Canon Rebel XTi, Nikon D80 or Sony Alpha?

Question

I'm in the market for a new digital SLR camera. Each one of these meets my needs in specs, performance and available accessories but which one should I get and why?

Answer 1

I happen to like the Nikon D80 best in this group. Lucky for me, Popular photography did a test that included all three cameras you are asking about.

The February 2007 issue of Popular Photography has an article where they compared the top 10 MP DSLR's.

I took the scores and ranked the cameras similar to the way Formula 1 gives championship points. I just gave 5 for 1st place down to 1 for last place, splitting the difference when cameras tied in their catagories.

They evaluated Image Quality (giving this twice as much weight as anything else), Ease of Use, Control, and System Flexibility.

The final order and my scores are:

Nikon D80 - 17.5 points
- BEST in Image Quality, Control and System Flexibility
Canon Rebel XTi (400D) - 13.5 points
- Tied for best in System Flexibility
Pentax K10D - 11 points
- Tied for best in Ease of Use
Samsung GX10 - 11 points
- Tied for best in Ease of Use
Sony Alpha 100 - 7 points
- LAST in Image Quality, Ease of Use and System Flexibility."

Go to the original question and read the responses for more opinions.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AiG00eHyd0oq5b.X7J.jiULzy6IX?qid=20070113133139AAHWJY0

If you want to get the "best" for the real world, consider the Nikon D200 or Canon 30D if you can afford it. For about $300-500 less, look at the results of the recent PopPhoto test and choose from that list accoriding to your taste.

Personally, I use a Nikon D200 and would recommend it without hesitation to someone who has some knowledge of photography. For someone who wants the "best," but is starting with somewhat of an "entry level" knowledge base, I'd suggest the Nikon D80.

There are people out there who will state their preference for the Canon cameras and I will not argue with them. The Canon 30D and 400D are excellent cameras as well. You would have to visit a camera store or camera department and pick them up and see what you think.

Then again, the same magazine that put the Sony Alpha 100 dead last in this comparison named it the camera of the year in the previous issue!

This review is now available online at: http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/3569/10mp-dslr-shootout.html

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Nikon vs. Sony

Which would you choose - a Nikon or a Konica/Minolta? Sony basically bought out Minolta and put their name on the camera. This is Sony's first DSLR and the D80 is simply the latest evolution of Nikon's years of experience. I wouldn't want to own anyone's "first ever" product, even if it was named "Camera of the Year."

When it comes time to buy lenses, do you want to be stuck with the limited amount of lenses that fit the Sony/Konica/Minolta mount or the endless selection of Nikon and Nikon-compatible lenses?

Yes, my bias is showing, but I'd buy the Nikon in a heartbeat over the Sony.

See the noise level in the Sony at this page:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond80/page27.asp

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=sony_dslra100%2Cnikon_d80&show=all

Click on "Our in-depth review" and "Read owner opinions."

In the owner opinions, I gleaned a few interesting comments, even from positive reviews:

"If I had the bucks, I'd go Nikon."

"I have some noise issues at ISO400 and above... for professional use only ISO up to 200 seems acceptable."

"...please start performing at your full potential as soon as possible.We all know you can perform better."

"This seems to say, 'Sony doesnt care about photography, Sony cares about money'."

"I think this camrea is a nice beginning for Sony, but not the camera I will buy."

"Would like dual aperture and shutter control dials... [instead of a single dial for everything]."

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Comparing the Nikon D80 vs. Canon 400D/Rebel XTi

Check this page:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond80/page21.asp

The first thing I notice is that the Canon does not have a spot meter. I thought they added that in the XTi, but I guess past criticism was not heard at Canon.

The Nikon user-definable Auto-ISO is an interesting feature that lets you define a couple of parameters about what's acceptable to you and what's not. I don't think this would be the tie-breaker, though, if you can't decide between cameras.

The D80 has a pentaprism and the Canon uses mirrors. "They" say that mirrors are getting pretty good, but I would expect the pentaprism to be a brighter viewfinder.

The Nikon lets you do actual multiple exposures in the camera and some people think this is pretty cool.

Click "next" and move to page 22 and you'll see some image comparisons. Click "next" a couple more times to see more direct comparisons on page 25. Click "next" a couple more times to see some noise level comparisons on page 27. It looks to me like the D80 has actually tamed the noise better than the XTi, but read the comments about image softness.

Click one more time and see that the D80 is clearly the winner in image sharpness.

Go on to the next page and read the conclusions.

You can go to the side-by-side at

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=canon_eos400d%2Cnikon_d80&show=all and also click on "Our in depth review" and "Read owner opinions" for each camera.

The last line in the Nikon D80 review reads, "If you're a more discerning photographer who can see the advantages offered by the 'all round' D80 you may well consider the extra money well spent."

The last line in the Canon 400D/XTi review reads, "Thanks to its blood line and low price the EOS 400D will no doubt be a huge success for Canon. However unlike the EOS 350D, for me it's no longer the first or obvious choice, so before jumping on the bandwagon make sure you've weighed up the competition."

In other words, you've selected with the two best cameras in their price class.

Canon is probably saving a little money using their CMOS sensor and this will bring them some market share. Whether the sensor and images are better or not is open to wild debate based on personal preferences. Whether one camera feels better in your hands might just be the determining factor. You have got to go to a real camera store and handle them both. I guess Costco, Circuit City or Best Buy would also have actual samples on display, but you may not get as much help from the staff.

As far as lens choice, I'd rather see you start with one decent lens instead of the kit lens, although Nikon's kit lens (18-55) has actually tested pretty well. Canon's new 18-55 Series II lens is okay, also. For Nikon, I like the Nikkor AF-S 18-70 f/3.5-4.5G ED DX. This costs about $300. I bought this for my wife on her D50 and liked it so much (for the money) that I bought it as a backup for one of my cameras. For Canon, one of our best answerers (Panacea) recommends the EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM. This costs about $500, so there goes the $200 price difference.

Of course, you'll need a decent memory card and I recommend a genuine Sandisk Ultra II (60X) or Extreme III (133X) of at least 1GB - preferable 2 GB - for either camera. Lexar is another excellent card supplier and they have the "Professional" 133X as well as the Platinum 80X to choose from. Both Lexar and Sandisk come with image recovery software and limited lifetime warranties.

Answer 2

If you already have Canon or Nikon lenses, I'd stick with that brand. The D80 is more expensive than the XTi but it is getting higher reviews as well. The Sony Alpha is third in terms of reviews so I'd stay away from that one. I have a Canon DSLR and am very happy with it.

Reviews (here's a place to see all the reviews for each camera):
Nikon D80 (Score = 91) http://www.productcritic.com/product/41-nikon-d80
Canon XTi (Score = 85)
http://www.productcritic.com/product/93-canon-digital-rebel-xti-eos-400d
Sony alpha (Score = 83)
http://www.productcritic.com/product/101-sony-alpha-a100

Answer 3

Alan is very knowledgeable, listen to his advice!

My vote would be for the D80. (But then, I am a Nikon gal, so what to expect?) :-)


If you don't already have any lenses, my suggestion is to go to the camera store and handle both the Nikon and the Canon. (I wouldn't bother with the Sony) Play with them a few minutes and see if one just feels better in your hands than the other. Look through the viewfinder. Access the controls, even if you don't know what they are changing. One may just feel more natural to you. That's the one you should get. Both are fine cameras and have a large selection of accessories and lenses.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Hi,

I purchased Nikon's D80 (with AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm lens) recently - less than a month ago in fact, and it is a great buy for me. I wont say which is the best DSLR for you because I believe there are great models from each brand, and your preference may be subjected to budget, and other personal preferences.

Things to look out for when getting a DSLR :

1) most of those who have DSLR invest more on the lenses than the body, meaning that they go for those brands that support a larger variety of lenses, because there are newer versions of the camera bodies every 2-3 years or so.

2) personal preferences of the look and feel of the camera are important, so it's best if you have a chance to hold each of your potential choices in your hand, see whether the grip, weight and feel is suitable for you, and whether the layout of the camera buttons, dials, etc is ergonomically done.

3) budget. you can say the sky is the limit. so you need to see whether you want to spend more on a good body and lenses, or a slightly cheaper body and lenses and spend more on the accessories like speedlights, battery packs, additional lenses, filters, etc.

Anyway, I have placed 2 detailed articles below for your references. One is a head to head review for Canon's Rebel XTi, Nikon's D80 and Sony's Alpha A100. The other is another review comparing Nikon's D200 with Canon's EOS 5D.

Based on most reviews, I would say Nikon's D80 tops the list most of the time in most areas, and Canon's Rebel XTi is very close behind. Sony's Alpha A100 falls short in many areas, but it's attraction lies in its Super Steady technology built into the body which provides stabilization with any lenses, unlike the rest which built stabilization-control within the lenses (which also makes them more costly), and it's also much cheaper compared to the other two models.

Lastly, I find my current D80 ideal in everyway except for one - it doesnt come with any anti-dust technology and as such, once there is dust on the image sensor and if I cant get it out with a blower, I will have to send it to the service centre since such dust particles are quite apparent on small aperture settings (high f/stop values).

Hope you can find your ideal DSLR soon :)

Answer 5

When you go with SLR camera, it doesn't mainly depend on camera body anymore; it depend mostly on the lens set you use later on.

I don't know much about Nikon and Sony, but I am sure Sony do not have many good lenses for SLR camera experts. The competition narrows down to Canon and Nikon.

Nikon SLR camera body usually (people said so) better than Canon SLR camera body based on money you spend.

But for a long term, if you care about your picture quality, Canon lens set is the best. (note that you can not use canon lens on Nikon camera).

I am using Canon now, and I have some Canon lenses when I still use film camera. When I upgrade to digital camera, all the lenses still work. The price of lenses don't go down with time, only camera body is down. I sold my old one and upgrade to a new model several times.

Hope it helps.

Answer 6

Honestly, see how they feel and act in your hand.

You know some of the scenarios of shooting situations, try to set the camera up for those shots and give tham your own rating.

Takes some pics of the identical things, inside, outside and with flash. This might decide your answer there. Canons are know to better in low light

What lenses do you have now? (that will work with the digital, none?). Once you get started, most of your money will be in the lenses. They all have a great range available to them, but they cost a lot. It also forces your hand on your next camera.

FYI - in the lens antishake is considered better (vs in camera)

Here's my order:
1 Canon (lowlight, image quality, lenses)
2. Nikon (solid, well calibrated, GPS option, elapse timer, lenses)
3. hmmmm.

Answer 7

stick to canon or nikon .....sony alpha is a good slr camera but i think the only aspect that make it in the third place is lenses availability and price((it's my opinion))...now there r many 3rd party manufacturers making sony mount lenses ((sigma ,tamron,...etc))...y don't take a look to the link below and c the difference urself.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=canon_eos400d%2Cnikon_d80%2Csony_dslra100&show=all

Answer 8

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