Which digital SLR?

[waterinthefuel]

I'm looking into one for X-mas. I have my eye on the Canon XT and Xti. They both look nice and get rave reviews from the "critics" on review boards. One guy went into detail how Canon is lighter than Nikon, easier to use, cheaper, etc.

Anybody with some SLR experience around these parts? Any feedback would be helpful!

 

[i386]

Re: Which digital SLR?

Canon and Nikon make nice ones. If you already have a camera that lets you change lenses you may consider one that you can use your existing lenses on if you already have some good glass. This also has to be said. If you're not going to take advantage of all the fancy manual settings of the SLR, save your money and buy a good small digital camera. I have a Sony 7.3 mega-pixel and when I manage to get a good shot people are really amazed it came from my little camera. I might own a nice SLR one day but not until I master the manual settings of the camera I already have. No offense if you're a skilled photographer, it's just that a lot of people waste money on an SLR and don't know anything about photography.

 

[Drowned Rat]

Re: Which digital SLR?

I've got a Rebel XTi and I love it. It's easy enough for beginners, but it's also full function as you get more experience. The ability to change lenses is why I wanted an SLR and I use my 600mm Macro lens for just about everything I shoot. I researched this too when I bought mine and this camera is a great value. The other camera I was considering was the new Sony that's on the market. Aparently the stabilization feature is built into the camera body and not the lenses like on the Canon. As a result, Canon "IS" lenses are very pricey! That would be an advantage to the Sony. The Sony also uses any old Minolta lenses you may have or can find used. Professional opinion on image quality went to the Canon though, and that was the bottom line for me.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Which digital SLR?

I shoot with the Canon and I love it. My son has the Nikon which is great but heavy.

My brother owns a Photography company and uses Nikon.

It's all about personal preference. Canon gets my vote for out of the box and easy to use.

 

[srothfuss]

Re: Which digital SLR?

If you have large hands the Cannon might be too small for you. Go to a story and try it out to make sure. But if it feels OK - than get yourself an XTi! I love my XTi

 

[JB]

Re: Which digital SLR?

Daughter #3 has a Canon XTi. Takes great pix, but there are too many pixels to do anything on the net.

If you want to post pix on the net get a 3MP or less.

 

[Drowned Rat]

Re: Which digital SLR?

The max setting on the XTi is 10.2 megapixels but you can set the camera to however many pixels you need.

 

[bamafutbal]

Re: Which digital SLR?

go to dpreview.com and digitalcamerainfo.com

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Which digital SLR?

Daughter #3 has a Canon XTi. Takes great pix, but there are too many pixels to do anything on the net.

If you want to post pix on the net get a 3MP or less.

640 x 480 is the "standard net size" for emails and picture posting. Of my 3 digital cameras the smallest is a 4.3 mega pixal.

Easy to do just resize before you post them to the net via a resizing program or even easier Picasa.

 

[mscher]

Re: Which digital SLR?

Daughter #3 has a Canon XTi. Takes great pix, but there are too many pixels to do anything on the net.

If you want to post pix on the net get a 3MP or less.

Any large-size megapixel image can be easily resized, either by camera settings or image post-processing, to transfer and use on the Internet, .

If you want prints larger than 8x10, a 3MP image quality, starts to degrade rather quickly.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Which digital SLR?

This is an old thread but I'll post anyway because these topics tend to remain of interest - especially since camera technology is always improving.

I use a Nikon D200 with a battery grip as a main camera and a Nikon D70 as a backup. I'm actually not thrilled with the quality of the D70 but the D200 is a wonderful camera.

I would love to buy a D300 because, among other reasons, it has a CMOS processor rather than the CCD in the D200. To me, the CMOS processors shoot a warmer photo, much like Fuji Velvia v. Kodachrome in the film world. While there are many ways to manipulate digital photos in post (and to some degree, even in the camera), I shoot often and I shoot a lot when I am working, so having to fool with a bunch of photos is not practical for me. Its much better to just get what I want in the first place.

I think, however, that I will end up buying another D200 so that I can leave a long zoom lense on one body and a short zoom lense on the other. This allows me to work quickly and effectively when shooting wildlife and scenic work. It also minimizes problems with dust on the sensor by not opening the body during lense changes. The advantage to staying with the D200 is that the cameras will be identical in layout (thought the D300 is very similar) and function, so I won't have to mentally switch gears when moving from one body to the other.

As to Canon v. Nikon, across the complete product line of each manaufacturer, I don't think one brand has a distinct advantage over the other. Both are quality products and serve their users well. I actually shoot Nikon more because I always have, going well back into the "film days," and have become used to the way they lay their bodies out - I just like the button and "gizmoe" arrangement better.