Hello. I am new to this forum and was hoping to get some very good information, kind of like picking all of your brains. I am looking to purchase a digital SLR camera. I have it narrowed down to two cameras (I think:wink:). The first one I'm considering is the Nikon D40. The other camera is the Canon Rebel. I was wondering if I could ask you all for your opinion on these two cameras, like which one is a better value, which gives you better pictures, ect. I am going to Canada in June so I need to buy this camera and still have time to learn how to use all the features. Thank you to all who help me with this fact finding mission.
7 Replies
Last post:
Apr 11, 2007 6:10 AM by
Skunky
Hello. I am new to this forum and was hoping to get some very good information, kind of like picking all of your brains. I am looking to purchase a digital SLR camera. I have it narrowed down to two cameras (I think:wink:). The first one I'm considering is the Nikon D40. The other camera is the Canon Rebel. I was wondering if I could ask you all for your opinion on these two cameras, like which one is a better value, which gives you better pictures, ect. I am going to Canada in June so I need to buy this camera and still have time to learn how to use all the features. Thank you to all who help me with this fact finding mission.
D40 vs XT? Get the XT! But compare the D80 first...
{size:12px}> runawaysheep wrote:I'm a novice photographer myself and swear by my Rebel. I checked out the Nikon D40 too, but nothing beats the picture quality of the Rebel for the price. The XT model a better value than the XTi. If you're just starting out, you won't even notice much of a difference.
LOL! I was just about to recommend the Nikon but realized I totally agree with your response if you're comparing the Canon Rebel to the Nikon D40. I did a head-to-head as well and the Rebels all easily outperformed the D40. But compared with the Nikon D80, both the Canons pale. The cost isn't more than Canons but the D80 is a much better camera for me as a complete beginner. The buttons are all easily accessible and intuitive (priceless for a learner in the dark); there's a fantastic option to reverse the control wheels if one way doesn't seem 'right' for you; it comes with 10.2 MP as opposed to Canon's 8 MP; the startup times for both cameras are faster than you can see but the "burst" ability of the Nikon can actually go to 100 continuous shots at 3 per second.
The Canon's pictures are great, period. Stunning in fact. So were the Nikon's. Settling for one camera or the other for image quality didn't matter much to a beginner like me. But I wanted a camera that had the biggest 'bang for the buck' out of the box and the shop pro recommended the D80. And since you'll be paying a TON more for lens until you get way past the beginner stage, I think the D80 will make you a bit happier than with a Rebel.
Of course, if cash is the deciding factor, the store with the best package for a complete kit will certainly be the most attractive option. I got no package deal with my D80 at Ritz but put together a complete kit with all I needed for the same pricing as if I bought a Canon. Some stores have only one or the other camera but it's almost imperative to hold both in your hands to see what feels best. Ritz allowed me more than an hour with both available. I took shots in the store. I tried to feel where my fingers went naturally and was told what was under those buttons and dials. The Nikons and I were a much better fit personally.
Bottom line (in my humble opinion. Yours is the most important!!!): get a Rebel if you've got a choice between a D40 and it. But see what you can get from the store if there's a D80 available. If it matches the Canon XT price, you've got two great options for a rookie.
runawaysheep, please message me and we can compare notes from two aspects of being newbies with different gear. I'd love to hear your stories cuz the odds are the D80 isn't going to be my last DSLR camera. If there are advantages you've come across with Canon where I've run into difficulties with Nikon, I'll certainly try the other camp next time! :lol:[/size:5bcbe8c566]
LOL! I was just about to recommend the Nikon but realized I totally agree with your response if you're comparing the Canon Rebel to the Nikon D40. I did a head-to-head as well and the Rebels all easily outperformed the D40. But compared with the Nikon D80, both the Canons pale. The cost isn't more than Canons but the D80 is a much better camera for me as a complete beginner. The buttons are all easily accessible and intuitive (priceless for a learner in the dark); there's a fantastic option to reverse the control wheels if one way doesn't seem 'right' for you; it comes with 10.2 MP as opposed to Canon's 8 MP; the startup times for both cameras are faster than you can see but the "burst" ability of the Nikon can actually go to 100 continuous shots at 3 per second.
The Canon's pictures are great, period. Stunning in fact. So were the Nikon's. Settling for one camera or the other for image quality didn't matter much to a beginner like me. But I wanted a camera that had the biggest 'bang for the buck' out of the box and the shop pro recommended the D80. And since you'll be paying a TON more for lens until you get way past the beginner stage, I think the D80 will make you a bit happier than with a Rebel.
Of course, if cash is the deciding factor, the store with the best package for a complete kit will certainly be the most attractive option. I got no package deal with my D80 at Ritz but put together a complete kit with all I needed for the same pricing as if I bought a Canon. Some stores have only one or the other camera but it's almost imperative to hold both in your hands to see what feels best. Ritz allowed me more than an hour with both available. I took shots in the store. I tried to feel where my fingers went naturally and was told what was under those buttons and dials. The Nikons and I were a much better fit personally.
Bottom line (in my humble opinion. Yours is the most important!!!): get a Rebel if you've got a choice between a D40 and it. But see what you can get from the store if there's a D80 available. If it matches the Canon XT price, you've got two great options for a rookie.
runawaysheep, please message me and we can compare notes from two aspects of being newbies with different gear. I'd love to hear your stories cuz the odds are the D80 isn't going to be my last DSLR camera. If there are advantages you've come across with Canon where I've run into difficulties with Nikon, I'll certainly try the other camp next time! :lol:[/size:5bcbe8c566]
Oops! Forgot a ton Skunky reminded me of
Wow, did I drop the ball on this one or what? Thanks for saving my post, Skunky, since I completely forgot about the VITAL accessories.
I don't want to turn this thread into a "Praise Nikon D80" homage but I can shed a bit more insight now that I've done well over 10,500 shots with my D80.
First (and most important), unless you have a GOOD case, your camera is all but worthless as you will damage it & not have the other accessories you want with you (like different lenses, a spare battery, and extra memory cards). My case cost a ridiculous $65 but it was well worth every penny as it does all I need now and more I'll need later.
Second, a high-speed memory card is also vital. The D80 is damned versatile when it comes to taking smaller shots that take less memory but you'll be disappointed if you want to print. Taking all shots in the FINE setting will give you large images that make it easy to crop and still get a big file for clear subjects to be printed. I skimped on the quality of the cards and got 'budget' high-speed cards. The result was immediate: the camera's rated 3 images per second dropped to just over 2 and I can be slowed down to one once the memory buffer gets full. Sounds like no big deal - until you try to catch a hummingbird in flight, a swing of the bat in a ball game, or even a quick moment in time with a pet or a child. Streaming 100 shots at 3 per second almost assures you of getting something good but you can lose a LOT in the difference between 1/3 of a second and 1/2 of a second. I got a 4GB Secure Digital Hi-Speed 150X card and ran out of shots at about 1000 FINE images on a big gig after streaming a lot to get action I wouldn't get a 2nd shot at. I had to get an additional 4GB to make sure I got all the shots I was hired to get but skimping on the quality to afford the extra cards was the compromise I was forced to make.
Regarding batteries tho ~ I got a 2nd one because I was sure I'd run down a single one long before I ran out of memory. Wrong. I had 50% power remaining when I ran out of images at over 1000. Admittedly, that was during the daylight hours with less than 50 shots using flash but I also increased the display's time to maximum, didn't turn the camera off for long periods of time, and used the auto-focus thousands of times (including shots I didn't take). But, if you have the money, get a spare battery for vacations, two-day events, or extensive flash usage. They charge fast but they do require charging you don't want to do in the middle of something important.
Third, purchasing a polarized screw-on lens is also vital unless you're the most careful human being on the planet. Dinging your $300 lens - even with replacement insurance - is easy to do but protecting it with a $20 cover is well worth the money. Do it no matter what!
Fourth, get the insurance by going to a reputable camera shop. Odds of you having an accident as you get used to holding, controlling, and transporting your camera are huge. My $130 a year insurance covers the camera end-to-end, no matter what happens to it: run over by a Mack truck, dropped, falling into the toilet, fire, etc. The only thing that's not covered is theft or losing it, so renter's insurance (for me) and following it to the bottom of The Grand Canyon to recovering the wreckage are necessary to get a completely new camera.
Finally, now that I've lived with my Nikon D80 at my side 24/7 for a couple months I can tell you from experience that this camera is completely comfortable in your hands, easy to use (even foolproof if you use only the AUTOMATIC setting), and the manual is outstanding. I didn't learn on a film SLR camera but setting the D80 on AUTOMATIC and reading the things it set for you will make your transition to full MANUAL almost 2nd nature. So far, I haven't screwed up a single shot due to not having a clue what to do to get it right. Sure, I messed up about 75% of my first shots but that was before I tried to let the camera teach me. And even with that error ratio, getting over 3000 shots right has created the happy disaster of not being able to find the ones I want in a 500GB computer drive.
One small note that nobody seems to mention in reviews or the camera's specs: you can choose to keep the image numbering running upwards forever to make it harder to duplicate images with the same number BUT the numbers run out at 9999! Once you pass 10,000, the number "1" is recreated for the new image. This has been a royal pain for me since I didn't know this was happening for the first 250 or so shots with duplicate numbers. To avoid the mistake I made, rename images with batch names added to their numbers.
Thanks again, Skunky!
Thanks for saving my post, Skunky, since I completely forgot about the VITAL accessories.I don't want to turn this thread into a "Praise Nikon D80" homage but I can shed a bit more insight now that I've done well over 10,500 shots with my D80.
First (and most important), unless you have a GOOD case, your camera is all but worthless as you will damage it & not have the other accessories you want with you (like different lenses, a spare battery, and extra memory cards). My case cost a ridiculous $65 but it was well worth every penny as it does all I need now and more I'll need later.
Second, a high-speed memory card is also vital. The D80 is damned versatile when it comes to taking smaller shots that take less memory but you'll be disappointed if you want to print. Taking all shots in the FINE setting will give you large images that make it easy to crop and still get a big file for clear subjects to be printed. I skimped on the quality of the cards and got 'budget' high-speed cards. The result was immediate: the camera's rated 3 images per second dropped to just over 2 and I can be slowed down to one once the memory buffer gets full. Sounds like no big deal - until you try to catch a hummingbird in flight, a swing of the bat in a ball game, or even a quick moment in time with a pet or a child. Streaming 100 shots at 3 per second almost assures you of getting something good but you can lose a LOT in the difference between 1/3 of a second and 1/2 of a second. I got a 4GB Secure Digital Hi-Speed 150X card and ran out of shots at about 1000 FINE images on a big gig after streaming a lot to get action I wouldn't get a 2nd shot at. I had to get an additional 4GB to make sure I got all the shots I was hired to get but skimping on the quality to afford the extra cards was the compromise I was forced to make.
Regarding batteries tho ~ I got a 2nd one because I was sure I'd run down a single one long before I ran out of memory. Wrong. I had 50% power remaining when I ran out of images at over 1000. Admittedly, that was during the daylight hours with less than 50 shots using flash but I also increased the display's time to maximum, didn't turn the camera off for long periods of time, and used the auto-focus thousands of times (including shots I didn't take). But, if you have the money, get a spare battery for vacations, two-day events, or extensive flash usage. They charge fast but they do require charging you don't want to do in the middle of something important.
Third, purchasing a polarized screw-on lens is also vital unless you're the most careful human being on the planet. Dinging your $300 lens - even with replacement insurance - is easy to do but protecting it with a $20 cover is well worth the money. Do it no matter what!
Fourth, get the insurance by going to a reputable camera shop. Odds of you having an accident as you get used to holding, controlling, and transporting your camera are huge. My $130 a year insurance covers the camera end-to-end, no matter what happens to it: run over by a Mack truck, dropped, falling into the toilet, fire, etc. The only thing that's not covered is theft or losing it, so renter's insurance (for me) and following it to the bottom of The Grand Canyon to recovering the wreckage are necessary to get a completely new camera.
Finally, now that I've lived with my Nikon D80 at my side 24/7 for a couple months I can tell you from experience that this camera is completely comfortable in your hands, easy to use (even foolproof if you use only the AUTOMATIC setting), and the manual is outstanding. I didn't learn on a film SLR camera but setting the D80 on AUTOMATIC and reading the things it set for you will make your transition to full MANUAL almost 2nd nature. So far, I haven't screwed up a single shot due to not having a clue what to do to get it right. Sure, I messed up about 75% of my first shots but that was before I tried to let the camera teach me. And even with that error ratio, getting over 3000 shots right has created the happy disaster of not being able to find the ones I want in a 500GB computer drive.
One small note that nobody seems to mention in reviews or the camera's specs: you can choose to keep the image numbering running upwards forever to make it harder to duplicate images with the same number BUT the numbers run out at 9999! Once you pass 10,000, the number "1" is recreated for the new image. This has been a royal pain for me since I didn't know this was happening for the first 250 or so shots with duplicate numbers. To avoid the mistake I made, rename images with batch names added to their numbers.
Thanks again, Skunky!
Skunky wrote:I agree...
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