we'll share the camera even if we end up taking classes together which im not sure yet. (im leaning more towards taking the aquarium photography class that chris linked here)
I personally wont' suggest that you take photography courses together with one camera. There is A LOT to learn about photography, and most of it has to be hands on. First, if you are taking an introductory course, you need to learn about all the functions that the camera has to offer. Unlike my old analog camera, the new digital ones have TONS of features and menus that you need to go through. Second, when you start taking photos, you won't want to share the camera! It might be more fun to take the classes separately anyway, its amazing how different people see the world differently. I bet you that even if you two took the same class, your photos will turn out completely differently.
By the way if you are going to take a photography class I highly recommend Vancouver Photo Workshop (
Vancouver Photo Workshops). They have great instructors and tons of lighting equipment. (Plus as a student, I think you can get good rental rates)
i plan to take pics of the fish so eventually i'd want to get a nice macro lens but i'll start with just the camera, wife plans to take pics of nature and we plan to use it while traveling
If you are planning to do aquarium photos then i suggest you look into ISO's of each camera. Not sure if you've read some of the threads on the forum, but aquarium photography is pretty hard because of the lighting. In order to get a crisp photo without the fish blurring, you need to get a fast shutter speed, and a large aperture (the size of the aperture, or F-Stop, allows you to get more light into the lens, but the lower the F-stop of the lens, generally, the more expensive the lens). The alternative is to increase the ISO to a higher number. This allows you to 'multiply' the amount of light being detected by the sensor. The down side is the 'noise' that is generates. This is noise:
Canon EOS 400D / Digital Rebel XTi Review: 17. Photographic tests: Digital Photography Review . As you increase the ISO you'll notice that the 'speckles' increase. By 1600 ISO it looks like Oatmeal. I find that for the XTi (which I had) by ISO 400 the noise was so bad it wasn't fixable (you can 'fix' it with digital software). Which is why I got rid of the XTi and got a 50D instead.
Nature photography is going to have different challenges... mainly because you are either doing landscapes, or close ups/zoom ups (like birds). These require completely different lenses than the aquarium (macro) ones. So at this point I think you are going to be investing in two different lenses.
Nikon and Canon difference? And the others? Nothing much really... At the level you are looking at all of them are probably about the same in quality. The cameras within the same manufactures will differ in quality too. (ok before I insult someone, let me rephrase. There are differences in quality between manufacturer's, but at the level you are considering, I don't think its a big deal)
Here is my suggestion. First for the body, go to a camera store, (you can go to something like futureshop, or broadway camera), and play with a few. Check out the price ranges and see what is off your list and what is on. Then go to DP review and check out the reviews. See if it meets your needs. Decide how picky you are about the photo quality ( I am super snobby about this
... I demand the best). Make sure you differentiate between the quality of the camera and the quality of the lens.
When you figure out which body you want, then consider the lenses. Some of the cameras will have a package deal, (you can get a regular lens and a zoom lens with your camera, etc). initially I suggest you just get a regular lens (or whatever package make sense). Then take the course, and get the other lenses you are interested in (or rent them for the day... its super cheap to rent for a day or a week). Now lenses are another story entirely. We'll talk another day about this.
