I have been asked a lot recently: “Which entry level DSLR camera should I buy?”

Well the simple answer comes in the form of two questions:

1.- How big is your budget?

2.- Which brand do you prefer?(Canon, Nikon, Sony, etc.) or even already own or have access to, including equipment for that particular brand such as lenses and flashes (this is important cause each brand uses their own set of lenses and most of them cannot be interchanged between brands).

Other thing to consider is: How much into photography are you really getting into? cause let me tell you this is one of the most beautiful and rewarding activities but it is not a cheap one.

Ok so is no secret that I am a Canon user myself but there’s no arguing that Canon and Nikon are the top two choices amongst pro’s so here is a small list of Canon entry DSLR’s and their Nikon counterparts that will get you started and will hold their value so you can resell them when you are ready to upgrade.

These are the four DSLR Canon/Nikon cameras that can get you started:

Canon Camera Model: Canon EOS Rebel XS (1000D) Announced 10-Jun-08
Nikon Counterpart: Nikon D60 Announced 29-Jan-08
Price: $520.00 / £320.00

-This are the most basic DSLRs in the market.
-They do not shoot video.
-Both at around 10 Megapixels.

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Canon Camera Model: Canon EOS Rebel T2i (550D) Announced 08-Feb-10
Nikon Counterpart: Nikon D5000 Announced 14-Apr-09
Price: $900.00 / £576.00

-They also shoot video.
-Both at around 18 Megapixels.

Personally if I had to start again and didn’t have the budget to get a Canon 7D I would definitely go for the Canon EOS Rebel T2i (550D) or Nikon D5000 and the best (and because of that most expensive) lens I could afford, but hey lenses are a whole different subject.

In any case you (the photographer), your skills and passion towards learning more about photography everyday will always be the most important factor to get the best and most satisfying results.

For more on this subject check out my other post on: “Which DSLR Camera is the best?” by clicking here.

Hope this post helps you get started and I will be happy to answer any questions posted in the comments below.

Notes:

-Prices  may vary immensely according to your Country of residence.

-Camera names/models may vary according to your Country of residence, for example in the US they refer to a camera as the Canon EOS Rebel XS and in Europe the exact same camera is called: Canon EOS 1000D. You can find more info on this here.

-The most important thing is to buy the best quality lens, a good glass will always output better results no matter which DSLR you use so aim for an entry DSLR that you can afford plus a good lens.

-The info provided was compiled from many sources and from my own experience and are accurate at publishing date, remember that new cameras will be announced every year and the info on models and prices will change eventually this guide was published August, 2010.

-This is an extremely simple guide intended to point you in the right direction, I will work on bigger and more in depth photography guides on my spare time.