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If you ever had an inkling to start a brawl amongst a bunch of photographers, simply ask them which is the best camera brand to buy, an then leave the room. Nikon fan boys, the Canon fan boys, the Sony fan boys and the rest of the pack will never get to a single decision.

Because everyone knows that regular (film) cameras are far superior to digital cameras. Hang on a sec, or was that the other way around? Who can keep track these days? Now before I digress too far from the topic, lets take a look at that age old battle, and see if we can determine which brand is best.

While it’s true, that there are certain photographers in the crowd, that swear by a particular brand of camera, I’m not one of them. While I do have more Canons than any other, I also have a Kodak, Olympus, and Fuji floating around the house somewhere. Just getting my personal biases out in the open.

With all of that in mind though, there do seem to be some camera brands that are more successful than others. Canon, always seems to grab more of the top spots from most top ten lists than any other. There’s a couple lists I perused just before writing this article, and Canon had between 7-9 of the top cameras on the lists.

The only other camera brands that seem capable of competing with Cannon (purely only on brand) are Nikon, Sony, and Olympus. These are all equally good cameras in many ways, but seem to be edged out by the big guns at Canon. Some brands do particularly well in niche areas, like Olympus with their underwater Stylus lineup.

But, is sales numbers the biggest true indicator of a good brand. Just because everyone else is buying them, doesn’t make Canon the best. Right? It could be just a big conspiracy to get you to buy a Canon (if you believed in conspiracies that is). Perhaps we should consider other factors as well. Such as reliability, price, after purchase support, ease of use, and customer satisfaction. Hey, let’s ask the critics.

Since there’s no point, in believing everything you read (including this article). I know I don’t. It would behoove me, to solicit testimonials from other camera critics in the field. For the sake of brevity, I’ll spare you the fine print, and get right to the bottom line. Canon once again is way out in front with fifty percent of the top camera choice spots. Nikon and Sony both make a respectable show with approximately twenty five percent each. There are other brands out there, but not many in the top spots.

Well, if you go by the numbers, it does seem to make a convincing argument for Canon. Big sales, and big critical reviews seem to keep them rolling in the money. A lot of that probably has to do with the fact, that they just offer so many models that cater to so many different people. I wouldn’t discount any of the other brands, and not just Nikon and Sony either. I still make my camera buying decisions on features and price.

Digital camera bargains can save the consumer hundreds of dollars on some of the best rated digital cameras. If you are looking for digital SLR cameras, the Canon EOS Rebel XTi is priced under six hundred dollars.

The Nikon D40 6.1 Megapixel Digital SLR with the 18 and 55mm lens is priced under five hundred dollars. These two cameras are comparable for some features, but you will want to compare other cameras as well that are in the same price range or a bit more expensive. The Olympus Evolt E-330 7.5 Megapixel Digital SLR is a little over nine hundred dollars, but the pixels are higher than the Canon or the Nikon.

Photographers that want to have different lens for capturing different images the SLR camera is ideal. If the user wishes to have a blurred background with a properly focused subject, the digital SLR camera achieves this purpose.

The Canon only has a 1.8-inch LCD screen while the Olympus has a 2.5-inch LCD screen. The Olympus has a image stabilizer while the Canon has a multi lens capability. For the money, one would buy the Olympus over the Canon although they are the same price.

Because the camera has different lens, the photographer can use the macro lens to magnify tiny objects so the detail can be seen.

The SLR cameras are better for digital photography, but the size is larger than the compact cameras. The bulkiness of the camera does present a problem for some users, but it makes up for it in image quality and the ability to change lens and capture images in a natural way.

Sometimes, it pays to be patient though. Digital technology improvements has turned buying a digital camera somewhat akin to buying a computer.

Too many megapixels crammed into a small image sensor will affect your overall image quality. That’s an easy way to determine a real digital camera bargain.

When the new Canon EOS Rebel XSi comes out, you will see more advancement in imagine quality and more functions for precision picture taking.

They do have the same ease of transfer like the SLR cameras, but the features do not compare. The best buy for a digital camera bargain is still going to be the digital SLR cameras from Canon, Olympus or Nikon.