Canon/nikon ?

[juneandbob]

I'm looking to buy anew camera.the two I'm looking at canon 350 xt and the new D80. help. your pro's and con's will be appreciated. theres a 1000 questions I need to sort out.:) boB

[mom to 4]

another canon v nikon thread!!!

I have the canon rebel XT. Love it. My next door neighbor has the Nikon D50 (?) and he loves it.

I don't think you can go wrong with either. I opted for the Canon, just because it seemed there were more canon owners here and if I had a question I knew there would be someone on the forum with an answer within minutes..

Either way, both are great.......

There.....now wasn't I helpful?????:D

[juneandbob]

Colleen.I knew that:D But there must be a logical reason that more people pick the canon. whats the reason? yours is that everybody here seems to have a canon and it will be easier to get info. GOOD REASON. there must be more. thanks for responding coleen:) boB

[jo]

I bought the Rebel XT for a couple of reasons -- maybe the main one being that it's lightweight. At my advancing age the weight is very important. The other reasons were my Canon friends. One let me try his XT and I was sold on the spot!

The Nikons are just as good, but I seem to live in a Canon community...

[dohearne]

But there must be a logical reason that more people pick the canon. whats the reason?

I think the logic may be specific to individuals. I suspect that early on Canon sold more because they were first to the market with a serious hobbyist digital SLR. I picked the Nikon D50 because it fit my hands better and I already had 2 other Nikon lenses that were usable on the D50. I assure you that you will not go wrong either way.

[Wendy]

Hi ...

I have the slightly older and slightly heavier Canon 300D (Rebel in the US :) and I bought it because it felt good when I picked it up.

I always suggest that you go and hold a camera or two before buying one ... some just feel more comfortable in your hands than others :)

Wendy

[w7vp]

Oh goody - another Canon v. Nikon debate.

Well as a Canon guy perhaps you will consider my thoughts as being a bit less biased when I say that the D80 is much more camera than the Rebel XT. While it does not have the same frame rate or manual lens adaptability as the D200, it is otherwise very much the same camera in a plastic body as the D200. Thus you have 10 megapixels compared to the 8 megapixels of the XT. It also has a larger viewfinder and a larger LCD, making the viewing of photos easier. It also uses SD media instead of CF. (Flash sync is only 1.200 instead of 1/500 in the D70) and 1/4000 max instead of 1/8000 for the D70.)

Lens quality is similar and if you only rely on the kit lens you will be in an equivalent situation to the Canon. The sensor still requires a magnification factor which is equivalent to the XT.

Cost wise the XT is considerably less than the D80 with the kit lens. XT can be had for less than $800 while the D80 is closer to $1000. So if you want the extra features of the D80 you will have to pay for them.

Having said that the XT is a very good camera. The 20D may still be available at fairly reasonable prices but in order to get to the LCD size of the D80 you will need to go to the 30D and then you will still have only 8 megapixels. Battery life in the D200 is much lower than the D70 according to my Nikon friends. That may also be true for the D80.

Since I have the 20D my next camera will be a full format sensor so I am waiting for the 35D (if there is to be such a thing.)

Either of the cameras will be very satisfactory but I give the edge to the D80 for now.

[juneandbob]

thanks jo. thats what im looking for:) let me add that the nikon D80 10.5 mp is 1399.00(will be out this month)with 1 of their new lens attached.(18 to 170) auto. this is one of reasons it makes it hard to choose.:D so i need people with expirence and knowlege on the subject.keep the info coming:) boB

[troush]

I have the Nikon D50. I went to the local Wolf Camera shop (a Ritz Camera shop), and held the Canon Rebel XT and then the Nikon D50. The D50 is heavier, but that felt good in my hands. I also liked the way my hands fit the grip better on the D50. I love my D50...

I recommend going to a camera shop and holding them, taking a few pictures, etc. and see which you like better.

There is www.nikonians.org which is a user web site for Nikon owners. And, there are a few of us Nikon owners here.

-Trish

[bnk1953]

Just to make it a little messy - any reason why the nikon and canon are the only ones you are looking at? There are a number of other good cameras out there that are getting good reviews. I know in choosing my camera that in going to the local camera store and actually holding it and getting info face to face was a big help. Weight, how the hand feels on the grip, what the view is like, etc are all part of the picture (pun intended). As an example - the new Sony A100 is getting some good reviews. Just because a lot of people have a Canon or a Nikon - doesn't mean there aren't some other great products out there that might fit your needs, etc. just as good if not better.
~bruce.

[chas3stix]

JuneandBob,
May i add my two cents worth? The reason I went with Nikon is because I allready had a sizable investment in lenses and accessories. No real reason to change in mid-stride. Had I bought Canon in my "film days" I'd be shooting with one now only digitally.
Chas

[juneandbob]

BRUCE. your right. I have already looked at the sony model and a few others on the top 10 list. my whole point in even bringing this question here is, what better group to ask such a Question? plus i have asked other groups and indivuals the same question.my originol question here is based on the 2 im most interested in now. but you are so right.look at everything:) boB

[w7vp]

Hey Chas
That is actually why I chose the Canon over the Nikon. I also had some lenses that would fit on the Canon let over from my ES 650. To tell the truth I was disappointed with the usefulness of those lenses. As a result I do not now have any of them that I still use with the 20D. (See my list below). The lenses that work with the digitals are higher speed and some are stabilized (Canon calls them IS and Nikon calls them VR). So were I to do it over again I would simply choose the best body and go from there. With the investment I have in lenses now it is not reasonable to make the change even though I think the D200 is probably a better camera than the 20D. (A lot bigger too, though, so those who want light may want to stick with the Canon)

[Carbone]

The reason I have Canon cameras is because I've always had Canon cameras :) Seriously. First "decent" camera was a Canon Sureshot and since then, got a few more ;)

I love the instructions manual, the controls, the way it feels in my hands, the fact that because there are more Canon than Nikons around here, I can find used lenses and accessories for cheaper and more easily.

Ray

[juneandbob]

very good everyone:D I appreciate each of your comments.:) boB

[chas3stix]

Hey Bill,
The Nikon vs. Canon debate will go on as long as there are Fords and Chevys....:)
Chas

[Tom K]

Juneandbob;

I assume you are looking for a good camera... The one suggestion I have is
to look at the photo credits in magazines and see what the pros are using.

You can bet they use good gear as their livelyhood depends on it.. Tom:D