So, this post is super delayed on my end but... those of you following me on Twitter already know that I had a huge choice/debate to make when it came to getting my first DSLR camera. It was a biiiiggg toss up between the Nikon 5100 and the Canon Rebel T3i (aka 600D).
I did a ton of research on both of these DSLR cameras and most people pointed toward the Nikon for photographers and the Canon for videographers. I'm more of a photographer although I have been wanting the T3i for some time now so that's why I ultimately picked the Canon over the Nikon... not to mention the fact the guy working over at BestBuy told me "Nikon is the soccer mom camera of the two" which was enough to make me not want to get it, lol... although he was referring to the height/grip of the camera, and I liked that it seemed to have more manual functionality which can come in handy for aquarium photos/videos :P My dad on the other hand was pushing me toward the Nikon but... I 'Rebel'ed alright, haha. Other reasons why I didn't pick the Nikon was because the shutter was pretty powerful as it would shake a bit going off and would make me lose position a bit when not using a tripod, the camera body itself didn't seem as nice of quality, it's also only 16MP where as the T3i is 18MP (not a huge difference there), and it did cost $70 more than the Canon (although price really wasn't a major factor for me). The Nikon however may have a slightly better ISO as it's expandable past what it can do and the white balance seemed more true than Canon's (although that may be adjustable and nothing some basic editing skills can't fix later on), ISO may be more important if you're taking night photo's (and I honestly don't know that I'll be taking constant dark/night photos), also one of the Nikon lenses went to 300mm where as Canon's went to 250mm so if you're into really close-up or macro shots Nikon may be the way to go (I hope I don't kick myself in the arse for getting the Canon, lol).
Cost and Bundle info
I got my T3i at Costco which was a huge bundle that was on sale for $730. This bundle came with the camera body, 2 lenses (18-55mm and 55-250mm), 8G memory disk (Dane-Elec Pro200x), battery and charger w/ plug attachment, TV cable, USB computer cable, a huge Canon Rebel camera bag w/ strap, camera neck strap, and 3 CD's of software. Also having bought it at Costco it offers a coupon for 100 free 4 x 6 prints (which you order from there website and pick-up in store) and another coupon for $5 off Custom Photobooks (30 to 100 pages).
What do I think of my new DSLR camera thus far...
It's much more complex than my Panasonic DMC-FZ28 which was an over-sized point and shoot camera. I actually have to use the view finder to take a lot of the photos rather than just the viewing screen (they're interchangeable on the device), unless of course you're doing videos and then the flip-out screen is awesome and super helpful for viewing. So, I do feel I have to put in a bit more effort into shooting images (luckily I do already have a tripod!) especially since I'm still learning how to use everything. The good thing about having the Canon T3i though is that there are a lot of YouTube videos and tutorials so, hopefully I'll learn how to use this DSLR more quickly in case I do ever graduate to using a different DSLR in the future.
I did a ton of research on both of these DSLR cameras and most people pointed toward the Nikon for photographers and the Canon for videographers. I'm more of a photographer although I have been wanting the T3i for some time now so that's why I ultimately picked the Canon over the Nikon... not to mention the fact the guy working over at BestBuy told me "Nikon is the soccer mom camera of the two" which was enough to make me not want to get it, lol... although he was referring to the height/grip of the camera, and I liked that it seemed to have more manual functionality which can come in handy for aquarium photos/videos :P My dad on the other hand was pushing me toward the Nikon but... I 'Rebel'ed alright, haha. Other reasons why I didn't pick the Nikon was because the shutter was pretty powerful as it would shake a bit going off and would make me lose position a bit when not using a tripod, the camera body itself didn't seem as nice of quality, it's also only 16MP where as the T3i is 18MP (not a huge difference there), and it did cost $70 more than the Canon (although price really wasn't a major factor for me). The Nikon however may have a slightly better ISO as it's expandable past what it can do and the white balance seemed more true than Canon's (although that may be adjustable and nothing some basic editing skills can't fix later on), ISO may be more important if you're taking night photo's (and I honestly don't know that I'll be taking constant dark/night photos), also one of the Nikon lenses went to 300mm where as Canon's went to 250mm so if you're into really close-up or macro shots Nikon may be the way to go (I hope I don't kick myself in the arse for getting the Canon, lol).
Cost and Bundle info
I got my T3i at Costco which was a huge bundle that was on sale for $730. This bundle came with the camera body, 2 lenses (18-55mm and 55-250mm), 8G memory disk (Dane-Elec Pro200x), battery and charger w/ plug attachment, TV cable, USB computer cable, a huge Canon Rebel camera bag w/ strap, camera neck strap, and 3 CD's of software. Also having bought it at Costco it offers a coupon for 100 free 4 x 6 prints (which you order from there website and pick-up in store) and another coupon for $5 off Custom Photobooks (30 to 100 pages).
What do I think of my new DSLR camera thus far...
It's much more complex than my Panasonic DMC-FZ28 which was an over-sized point and shoot camera. I actually have to use the view finder to take a lot of the photos rather than just the viewing screen (they're interchangeable on the device), unless of course you're doing videos and then the flip-out screen is awesome and super helpful for viewing. So, I do feel I have to put in a bit more effort into shooting images (luckily I do already have a tripod!) especially since I'm still learning how to use everything. The good thing about having the Canon T3i though is that there are a lot of YouTube videos and tutorials so, hopefully I'll learn how to use this DSLR more quickly in case I do ever graduate to using a different DSLR in the future.
I got all my decorations from 
BTW here's my Thanksgiving dinner I cooked, fww that was some work but I enjoyed it. If it makes ya hungry well...I invited EVERYONE on Twitter, E-How and MySpace over! I slept for 5 days straight after all that food, no joke! LOL.
My homemade pumpkin pie! NOMZ ^.^
Cheers and Happy Holidays Everyone!