Since I have a whole closet full of Nikon stuff I'm thinking of going with the new D80. My old 5700 Nikon has taken a ton of images but it's time to upgrade. I use all Canon equipment at work so I know their stuff is excellent as well.
I have heard good things about the Rebel (that is what my film version was) and I am sure it would suit me fine for most of what I will do with it..but with only 6 megapix, its alittle lacking i think. I am hoping to be able to do some freelance work and I think I probably need 8 or more.. who is doing published work with a 6 megapix (or close to that) camera.. Any recommendations on a online camera store...
I have a Canon Rebel XTi, just got back from a vacation where I took about 700 shots and I really like the camera. I bought the Canon and an adapter so I could use the lenses I have from my AE1. In between the AE1 and the Rebel I used Nikon digital's and loved them.
Hands down, the new Sony alpha. 1. Built in Anti-shake. It's the only company to offer it in camera, and yes, it does work, and yes, it does work WELL. Every other camera maker, its in the lense, and jacks up the price of the lens. 2. Price, you can't beat it. 10.2mp $749 at B&H. 3. CARL ZEISS lenses, oh, and every Minolta Maxxum lens since 1982. No system offers as much backward compatability. You can get an amazing lens kit for not a lot of money, and now, you can get CZ lenses, which, if you know anything about cameras, Zeiss is about the best quality out there. http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonydslra100/ I swear by Minolta, which was just bought by Sony. I've worked in the White House Press Corps, League of Women Voters, and as a photojournalist in DC. I might have gotten looks from other photographers because I didn't use Nikon or Canon. But I often got much better shots thanks to the Anti-Shake, and just great quality lenses. Not only that, but the Maxxum 7, 7D, and now the Sony alpha have the most intuitve controls out of any camera out there. Just my .02, backed by 16 years as a photographer and a BFA in Photo. I actually got to be useful on the HAMB. Woohoo!!! -Lucky
NIKON, there is no substitute. I have used many different camera bodies, starting with Cannon, but I find in either 35mm or digital Nikon is still head and shoulders above the rest. The Nikon D1 series is awesome, I use a D1 (There is now the D1H and D1X) you just cant beat the quality. The draw back though is the USD$4000 price tag. I have seven lenses I use often up to a 600mm, they with a selection of lenses, filters, unipod, tripods etc ran me out at about 25grand Australian (About 19grand US) If you want good, you gotta pay. I still use my old Nikon F1 a lot, digital is still behind film for super high resolution. Oddly enough I more often use a shitty F60 as its easier to lug around and Im not worried if it gets hammered! Cheers, Doc.
Wow what a thread. I am in the same position right now being that i am undecided on which camera to buy. I ave a good friend who is a Professional Photographer and shoots for alot of the magazines that i know all of us here read. I asked his opinion and he said that it's a Ford / Chevy type thing....and after reading the posts on this thread, I am convinced that it is. He says that he swears by Canon only because he has been shooting with it for more than 20 years with no problems. In being fair though, he also said that he has never shot a Nikon....... but only because he wont put his Canon down. i think i'll go with Canon!
If you research it, you'll find that Minolta has made more advancement for the autofocus SLR than Canon and Nikon Combined. It's not just Canon and Nikon out there people. Do you all drive Ford's or Chevy's? I thought not. -Lucky
Boones, You asked, " Any recommendations on a online camera store..." Be very careful when you shop online. There are too many shady camera stores that entice you with very low prices for the body and then use high pressure sales tactics to upgrade you into overpriced accessories. Stay with proven dealers such as B&H. As far as megapixels, the new Digital Rebel xti is 10 MP and the 30D is 8 MP. Here's a link to a forum where they talk about the two cameras. http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1031&message=20866747
Now be careful out there shopping. You will find two prices. One seems really low, the other really high for the same camera. There's what is called a "gray market" out there. Some of the camera shops in NYC will advertise a gray price, then when you call they'll make sure you know that. The difference is, you will have to send your camera to Europe or Japan to get it worked on. My advice is to always get a USA version camera. It costs more, but future hassles are way less.
Here's another link to a very good discussion on being careful when shopping for a camera online. http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?p=7704#poststop
For online camera store, I have been real pleased with B&H Photo. As for the megapixels thing, keep in mind that all the DSLRs that have been brought up in this thread have a much bigger image sensor than the point & shoot digital cameras most people carry. Basically, you can get more detail per megapixel this way. Also, since the lens is bigger, it allows more detail to pass thru the lens to the sensor. So a 6MP DSLR will resolve more detail than a 6MP point & shoot. The 6MP Nikon D50 I use at work (mostly in-studio product photography) will allow images up to about 6x8 with no perceivable loss in quality when printed on a high-rez photo-quality printer. If you are dealing with halftone line screens like in most magazines, you could go easily full-page, and perhaps even an occasional spread.
I think the Ford/Chevy is just what the Camera thing is also. Everyone has what they grew up with. I went down to the local Best Buy that just opened to handle some camera, they had a Nikon D50 and the Rebel XTI (no 30D). Pissed me off they did not have any batteries to let you turn them on and check out the features, look thru the lens etc.. I left.. and now need to find a real camera store intown to do a better look.
The newest version is the XTi, it is 10.1 mgpx. That is why I upgraded to it from the first digital rebel.
Just another thought, with 35mm the camera body is not as important as the lens. With digital this is not a big of an issue, if a camera can only produce X megapixles provided the lens can accommodate no worries. If on the other hand the lens you use can not deliver the quality image that the camera can then you loose a considerable amount of quality. Without doubt Nikon is the leader in lens clarity. That is one of the chief reasons I use Nikon. If I need to deliver a super quality image I still revert to film though. Doc.
Doc, in most reviews folks are saying the Canon are more clear then the Nikons when it comes to digital. Nikon just does not have the same sharpness as the Canon's but are catching up quickly
That would be the camera body, not the lens............Kind of a mute point though!! A lower quality picture is just that regardless of what caused it! If I need quality I still choose Nikon with film for resolution that no digital will ever have! Doc.
Is there a camera shop close to you? You may want to go compare and hold them to see the difference. Like the Dig Rebel I had I loved but it was bigger than the XT and the XTI. They made the XT and XTI case smaller they are great but I did not like the smaller size. The 10d, 20d, and 30d are bigger just so just whatever you like. Here is a local shop I deal with here they are good people http://www.jackscamera.com/
Thank you "49ratfink"! This can't be said enough. It's the photographer. I don't care if they are using a box camera. It's not always about how much detail, but the shot. Poster size images might need detail but if all your going to use it for is to post pictures on the web or print 4X5's the equipment really doesn't matter. The trick is in the angles, capturing a moment, and using the light you have to your advantage. So just get out there and shoot. I use a 3mp Fuji pocket camera.
Quoted again to second that. My girlfriend can grab a point n' shoot Powershot and consistently outperform my sorry ass even when I'm running around with a DSLR. Why? Because she pays close attention to lighting, framing, and she has a good eye for content. Mine aren't usually bad (any more), but you can tell when someone has a photographer's "touch" by looking at their pictures. For the average everyday person, buy something like a Powershot and it will be rare that it lets you down (shots into shade with a bright sky or night shots due to a wimpy flash are about the only ones I've seen it blow). If you want to get serious, go ahead and grab a DSLR, but you'll really need to spend a little time learning about photography in general to get any better than what the point n shoot gives you. To do otherwise is like buying a 10 second gasser when you've never seen the inside of a strip or even turned a wrench. And for those like me, Photoshop is a wise investment, too.
I have a pentax ist dl2 and am really happy with it, purchased it before going to europe this year also got a sigma 18-200 lense for it, heres a couple of photos OT from the trip but shows you what its capable of.
I migrated from Olympus equipment to Canon about 10 years ago. After 30 years of shooting film (20,000+ car slides) I finally broke down and got a Canon 30D in June. Digital is very different than film. It's a different mindset in a lot of ways and I'm still on the learning curve. I can also endorse B&H photo in NYC. I've used them for years and yes there are a lot of bad actors in the online camera and electronics business. The neat thing about digital is that ypu can shoot to your hearts delight, experiment all you want and if it all comes out crap, just delete it. It's nothing like experimenting with 35mm. There were times I'd try something different and would get one or two decent shots out of 2 rolls of 36 exp. Kodachrome. As much as I like the 30D I still love my old Zenza-Bronica 2 1/4. Shoots beautiful pics and you can hammer nails with it.
Hi. Hope I can add to this. I toil in the (car) magazine biz. A long time ago, a fellow editor pointed out that one of the big reasons for using Nikon equipment was due to their reliability. As he rightfully noted, most of us in the business regularly abuse camera equipment around, under and over cars (and car parts). The Nikons take a beating and keep on ticking. I switched from Canon years ago, and Ive never looked back. Next, Im likely going to spring for a new D80. Just my 1-1/2 cents . Later Graybeard
All these images were shot with a Canon 5D. It's a great camera, has bitchin options as far as color selections, saturation,tone etc. The 5D also has a true 35mm view. So if you want to shoot a 16mm lens you get a true 16mm lens not a 20mm zoom factor.
I shoot my pin-ups with a Canon EOS Rebel Digital XT, and I love it. I have a Nikon for snapshots and I love that as well. Stacey
Hey Boones! Sorry I was so late on this one! I actually don't shoot with a Nikon OR Canon...Mine is a Fuji S2 Pro...actually it uses Nikon lenses and is based on the N-80 Film camera (Nikon). I find it has better color and higher resolution than the D-100 it is so close to. They came out with an S-3, but I like the S-2 better. I've been using Nikon for almost 30 years and I don't plan on changing brands. Spike
this is important if you shoot a lot of wide angle shots. cameras with full frame sensors are much more expensive and i think the 5d is about $2500-$3000. a body with the common 1.6 multiplier is much cheaper. top line digi slr's are so much money that i only look at used ones and you'll save a lot of money that way too, just no waranty. my d30 (not 30d) is only a 3.1mp camera but takes very nice shots and can be bought used for cheap. compared to the newer digi's it's old, heavy slow and has that damn multiplier. it's still a fine camera and i've taken thousands of pictures with it without a problem. i'm saving for a used 5d in a few years. oh, and i vote canon. paul
I upgraded from a Rebel XT to the 20D and have been nothing but impressed with it. The non full-frame sensor takes a little getting used to, but once you adjust to it, it's fine.
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