Nikon D5100, Canon T3i, or Sony A57

I have the exact same question and would like to get some feedback too if possible

The Nikon or Canon are almost the same - for them, it really comes down to user preference. I prefer Canon myself, but that's only because that's what was cheaper when I purchased my first one so now all of my gear is Canon. But you can't go wrong with either.

The Sony I'd put at a distant 3rd - primarily because I don't trust the company that much anymore, but also because I prefer my cameras to come from camera companies, not electronics companies.

I was in the exact same position a few months ago. I decided with the D5100 and I could not be any happier. I have got a bunch of excellent shots, and the image quality is superb. I came from a the Canon Rebel series and I am much happier with the Nikon in terms of menu, image quality, and general performance.

The video quality is also good, canon does offer Magic Lantern but it depends how serious you are with video. You can get very similar quality from both so it shouldn't be your deciding factor, besides if you were that serious about video you would be better off investing in a real video camera.

One of my big factors was I that I preferred the lens quality of Nikon personally. I like the feel and performance of the Nikon lenses over the Canon lenses. Canon has better high end lenses but I can't afford $2000 - $3000 and feel Nikon offers better quality "cheaper" lenses after testing them, which is what I would be using.

You really can't go wrong with either and I recommend trying out both of them and see which feels better in your hands.

If you have any specific questions on the D5100 I would be happy to answer if you have not made your decision yet. Hope this helps. Also one last thing, if you have any friends into photography it may be nice to match their camera brand, its great when you can share lenses to test them out.

I'm thinking that OP already made the call, but I too would stick to Nikon or Canon. I've found the Sony flavor of the AVCHD video format is almost impossible to work with (it often doesn't even work with their own HD video software.) I just sold my Sony HD camcorder and will be getting a D5100 (also trading in my D40.)

Good choice Monkfish, I love my D5100. Look for the 55-300 it's on the low end of lens prices but takes amazing pictures. I like it far more than the 55-200, great sharp pictures. I wish the D5100 had the internal motor for AF though, I picked up a wonderful Tamron 28-105 F2.8 but manual focus just doesn't cut it these days lol. Going to sell it and see what else comes by

i'm in the same boat. 95% sure i'm getting the D5100.

I would go with the Nikon. When the Canon T2i came out a few years ago I purchased it right before a vacation. I played with it and read the manual for my entire 6 hour flight and to be honest was never very impressed with it. Used it for the 10 days of my trip and I just felt like it was lacking something. Anyway, the camera was returned and I still never purchased a new one, but after playing with friends DSLRs I will get a nikon when I finally bite the bullet.

I have also spoken to a few professional photographers I know. Although some shoot both Canon and Nikon, they have all suggested Nikon as the way to go for entry level DSLR.

I, too, am deciding between a Canon T3i and Nikon D5100, but leaning towards D5100 for its lens and simply because I like its aesthetics better.
I have some specific questions about the D5100 though, it would be great if Xeiot or whoever owns either of those cameras could help me out.
Is the D5100's lack of viewfinder gridlines and depth of field preview button a big annoyance? Do you find yourself missing those features? They are available on the T3i. I want to shoot mostly landscapes with my dslr, so perhaps the grid lines are helpful.

Thanks much!

Quote from Xeiot : I was in the exact same position a few months ago. I decided with the D5100 and I could not be any happier. I have got a bunch of excellent shots, and the image quality is superb. I came from a the Canon Rebel series and I am much happier with the Nikon in terms of menu, image quality, and general performance. The video quality is also good, canon does offer Magic Lantern but it depends how serious you are with video. You can get very similar quality from both so it shouldn't be your deciding factor, besides if you were that serious about video you would be better off investing in a real video camera. One of my big factors was I that I preferred the lens quality of Nikon personally. I like the feel and performance of the Nikon lenses over the Canon lenses. Canon has better high end lenses but I can't afford $2000 - $3000 and feel Nikon offers better quality "cheaper" lenses after testing them, which is what I would be using. You really can't go wrong with either and I recommend trying out both of them and see which feels better in your hands. If you have any specific questions on the D5100 I would be happy to answer if you have not made your decision yet. Hope this helps. Also one last thing, if you have any friends into photography it may be nice to match their camera brand, its great when you can share lenses to test them out.

aairriq I would be happy to answer that:

Is the D5100's lack of viewfinder grid-lines and depth of field preview button a big annoyance? I will start with the DOF preview button, this is almost useless in my opinion. I came from the Rebel line of cameras which also had the DOF button, I think I used it once or twice the few years I used the camera. Once you understand how the settings affect images, you will never use the DOF preview. Also the preview is so dark it really doesn't help.

Also you now have Live View, which will show you exactly what you lens sees. This way you can practice with your F stops and see your image change.

The grid lines are also not required, though if you need them I believe there is a setting to see it in Live View. Again, as you learn the rule of thirds you won't use these features, and these are photography basics. However, you can use the focus points dots to line up your horizon which can also be correct in camera, or with your favorite photo software after the fact.

Also another call out, I personally really liked the swivel screen which even the PRO end camera do no feature. I find my self using this feature more than any of the others as I can grab some cool angles from my Kayak or use it more like a video camera when I am doing video capture.

Also if you are newer to photography and DSLR's the Nikon lines are much more intuitive. They give on screen help and descriptions for almost all settings, and even an image showing a visual representation of your aperture setting.

Again going with a T3i or a D5100 for instance will be a good choice either way, but I have used both camera lines and personally prefer the Nikon line.

I hope this information helps, if you have any other questions feel free to ask.

Thanks for the prompt reply Xeoit. Your insights are very much appreciated! Good point that I can use the focus dots as markers to help me line up my shot, hadn't really thought of that before for some reason

Quote from Xeiot : aairriq I would be happy to answer that: Is the D5100's lack of viewfinder grid-lines and depth of field preview button a big annoyance? I will start with the DOF preview button, this is almost useless in my opinion. I came from the Rebel line of cameras which also had the DOF button, I think I used it once or twice the few years I used the camera. Once you understand how the settings affect images, you will never use the DOF preview. Also the preview is so dark it really doesn't help. Also you now have Live View, which will show you exactly what you lens sees. This way you can practice with your F stops and see your image change. The grid lines are also not required, though if you need them I believe there is a setting to see it in Live View. Again, as you learn the rule of thirds you won't use these features, and these are photography basics. However, you can use the focus points dots to line up your horizon which can also be correct in camera, or with your favorite photo software after the fact. Also another call out, I personally really liked the swivel screen which even the PRO end camera do no feature. I find my self using this feature more than any of the others as I can grab some cool angles from my Kayak or use it more like a video camera when I am doing video capture. Also if you are newer to photography and DSLR's the Nikon lines are much more intuitive. They give on screen help and descriptions for almost all settings, and even an image showing a visual representation of your aperture setting. Again going with a T3i or a D5100 for instance will be a good choice either way, but I have used both camera lines and personally prefer the Nikon line. I hope this information helps, if you have any other questions feel free to ask.

No problem glad I could help

It is supposed go like this Nikon>Canon>Sony

I'd say it goes like this:

(Nikon = Canon) > Sony