Nikon Vs Canon

[katnapinn]

I'm in the market to replace my "Stolen" camera. I had a Canon Powershot S3 IS . It was a great "Point-N-Shoot" camera. Now I want to go back to an SLR type . I have an old Minolta 35 MM that I've worn out and repaired twice, but is beyond repair now. I am looking at a Nikon D40 or the Canon EOS XT. They both have good reviews but had anyone here used them? At my local camera shop they have a bundle deal on the Nikon D40 for $550.00. You get the body , 2 lens's (18-55 MM/ 55-200MM zoom) bag. extra battery. The Canon is $650.00
with just the 18-55MM lens, Not second lens or extras.

[alvingee43]

I purchased the Nikon D40 about a month ago with a package deal from Target. It was $599 with the two lens you spoke about and two 2G SD cards plus carrying case. I sure like it. It takes great pictures and is easy to use. Mine also came with two DVD's for Nikon school. I have used it both indoors and out.

[Colyn]

The Canon 450D is the latest model in the Rebel range.

Canon/Nikon is like Harley/BMW or BMW/KTM ... all depends on what you want to do with it and how far you want to go.

I only use Canon because the Canon range is a bit more commercialised than Nikon and accessories are readily available.

But in the end it is horses for courses. If you are just after a dSLR for family fun and holiday shots then the package you mentioned is a good buy. Just look around on the web for more info on the quality of the bundled lenses. Many brands have lenses in the same range and to the casual observer you might be under the impression that you are buying a solid lens in a bundle just to find out later that it is actually the MKII or S version of that specific lense that is red hot and what you have is just a good entry level lense.

I know the 18-55 from Canon was never considered a eally good lense but the MKII that is now in the kits are very good.

Happy hunting. ;)

[Wolfgang]

I got a Nikon D40 recently. Standart lens 18-55 and I added a 2 gig card. I love it! Light and simple to use.

[katnapinn]

Thanks for the input guys.....The hunt goes on. :rolleyes:

[Randy]

I have used exclusively Canon since the EOS system came out. I have a huge investment in glass, so it is very unlikely I would change.

Up until this year you could count on Canon to produce an image with a little less noise. That all changed with the Nikon D300 and D3. To satisfy my curiosity I used a new Nikon D300 for a week. Since I am accustomed to the Canon menus and control layout it was a bit of a learning curve.

To make a potentially long post short, there are things I like better about each system. I found no compelling reason to buy the Nikon, but I am convinced that either system will produce spectacular images when used properly. I would recommend that you pick the body/lens combination that 'feels' right to you. Regardless of the brand you purchase an SLR will give you many more creative opportunities than a P&S compact.

Pentax and Sony also have some great offerings, but I think you will find better lens and accessory options with Canon and Nikon.

Once you have made the purchase learn what aperture, shutter speed and ISO can do to an image. Shoot RAW so that you can learn all of the post processing tricks that are available to really make your images 'pop'.

This post (http://www.bmwlt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24696) by Joel has some of my favorite's. All taken with a Canon 20D, with three diferent lenses.

[gatorglenn]

Hi Steve,

I went from a Minolta 35MM, which I had used different Minolta models for years and years, to a Nikon D50 a couple of years ago. I also looked at Canon models before buying. IMO they both make great cameras.

I bought the D50 because it felt right. Make sure to hold the cameras that you are interested in before buying because the body sizes vary a lot. I believe the D40 is one of the smaller bodies which might be perfect for you but I wanted a little larger camera. The Canon that I looked at before buying my Nikon was also a smaller one.

Good luck,
Glenn

[dmatson]

Another option is the Olympus 510 with it's two kit lenses for about $550 to $650. It has built in IS so all your lenses become IS. I have a 510 and a E3 and they have received very good reviews.

[Ted]

The D40 is a great pick (no pun intended).

Here's a great recommendation from photographer Ken Rockwell - it's a great informational website as well:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/recommended-cameras.htm

[katnapinn]

Well the deed is done..... I went with the Canon Rebel XT with 2 lens pack 18mm X55mm & 70mm X 300mm zoom. As a bonus it comes with 2 tripods , 2 cases 1 hard 1 soft side. 2 gig memory card all for $620.00 shipped to my door.

[Dick]

Well the deed is done..... I went with the Canon Rebel XT with 2 lens pack 18mm X55mm & 70mm X 300mm zoom. As a bonus it comes with 2 tripods , 2 cases 1 hard 1 soft side. 2 gig memory card all for $620.00 shipped to my door.
Hey, Elmer - good on ya. Whadja do with your old P&S? I thought you took pretty good pics with that - now you gonna be pro-fess-shun-all like!!! Can't wait to see it - where's Satiday's breakfast gang goin'?

[katnapinn]

Hey, Elmer - good on ya. Whadja do with your old P&S? I thought you took pretty good pics with that - now you gonna be pro-fess-shun-all like!!! Can't wait to see it - where's Satiday's breakfast gang goin'?
My old Canon was stoles at Barber with "ALL" 150 pics that I had taken. :eek: Breaky is in town this week at Juan in a Millions

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Event Title: Traditional Club Breakfast
Where: Juan in a Million, 2300 E. Cesar Chavez St., Austin
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Time: 8:00 AM CST

Most of the club will be out in Big Bend this weekend. I be doing yard work. :mad:

[integritynumber1]

Hi all,

If I could chuck in my 2 cents worth, to my mind there is no better source of camera knowledge than a site called dpreview.com.

If you cant get the info you need to make an informed buying decision off that I would be more than surprised.

I have used it to choose profesional equipment and bought site unseen, such is their level of detail. Highly recomended.

regards, Simon. :)

[katnapinn]

Hi all,

If I could chuck in my 2 cents worth, to my mind there is no better source of camera knowledge than a site called dpreview.com.

If you cant get the info you need to make an informed buying decision off that I would be more than surprised.

I have used it to choose profesional equipment and bought site unseen, such is their level of detail. Highly recomended.

regards, Simon. :)
Simon that's where I went to get info. Sorry I didn't think to put it in my update post. It is a great site.

[katnapinn]

Well the deed is done..... I went with the Canon Rebel XT with 2 lens pack 18mm X55mm & 70mm X 300mm zoom. As a bonus it comes with 2 tripods , 2 cases 1 hard 1 soft side. 2 gig memory card all for $620.00 shipped to my door.
Well the " Big Brown "truck dropped off the new camera off today :yeah: Now the fun begins. Hopefully I'll have it all figured out by the time we go to the next RTE

[kdog]

Well the " Big Brown "truck dropped off the new camera off today :yeah: Now the fun begins. Hopefully I'll have it all figured out by the time we go to the next RTE

Congratulations, Steve! That's quite a score for the price you paid. I'm assuming this was used gear?

Now post some pictures. :D

-joel

[katnapinn]

Congratulations, Steve! That's quite a score for the price you paid. I'm assuming this was used gear?

Now post some pictures. :D

-joel
No Joel it was New Old Stock still sealed in the box with all paper work. I found it on E-bay the seller is Barclay Photo
As for posting some pics I do have a small problem getting the Image size small enough to upload. but I starting a new thread to get help with that.

[dmatson]

Just get a smugmug account and link the pic's from there no need to resize anything.

[Wolfgang]

Or download VSO Image Resizer, so easy even I can use it. And it is FREE.

[SilverBuffalo]

I've been doing a little research on cameras also,
so I was very interested in this post,
glad to hear you're happy with your purchase and hope to see many pictures here as a result

but.............

I'd highly recommend that if anyone else considers a purchase from Barclay Photo
y'all do yourself a favor and "Google" it first,
what I found is not very flattering.

[2002LTC]

this site is the reason why I purchased my Nikon D200 last year.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d200.htm

[Ted]

this site is the reason why I purchased my Nikon D200 last year.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d200.htm

yep +1 for Ken Rockwell - see my post above:)

[Idofotos]

Ken rockwell is a great place to find info on cameras, You have to be careful on ebay, make sure especially with Nikon the the equipment is US warranty,
Nikon USA will not cover Grey market equipment, Im a professional photographer & I dont mind buying Grey because I have resources to get it fixed, I hate it when people sell Grey to unsuspecting or non informed customers All of the cameras mentioned are good cameras I have used Nikon Canon Fuji & even Hasselblad, I currently shoot Nikon D3 & D300 The D3 is simply amazing , I am leaving after the 4th for a nice trip to Tacoma Wa via yellowstone, when we leave Tacoma we are heading down the coast to N california to the redwoods then across to Reno and home to Ne, we have about 11 days Im traveling on an 05 LT and my buddy has one also, he is hauling his wife, first time she wanted to ride with us, Tacoma last to years we were on HD's Im taking my D300 with an 18-200 zoom so I dont have to lug extra lenses & stuff along really looking forward to this trip

[Handlebar]

one thing I didn't see mentioned is the Canon's have that dust busting, cleaning feature and the Nikon's don't. Both are great products, but I'd have to pick the Canon..
Hbar

[Idofotos]

The dust isnt a big problem unless you do a lot of lens changing, always shut the power off to the camera when changing lenses, it will discharge the sensor
so it wont draw the dust as easy, Also never use canned air in the camera, use it on the lens mount & camera after the lens is mounted, Ive seen a lot of cameras come from the factory with dust, most sensors can be cleaned and if your not comfortable cleaning them most camera stores will do it now, I use a sensor swab that looks like a Qtip with a flat surface & some specialty cleaning fluid, but still best left to a pro to clean it, the swabs are about $5. each Some Nikons do have the sensor cleaner, but not sure what models do, the D300 does but not sure about consumer grade,