Canon vs Nikon: the 2008 Edition
I'm a bit late to this (it's a whole week and a half old), but a recent Stephen Fry Dork Talk column covered the Canon/Nikon camera rivalry, and more specifically, the Canon EOS 1000D. I've not really talked about it, but unlike a lot of the earlier commentators, I wanted to wait until it had found a street price, which it has: about £375.
So, what's the 1000D? Well, it's a new category (four digits, as opposed to the three-digit 350/400/450D, or the two-digit 30/40/50, or the single-digit (and expensive) 5D and the various 1Ds) of entry-level SLR. It comes with the same improved 18-55IS kit lens as the 450D (usually) does, and loses a few features compared to the model up (spot metering, for example) while saving about £100 off the price.
I'm sure it'll do very well, since the things that make me happy I've got a 450D (a replacement for a stolen 350D, although I'd have been tempted to upgrade anyway) rather than a 1000D won't occur to many people. (For example, the viewfinder's a lot better on the 450D, but no new SLR purchaser will even notice.) I'd also recommend it over Nikon's entry-level cameras, because it's compatible with all of Canon's EF lenses.
(Technically Nikon's backwards compatibility is better, since they never had the same sharp break for electronic kit as Canon, but the D40, D40x and D60 don't support autofocus on some lenses, and unfortunately the cheap-but-useful 50mm f/1.8 is one of them. Since I recommend this as something you want to buy either with your SLR or within a couple of months, this is a big deal.)
However, beyond the low end I'm increasingly minded to recommend Nikon. They have a much smoother progression in their range, whereas Canon have a vast chasm between the roughly £1000 50D and the well-over-£2000 5DmkII. (I'm assuming the 5D will vanish quickly; possibly not.) On the other side, the D90, D700, D300 and D3 are each much closer to each other in price (although it starts to get a bit rarefied towards the end). I have no idea what Canon's thinking is here, and of course there's more to an SLR system than bodies (there's lenses too), but even so, it's a bit strange.
Still, SLRs are more affordable than ever (especially if you look outside the big-two duopoly: Sony's entry-level Alphas are under £300 now, I believe), and so it's as good a time as ever to consider one.
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Now, I'm not sure that the D40/D60 are the best thing to buy - mainly because of that lack of a screwdrive. It's a shame, though, because I like the upper end of the Nikon range much more than I like the upper end of the Canon. Regardless of that - I love that they aren't building direct equivalents, either in functionality or price.
Personally, the most tempting value-for-money at the low end of the DSLR ranges is found with Pentax, but I'm not sure how much longer they have left in the market.
(I shall try to write something about my new D90 this weekend; it really is quite a camera, and once its street price bottoms out - I'm being punished a little for buying at release, but that was the risk I took - it could become very compelling. The sensor and metering on it are stunning).
A friend of mine is a confirmed Pentax user, and I think they're doing well enough to survive. It's the likes of Olympus I'd worry about, although they're trying (as I've just spent a while explaining).