My advice to this type of question has always started with two
questions of my own:

1. Do you know any pro photographers or advanced amateurs? If
so, what system do they use?

2. Does your local camera store specialize in any particular
brand(s)?

I started out with Nikon gear many decades ago, because most of the
people I knew (pro news photographers) were using that gear. Not
only was I able to get first-hand advice, but several of them let
mey try out lenses or other accessories.

Also, the local camera store was very heavy into Nikon.

(Yes, you will save some money by buying equipment by mail-order,
but a lot can be said for holding a piece of equipment in your
hands prior to purchase. Yes, check how a particular camera feels
in your hands.)


I carried two of my own Nikon cameras during my time in the Army in
Vietnam (1969-1970) and was happy with how they held up under some
very bad conditions (dust, rain, vibrations from aboard aircraft).

I have gradually updaged my gear over the years and have been
reasonably happy with Nikon all along. I was always able to use
some older gear with whatever new equipment I purchased. I now
shoot primarily digital, but often use lenses that were first purchased
for use with Nikon film bodies years ago.


There are many good systems out there. Canon (one "n") is also an
excellent manufacturer. (One of my early cameras was a Canon
rangefinder 35mm.)

The most important factor is to understand that with your initial
purchase, you are buying into a system.

You don't need to buy the top of the line gear. It's by using your
initial gear that you will figure out what other gear may help you
make the photos that you want to make.

Even when I was doing photography (and writing) as a full-time business,
I didn't own the most expensive then-available Nikon bodies.


Often, it is much better to buy two modest camera bodies with a
couple of lenses than one top of the line camera body. A second body
gives you some redundancy, particularly when you are traveling.
(At one point, I owned as many as four Nikon bodies; now I'm back
down to two.)

Though many bodies have a small built-in flash, a stronger flash is well
worth while. Even a lot of daylight shots can be improved with fill
flash -- and you don't always want the flash directly on the camera.


Don't forget to also invest in (or visit your library for) a few books
on the basic principles of photography. Even an expensive camera
won't help you if you don't understand such concepts as depth of field
and composition. Yes, most modern cameras have lots of automated features,
but the camera doesn't know what kinds of photos you want to make.

And, pilots don't learn to fly by using the autopilot. Learn the manual
controls first, then you can decide whether or not you want to let the
camera make some of the decisions.

-- Ernest