Nikon D60 Vs Canon Rebel Xsi?

Ok if live view is very important to you, the Sony alpha A300/A350 twins are the only way to go. Their live view is the best, period.

Moving on.

I know you are looking for some simple answer to make you go either way but that ain't gonna happen.

Both the Nikon and the Canon are fine cameras and both a capable of delivering pro quality photos when placed in the proper hands.

It's going to boil down to the little features, how it feels in your hand, which LCD screen you like better etc.

Back to the live view, do you want it because you really need it for your shooting style, or do you want it because it's what is familiar to you (coming from point and shoots)?

Live view is overrated. If it isn't really a need, look at other features to make your decision.

Good luck

I compared the specs, read reviews, asked advice, and when I went to the store and compared the two, I still hadn't made a decision. I tried each, and went over the specs again. I looked at the extras included in the kits, the viewfinders, etc. Then I looked at the prices (keep in mind, this was an Army base PX, no tax):

D60 $545

XSi $795

The XSi was the more advanced, more versatile camera. It has 9 AF instead of just 3, which I think is a bigger deal than the paltry 2MP difference. But I asked myself whether the XSi was $250 better than the D60, and looking at it like that, it was a much, much easier decision. It is not. It's maybe $50-100 better, if that.

Don't let liveview be the deciding factor. Its not really useful on a dSLR because you do not hold several pounds of DSLR out like you would a point and shoot and expect steady shots. The Canon manual even says that holding the camera out like a point and shoot will result in blurry pictures. Live view is really only useful in specialized tripod mounted situations and for those you may be better off still tethering the camera to a laptop and having a 15 inch or larger "liveview"

Either one will be a good camera and give you years and years of service. Right now Nikon has the best backwards compatibility for lenses and better performance for low noise at high ISO. I have used Nikons since the 70's and the first one I ever bought works as well as when I first got it. So my advice would be Nikon. I have friends though that are just as pleased with thier Canons. Go to places like DPreview.com and ritz camera online and read reviews by users then go and handle both cameras.

Enjoy whichever you get

It doesn't matter which one I would buy. What matters is which one feels best in your hands. Both of them are fine cameras from the best camera companies around. Personally I have used Canon for the last 15 years or so. Originally I used Nikon but one of my earlier employers used Canon. I switched then when I had relatively little invested in my equipment and could use his. I will probably always use Canon now because all of my lenses and flashes are Canon. It can get very expensive to switch brands. I have thousands of dollars invested in lenses. They wont work with Nikon or anyother brand.

The reason I am telling you this is that once you make a decision it can be cost prohibitve to switch brands.

Go to a good camera store and play around with them. The one that feels best in your hands and has the controls where they make sense to you is the camera you should use.

It's close to being an apples to apples comparison really. Go test drive both at an electronics/camera store. Hold both with a lens attached to get a feel for real world use. See which one has controls/ergonomics that you like. Both are great systems to "marry" into. I shoot Canon because I liked the way it felt in my hands, not because of some function I couldn't live without. Either one will carry you a long way.

All the articles/reviews I've seen regarding cameras that offer live view (D300, D90, etc) seem to indicate that it's just something to slow down the cameras functions, not a really useful feature. Holding a camera at arms length to take a picture just seems weird to me, not useful. The image is usually delayed by as much as a second and a primary advantage of a DSLR is the lack of shutter lag, live view just throws that advantage out the window.

I have a Nikon D60, and I love it, it takes exceptional photos.