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The Autofocus Debate:      A favorite topic within the rec.photo.equipment.35mm newsgroup is "Which AF system is the best?" Here's my opinion on the matter. While you can debate the relative merits and weaknesses of each system, each brand offers excellent equipment capable of producing quality images. The most important part of photography is not the camera itself, but the person behind the camera. Please keep in mind that the camera is simply a tool and must be used by a competant human to acheive good results. The trick is to understand your camera and its limitations and make the most of what you have - there are "amateurs" with Eos Rebels and cheesy zoom lenses who consistantly take better pictures than many so-called "professionals" with the latest Nikon professional gear. In today's marketplace, any camera you choose will be capable of reasonable results. Thus take my words here (and the words of others) with a grain of salt and remember that what's perfect for me may not be perfect for you.      Here are my opinions on the various AF brands. Each link contains more detailed information on the current offerings by each brand. Specialty cameras such as the Contax G2 are excluded as this guide is geared more towards mainstream equipment that is more readily available. Entry-Level AF cameras: Looking at a camera like the Canon Rebel, Minolta 400si, Nikon N60, or similar camera costing $400 or less with lens? Start here. You'll find out why you may be much better off spending a little extra on a better model. Canon: One of the largest and most complete AF lens systems, and all the bodies offer a large number of features for the price. However, some concerns have been raised over the quality of some of the lower end cameras (Rebel and Elan II). Nikon: Excellent quality cameras. The lens system is impressive, and the ability to use older manual focus lenses on AF bodies is one of the advantages of the Nikon line. Nikon has also done a bit better job keeping overall quality up, and the N60 is a bit better built than the Rebel and other entry level cameras. The downside - higher price. Minolta: (Still under construction!) The system used to be lacking, but Minolta's recent introductions (both new bodies and lenses) has done much to improve things. For those who don't require access to a complete line of professional equipment, the Maxxum line is quite extensive and offers much for snapshooters up to advanced amateurs. Pentax: (Still under construction!) Getting better, but still lagging behind all the other brands. The new bodies are nice, but Pentax does not offer any high-end or professional bodies. As far as lenses, the system has been expanded recently but it is still quite limited in comparison to the other three major manufacturers. However, Pentax AF bodies do accept K mount lenses, so those with older Pentax bodies can move to AF and still use their old lenses. Like with Nikon, this can be an important advantage, but as a pure AF system I'm not particularly fond of Pentax.