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I am going to be upgrading to a new camera and need help.
Which one of these two brands would be recommended that will give me the best crisp clear shots?
Also open to any other brand I have not thought of.
All opinions are greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Although I do not own a DSLR, my friend has a Canon t3i and I tried it out for a sec and it looked amazing! I've also seen quite a few brickfilms made with the t3i, so I would recommend going for Canon. 
Whilst this camera guide is for Dragonframe, it's also a good general guide for cameras for stop motion.
In particular, here's a list of some reasons to go for a Canon body.
If you can swing it, an optimal setup is a Canon body and using an adapter to use a Nikon lens, though you can still get superb results with canon lenses.
An advantage of Nikon worth considering is that a Nikon lens can fit in any Nikon camera, which is rather convenient in many respects.
I, however, am not quite familiar with the differences between the two brands and what really makes one better than the other.
I'm very fond of my Nikon, however, the view screen is not brightened or darkened by a change of exposure settings, which can be misleading when you are trying to see how the picture will look before you take it (of course, one may easily snap a picture then check to see how the brightness turned out in just a few seconds or just put the exposure on a setting that looks exactly like the actual picture).
My Nikon (a D3100) also has some problems with fluctuating aperture very slightly between frames which causes light flicker, however, one can easily fix this problem by opening up the lens and jamming tiny bits of paper into the aperture control to fix it steadily in place (the problem of this solution being that it will be very difficult to ever change your aperture to get it just right, however, through the course of one's films an aperture change is usually not required. Most of the films I've made in the past while have all used more or less around the same aperture).
As Sean said, a Canon body, such as the T3i, with a Nikon lens adapter is a great choice.
Here is a link to a very affordable adapter from Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Fotodiox-Mount-Ad … B001G4QXLE
Also, rather than spend a good deal of money on newer Nikon lenses, it might behoove you to buy some analog lenses; which will fit onto the adapter just as well and are a great deal cheaper.
Canon is where it's at baby. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise...because they're wrong 
Sean's suggestion is dead on and exactly what I would have said. I use a Canon T3i with Nikon lenses and it works perfectly for my needs.
I like Canon over Nikon because they are better set up for taking videos which is a feature I highly value. Nikon cameras in my opinion are better for photography but Canon cameras are good too. I'm never really understand why people have bought manual lens for brickfilming especially when you have to use a mount to convert the lens. I think the only reason is cost. So if you are strapped for cash that might be something to look into. I would suggest sticking with the kit lens and getting use to the DSLR. That really helped me to decide lens I wanted to get when I had a bit more money. The kits lens will be fine but it isn't great. I upgrades to the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L and I use that lens for everything. It is a bit expensive but lenses like that don't loose their value. Plus good lenses will make your photos much better. What type of budget do you have?
my family has been using nikon for since ever so I recommend that company because they are more specialized for cameras. canon cameras don't seem to be of as great quality because they do other stuff too so
I like Canon over Nikon because they are better set up for taking videos which is a feature I highly value. Nikon cameras in my opinion are better for photography but Canon cameras are good too. I'm never really understand why people have bought manual lens for brickfilming especially when you have to use a mount to convert the lens. I think the only reason is cost. So if you are strapped for cash that might be something to look into. I would suggest sticking with the kit lens and getting use to the DSLR. That really helped me to decide lens I wanted to get when I had a bit more money. The kits lens will be fine but it isn't great. I upgrades to the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L and I use that lens for everything. It is a bit expensive but lenses like that don't loose their value. Plus good lenses will make your photos much better. What type of budget do you have?
Hey Morph.
All good points as everyone has made so far.
I have been out today looking at cameras and both have great selling points
I especially like the Canon T3 as well as a Nikon which model I can't remember but was in the same
price area of the T3.
Any camera I buy I want to be able to keep for a long while and not replace it anytime soon.
I need to take my films to that next level and can only achieve that with a high end camera that
will produce nice crisp images.
Price wise I am prepared to spend up to $400 or more if I have to.i keep my eyes open for
any open box items which usually get reduced a bit in price.
All in all the search will continue and more feedback is welcome.
Will post which model I end up getting.
Thanks everyone.
Which model is more friendly to Mac's?
It'll depend more on the software than the operating system. Dragonframe is an excellent choice for both PC and Mac systems.
I have come across a Canon Rebel T3 EOS that is on sale.
Any thoughts?
How much? I have one, so I would say get it. I use it for photography and other various things.
It is $359. Can this model be hooked up to a computer and take your shots from the computer?
Again, it can depend on the software. According to the camera guide I posted earlier, it'll work with Dragonframe.
Again, it can depend on the software. According to the camera guide I posted earlier, it'll work with Dragonframe.
I personally think Dragonframe is a must if you get a DSLR. There are good number of addition costs to a DSLR. Stuff like software, ac adapter, and filters. I would say at the least it will be about a $600 investment.
Sean wrote:Again, it can depend on the software. According to the camera guide I posted earlier, it'll work with Dragonframe.
I personally think Dragonframe is a must if you get a DSLR. There are good number of addition costs to a DSLR. Stuff like software, ac adapter, and filters. I would say at the least it will be about a $600 investment.
Yea, ok. I bought my T2i along with 2 lenses and Dragon Frame for $550. No need for filters. AC adapters are only $11-$15 or whatever on amazon. You don't need some high quality $30 AC adapter.
Honestly I wouldn't invest that much money into a DSLR until you have the experience with other cameras.
I went from a Canon Powershot, to a Qiuckcam 9000 to a SONY HDR-SR1 to a Canon T2i. As you can tell, I didn't just jump right into DSLR's and software. I'm not spoiled and get everything I want, I have to work for my money and buy the things I need and not the things I want.
I don't mean to hyjack this thread but,
On the topic of Dragon Frame, is it really worth the doubled price over Stop Motion Pro and Animator HD?
I don't know why people don't support Nikon, for photography, Nikon is deffs the best, even tho canon is good, if you want photography, which it sounds like you do, you are better off with Nikon, as said, Nikon lens are adjustable on any Nikon body, which can be very convenient for you.
I am not saying canon is bad in anyway, however most comments are on canon, and I'd thought I'd mention that Nikon is a great choice/investment, both support remote control, depending on the program you decide.
I don't think there is a systematic advantage for either brand in consumer cameras. Nikon does low-light/high ISO a bit better. Canon bodies mostly have higher resolution. These are related.
Canon does video better. Nikon has a reputation for better low-light focusing and faster focusing in general.
At the high end, the D3S and D3X are as good as anything that Canon has (a bit better in low light and not as good with video -- notice a pattern? )
The two brands have somewhat different lenses. But there are Canon lenses that Nikon shooters covet and vice versa.
And nobody really knows how the recently announced pro bodies for both brands will compare.
Either brand will almost certainly serve your needs quite well, depending on what YOUR personal preference is at the end of the day, hope this helps mate.
-Generalned
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