Which dSLR should I buy?

Question

I am in the market for a digital SLR. I know I either want a Canon or Nikon. I was thinking of the Nikon D80, Canon 30D, Rebel XTi, or any other that you suggest.

How good is Nikon? Reason I ask is because my uncle is a Canon fanatic and he helped me purchase my first 35mm film Canon SLR. The only reason I guess I am hesitant about Nikon is not that I don't trust it. It is because my uncle has said only Canon so much that it makes you question Nikon. But if you think Nikon is better tell me why.

Is the Nikon D80 a good camera because I was reading the specs and it says the CCD Sensor is by Sony. I thought Sony doesn't even make their own stuff. I am confused now. I thought Nikon does their own stuff like Canon?

Answer 1

Don't worry about what goes on 'under the hood' with Canon vs. Nikon. The difference between COMS and CCD is not important. And you needn't worry that Nikon purchases their sensors from Sony - for what it's worth, Sony uses Nikon-made chip machines. All that matters are the results, and the bottom line is that both technologies and both brands produce fantastic pictures.
With the three models that you mentioned, you consistently get what you pay for. The image quality is pretty much identical with all three, and the differences mainly have to do with the feature set and build quality.
The Canon XTi is the closest to your current film Rebel. The good thing about it, is the price. It's also the ony one with a built-in dust reduction system, although I personally consider this a bit of a gimmick - you still need to clean the sensor manually from time to time. What I don't like about the XTi, is that it's small (the small grip can get annoying) and flimsy feeling. Compared to the Nikon D80, it also lacks a spot meter (I use this regularly).
The main advantages of the Nikon D80 over both of the Canon models are its spot meter and its large viewfinder. A larger viewfinder might sound trivial, but it's not. The viewfinder is the most important user interface and it makes a big difference in ease of use.
The Canon 30D is a step above the XTi and D80. It has a metal body vs. plastic, the shutter is built to last +100,000 shots vs. +50,000 , it can do 5 frames per second vs. 3, and it has more features (and more buttons to set those features in a hurry). Oddly enough, the 30D has LESS megapixels than the XTi and D80 (8 MP vs. 10 MP) but this difference is negligible until you start making poster size prints.
For in-depth reviews of all three models, visit
http://www.steves-digicams.com/hardware_reviews.html and
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/default.asp?view=alpha
For the rest, Canon and Nikon both have plenty of options to upgrade the body in the future (Nikon currently has the D200 and D2Xs, and Canon has the 5D and the 1D series) and both brands have an excellent line-up of lenses.
Since you currently own Canon lenses, I'd lean towards the XTi or 30D. You can use all of your auto-focus lenses on both of those cameras. Note that the XTi and 30D effectively magnify all lenses by a factor 1.6 however. So a 50mm lens becomes 80mm on an XTi / 30D. (The Nikon D80 also magnifies all lenses you put on it - but by a factor 1.5).
If you're not happy with your current lenses, there's no reason to stick with Canon. In that case, visit a camera store and play around with all 3 models for a while. See what you think of Nikon's ergonomics.
And one final tip: buy the cheapest camera that feels right and meets your minimum requirements. Don't get caught up in drooling over features you don't need - extra cash would be better spent on lenses. Like I said, the XTi, D80, and 30D produce about the same level of image quality - whichever one has the best lens on it will take the best pictures.

Answer 2

Nikon is a great camera but I chose Canon over Nikon for a couple of reasons. 1) Canon has a faster and silent auto focus than Nikon 2) More IS lenses than VR for Nikon 3) I didnt think it was worth $300 bucks more for a D80 when I could get a XTi for $700 with a lens or a 30D for about the same price. 4) I am used to Canon's layouts so it was easy for me to use

These reason may not fly your boat but I needed fast autofocus since I do a lot of sport shots so I need Canon.

Edit: Pentax... o joy lets list a few reasons why I would never buy a Pentax 1) Built in imagine stabliation sucks 2) The flag ship cameras of that brand arent as good as Nikon or Canons flagship cameras. 3) Optics are not as good as Nikon 3) For $1000, I never really intended a camera to do heavy duty work at that amount and seems a waste of money for the weather seal. FYI all Nikon and Canon lenses have metal mounts.

Answer 3

I'll refer you to the same article SpaceCowboy has mentioned, but I see the outcome a little differently. I think the Nikon D80 was pretty much the winner in this comparison test. The only category that it was not "best" in was "Ease of Use."

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."

Then again, this is 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!

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.

This review is now available online at:

http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/3569/10mp-dslr-shootout.html

Answer 4

You've chosen the 3 best DSLR's for the money.

Here's a recent review saying the D80 and XTi are bascially tied in the 10mp group.
http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/3569/10mp-dslr-shootout.html

I think it comes down to personal preference. I'd say go out and try all three, handle them, and see which one has the features you like. You have an advantage if someone else has the same camera where you can borrow lenses for specail situations.

I personally like the 30D due to the larger grip. If the XTi grip fits, it has a bundle of great features. Of course the 30D is a workhorse. I prefer the Canon dslr's for the natural low-light ISO capabilities.

Check www.dpreview.com for some unbiased reviews.

Enjoy your new camera!

Answer 5

Both Nikon and Canon's are great. Very suprisingly, the Pentax K10D has been getting fantastic reviews as well.

Here's a site that summarizes all the reviews on the internet for each camera and gives a score. The top 6 cameras reviewed are:
Nikon D200 (92) - http://www.productcritic.com/product/123-nikon-d200
Canon 20D (91) - http://www.productcritic.com/product/84-canon-eos-20d
Nikon D80 (91) - http://www.productcritic.com/product/41-nikon-d80
Pentax K10D (90) - http://www.productcritic.com/product/100-pentax-k10d
Nikon D70 (89) - http://www.productcritic.com/product/85-nikon-d70-d70s
Canon 30D (89) - http://www.productcritic.com/product/130-canon-eos-30d

Good luck with your search!

Answer 6

I am a camera nut & from all the reports & reviews I have read I would personally go with the Nikon D80. Fantastic camera & I am gonna get me one. All the best. Look at the review under DP REVIEW.

Answer 7

Nikon D80 best rating in the market right now

Answer 8

I'm going to throw a wrench into you thought system here....

Pentax K10D uses exact same Sony ccd chip as Nikon D80.
PLUS....

Weather sealing (D80, Canon Rebel, Sony Alpha, Evolt E500 have none)

22 bit ADC sensor (better gradiations in color - All nikons have 12 bit, Canon 1ds MkII/MkIII have 16 bit otherwise all rest have 12 bit)

Built in Shake Reduction (over 30 Patents!) to cover horizontal, vertical, and ROTATIONAL movement). Your not paying premium for IS or VR lenses.

Some of the best Prime lenses (31mm Limited rated against a Leica lens - see link)
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/columns/sm-02-05-02.shtml

Awards for design and engineering
http://www.slrtoday.com/articles/117/1/Pentax-Receives-Innovations-Award-for-the-Pentax-K10-dSLR/Pentax-Named-Innovations-2007-Design-and-Engineering-Award-for-Pentax-K10-dSLR.html

rated very well vs other 10 meg cameras
http://neocamera.com/feature_compare_10mp_dslr.html

Compatible with over 24 million lenses (including all older manual focus, screw mount, and Pentax 645 lenses with an active meter! most nikons loose metering, Canon/Sony can't even go there)

Built in Sensor cleaner with an antistatic coating to help prevent dust in the first place! (Alpha A100 and XTi have sensor cleaning, but no extra anti-static coating)

wireless TTL flash control (like nikon)*
requires firmware update to V1.10

now lets compare price (retail shops)....
D200 $1599 ($2399 with 18-200 VR metal mount lens)
D80 body $999 ($1299 with 18-125 plastic lens)
Pentax K10D $919 ($999 with metal mount lens)
Alpha A100 $799 ($899 with plastic lens)
Rebel XTi $799 ($899 with plastic lens)

So in the middle of the pack in pricing, you get more/better of almost everything.... OK if you want 5fps you go to D200 (but your paying 2x the price!)