Choosing a DSLR?

Question

Hello, I am hesitating between the Canon 400D (Rebel XTi) and the Nikon D80. But my choice will be partly dictated by their range of lenses. Is there a good web site with reviews of lenses, ideally including Sigma and Tamron. Many thanks

Answer 1

Wow I think some people answer it different way. While some of the site posted above do have review. I have few point to made. Every site have different way to review therefore the result will be on different standard.

Photozone have huge collection of lens review. However the list not complete. Such as the ultra wide Sigma 10-20 is reviewed on canon however the lens available for both canon EF and nikon F mount. I believe both company have lens range more then you ever need. For Nikon 12-24/4 18-200/3.5-5.6 or 18-70 then 70-200. Canon have 10-22 17-35 24-105 and 70-200. So both brand cover pretty much all the range

While lens range are important. Don't forget to check on the body. As for me I feel more comfortable to hold D80 compared to 400D. And all the common control very accesible. It's best if you can go to shop and test few shots on each body. Try changing the settings and see how you like the positions of each button.

Answer 2

Sigma and Tamron make pretty well the same lenses for both Nikons and Canons, so if you're looking at third-party lenses, either make of camera will suit you.
There's a lot of silly debate between Nikon owners and Canon owners, and the truth is, you can take great pictures with either make. Nikon's claim is, and I tend to agree, that they've got better ergonomics, but the best thing is to go to a decent camera store and try out both cameras.

Answer 3

www.kenrockwell.com is a us photographer who does good camera and lens reviews. I'd also take a look at www.photo.net - they have very active forums - you'll find one for canon and one for Nikon there, so if you have a specific question, ask there.
Both canon and nikon have a good range of lenses. I'm a Nikon user, but only because you really have to choose one or the other, and my choice was based on trying the camera out. I think how the camera feels to you, and how easy it is for you to use the controls you use most often is more important than tech specs.

Answer 4

The Nikon is quite a bit more expensive. I'd check out www.wolfcamera.com for reviews of both cameras. Personally, I prefer the Nikon. I'm saving for it right now. FYI - I've been told that the 55-200 Nikkor lens is almost impossible to get right now. I'm not sure about other mfgs.

Answer 5

One of my boilerplate answers......

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.

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Nikon D80 Reviews

I own a D70s and D200, so I can't really comment on the D80, but between the size and feel of the D70s and the sensor and processing of the D200, I have formed an opinion. One of these articles is subtitled, "Psst - Want a D200 at half the price?" If the D80 came out before I bought my D200, I may have bought that and been happy enough to stick with it. There are only a few tricks the D200 can do that the D80 can't and the D80 can even do a couple that the D200 can't. Here are a few links, in case you have not seen this material yet. They will give you more pros and cons than I could dream of.

http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/3476/editors-choice-10mp-dslrs.html

http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/3231/camera-test-nikon-d80.html

http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/3157/nikon-d80-competitive-set.html

http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/2794/hands-on-nikon-d80-dslr.html

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Nikon/nikon_d80.asp

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond80/
(Note: There are 30 pages to this article. Don't stop after reading page 1.)

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/read_opinions.asp?prodkey=nikon_d80
(Note: There are over 60 owner opinions, including pros and cons in almost all of them.)

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_reviews/nikon_d80.html
(Note: There are 11 pages to this article. Don't stop after reading page 1.)

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d80.htm

While you are at kenrockwell, you will find he has MANY reviews of aftermarket lens suppliers, so look around. You could spend a month on this site.

Answer 6

This question comes up with monotonous regularity. I suggest that you look very closely at either Nikon or Canon as used by the Professionals (emulation is the sincerest form of flattery).. A good comparison website will give you an unbiased view and in some cases the costs involved. RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH

Answer 7

My choice is go with Canon ,great range of lenses for spectrum of shots (pun intended sorry) I use Canon always and no problems no matter what the occasion.

Answer 8

Photodo.com has come back to life with new owners. They test numerous brands.

Answer 9

They are probably made for both cameras equally.

Answer 10

http://cheapestpricessearchengine.shopping.com/xPP-cameras_and_photography_digital_cameras



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