I have to buy a digital SLR camera for a photography course. It seems like the best choices are either Nikon or Canon. Any suggestions?
How much do you want to spend? Do you want a pro-level camera? A “pro-sumer” level camera? Other? Planning to buy more than one lens? Is the course geared toward a specific type of photography? Does the course instructor have specific recommendations? Will you be shooting RAW? What software will you be using to post-produce the images?
Canon vs. Nikon in the photography community is like Apple vs. PC; both are good at what they do, both have pros and cons, and both have people who are quite vocal about which one is universally better. 
I use Nikon, and have been quite happy. But I can’t really compare since I’ve basically never tried a Canon.
I don’t have enough information to give an opinion. What’s the class for? Are you wanting to get into photography, or is this going to be your first and last class? What kinds of photos are you wanting to take? How much money are you looking to spend?
Personally, I use a Nikon D80 and am pleased with it. The set up isn’t terribly expensive (unlike the upgrade to a Canon 5D Mark II will cost me), and it takes fairly decent photos. (Nearly all of the photography on my website http://breaking-reality.com was taken with the D80).
But Canon and Nikon aren’t the only players in the game. It really depends what you’re using it for, what you’re looking to spend, and what you’re wanting it to do.
The course is a Digital Photography II course geared to people who have taken the Digital I intro class. It’s continuing ed (i.e., not part of a degree program) at a very well-known and highly respected photography school. Many of the teachers are somewhat famous in the field. I have no career aspirations but just want to become an “expert amateur” photographer and see where that takes me. I will probably continue to take classes.
I use Adobe Lightroom for post-production and will continue to do so for the short term. Will probably get into Photoshop at some point. I will be shooting RAW.
I borrowed a Canon (can’t remember the model number) from the school for the first course but now I need to buy something. I’ve heard from a number of people (including some teachers) that the Nikon is easier to use. I’d just like to get some thoughts on the pros and cons of both before I buy something. I don’t want to spend over $1000; spending much less is even better. I do want a zoom, not a fixed, lens. Have no plans to buy an additional lens right now. Maybe down the road.
I know there are options other than Nikon and Canon but these seem to be the preferred brands used by almost all the students and teachers.
How much zoom lens do you want?
I really like my Nikon D40and the 18-55 lens that came with it.
I bought the Canon T1i last year, and I love it. The page that I just linked to describes it as “Canon’s second best digital camera ever” – and it costs about 30% of Canon’s best camera.
Based on what you’ve said, I would go with something like this from Nikon or this from Canon. They are both well within your price range, and would at the very least be good starter cameras to give you a taste for it.
Also, you can get a used Nikon D80 for around $500, and buy a separate lens. I would recommend something like this to give you a decent range.
I have a Nikon D80 that I got for about $550 new some 15-odd months ago (although from a brief search it seems they’re not available new anymore – not too surprising – but you can get refurbished from B&H for $500). And as I said, I’ve been quite happy with my Nikon equipment.
The D90 is the next generation of pro-sumer level Nikon, but the price on that is sitting right around $900 still. The D300 is the “pro” level body, but those are over $1000.
In terms of lenses, in addition to whatever zoom you end up with, I’d still strongly recommend this too. It is a great multi-purpose lens, it’s inexpensive, and it opens wide – the f1.8 is what I have, and it’s fantastic because you’d be surprised how often room light just isn’t bright enough. I have this lens and a zoom, and I use the fixed 50mm for nearly everything.
Fixed lenses also tend to be a little bit sharper in focus than zooms (simply because they don’t have to try to optimize the glass for more than one focal length), plus zooms just don’t open as wide is fixed lenses do. I think you can find zooms that open as wide as f2.8, but you pay big bucks for those ($600+ each, and very frequently a lot more, depending on the lens).
Any entry-level body from any of the major manufacturers (Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax, Olympus) will be entirely adequate for such a class. Canon and Nikon are preferred by most because they’re the most complete systems, which means if you ever want some obscure special-purpose lens, it’s likely to be available. The range from the others isn’t as great. But if you just want a body and a kit zoom? I’d consider Pentax, as I believe they do less “de-featuring” in their low end bodies than almost anyone else.
Nikon is clearly the way to go, though. 
With DSLRs and lenses, remember that most of the cameras have sensors smaller than 24x36mm, so there will be a magnifying factor for lenses. A 50mm on a D40 Nikon is not going to be the same as on a N2020. The 50/1.8 linked to will be a little bit tele on the consumer grade DSLR. Also, some Nikon DSLRs do not have focus motors in the camera, so many older AF Nikkors will not auto focus, tho they will work in most every other way.
The magnifying factor is similar with consumer level Canon, Sony, or Pentax DSLRs, the Olympus DSLRs have even more of a magnifying factor, having 4/3rds or Micro 4/3rds formats.
Just something to keep in mind when comparing camera and system options. The lens focal lengths will not all be equivalent to 35mm film cameras. Some pro level models (several brands) have full size sensors, but they cost thousands instead of hundreds.
Digitally, I went with Canon to start with, then changed to Nikon. When I shot film, I started with Nikon, then went to Canon. The Top 5 (traditionally Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Minolta {now with Sony}, Olympus) are all very good. Choose between options, sizes, and system capabilities, the quality is going to be good from major brands.
Just get a Canon T2i and stop worrying. For a while I had a Canon XSi and a Nikon D90; I did many side-by-side comparisons and the Canon seemed to produce a better image. The D90 is still a current model from Nikon, but the Canon XSi is now 2 generations old; T2i is the current equivalent model.
I took such a course 30 years ago and have the following heartfelt advice to give on the basis that it may just be dismissed.
There’s quite a craft in manipulating light, both before it hits your subject and after. The eye brain system does an amazing job of giving you an impression of what the scene is like without ever giving you anything as simple and straightforward as a photograph. However, representing an image of the scene on paper seems to derail some of the automatic, experiential-feeling eye brain system processing. It doesn’t look quite alive, because some of the automatic illusion never evolved in the presence of photography.
I think what thoughtful study of this craft can give you is an analytical way of dealing with what you see, kind of like seeing the light for what it really is, like learning to see around your automatic system, like seeing the way a machine sees for long enough to work out how to feed your automatic system right.
I also think modern automatic cameras have a way of trying to do that too, instead of you trying. Like trying to learn to swim from inside a boat. Like learning this country from inside a jet.
So, you have focal length and focus and aperture and time and film speed and contrast. You can go further and decide how to allocate the shades in your scene into 10 or so zones, so you can pick and choose where the limits of perception will be for your audience. It isn’t hard to learn these things and get a real good feel for them. You should be able to look around and say it’s a beautiful day with a bit of white haze in the sky, and a slow film like 100 would be OK, and that means you could shoot at 1/100 second and f/11, or 1/200 and f/8, and you put the infinity mark of your lens focus ring on the longer focus mark for f/11 or f/8 and set the shutter for 1/100 or 1/200, and now your camera is already prepared to grab a quick shot without adjusting anything at all. You don’t even need a meter for this, let alone anything automatic. With a film camera with pneumatic shutter speed control, you wouldn’t even need a battery in the camera.
I think this is a great way to see pictures in the world, and if there is a digital camera out there that works well this way, it would be great. I had a Canon F1 and an AT100 on either end of the same strap and had the time of my life with it like that, and then a Pentax and a Nikon without anything automatic. In fact it’s a favorite daydream to make a digital camera that brings their tremendous advantages but does everything manually, and does it well.
So, now everybody’s free to ignore me…
I bought a Nikon D90 last year, with an 18-200 lens. I just totally love it . . . the quality of my photography has made a quantum leap over my old Nikon 8008s. I wish I could go back to every place I’ve ever been, and re-take all the photos.
For the purposes of your class, if the teacher is using a Nikon, consider getting the same model. I’ve never used Nikons, but I presume they are good. I’ve always gone Canon because they seem more consumer oriented (in my mind) and a bit less expensive. I’ve got a T1i, and it is a great camera. The T2i just came out, and I am lusting after it.
All DSLRs can be put in full manual mode, just like a film SLR. You can do everything yourself if you want, and they probably will be doing so in a photography class. You can shoot RAW and then deal with “developing” the shot in a digital darkroom as well.
I know they can be put in full manual mode, but I don’t know of any that “work well this way” as I suggest. In cameras that ONLY work this way, generally, the feel and placement and convenience of these simple controls is excellent. My experience with DSLRs is limited but in what I have seen this mode is kind of crowded out by so many others. They can’t add twenty other things and keep the user interface for these basics clean. That is, in the ones I know of - but, are there models you can suggest that are very good in this regard? I might buy one some day. In fact both my digicams now have so many modes and sub-modes like Fireworks In Fog and Winter Sports that I find them intimidating, and their 50 page manuals are too superficial, and all the convenience features are too much to master. Any suggestions? I would love to come back and post that I was wrong!
Yes, especially the higher-end models. They are designed for professionals who take much more control over their shots. The lenses have all the same controls, and most have several buttons that you can program to do whatever you want. It’s a small change from your older film SLR but nothing that you couldn’t master in short order.
In manual mode, there really aren’t many controls you need. Just ignore all the other stuff. Taking pictures is still taking pictures.
Are you using a basic point and shoot? I have a harder time helping my mother change settings on her point and shoot camera than I ever have with my own camera (A Nikon D80).
One of my recent goals for my photography is to use full manual settings. When I switched to digital a few years ago I got lazy having the option to simply flick the switch to ‘auto’. Before switching to digital I did everything manually. Now I’m working my way back to that and it’s a lot easier than you would think.