3 final choices: Rebel XT, Nikon D40, Nikon D50?

Question

For around $600, I can get either 3. XT is an obvious choice but I STILL seem to gravitate towards Nikon, however it has only 6.1 compared to the 8 of the Canon. Will I see a big difference in the two? I want SOLID camera I can grow with and that means lenses I might buy. Don't care about bells and whistles but a solid camera with manual controls to take the pics and experiment with. What's the best long-term camera? The D40, I hear might be less flexible than the D50 but is the D50 obsolete? What about the D40? Solid camera? XT? I'm concerned it's a flimsy peice of plastic with excellent componants. I'd prefer a more solid frame.. Suggestions?

Answer 1

Tough choices. The Nikon D40 just won the Gold DIWA award (http://blog.nikonians.org/archives/2007/03/nikon_d40_wins.html) and all the reviews I've read say that it's a pretty good camera.

Don't buy a camera based on the megapixels as you won't really notice the difference in picture quality (lenses make a much larger difference). It's great that your focusing on buying a camera with excellent components and solid frame though.

Reading all the professional reviews, I don't think you can really go wrong with any of them but some people prefer the feel of the Nikon over the Canon and other prefer the menu system and functions of the Canon over the Nikon. My usual suggestion is to go to a camera store and try them both to see how you like the feel of both.

All reviews:
Canon XT - http://www.productcritic.com/product/4-canon-digital-rebel-xt-eos-350d
Canon XTi - http://www.productcritic.com/product/93-canon-digital-rebel-xti-eos-400d
Nikon D40 - http://www.productcritic.com/product/105-nikon-d40
Nikon D50 - http://www.productcritic.com/product/83-nikon-d50

Answer 2

The Nikon D40 can only use AF-S and AF-I lenses. That's to say, auto-focus lenses that include an internal focussing motor. This excludes a lot of budget and mid-price zooms, all older AF lenses, and all fixed focal length lenses - you can't even use a common Nikon 50mm f/1.8 AF. For this reason alone, the D40 might be a non-starter.
The D40's build quality is somewhere between the Canon Rebel XT and the Nikon D50. You'd have to handle these three cameras side-by-side in a store to appreciate the differences.

The D50... I wouldn't call this camera obsolete. Actually, the D50 isn't even the oldest of the three - the Canon is. And although the Canon is more advanced, the D50 beats the D40 in terms of features. (The D40 is a stripped down version of the D50, intended to compete with cheap Pentax and Olympus models.)

The XT is the most advanced of the three. At the time (2005 and 2006), the Nikon counterpart was the D70/ D70s, which was a step above the D50.
The drawbacks of the XT are its lack of a spot meter (which most people won't miss), the tiny grip, and the Mickey Mouse plastic housing.
Now... I know I gave you a hard time about paying extra for a D-Lux3, but I DO believe in paying extra for proper ergonomics.

You needn't worry too much about megapixels. If you print at 300dpi, the Nikons will produce a 6.7 x 10 inch print, and the Canon will yield a 7.7 x 11.5 inch print. So they're all good enough for full page prints, and none of them are particulary suited for making posters.
Image quality is about the same, too. Whichever camera has the best lens, will win in a shootout. The Canon and Nikon 18-55mm kit lenses are about the same and both brands also have plenty of 'good' stuff to choose from. So no advantage to either system in that department.

Since you want a solid body and some degree of future-proofing, my vote is for the D50.

Answer 3

Don't worry too much about the 6 MP vs. 8 MP thing. Yeah, it is always nice to have more, but 6 MP is quite adequate. If you want a "SOLID camera," the choice here is the Nikon D50. If you want to add lenses in the future, you want to avoid the D40. If you want FULL manual controls, you want the D50. The XT is okay, but it doesn't have a true spot meter. The best it can do is a 10% center-weighted average.

I have a Nikon D200 and we bought the D50 so my wife could "keep up" with me on shooting expeditions. It is an excellent camera that I've recommended to many friends locally.

When does a camera become obsolete? I'd say that is when it no longer takes pictures. I know that my D200 will be considered obsolete by some people one day, but I can't imagine I'd ever want more camera until this one flat out dies on me. If the D50 was something you could easily outgrow, I'd be concerned about that, but I don't see it that way. You will add a couple of lenses or more, but you will be buying into an excellent line of lenses. When and if you ever decide your D50 is beneath your abilities (doubtful for most), when you upgrade, the lenses will not be obsolete and you can probably keep using the D50 as a back-up. Hey, it is rated to go more than 50,000 shots before the shutter gives up. That's a lot of pictures.

Answer 4

The Rebel is far and away superior to the Nikons, most professionals buy the Rebel SLR and you definitely won't regret it. The Rebel is super upgradeable (lenses, etc.) also I believe it has the wireless remote shutter option where you can set the camera up on a tripod (which you should do anyway for the sharpest pictures) and you can stand say 30 ft. away and remotely take the picture. Perfect for capturing a mega sharp picture of an animal that you would never capture if you were standing right behind the camera.

Answer 5

I would go with the Canon XTi or the Nikon D80 even though they are a little more. You'll forget the difference in money when you see the pics.
I'm prefer the D80, better images, rock solid camera.

Answer 6

agree with others. pexel won't matter in terms of image appearance.

big part of the digicam is the lens and you hands movement.