Okay, I haven't done one of these in awhile, so here we go. First thing is that I shoot Canon, just so you know.

Now, after quickly running through the specs again as a refresher, the T5i and the D5300 are very similar cameras. The only difference that you will see on the specs is the higher count of megapixels and auto-focus points on the Nikon, which you're paying a few hundred dollars for. Now there are a few areas that aren't really covered by spec lists. First off, video. Everyone knows Canon is better for video. The stm lenses have auto-focus which can actually be used for for video and not mess up your audio, and they won't search. The T5i (and I believe the T3i as well) let you manually adjust audio, all sorts of good stuff. As far as Photography goes, it really all comes down to image quality. The D5300 has two things going for it. For one, more megapixels. The thing about this is, I doubt you'll ever be doing anything that will require 24 megapixels as opposed to 18 with an entry level camera anyway. I do paid work with an 18 megapixel camera, and clients are always totally satisfied with the image quality. I used to put a lot of value into megapixels, as many amateurs do but I've realized at this point that it's not even close to the most important thing about a camera. What the Nikon really has going for it is the omission of the optical low pass filter. This is a filter normally used to prevent low wavelengths of light from reaching the sensor, to protect it or preserve color or some bollocks, I can't remember, but at the sacrifice of a bit of image quality. Cameras without this filter produce sharper images, and so I have no doubt that the d5300 is very sharp. For the T5i, Canon has had much better low light performance than Nikon very consistently for the last few years, so you're likely to get better images at higher iso's from the Canon than the Nikon. One last thing about auto-focus points. They're really nothing more than a convenience. When I'm using a camera with more than 9 auto-focus points, I tend to just group them together anyway, just saying. If you really want to pay for more, go for it, but I don't think they're all that important.

These are all capable cameras, especially for someone just starting out, so enough of this technical stuff, let's talk a little philosophy. Ultimately, it's not the camera taking the picture, or making the film. It's the photographer or film maker. The most important thing is that you are comfortable with the camera you're using, so it's as if it's not even there; it should be an extension of you. One of the main reasons I shoot Canon is because the layout of their cameras and the UI make more sense to me than Nikon. All three of the cameras you've mentioned are capable of taking great pictures, but only if you can operate them properly. My number one piece of advice is try them out before you buy one, and decide which feels more natural when navigating the menus and buttons.

The world of DSLR's is a big one, and it's late, so I'll leave lenses for later. Scroll back in the thread a bit, I've talked a lot about filters and manual lenses and such, but feel free to ask for clarification on anything or ask any other questions; I'm really tired so I'm not sure how well I worded things.

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