What equipment do you use?

So I am in the market for a real camera now, but still on the lower end of the DSLR. I have looked at the Nikon 5100 and CanonT3. Obviously they do not compete directly due to the price point but what is my best bang for my buck? I am just looking for a good camera I can take to shows and weekend adventures with friends. I know the lense has alot to do with it, but when it comes to the base camera what would you suggest or what do you use at shows?

I want to retire the Iphone 4s as my default camera.

I use a nikon d40. I am pretty sure it is the earlier version of the nikon 5100. I use it for show coverage, magazine pics & for shooting pics for the dvd covers. It is a great entry level camera. I am not too familiar with the T3. However we used a T3I to shoot most of our new dvd and it is an amazing camera for the money.

While I love my camera, we recently bought a little point & shoot nikon to carry with us to shows and weekend trips because carrying around a dslr all day can be a bit of a pain in the butt. I only mention it because most people don't think about that aspect of it. Good luck with the new camera.

I ended up getting a Nikon D5100. Bit more than I wanted to spend, but I figured it would be better in the long run.

I haved used a Canon 20D for a long time. Going get a T2I soon.

I use a Canon T1i (500d) and a 30D . I like the t1i for videoing shows and i use lightroom 4 for editing. I now have 5 lenses and recently bought a 10-22mm wide angle lense.