Which model costs more to maintain (Buying lens) ? The models i am talking about are Nikon D50 and Canon 350D.

Question

I am thinking of taking up photography as a hobby. So i decided to start on these two models. The Canon 350D or the Nikon D50. So which one is more expensive to maintain like buying extra lens and repair costs. And which one do you think is better. Why?

Answer 1

First, I´d like to correct John S on a few points - he sounds very knowledgeable but he made a few mistakes.
* the Nikon G lenses are lenses without an aperture ring. The Nikon lenses for their digital SLRs are known as DX lenses. (I have a $1200 DX lens myself, which also hapens to be a G lens.)
* the sensor of the D50 is actually bigger than the sensor in the 350D: the D50 has a 1.5 crop factor vs. a 1.6 crop factor for the 350D. (Not that it matters.)
* Canon has left Nikon in the dust with their $7000 1DS Mk2 professional camera, and with their $3000 5D. Nikon has nothing to compete with those two models. Other than that however, they compete fiercely and you get what you pay for. The 350D is more expensive and better than the D50. Going up the ladder, the Nikon D70s is more expensive and better than the Canon 350D. The Canon 30D in turn beats the Nikon D70s, and the Nikon D200 beats the Canon 30D. At this point, were talking about $1600 cameras. From there, you´re into pro territory where Nikon has the D2X and Canon has the 1D-series (the Canon 5D is a bit of an odd ball). But the fact is, even the D50 takes wonderful pictures. More money buys you more features, more frames per second, more megapixels, better build quality, etc, but if you´re printing at 8*10 inches the image quality (and isn´t that´s what it´s all about?) stays the exact same.
* Canon and Nikon both have a good track record for repairs. Not that you´ll likely need that, because the two cameras that you´re interested in a both beautifully made and extremely reliable. They´re also both rated for about 50.000 pictures before the shutter wears out.
And this really only leaves the question of lenses. Just like both companies have cameras for all levels, they also have lenses for all levels. They both make $1000+ lenses that pros drool over, and they both make $50 garbage. The prices are pretty competitive however. And seeing that these are the two biggest camera makers, there´s tons of used lenses on the market and tons of lenses from third parties like Sigma, Tamron and Tokina (they sell the same lenses for both systems at the exact same price).
So in my opinion, unless you want something that only the 350D has, the D50 makes more sense... it´s cheaper.
One final note - something that John S also mentioned but a lot of people overlook - visit a camera shop and play with the D50 and the 350D for a few minutes. The way a camera feels is pretty important. To me, the 350D feels like a toy and the D50 inspires confidence. To others, the D50 feels like a brick and the compactness of the 350D is wonderful. It´s a personal call.
(I currently use a Nikon D200. If money were no object, I'd use a Canon 1DS Mk 2 :-)

Answer 2

I would go with the Canon. I have been a Nikon shooter for over 30 years but I have been impressed with the way Canon has pushed product development in digital cameras. They leap frog every innovation that Nikon makes.

The 350D has a bigger sensor, is lighter in weight, and has TTL flash ability. It uses CF cards which are coming down in price and readily available. Some people complain that the camera feels small in their hands. This would be an important consideration in my book. I have large hands and I couldn't hold it well but your case might be different. But it costs more.

The Nikon has a nice feel and costs less. I'm not sure what the earlier post was talking about when they said it has some proprietary lens mount.....the lens all have the same mount, some just have electronics that are only compatible with the newer digital cameras. Nikon has come out with the "g" series lens. It is specially designed for the small sensor in the camera and creates a smaller image area. Which means that the lens will work great on a digital camera but will not cover a full frame 35mm (or a full size digital frame in the future). The lenses are less expensive but I have always taken the approach you get what you pay for when it comes to optics. And for some reason it went with SD memory cards. (WHY?)

I have tried to keep the faith with Nikon over the years and have been happy with their products. BUT Canon has really left them in the dust and they never seem to be able to keep up. I have had problems getting my digital cameras repair with any consistency and I'm a pro...you'd think they would like to keep me happy. You will be paying a little more for the Canon up front but I think in the long run it will pay off.

Answer 3

Canon is the master of lenses and the best quality too, to top it off is a standard system of lenses that other manufacturers support too. Nikon I believe the model you are talking about has its own proprietary lence conection and would cost more. In any case go to the Canon web site and Nikon web site then compare both. Also call you local camara dealer to ask if the lense formats are standard or proprietary, that will be a good indication of which will be more expensive to maintain.