Quote Originally Posted by Franglais
GH>> Quality wise, which is best, Nikon or Canon? Picture wise which is best, Nikon or Canon?

That is a real greenhorn question. These are the top two manufacturers and their products are pretty much equal. If one draws ahead for a while, the other one catches up quickly. It's been like that for years.

GH>> I could be wrong, but I think the Nikon D5000 has no auto focus. Maybe I would be better off with a manual focus lens too.

You are wrong. The D5000 has no focus motor and needs lenses with a focus motor built-in - which all Nikon lenses have had for the last 5 years or so. Forget manual focus - the camera does a much better job of focussing than you do through the viewfinder, unless you use Liveview focussing but that's slow

GH>> I have heard that the Nikon R1 C1 flash is a good choice, but I will need advice. Can it be used on a Canon?

Interesting question - I don't have a R1 C1 so I looked at the specs. This unit is designed for Nikon's CLS flash system. If you fitted it on a Canon then it might work a bit but you would lose all the automatic flash measurement that comes with CLS.

The R1 C1 comes with two flashes and a SU800 flash commander which is necesary for the D5000. I think it would be much better to get the D90 which is a much nicer body and you can use the built-in flash as a commander without the SU800.

For lenses look first at the latest 60mm AF-S macro from Nikon (or if you go Canon Rebel the new 60mm macro which is supposed to be excellent).
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That is what I meant about the Nikon having no focus motor in the body. I have concidered the D90, but the price is getting out of my range. Maybe I should just choke and go for it anyway. What about flash shadow in a close up? That is a BIG problem with my Nikon L5.

Thank you for advice on the lense.