[erure]

I'm going to buy a camera at circuit city soon and I'm trying to choose between the Canon EOS XT and the Nikon D40. The prices at circuit city are only about $23 apart in price (Nikon being the more expensive one) so I can buy whichever one. On Cnet they rate the XT better, but user reviews suggest the D40 is better.

Which do you guys think is better?

Basically it's Nikon vs Canon. Which company do you like better? Canon has a little bit more lenses than Nikon does. Canon has good prime lenses and telephoto lenses, so portraits and sports... I don't know what are good points about Nikon, but there are quite a few!

If I were you I'd get a Canon but my suggestion is biased because I'm a Canon user >_<

[oh so asian]

Basically it's Nikon vs Canon. Which company do you like better? Canon has a little bit more lenses than Nikon does. Canon has good prime lenses and telephoto lenses, so portraits and sports... I don't know what are good points about Nikon, but there are quite a few!

If I were you I'd get a Canon but my suggestion is biased because I'm a Canon user >_<

Generally, I like Nikon better just because they have more experience in this part of camera work (I mean their cameras date way back to film canisters), but a lot of people tell me the XT is really good as well. Plus it's lightweight which helps a great deal.

I'm not really worried about lenses because I don't think I'm going to buy any. I'm not a an aspiring photographer or anything. I just love to take pictures so I wanted a good camera to go with it.

[d0wne]

^Nikon had the better kit lens so I would go with it. It has a better build than the xt. It's not much heavier than the Canon so there's not much of a weight difference. However, I'd go ahead and spend more towards the d40x.

[AllaN_K_H]

Just kind of curious, but why do majority of the people here use the Canon EOS 40D?
I'm actualyl looking to buy a D SLR and i'm planning to get the Nikon D40x.
You guys have any tips and stuff for me?
-AllaN

[erure]

^I don't know how to explain it except that maybe it's because the 40D is one of the newest Canon bodies and its price range is what fits most of our budget?... I heard it has good value for the price but probably not as much as the Nikon D40 or D40x since it costs over a thousand just for the body itself...

[watcher]

Generally, I like Nikon better just because they have more experience in this part of camera work (I mean their cameras date way back to film canisters), but a lot of people tell me the XT is really good as well. Plus it's lightweight which helps a great deal.

I'm not really worried about lenses because I don't think I'm going to buy any. I'm not a an aspiring photographer or anything. I just love to take pictures so I wanted a good camera to go with it.

i think digital is a whole new world, and trusting a company's digital body based on their film days isn't as reliable as one might think. if anything, the trust factor should go into lenses [and nikon lenses are pretty much backwards compatible with all nikon bodies]. however, since you're not interested in the lenses as much, it's pretty much moot

anyways... xt's cheaper and if you ever decide to get another lens, it will give you more options than the d40 will.

[watcher]

anyone read the dcresource review of the d300? all i have to say is WOW at the ISO perf.... like... WOW!!
http://dcresource.com/reviews/nikon/d300-review/index.shtml

too bad i've a fondness for the red stripe to ever go back!!!

[erure]

Yeah the D300 is so awesome. So would the D300 be like in between the 40D and the 5D?... Anyway I kind of want to swtich over to Nikon too but I like my L lenses too much as well... Nikon lenses are so much more expensive - are they really that much better?

[d0wne]

From what I'm reading, the d300's great iso performance is mainly due to the heavy noise reduction being done in camera. It removes alot of color noise. You wouldn't want too much of this due to a possibility of a significant loss of details. IMHO, aesthetically, I think Canon looks better. When it's at a point that both are almost performing equally well, you then take it's look into account. Nikon bodies have alot of things going on on it's surface while canon tends to go towards subtlety. I'm glad Nikon is stepping up. I can say that lately, they've been putting out the best improvements. Canon better get to it.

Minji: just get yourself a Nikon too. Don't tell us you can't afford investing in two brands.

watcher: I know that before, Canon's main thing was good iso performance and lens choices. Now that Nikon is doing well with their noise, Canon can still say it has the largest lens line up. Thing is, third party companies are getting pretty good at making lens. We both have the Sig 30mm and the UWA. That's not to say that you can't beat Canon's primes and teles, but... uh oh?

[watcher]

From what I'm reading, the d300's great iso performance is mainly due to the heavy noise reduction being done in camera. It removes alot of color noise. You wouldn't want too much of this due to a possibility of a significant loss of details. IMHO, aesthetically, I think Canon looks better. When it's at a point that both are almost performing equally well, you then take it's look into account. Nikon bodies have alot of things going on on it's surface while canon tends to go towards subtlety. I'm glad Nikon is stepping up. I can say that lately, they've been putting out the best improvements. Canon better get to it.

Minji: just get yourself a Nikon too. Don't tell us you can't afford investing in two brands.

watcher: I know that before, Canon's main thing was good iso performance and lens choices. Now that Nikon is doing well with their noise, Canon can still say it has the largest lens line up. Thing is, third party companies are getting pretty good at making lens. We both have the Sig 30mm and the UWA. That's not to say that you can't beat Canon's primes and teles, but... uh oh?

true... but i got the sigma's because they were lenses that i knew i would not use too often. they're niche lenses that are covered in less than 25% of my shots cumulatively. my breadwinners are my 24-105 and 70-200/2.8. if i took half my shots wide angle, i wouldn't have thought twice about going full frame and getting the 16-35! ok... i would've thought twice, and then decided to buy it anyways as i wince at my credit card bill!

boy, im glad i didn't have to resort to that!!!

[erure]

Did anyone notice the price increase on the 5D by B&H Photo and Adorama (from $2099 to $2199)? I heard it's because the dollar is weakening compared to the yen but still, this blows... I heard lens prices will increase as well in the future...

[babymarzy07]

havent been here in ages. been busy with everything else. kinda but this on the backburner. lol. bad i know.
anyways, im wanting to help a friend pick between the 40D canon and nikon D80. well she decided to opt for those as choices because of her encounter with friend's. so i actually cant help much, cause i dont have either and havent used either. but impressed with what ive heard and seen so far. though im a canon baby, i like D80 for the the affordability and performance. that was what i was recommending since she is on a budget looks quite good to me. i wanted to get ur opinions, esp Minji since you have 40D. its quite a splurge for me, its reeeallly tempting. personally. hehhee what can i tell her? something more substantial? thanks!

[erure]

havent been here in ages. been busy with everything else. kinda but this on the backburner. lol. bad i know.
anyways, im wanting to help a friend pick between the 40D canon and nikon D80. well she decided to opt for those as choices because of her encounter with friend's. so i actually cant help much, cause i dont have either and havent used either. but impressed with what ive heard and seen so far. though im a canon baby, i like D80 for the the affordability and performance. that was what i was recommending since she is on a budget looks quite good to me. i wanted to get ur opinions, esp Minji since you have 40D. its quite a splurge for me, its reeeallly tempting. personally. hehhee what can i tell her? something more substantial? thanks!

Well, the D80 has been out for quite some time, while the 40D just came out, so it's more likely that it won't be upgraded anytime soon. They're both good cameras, she just has to decide between Nikon and Canon. Since the 40D is newer there are some cool options - like the automatic dust cleaning (I'm not sure if D80 has this) and liveview.

[watcher]

haha.. choosing between nikon/canon was the hardest part.

[babymarzy07]

Well, the D80 has been out for quite some time, while the 40D just came out, so it's more likely that it won't be upgraded anytime soon. They're both good cameras, she just has to decide between Nikon and Canon. Since the 40D is newer there are some cool options - like the automatic dust cleaning (I'm not sure if D80 has this) and liveview.

Function wise what would u say? How are u liking ur 40D? Is it any good with take food pictures? Sorry, I am noob. What is live view? ^^

haha.. choosing between nikon/canon was the hardest part.

ditto. i had the same problem before phew.. im a bit biased though..

[lockinsocks]

havent been here in ages. been busy with everything else. kinda but this on the backburner. lol. bad i know.
anyways, im wanting to help a friend pick between the 40D canon and nikon D80. well she decided to opt for those as choices because of her encounter with friend's. so i actually cant help much, cause i dont have either and havent used either. but impressed with what ive heard and seen so far. though im a canon baby, i like D80 for the the affordability and performance. that was what i was recommending since she is on a budget looks quite good to me. i wanted to get ur opinions, esp Minji since you have 40D. its quite a splurge for me, its reeeallly tempting. personally. hehhee what can i tell her? something more substantial? thanks!

You really can't go wrong with either brands. I think what you should look into is how the camera feels in your hands. Both camera produce great images, but if you're not satisfied with the images, you can always photoshop it. I've used the Canon 40D before and I really like its large LCD display (D80 is 2.5 inch while the 40D is 3.0 inch). Viewing pictures is easy with the round dial, but I dislike where the on/off switch is located (I prefer the on/off switch on the Nikons), and I hate how I have to dig in the menu just to adjust some of my settings. For the Nikon D80, it was easier adjusting my settings by combining the button and dial to change the iso, wb, img quality, etc.

What I like most about Nikon cameras is that it comes with a LCD cover in the box. It protects the LCD and you don't worry so much about scratching the screen when you wipe your face print away.

These are some of the small things I find in both cameras, but we all have different expectations in what OUR camera should be.

[d0wne]

You really can't go wrong with either brands. I think what you should look into is how the camera feels in your hands. Both camera produce great images, but if you're not satisfied with the images, you can always photoshop it. I've used the Canon 40D before and I really like its large LCD display (D80 is 2.5 inch while the 40D is 3.0 inch). Viewing pictures is easy with the round dial, but I dislike where the on/off switch is located (I prefer the on/off switch on the Nikons), and I hate how I have to dig in the menu just to adjust some of my settings. For the Nikon D80, it was easier adjusting my settings by combining the button and dial to change the iso, wb, img quality, etc.

What I like most about Nikon cameras is that it comes with a LCD cover in the box. It protects the LCD and you don't worry so much about scratching the screen when you wipe your face print away.

These are some of the small things I find in both cameras, but we all have different expectations in what OUR camera should be.

^the 40d does have an LCD protector. It's that plastic layer covering the LCD. Don't worry about scratching it too much. If you do, Canon sells replacements for $5 a piece. The cover that comes with Nikons is actually a protector for the LCD protector. Redundant.

Also, to change some of the settings like the ones you mentioned, you press a button then change the setting with the dial.

I really don't like the large LCD on the 40d. It's basically a larger 30d screen with no increase in resolution. That's why I usually only use my screen to check histogram.

[erure]

Function wise what would u say? How are u liking ur 40D? Is it any good with take food pictures? Sorry, I am noob. What is live view? ^^

I like my 40D. It's really great. I know someone who uses a D80 and it's good too. I think in order to take pictures of food, you would need a macro lens - it doesn't have much to do with the camera body. Live view is the ability to see what's on the viewfinder on the LCD screen instead of the viewfinder - it's useful when you take pictures, especially macro pictures.

If I were you and I had the money, I'd get the 40D but I'm biased towards Canon

[lockinsocks]

^the 40d does have an LCD protector. It's that plastic layer covering the LCD. Don't worry about scratching it too much. If you do, Canon sells replacements for $5 a piece. The cover that comes with Nikons is actually a protector for the LCD protector. Redundant.

Also, to change some of the settings like the ones you mentioned, you press a button then change the setting with the dial.

I really don't like the large LCD on the 40d. It's basically a larger 30d screen with no increase in resolution. That's why I usually only use my screen to check histogram.

Yeah but you gotta buy the LCD protector separately. The Nikon comes with the LCD protector already. How is the Nikon protector redundant?

Hm..maybe the camera I was using wasn't working when I change the settings by combining the dial and the button. But I really dislike where the buttons are at. The camera is pretty heavy and trying to reach out with the other hand to press the button is a pain.

[d0wne]

Oh, it's like this. The LCD is a screen that shows you the picture. Over that is a thin layer of plastic that protects it. All LCD screens have this. Nikon packs a plastic covering which protects the display, thus kind of protecting the layer that protects the actual LCD. It's like have two LCD protectors in all. That's all. You can already replace the LCD protector if it gets too scratched up for your taste.

Oh yeah, it's definitely heavier and bigger. I really miss my xt for it's size and weight. Put my nifty 50 on that, it's like a really good point and shoot.