what is your favorite brand of Digital SLR?
is it nikon, canon, rolley, leica, kodak, pentax, ollympus, or something else..
say what you prefer so you choose the certain brand. both advangate and disadvantages.

I have a sony DSC F717 which I got on Ebay for just over 300 quid and can thoroughly recommend it. It takes brilliant photo's and the top resolution is 2560x1920. The lcd is very bright and it can easily cope with all the situations I throw at it ( low light - bright light etc) I looked at several camera's - but wanted an SLR and would have bought the new canon had I not bought this - but its too new for 2nd hand one's and the Sony will do just about as much EXCEPT - no interchangeable lenses. The zoom is 5 X though - so its enough for most situations.
I bought a 512 memory stick pro - and never have run out of room for more pics yet!

as long as i know, sony digicam is using optical carl zeis lens. that is the point of picture quality. sony it self, is expert for electonics technology. they jus need to combine or joint with the top optical lens company such as carl zeis.
Similar tha that is leica-panasonic. i love laica's lens technology. but their product design is not as cool as others.

My current (and I suppose it's my favorite) brand is Canon DSLR. Part of my job requires me to travel with models and take some stock photos for the company I work for. It took me good 6 months to decide on which brand I should go for. I considered Nikon at first (my father had his and I just had that warm fuzzy nostalgic feeling about it). But the whole point of owning a SLR, rather DSLR, is that you have the unlimited choice to change the lens that is fit for your shooting. It's amazing how Canon advanced on lens technology. Everyone has ultra wide angle lenses. Everyone has telephoto lens that can pick up a foot print on a moon (and yes, we landed on the moon--according to some other thread). But this IS [image stabilizer] technology from Canon is simply AMAZING. Instead of spending $800+ for f/2.8 lens, I can get the similar result with $400 f/3.5 with IS!

Canon's DSLR sensor chip is unique, too. Their proprietary invention CMOS sensor is not only highly sensitive to low lights, it also produces less pixel noise than LCD sensor. This is great for your bulb setting exposures for steady night shots or high ISO shots. And the built in processor that combines the whole camera together--DiGiC chip. Canon is the only company that has a cpu, if you will, for the digital camera that is made just for a digital camera.

So, let's count... Canon makes their own 50+ lenses, body, sensor, processor chip and own accessories. I don't think Nikon or Sony comes close to that kind of dedication in photo field. I think you get my point...

Good luck.

Personally, I like Nikon Digital Camera's because they are cheap, fit well with how I use it, and it's excellent. But to tell the truth, any cammera is good as long as it's digital, cheap, and we1l equipt!

( I know nothing about photography )

I just recently bought a DSLR for hobby / fun as I enjoy taking photos. After much research i was looking at the cheap/ish DSLRs from canon (eos 350D) and the Olympus e500. Olympus e500 won over my heart as it you can tell it is just a quality product. its an 8mp camera, as is the canon and the colours it takes are more vivid / realistic than the canon. I think most people would agree the size of it is much more ergonomic / along with a rubber grip over just plastic. i got it cheap, with good case, decent telophoto lens, photo printer (a bit of a gimic, but has proven to be very good and useful) and a good 1gb card for £600 which is outstanding for the value for money. the lens system used is believed to be the type that most companies will move to with digital cameras as they are perfectly designed for the sensor size and design.

Nikon DSLRs are also very good but the price takes a huge leap. - their lenses are very good.
Fuji (body only) cams are also very good, but again the price is quite excessive if only to be used for a hobby.
I have been pleased with the Olympus e500 every time I use it, except for the very cheap packaged lens (17.5 - 45mm). Apart from this lens being very cheaply made and the quality lacking a bit, I cannot find a way to fault the photos taken with it as they seem to e absolutely fine even under scrutiny.

well i gotta say the nikons like the d70 and the d50 they totally rock, i maybe gettin one hurray!!!!!

heres the specs if ur interseted:

Nikon D50
# 6.1 effective megapixel Nikon DX Format CCD image sensor
# Seven automated Digital Vari-Program selections, including new "Child" mode
# Advanced autofocus that features speed, precision, broad frame coverage, and an automatic AF illuminator that maximizes performance and shooting ease in low light
# 3D Colour Matrix Metering II ensures accurate exposure control and white balance
# High-performance digital image processor employs exclusive technology to quickly render vivid colour and clear details that are ready to print.
# Fast 2.5 frames per second in bursts of up to 137 frames, (when using JPEG Normal, Large settings, and a 256MB SanDisk Ultra II SD Card)
# 0.2 sec. power-up and short shutter release time lag for near-instant response
# Fast shutter speed with a range from 30 to 1/4,000 sec. for full creative control
# Fast flash sync shutter speeds up to 1/500 sec. available for great fill-effects under brighter light and difficult back-lighted conditions
# Fast data transfer and recording to SD memory cards
# Simultaneous recording of NEF (RAW) and JPEG data for the same shot helps optimize and accelerate workflow
# Large 2.0" LCD monitor with intuitive menus and help display
# Built-in Speedlight with flash coverage for 18mm lenses
# Light-weight, compact body designed for operational ease and comfort
# Long-life rechargeable lithium-ion battery delivers the power to shoot up to 2,000 pictures on a single charge (Battery life figure determined by in-house test parameters)
# USB 2.0 (Hi-Speed) interface for fast data transfer.

and the D70
# 6.1 effective megapixel Nikon DX Format CCD image sensor
# Large 2.0" LCD monitor with intuitive menus and help display
# 0.2 sec. power-up and short shutter release time lag
# Fast shutter speed with a range from 30 to 1/8,000 sec. for full creative control
# Fast flash sync shutter speeds up to 1/500 sec. available for great fill-effects under brighter light and difficult back-lighted conditions
# 3 frames per second continuous shooting for up to 144 consecutive shots
# Improved 5-area AF system with predictive focus tracking and Lock-on
# Seven automated Digital Vari-Program selections including Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night Portrait, and Night Landscape for crisp and vivid results that match the intended shot
# Built-in Speedlight with flash coverage for 18mm lenses
# New optional Remote Cord (MC-DC1) adding greater convenience and ease of use in a wider variety of shooting situations
# High-performance digital image processor to optimize image quality, control auto white balance, auto tone and colour control
# Accurate white balance under differing lighting conditions achieved by Nikon's acclaimed 3D Colour Matrix Metering with the 1,005-pixel RGB sensor
# Colour reproduction system offers a choice of three colour modes
# Simultaneous recording of NEF (RAW) and JPEG data for the same shot helps optimize and accelerate workflow
# Nikon software bundled

I think for me personaly i like Canon DSLRs the best. I have the Canon EOD 350D myself and i think that it totally rocks. There sint really something you can do with it or somehting you cant get for it( in terms of accessories) and for me thats pretty important.

The one thing that i do dislike about the camera is that it is not as senesitiv to IR like as some of its competitors. For example the D70. Which i suppose for landscape photographers with an IR filter is a big factor in choosing the camera.

But i still think that canon has the best camera. I havent seen it with an image stabilisor but i think that would be prettty neat. even though it might be a bit annoying when you trying to do stuff puposly.