Nikon,Sony or Canon for 10mp Digital SLR?

Question

im looking at buying a Digital SLR, the three i am lookng at are the Canon EOS 400D, Nikon D40x and Sony Alpha 100K
What one is best for a entry level photographer? also help with the best lenses for these cameras? sending around $1200/£600

Answer 1

One of the biggest factors in this decision is the options available AFTER the initial purchase of the Digital SLR ... and hands down ... Canon (and Nikon) are the industry leaders in SLR cameras for sure .. with MANY different lenses and accessories for their cameras that far exceed anything that Sony has put out to date.

The Canon EOS 400D is a very nice camera .. and the prices are definitely coming down. There is a WIDE RANGE of available (optional lenses), the camera uses a standard Compact Flash Card (wouldn't recommend less than a 4 GB card to start with), is quite fast in cycling thorugh (which means you can take lots of images very quickly) .. and the battery charge lasts quite nicely (meaning -- through several hundred shots -- and I shoot my images in the .raw mode).

What makes the deal with Canon even more of a bonus -- the EOS Digital and the EOS 35 mm can use the SAME lenses -- so if you have an EOS 35mm from Canon -- you can use the same optional lenses on your Digital Canon SLR as well. That has proven to be a bonus for me .. and allowed me to focus on select purchases to supplement these earlier lenses and expand on my creativity.

One addition to the purchase I would make is to make sure that you purchase a SPARE battery pack -- because .. (like I found out) .. when you switch from the 35 mm to the Digital SLR environment ... you throw 'caution to the wind' and the NUMBER of images that I shoot FAR EXCEEDS the choosiness that I had to ENFORCE on myself when I had to make the Film, the Processing and the Printing decisions.

Believe me .. the initial investment in a quality 4gb CF Memory Card will pay for itself within a very short time .. and with the ability to easily download those files to the computer you are using, to then be able to erase those files from the Memory Card and store NEW ones .. well ... what freedom and what NEW opportunities you have awaiting you when you want to take your camera to any event -- whether it is for family or just everyday events!

Answer 2

I prefer the Canon 400D for myself because the small size fits well in my hands and is an easy adjustment from a point and shoot. Also the Canon has a 9-point autofocus that is new on this model and it really makes taking pictures easy for beginners, your pictures will come out sharper with this. You can find this for even less than the price above or buy some good lenses with it for $1200.

I would not recommend buying a Sony because you are really limiting your options as far as lenses and accessories down the road. Canon is the industry leader and you will have a greater use of your lenses later on if you decide to upgrade the camera body. Nikon would be good for this too.

Answer 3

Anthony's given you excellent advise. I like the Nikon line, but Canons are excellent as well. You'll take fine pictures with either system. Right now, you'll find excellent deals on Nikon D40 & Canon Rebel XTi cameras, often with extra lenses. But, you really need to handle each camera. Canon & Nikon dslr's have their own "feel". What may be clumbersome for one person, may fit perfectly for another. Try different cameras and see if the placement of the controls work for you. How are the operation menus? Can you get to the settings you want quickly, and in few steps? Does that camera system have features that suit your style and lenses in your price range? Just like cars and shoes, you really need to try them on for size first! Hope this is helpful.

Answer 4

I agree with fhotoace. The D40X really does not belong in your comparison. If you are looking at the others, you need to raise your sights and look at the D80.

Here's my standard answer, but it includes these three cameras...

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."

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! (In a follow-up to this seeming error, Pop Photo published the explanation that only the D80 and the Sony had been tested by the end-of-year deadline for choosing the Camera of the Year. Sony won on the strength of low price and built-in image stabilization. The other 3 that beat Sony in shoot-out were not tested until after the Camera of the Year was selected, because they were not yet available.)

Go to the original question and read the responses for more opinions.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AiG00eHyd0oq5b.X7J.jiULzy6IX?qid=20070113133139AAHWJY0

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 available online at:

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

Here's another comparison of interest:

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]

The next thing to consider is what lens to start with and where you go from there. If you are new to this, I'd say to just get the "kit" lens, which seems to be the 18-135 lens for the D80, and get started. Once you know where you really want to go with your photography, Nikon has an almost unlimited family of lenses to choose from.