What SLR camera?

Question

I have 1800$ to use for this. I like to photograph very much, and was thinking about Nikon D80 18-135mm. But from all sites I hear Canon is best or Pentax. Can some experts tell me what to choose ? And also why

Answer 1

I'd sure like to know where you have been reading reviews.

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. Nikon is now offering the D80 in a kit with a very nice 18-135 lens, although it does have a polycarbonate ("plastic") mount that might begin to wear if you buy additional lenses and change them often. 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.
.....
The February 2007 issue of Popular Photography has an article where they compared the top 10 MP DSLR's, including the D80 and XTi. The Nikon D80 was BEST in Image Quality, Control and System Flexibility and the Canon Rebel XTi (400D) tied with the D80 for best in System Flexibility, but won no other categories.

http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/3569/10mp-dslr-shootout.html
.....
Here's another reference from outside the photographic press. Consumer reports compared the Nikon D80, Canon Rebel XTi and Sony Alpha. Personally, I'd say that the Nikon came out on top here, also. It beats the Sony in "noise-free ISO" with an acceptable rating at ISO 1600 (kind of optimistic, I think...) compared to the Sony's ISO 400. It beats the Canon (in my opinion) by having a spot meter that the Canon does not offer.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-computers/news-electronics-computers/november-2006/shootout-10-megapixel-digital-slr-cameras-11-06/overview/0611_digital-slr-shoot-out.htm
.....
Nikon D80 vs. Canon Rebel XTi (400D) vs. Sony Alpha A100

http://www.digitalcamerainfo.com/content/Canon-Rebel-XTi-vs-Nikon-D80-vs-Sony-Alpha-A100-Head-to-Head-to-Head-Digital-Camera-Review-.htm [Note the navigation menu near the top of the review]
.....

I own a D200 and can vouch for it's high quality. I would expect the D80 to come close or match the D200 in image quality. I would not suggest it to you though, as you would be better off buying the D80 and a good lens.

Answer 2

Like Sam, I own a D200 and some nice lenses so I might be biased towards Nikon. The test reviews are pretty clear however - the Nikon D80 is the best 10 megapixel dSLR for under $1000.
For me, the main advantages of the D80 vs. the Canon Rebel XTi are that the D80 has a larger viewfinder, a decent grip, and a spot meter (which I personally use frequently). In short, the D80 is a more pleasant camera to USE. Image quality is about the same and Canon and Nikon both have plenty of lenses, etc. to choose from. The advantages of the Canon XTi are its bult-in dust reduction system (which prolongs the interval between having to clean the sensor yourself) and the lower price.
Between the Nikon D80 and the Pentax K10D, the D80 has a better AF system and better image quality. The Pentax offers better build quality. Nikon also has a very real advantage as a brand, due to the wider selection of lenses (their own plus third party options). And if you plan on upgrading the body some day, the D80 is one of Nikon's entry level models whereas with Pentax, the K10D is the best they have.
All of these cameras are very good and they're also all good value for money (for ther own reasons). Since money is no object, get the best... the D80.
As for the Nikon D200 - I look at it as a D80 on steroids. It has a metal body vs. plastic, 5 frames per second vs. 3, etc. But the image quality is the exact same. Unless you really need something that only the D200 offers, spend the price difference on something else.
The Nikon 18-135mm kit lens is pretty good. It has decent image quality and enough zoom range to be considered an all-in-one lens.
The D80 with the 18-135mm zoom make a fantastic kit and you probably don't need anything else. But if / when you do add extra items, look at your equipment as a system and prioritize additions.
Other 'essentaials' can eat up alot of budget too. I personally use quality UV filters to protect my lenses, I have a circular polerizing filter, I use fast memory cards (2 x 2GB SanDisk), I have a camera bag that doubles as a day pack, I ordered a spare battery (so I can always grab the camera bag without worrying if I have enough power), cleaning kits, a tripod... you might want an external flash. So there's all of that, in addition to the body and lenses.
And if you think 'analysis paralysis' is bad, just wait until you've been using your camera for a while and 'lens lust' kicks in.
If you don't know in advance what lenses you want, start with the D80 kit and add/ upgrade items as the need arises.

Answer 3

Well you heard wrong Nikon has better lens, has double exposure capability,spot meter ( I not sure if Pentax can double expose but they don't have a lot of lens)

I'm sure someone will say that Cannon has more IS lens than Nikon VR lens, but not that many more, or that Cannon lens focus faster, I haven't seen any proof about that.

I'm with Spacecow about D200 with that you can use older AI,AIS,series E lens. These lens can be use on a D80, but unlike the D200 the meter will not work.

Answer 4

I highly recommend buying used gear. Either through your local used camera store or Craigslist, you can pick up a nice D100 for under $600. Use the rest of your budget for glass.

A used 20-35 or 35-70 2.8 zoom can be had for as little as $500. I see the 80-200 going for $600-800.

For $1800 you could even score a used D1h, D1x or D2h and still have money left over for a lens. Look around! I've bought nearly all my gear used and never had any problems.

Answer 5

D80 with 18-135 is a great choice, or even better choose the D200.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=nikon_d80%2Cnikon_d200&show=all
You could be well loaded with the D80, wheras the D200 would leave you little for lenses.

Nikons feel better, better sealed, and takes better pictrurses.