair-haired child. But it also seems most are rated pretty good according to CR and the Samy's Camera sight. The less expensive Sony jobs look good and include the right lens.

A Sony A380L or A390L looks like a better deal than a Canon EOS T1i.

Am I missing something?

 

I haven't had any experience with the Sony DSLRs but my cousin does have a Canon EOS T1i and really likes it. When I was looking DSLRs I looked at both Canon and Nikon but ultimately settled for a Nikon D90. Having bigger hands I appreciated the extra size/weight that came along with it. My cousin (female) who has smaller hands likes the lighter weight and slightly smaller size of the Canon. I imagine that the Sony will be good though. I just looked a few reviews of it and it seems like a solid choice.

 

I would try and base my decision on what she likes to shoot primarily and get a camera suited for whatever it is. If she's just starting out and doesn't have anything particular in mind, any of the entry level DSLR's would do.

We shoot Canons so I'm a bit biased that way. Nikon is also an excellent choice. I would stay away from Sony just because you won't have nearly the amount of lens choices available.

You might even consider used/refurb equipment to keep the costs down initially. If you decide to buy online PLEASE be careful. There are hundreds of scam sites out there that have advertised prices way below market value. If the price seems too good to be true, it is.

B&H is one of the biggest and best legit sites out there. Check there first for pricing info.

Check out POTN for more info than you could ever digest on Canon cameras, and Nikonians for the Nikons.

Any other questions fire away!

 

We have a Canon EOS DSLR camera and it great. Depending on what she is going to shoot though, you might also want to consider better lenses than what comes with it.

 

Get a Canon or a Nikon.

Both of them have the widest variety of lenses and other addons.
If you are getting one for your daughter and it is her first SLR, perhaps look for a unit that is a couple of years old, and save up to buy some decent lenses (my suggestion would be find a Nikon D70 - and buy the genuine Nikon 18-200 lens). The older body models from Canon/Nikon still take very high-quality photos, and once she has had some practice, you can look at buying a newer body - a high quality lens will last forever, and won't really get out-dated, and you can move on to your next camera with it.

 

I'll toss my hat in here....

Sony bought Konica-Minolta's camera line when K-M got out of the business in 2006. Because of that, ANY Minolta lens will work on a Sony camera, and Minolta made some GOOD lenses. There are one or two of them that are still commanding NEW prices, 20+ years after they went out of production.

Minolta gear (both bodies and lenses) are going for a song these days, because Sony refuses to support them (even though they're supposed to). So keep that in mind.

Had I to do it over again, I'd go with either Canon or Nikon; not because I don't like my Minolta, but because by the time I paid for a good "fast" lens, I would have paid as much for Canon gear as Minolta, and none of my ancient Maxxum film gear would work with the new digital Maxxum body. So I wound up not saving anything in the long run, and got "stuck" with an orphaned product (even as good as it is).

On the other hand, Sony KEPT the in-camera image-stabilization that Minolta developed (they call it "Steady-Shot" at Sony), so you get the bonus of having image stabilization with ANY lens, not just the expensive ones of other manufacturers.

Sony's A700 is next on my list, mostly because I don't want to have to buy new lenses AGAIN. And it's the direct lineal successor to my Minolta D7. I sometimes drool over the A900, with it's 24MP sensor.

Keep in mind that the LENSES are the biggest part of the equation. ANY digital camera will take good snapshots, but the good "keeper" shots will be affected by a poor lens.

Be sure you don't get caught up in the "more is better" idea when looking at the pixel count. Anything over 6MP is indistinguishable from film for up to 8x10 size prints, and even then, it's hard to do. Lens quality and image processing (both in-camera and in post-production) count for far more than the number of pixels.

Digital Cameras: Digital Photography Review, News, Reviews, Forums, FAQ

is a good site with reviews on just about every camera in existence.

-blaine

 

Got a line on a used Nikon D60 for about $350 with the basic 18-55 lens, battery and charger.

Looks like I'd have to download the 204 page owner's manual....

This has been submitted to the subject for review.

Thanks for the help, info and clarifications.

 

Try looking at this site for some info.

KenRockwell.com: Photography, Cameras and Taking Better Pictures