Quote:
Originally Posted by paulthomas  With respect I think you're going about this the wrong way. DSLRs are not simply cameras, they're camera systems. Each system has its own strengths and weaknesses. My advice would be to thoroughly research each system and see which most closely fits your needs. |
thats true but not particularly relevant as dinger is asking for comparrisons on the budget models of three different camera systems - the advent of decent third party lenses from the likes of sigma and tamron for most major makes has made the differences between systems essentially the same as the difference between comparable bodies at any given price point
on the original point I would go with the canon, nikon is an equally good system but the D40 is not a particularly good exemplar of it (they cut the focciusing module in the D40 to save money meaning that it only works with a smaller array of lenses) and the good models such as D70s /D80 are more expensive. The other makes are lagging behind a little as canon and nikon are currently the market leaders, however at the end of the day any of the major makes (ie canon , nikon, oly, pentax, KM/sony, fuji, or sigma) will be okay ( I'm not going to debate the relative merits of each cos people always get upset)
the best thing is to go to a big shop and handle all of them yourself , then just jump in and buy one (tho not necessarily from the big shop -Internet traders will give you a keener price.) the key once you have picked a brand is to stick with it and slowly build up your lens and accessory collection as and when you can afford it