Which One?

[Moe Man]

Canon EOS 400D Rebel XTi
10.1 megapixelsSLR

Nikon D80
10.2 megapixelsSLR

Nikon D40
6.1 megapixelsSLR

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I'm going to be buying one pretty soon here, need opinions!
Thx

[Moe Man]

Rebel....D80

[gp36912]

like weve said on mosts posts. its best for you to go out and play with the cameras before making a decision. each persons hands are different so the cameras all feel different to each person.
i personally chose the 30d. while others perfer the d50 some like the 350d, and again its all personal preferance.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

In my personal opinion, D40<400D<D50<30D<D80

I'm not a big fan of the D40, if you're planning on doing any serious photography you'll probably want to pass it over. It's a 100% consumer-oriented camera. Besides, it's not even out yet.

The 400D is an OK camera, but I don't like the ergonomics of the smaller Canons. Dust shake feature is pointless. Sensor is very nice, but camera operation involves too much menu-fiddling. Lacks top LCD for shooting information, instead uses main colour LCD which hurts battery life substantially. Build quality is cheap, feels plasticky and toylike.

D50 is being phased out, and can be had for very, very good prices right now. Fullsize ergonomics, excellent high ISO performance. Most controls are button/command dial combinations instead of menu surfing, which helps speed up adjustments and therefore gives you more chance to got "the shot." Uses the Nikon Creative Lighting System, which is excellent. Phenomenal battery life - I've taken over 4,000 shots on a single charge. Probably the best price/performance deal at the moment. Downside is the relatively small viewfinder, much like the 400D.

30D improves on the ergo of small Canons and feels much more solid than the Rebel. Much better camera controls, less menu fiddling. Burst rate is an excellent 5FPS. Lots of top LCD and viewfinder info. Excellent high ISO performance. From a price/performance perspective, probably my favorite new Canon.

D80 is a stellar camera, more or less a D200 crammed into a D50 chassis. Superb dual command dial system, as opposed to the D50's single dial. Almost all shooting options do not require menu use, just buttons & switches. Excellent high ISO performance. Burst mode is slightly slower than 30D. Uses SD cards instead of CF ones. Wonderful viewfinder! Coupled with an 18-135 or 18-200VR, it's a great package.



However, those just my opinions, and should in no way be considered gospel truth. I urge you to go out and try each camera for yourself and decide which one fits your hands, your needs, and your budget.

[raf2379]

I was too deciding between the Rebel XTi and the Nikon D80, eventualy after going out and playing with both i've decided on the D80 and the 18-200 VR. its an expensive package, but i am verry happy with it. like said above the most shooting option are selected through buttons. I also love the feel and the weight of this camera. I'm no expert on DSLR's by any means, I just got into photography, but I am a verry happy customer and as a begginer i find all the features and selections verry easy to use and easy to figure out its well setup.

[eclipse00]

I have a Rebel XTi and love it!!! I couldn't justify the price difference between it and the D80.

[Mitsu3000gt]

I will probably be picking up the D80 tomorrow. My only dillema is whether or not to spend money I don't have and get the 18-200VR or just be happy with the 18-135 for now (probably what I'm going to do).

I went through the exact same thing as you, and I decided to go out and look at them all. I had the Rebel XTi, D80, D200 and EOS 30d infront of me on the table, and I held and took some shots with each of them.

The first thing I noticed was that the XTi feels like a toy (its all plastic), and it's kit lens feels even cheaper. It will take good pictures, but that 18-55 kit lens is pretty bad according to almost everything I've read. It has a very small grip and feels like its going to slip out of my hands. Lastly, it has only the back LCD which is great until you get into sunlight and can't see anything.

The EOS 30D is pretty badass but its too expensive (for me) ~$1500 for body and another 500+ for a good lens.

The D200 is sweet, but way out of my price range (I just wanted to check it out). The D80 shares alot with the D200.

The D80 felt the best in my hands, is the newest, and seemed to have the best features. It is a metal frame with very high quality plastic around it. I did not think it was plastic until I read about it. It has a lightning fast autofocus with 11 points, and an amazing viewfinder. It just seemed right, and is priced nicely in the middle.

The Camera Store sells it for $1419 with the 18-135 lens, and London Drugs wants $1449. London drugs has a 15 day return policy, and 30 day price protection, and they will happily match the $1419 price if The Camera Store has it in stock. That's the cheapest I can find it in calgary, and it is not cheaper to bring it out of the states (for once). I think $1419 is a pretty good price for that package - it will leave me with a bit of cash for a camera bag and memory card.

The last thing is that the Pentax K10d is coming out soon, but I'm not so sure it will live up to the hype. Also, it doesn't have the lens support of Nikon or Canon (if my research is correct). Additionally, people are raving about the in camera IS system, but thanks to people here, I have learned that lens IS is way better so that is a non-issue. I am curious though, what would happen if you used an IS lens on an IS camera, if it would be the best thing ever or not work at all?

I didn't think it would be that big of a deal for me to go out and play with them, but turns out that was by far the deciding factor. Do your self a favor and head down to london drugs, vistek or the camera store. They were all very helpful and more than willing to let me look at the cameras knowing I had no intention to buy that day.

[gp36912]

its always best to play with them and try them out. the cannons felt perfect in my hands, i woulda liked to buy the 5d but thats a steep jump from the 30d

[seer_claw]

If you are looking at those options why don't you have a look at the Nikon D70s. Its a great camera as well, will definitely out perform the D40 by a long shot and its a really good price right now as well. Its $1000 at the camera store with the 18-70 lens. Or just buy the body and get the 18-200 VR for about $1400.

Another option to look at.

Your best bet is to go out and try them, I didn't like the feel of the Rebel which is why I went for the Nikon.

[Moe Man]

HEY HEY... I jsut bought it yesterday and have been playing around with it all day...I got the Canon XTI, with the 18-55mm lens and I got the 75-300mm lens also on the side and abunch of other little things.

One rookie question though. Is there a way of taking pictures with the lcd instead of looking through the eye piece?

SWWEET CAMERA THOUGH!:thumbsup:

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by Moe Man
HEY HEY... I jsut bought it yesterday and have been playing around with it all day...I got the Canon XTI, with the 18-55mm lens and I got the 75-300mm lens also on the side and abunch of other little things.

One rookie question though. Is there a way of taking pictures with the lcd instead of looking through the eye piece?

SWWEET CAMERA THOUGH!:thumbsup:

Unfortunately you cannot do that. Looking through the viewfinder is looking directly through the lens. I think there is only 1 or 2 DSLR's that let you do that, I think perhaps the Olympus. But for almost all of them, you cannot use the LCD as a viewfinder.

The XTi is a nice little camera, Im glad your enjoying it.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Originally posted by Moe Man


One rookie question though. Is there a way of taking pictures with the lcd instead of looking through the eye piece?


:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:


...sorry about that. The quintessential SLR n00b question indeed.

The only SLR on the market that can do a live LCD preview is the Olympus E-330.