Which Camera
 

My buddy wants to get a camera. I have a Canon t1i and suggested that he gets a T3i or better. He likes the Sony A77. I'm thinking a Canon is better just because of the accessories and lens choices but the A77 reviews are pretty good. The price points are different so maybe a better Canon.

What do you all think?

I have the Canon T2i and so far I am very pleased with it. Awesome pictures out of the box, good frame rates, and awesome battery life! I got the package with a 55-250mm lens for $750 from best buy and am very pleased!

I bought Canon and regret it, tell him to get a nikon. way larger ISO range and doesn't have the focus issues that a Canon does.

Is the T2i also known as the 550d? If so, it's the greatest camera I've had. for entry-ish level dslr they are great! Crap on a nikon IMO

Yes, the T2i is the 550D and its a great camera. I got one and now two of my riding buddies have also bought them if that tells you anything.

I am going to represent the Sony side of the conversation.

I got an A55 last year. I ended up upgrading the glass on it to a Tamron 18-200. The thing that sold me was the 1080 video with a continuous focus, whereas the Canon is only manual focus. Along with that the frames per second on the sony was nearing 8 and the Canon was at 4.5 at the time.

Being that we got this for shooting wakeboarding the decision was made for us, I also got some nice cheap Minolta prime lenses from www.natcam.com for under $100 and they shoot great. I love the 1.7f 50MM. It is a great portrait lens.

Good luck with the choice, it will probably start a small obsession. Both would be great body's for what you want. Just figure out where your priorities are.

I have to agree with John Brine. I bought a Sony A55 and absolutely love it. It takes amazing shots, especially of wakeboading. The sport mode takes fast pics to catch all the action. We couldn't be happier. We got a killer deal on it too.

Huh? Maybe you got a bad camera and should get it looked at. No way does Canon have any worse AF than Nikon does. They couldn't afford to. Same goes with the ISO range.

As for the original question- go into a store that has both and see how they feel in your hands. Look at the different cameras at each price point and that will give you a MUCH better idea of which camera is right for you.

I agree !

You can't go wrong with Canon or Nikon. Check out the 60D. Pretty good bang for the buck.

canon t2i and t3i are the best bang for the buck right now... nikon cant realy compete...

t2i and t3i shoot 720p at 60 fps video

they also take phenominal pics

but im more of a video guy