Photography Equipment/DSLR Bodies

The body of a DSLR is the heart of the system, in the sense that it is the primary interface and that one generally has a single body (sometimes two), but many lenses. This is not to say that the body (or the sensor) is more important than the lens (indeed, the opposite in the case), but simply less variable.

Canon and Nikon

Both brands segment their line by price/target audience, and replace models on an approximately 2 year cycle. The entry-level DSLRs are the biggest sellers by a large margin.

The current ranges are:^[1]

	Canon	Nikon
Entry-level	1100D/Rebel T3 / 600D/Rebel T3i	D40 / D60 / D5000
Prosumer/Enthusiast	60D / 7D	D90 / D300
Semi-professional (Full-frame)	5D Mark II	D700
Professional : High-speed	1D Mark IV	D3
Professional	1Dx	D3X

Notice that Canon model numbers are of the form "40D", while Nikon model numbers are of the form "D40".^[2]

For history, see table of Canon DSLRs and table of Nikon DSLRs, and glosses at Canon EOS DSLRs, Canon EOS model naming scheme and list of Nikon DSLRs.

References

↑ This table should not be read to mean that the corresponding cameras are directly comparable or even the closest competitors, but rather that this is how the manufacturers segment their lines.
↑ At first Canon also used a D- prefix, in the D30 and D60, but switched to a -D suffix with the 1D, presumably to reduce confusion with Nikon models.

[1] This table should not be read to mean that the corresponding cameras are directly comparable or even the closest competitors, but rather that this is how the manufacturers segment their lines.

[2] At first Canon also used a D- prefix, in the D30 and D60, but switched to a -D suffix with the 1D, presumably to reduce confusion with Nikon models.

[1]

[2]