People are asking me on a regular basis if they should buy a Canon or a Nikon digital camera. The answer of which is the best digital camera depends on what you want to do with it.

Anyway, I try not to give direct answers to this question, because there is no answer that will satisfy everyone. Which is the best digital camera? Let's see.

You're The One Taking Photos, Not The Camera

Nikon and Canon fans are fierce rivals when they talk about digital SLR cameras. It's pretty much like rivalries between DC Comics and Marvel, or Windows and Apple users, Blackberry and Palm. Because they're such fanatics about it, their fights sometimes appear in newspapers, and people end up believing one article or another, even though it's not the entire truth. In fact, these cameras are not that different and there is also no clear winner when it comes to photography.

What I'm talking about is the fact that great photos are taken by people, not by cameras. Cameras alone can't do much if the user is inexperienced. Spending $1000 on a camera doesn't do you much good if you don't have a clue when it comes to taking photos. Those extra features will not replace inexperience.

Yes, it's nice having the latest gadget, with the best features, but why pay for them if you're not going to use them. Great cameras will not improve your photography experience. You need to learn photography first.

How big are those differences?

Still, there are always a few differences between different models of cameras. In some cases the differences are big, in other cases small.One example would be the use of CCD sensors in Nikon cameras, while Canon models have CMOS. While Canon uses a motor for each lens, Nikon has a single motor with autofocus in the camera. Something that Nikon doesn't have and Canon does is a system that uses vibration to clean the dust from sensors.

My own preferences, based on my own experience is for Nikon, but I have used a D200 camera for a long time so that's my experience. At the same time, my father in law owns a Canon 20D digital camera and he also thinks its the best camera. While I will probably remain a Nikon fan forever, my father in law will always be a Canon owner. Well, one extra reason might be the fact that we also bought lenses from the same manufacturers, so changing makers would mean a large investment.