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Originally Posted by WannaBe  I bought my Canon T3i at Walmart, can't remember the exact price but it was well under $500 on sale. I did buy two more lenses, the zoom and the 50mm for inside. You can find good deals for used ones on craigslist, people buy the T3i and get better then buy a better camera and sell the T3i cheaper. |
I think the Canon consumer line is fantastic. It's what I used for about 6-7 years before I bought a few other higher end model. Lenses are more important anyway. My favorite beginner lens is the Canon 50mm f/1.8. It's generally around 80-100$ and fantastic quality, especially for the price. It's a fixed lens, so no zooming. Though the lens that comes with the camera (18-50?) is also decent to start.
You can easily use a T3i or similar forever, unless you want to be a professional. Even still, I used to do work with a photographer that primarily used a prosumer (semi-pro -Canon 7D) for his weddings. That's what I currently have. I no longer do weddings or photos for money; I got a burnt out that my favorite hobby turned into a job.
I much prefer Canon over Nikon. This is definitely just MY OPINION. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Nikon, but Canon is my preference. I think that Canon's are more user friendly. Also, their equipment is generally cheaper than Nikon's (same quality build and results) especially when you get into the professional line and L lenses.