You won't go wrong with either the Nikon or the Canon.
They are both excellent cameras capable of producing superb photographs.
I went through the agony of making that decision earlier last fall. From October through March, I studied magazines and web sites. I made lists of camera bodies, lenses, and accessories and shopped them through the InterNet and local stores.
It was a "toss up" to the end.
I eventually bought the Nikon D200, and am a happy owner.
But
I could easily have gone with Canon, and I would be a happy Canon owner.IMHO, as far as final product, there is not much difference.
I don't believe that anyone can look a final picture and tell you if it came from a Canon 30D or a Nikon D200.
Spend some time on the Net. There are plenty of Websites for Canon and Nikon.
Discount ALL anecdotal testimonials from 3rd Parties.
"My brother has a friend who works for National Geographic, and he bought Camera X and was SOOO disappointed that he sold it and bought Camera Y, and now he is happy and that proves that Camera Y is better".:puke: BOGUS
Instead, visit the sites of people who are happy with their cameras and look at the quality of their work. I could find little difference.
Others here have already offered the advice to go to a store and handle each camera. Find out which one fits your hands, and feels comfortable against your face. In general, you will take better pictures with a camera that is comfortable.
The Nikon D200 is
heavy, and will expose sloppy
technique. I moved up from a much lighter camera, and spent the first couple of weeks wondering why my pictures were
blurry (camera shake, operator error)(and I'm a big boy :)). The D200 DID fit my big hands better.
The Canon will take better JPGs
out of the box.Explanation: The Nikon D200 applies less in camera "processing" unless you tell it to. Nikon decided to leave those decisions to the photographer. If you want to shoot JPGs with the D200, you will need to read the manual and wander through some bewildering (at first) Menus to arrive at the proper settings.
Most D200 owners shoot RAW, and you will too eventually. (I'm working on it)
You will need a large HardDrive and a fast computer to process the images from either camera. The files are HUGE. The images you see on DU have been resized to less than 10% of their "in camera" size. You will need
at least one 2Gig Flash memory card (two would be better) for the D200. A 256meg card for a D200 is a joke.
Lenses:
Bite the bullet and get good glass. The system is only as good as the lens.
The best camera body in the World can't correct or improve poor (bargain) lenses.
If $ are limited, consider the Nikon D70 (or Canon equivalent) with a "good" lens.
A D70 with a good lens will take better pictures than a D200 with a "bargain" lens.
I would suggest a good zoom, 18-200mm VR (if you can find one).
If I could only have one lens, this would be it.
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/nikkor.htm#digitalFor fun, you can add this little gem for about $125.
The Nikkor 50mm F/1.8 is
fast, very sharp, and inexpensive. ($125)
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/5018daf.htmDollar for Dollar, and pound for pound, it is the best buy on the market.
It is great for indoor, low light No-Flash photos, and I've had great fun just walking around with it.
Be careful Shopping Online. There are many scams.
If the price is too good to be true....:(.
There are some websites that will rate Vendors. Here is one:
http://www.resellerratings.com/seller1995.htmlThere are others. Just Google "Review {camera store name}"
Many of the online scammers will quote a good price on the camera body, but radically overcharge you for accessories (Memory, strap, filters, batteries). Some will even take these items OUT of the original box and then charge you extra. Any tripod offered FREE with a camera purchase will be a piece of junk.
These salesmen are
very good. Be careful if they get you on the phone.
All in All, don't let all this become overwhelming. Remember to have fun.
If you are choosing between "The Canon" or "The Nikon", you can't make a bad choice.
Cheers!
Bob
St Paul