Choosing a DSLR (2)?

Question

Thanks for the answers to my first question

I have narrowed the choice to Canon, Nikon and Sony. My problem is the choice between the lens systems.

I need to cover 18-300mm (28-450 in 35 mm terms) + a 100mm macro lens.
I need shake reduction, which excludes many lenses and all the generics for Canon and Nikon (i.e. Sigma and Tamron).
I want as few lenses as possible (pain to change and carry around + risk of dust)
And I want the best price/quality and the longest warranty. Simple really…

I summarise the various combinations, with the price from Jessops in ₤

- Nikon D80 + 18-200 + 100 macro (1900)
- Nikon D80 + 18-200 + 100 macro + 70-300 (2300)
- Canon 400D + 17-85 + 105 macro (1500)
- Canon 400D + 17-85 + 105 macro + 70-300 (2000)
- Sony Alpha + 18-70 + 75-300 + 100 macro (1280)

Sony looks a winner but I have seen no serious test of their lenses unlike for Nikon and Canon (e.g. www.photozone.de)

This is a big purchase for me. What am I missing?

Many thanks

Answer 1

your confusing technology with quality. and unless your a serious photographer you wont see the difference, and if you do, i doubt as if youll recognise it.

Nikons are merely badge engineering. their metering SUCKS... unless you spend 3grand.. the D series are for amatuers. sorry... but its true. they look good, and they take fair snaps...

the cannons are good, dont know a lot about them, but what i see, i like.

sony make televisions.. and video cameras...

i have a real Dcam, an Olympus E500... it runs rings around teh nikons... ALL OF THEM...

check out these specs. 1/4000th to 8 minutes (on auto) upto 1hr on manual...

F1.2 to F22.. ASA ratings from 50asa to 3200.

push pull EV 5 whole stops... (not 2)

variable flash power output. and the ability to run 2 flash heads simultaneously...

3fps until the card is full... i use 4gig cards... 180 shots a minute...

5 focussing options 5 metering options

and everything has a manual over ride... and if you can do teh job... itll do the job... all this for 400 quid nowadays... ok its only 8mp... but it does raw and tiff and Jpegs...

and if youre into oneupmanship buy the E400. 10mp, with realtime onscreen display...

if nothing else, at least go and look, because you abviously dont know what your missing...

Answer 2

Good to see you narrow and have some lens in mind.

I have D80 and I'm 100% suggest 18-200 If you want the walk around lens (The image quality not top but then it's good if you're lazy to change lens). However for me the 70-300 is overlapping a lot. I would suggest a 18-70 if you're going with 70-300. 18-70 also have better control on barrel distortion.

Do you really need 18mm if not I just read a forum post which say Tamrom 28-75 (avail for both Canon EF and Nikon F mount) come pretty cheap $350. But it's not walkaround lens which you can mount and forget.

For the Macro the 105mm is the right choice.

Can I know why do you need up to 300mm
Any lens at 300mm will be hard for handheld. I would recommend to use such long lens with tripod only. You will understand what I mean when you start shooting the 18-200 at 200. Another thing to remember is VR will help to reduce the vibration made by you however if the subject move it won't do much help.

If you can tell me what are photo are you normally taking I probably can recommend better choice.

Sony is new comer. The lens collection mostly come from Konica Minolta which is decent. Last night a friend of mine show me a link of Sony 70-200 which they sell for $2400 (way more expensive compared to Canon and Nikon 70-200)

PS: There's a user performance survey at the bottom of photozone page. Which contain what user think about the lens they use.

Answer 3

Canon 400D is a nice camera, I may be biased because my last few cameras have been Canon but they're the best known brand so that reputation has been earned. The Nikon D80 is a close 2nd, you'd have to carefully study the specs and read reviews online.

A word of warning though and its going to be depressing - your camera is only as good as the glass you put in front of it. Kit lenses that come with the cameras are famous for being awful. You need to get yourself a few decent lenses. Might be better go with an outside brand like Sigma of money is a real issue but you'll need some good lenses. Canon do a few cheap lenses which are pretty good from what I hear, the standard zoom with IS (image stabiliser) and the 60mm macro lens is fantastic for the money.

Answer 4

If your problem is the choice between lens systems, eliminate Sony immediately. Since you are looking at the Nikon D80 and Canon 400D, I refer you back to my previous answer where I give several comparisons. Personally, I think you need to just handle these cameras in a store and see what you think. Personally, I think that comparing these two cameras, the Nikon is closer to a pro camera in features and build quality.

I would also agree with r_yapeter in the idea that you may not need that 300 mm lens. With 10 MP to work with, you can get a pretty tight crop to accomplish the same thing. In point and shoot cameras, this would be what they call "digital zoom," only you are doing it with your computer and not in the camera. FOr instance, here is a picture of a swan that started out as pretty much a whole lake scene. My original image is better than the Snapfish rendering...

Swan Reflection - Nikon D200 - ISO 200 - Nikon 18-200 @ 200 mm - f/20.0
Cropped - 584 KP of a 10 MP image - only 6% of the original image at 129 ppi
http://www1.snapfish.com/slideshow/AlbumID=57759389/PictureID=2531239748/a=75953750_75953750/t_=75953750

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 according 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

Answer 5

Asking this type of question is like asking someone "Who's prettier, Angelina Jolie or Nicole Kidman?". You'll get all kinds of answers based on personal preference and experience.

True a lot of pro's shoot Canon equipment (a lot of pro's shoot Hasselblad and Leica as well). A lot of pro's shoot Nikon too and some even shoot Pentax medium format.

The cameras you list are all very capable and all have a very good stable of lenses to choose from. I won't get into the argument on brand but would suggest you go down to your local camera shop and hold each camera in your hand.

So often folks shop on specs only and get so carried away with numbers and features that they never consider how a camera feels in their hands.

It's one of the simplest yet overlooked things you can do.

Having a camera that fits your hand well, is logically laid out and easy to operate is a big consideration.

The three you mention will give you great results but only if you enjoy using it.

Good luck and happy shopping!

Answer 6

On Camera Build and Facilities ..CANON Wins Hands-Down!
For Lens Quality and Image Stabilizer Function..Canon Wins Hands Down!
Canon Optics and Build are Far Superior than anything on the Market!

Professionally I Use 2- EOS-1Ds Mark II

EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM
EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM
TS-E 24 mm f/3.5L
2-EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

And that works great for My Requirements!

Answer 7

there is only one answer
canon
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