Best bang for the buck? *comparison*

[GrimCamera]

My wife and I are going to have our first child and we're looking for a camera that can take good pics and video for long lasting memories.

We are trying to judge between these two cameras, we can get a nice discount on either one. Which one is better for the money? FYI we really want a tripod so if you choose the Canon do you know where we can get one that's compatible?

THANKS IN ADVANCE

Canon EOS Rebel T3 12MP Digital SLR Camera ShopNBC.com

OR

Fujifilm FinePix 16MP CMOS Black Digital Camera Kit w/ Case, Tripod and 8GB SDHC Card ShopNBC.com

p.s. when I was in 2nd grade I told the class I was going to be a wildlife photographer. I'm 26 now and I've NEVER owned a camera. Excited to finally explore photography.

[Franglais]

Tripod mounts are a standard screw thread. Just about any tripod should fit on any camera.

The Fuji camera is a Bridge camera whereas the Canon is a DSLR.

- with a Bridge you buy the camera and that's it. You can't change it. In 2-3 years you throw it away and buy a whole new camera
- with a DSLR if you feel limited then you have a huge system of lenses, flashes, better bodies, accessories. If you want to then you can build up a whole collection of compatible accessories and improve them incrementially. In 3 years time if you want to upgrade your body then you just buy a new body (from the same maker, obviously) and keep all your accessories.

I wouldn't advise anybody who was getting interested in photography to buy a bridge camera. I would always go for a DSLR

[Franglais]

When I wrote my piece I was expecting a Mirrorless evangelist to Jump in and say "Don't forget Mirrorless. The best-bang-for-your-buck today could be a camera type Sony NEX or Olympus/Panasonic Micro 4/3. Same results as a DSLR more or less, interchangable lenses but no complicated, bulky mirror system. It's the system of the future"

To which I was going to answer "Whenever I think about value-for-money (nowadays - wasn't always the case) I think about protecting my investment in the long term. Mirrorless is rocket science. It hasn't been around long and there have already been a few incompatabilities in this area:

- Micro 4/3 evolved from 4/3 - same sensor but in a DSLR body. Looks pretty much dead now
- Sony just changed their flash mounting to follow the standard format which is good but it means that anybody who bought a flash for the NEX-7 will have to reinvest

So I hesitated about mentioning Mirrorless"

But no Mirrorless fans showed up. Never mind

[OldClicker]

When I wrote my piece I was expecting a Mirrorless evangelist to Jump in and say "Don't forget Mirrorless. The best-bang-for-your-buck today could be a camera type Sony NEX or Olympus/Panasonic Micro 4/3. Same results as a DSLR more or less, interchangable lenses but no complicated, bulky mirror system. It's the system of the future"

To which I was going to answer "Whenever I think about value-for-money (nowadays - wasn't always the case) I think about protecting my investment in the long term. Mirrorless is rocket science. It hasn't been around long and there have already been a few incompatabilities in this area:

- Micro 4/3 evolved from 4/3 - same sensor but in a DSLR body. Looks pretty much dead now
- Sony just changed their flash mounting to follow the standard format which is good but it means that anybody who bought a flash for the NEX-7 will have to reinvest

So I hesitated about mentioning Mirrorless"

But no Mirrorless fans showed up. Never mind

"Sony just changed their flash mounting to follow the standard format which is good but it means that anybody who bought a flash for the NEX-7 will have to reinvest"

The change has nothing to do with mirrorless since it was changed across the ILC lines. Any flash made by Sony (or Minolta in this century) for the old shoe will fit the new shoe with the included adapter with full functionality.

"Micro 4/3 evolved from 4/3 - same sensor but in a DSLR body. Looks pretty much dead now"

Since it is the DSLR line that you are calling dead and the mirrorless that is alive and well, doesn't that contradict your argument rather than support it?

[Franglais]

OK good news about the Sony flash mount. I didn't research it.

The switch from "Four-Thirds" to "Micro Four-Thirds" is an illustration of how new technology can change things and leave the consumer in the lurch. Is mirrorless technology now stable so you can be sure that any investment you make in lenses and accessories will still work in 10 years time? I'm not so sure.

[OldClicker]

OK good news about the Sony flash mount. I didn't research it.

The switch from "Four-Thirds" to "Micro Four-Thirds" is an illustration of how new technology can change things and leave the consumer in the lurch. Is mirrorless technology now stable so you can be sure that any investment you make in lenses and accessories will still work in 10 years time? I'm not so sure.

And what if you have 10 year old Nikon lenses and don't want to spend $900+ for a body that has an AF drive motor? Things change and will change faster in the future. BTW, most (if not all) of the mirrorless bodies can use those older Nikon lenses (and most everything else) with an adapter - and maybe even AF.

I'm not even a fan of the current mirrorless, but I'm willing to bet that what will be gone in 10 years is the mirror.

Terry

[Franglais]

Ah yes all the entry-level DSLR users who bought the "D" model 50mm f1.8 and discovered it wouldn't autofocus on their body. Less risk today - all of Nikon's lenses introduced in the last 9 years are AF-S. I think that Nikon decided to sacrifice full legacy lens compatability on the entry-level models to get lowest cost and size.

There was also the change in the flash systems when DSLR's arrived. No way to make an off-the-film exposure system work with a shiny digital sensor so my SB28 is just gathering dust.

I held an Olympus M5 mirrorless on Saturday and I thought it felt really good. But as for predicting the future - I just look at the past and try to extrapolate..

[NuroKnight]

Sup guys I'm new to this website. Cheers