All this photograhpy talk got me thinking....

[kmrivers]

Alright. So this has been bugging me for awhile. I hate my Rebel XT!

The interface is not very intuitive and I find it slowing me down all the time. So I am thinking about making a switch. I don't have much vested in my Canon system. So selling it and moving on won't be too hard. I am thinking of moving over to a Nikon, the Nikon people I know are hardcore and I am thinking of trying it out.

Anyone have a comments on Nikon systems? Nikon lenses vs. Canon lenses?

I am looking forward to having a good discussion with you guys.

 

[bluewall21]

Which Nikon are you looking to move to, specifically?

 

[paulney]

I am a Nikon owner, and I love it. However, truth be told, Canon has a better assortment of lenses on the market right now. Canon also seems to be better about upgrading their existing bodies and has covered more segments of the market in terms of price... For Nikon, it's either D70s which is almost as good XT or D200 which is a whole lot more.

 

[tfinch2]

Look into either a Nikon D200 or Canon 30D. If you are moving from an XT, anything else would be a lateral movement unless you're talking big $$.

 

[MazerRackham]

What's not intuitive about Canon's menu system? (I'm a 20D owner)...

Every camera maker has a slightly different system, so switching to Nikon won't necessarily mean you'll be any better off in terms on menus.

How much Canon gear do you have? Just the XT body and kit lens?

 

[OdiN]

Yeah I agree with tfinch - either a D200 or a 20D/30D. They are more "pro" level cameras rather than pro-sumer level like the XT. IMHO they have a much better "feel" than the pro-sumer level stuff.

I'm partial to Canon - this doesn't mean that Nikon isn't good - they have good glass, so does canon. If you have any Canon glass, stick with Canon.

 

[kmrivers]

Originally posted by: MazerRackham
What's not intuitive about Canon's menu system? (I'm a 20D owner)...

Every camera maker has a slightly different system, so switching to Nikon won't necessarily mean you'll be any better off in terms on menus.

How much Canon gear do you have? Just the XT body and kit lens?

The XT uses the menu system found on their P&S cameras. When you move to the 20D, you get a whole different setup which is geared more towards a pro shoooter.

I have used a 20D and found that I didnt lose as many shots as I did with the XT, so it is not my inability. I have used a Nikon, a D2H and liked it. It was very brief .

I own the kit lens, a 50mm f/1.8 and a 70-200mm f/4. I also own the Battery grip because I found the XT to be too small.

I am thinking about the 30D, i just did some research and I am not seeing much on the Nikon side , I am not shelling out for a D200. The D70 may be an option. I am going to go play with one at the store this weekend.

 

[kmrivers]

Another thing. I am hoping I dont take a big hit trying to sell this thing...

 

[OdiN]

The 70-200mm is an excellent lens. Stick with Canon since you have that IMO.

 

[kmrivers]

Originally posted by: OdiN
The 70-200mm is an excellent lens. Stick with Canon since you have that IMO.

Yeah. I just hope I can get a good price for my XT and not have to shell out a ton to make up for the difference on a 30D or something else.

 

[OdiN]

Originally posted by: kmrivers

Originally posted by: OdiN
The 70-200mm is an excellent lens. Stick with Canon since you have that IMO.

Yeah. I just hope I can get a good price for my XT and not have to shell out a ton to make up for the difference on a 30D or something else.

There isn't much benefit in the 30D over the 20D, and the 20D is cheaper now because of it if you can find a good deal.

The XT should hold a decent amount of value.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Originally posted by: OdiN

Originally posted by: kmrivers

Originally posted by: OdiN
The 70-200mm is an excellent lens. Stick with Canon since you have that IMO.

Yeah. I just hope I can get a good price for my XT and not have to shell out a ton to make up for the difference on a 30D or something else.

There isn't much benefit in the 30D over the 20D, and the 20D is cheaper now because of it if you can find a good deal.

The XT should hold a decent amount of value.

Yeah, I would stick with Canon. It's not fanboyism, it's just practicality. The 30D and the 20D are pretty much the same thing except the 30D has a larger LCD screen, faster FPS and larger buffer, a different menu system, and ISO is now seen in the viewfinder and it can be adjusted by 1/3rds of a stop I think. There are other differences but those are of note to me. It's basically a features upgrade whereas something like the 5D would be a complete hardware upgrade. Also keep in mind lens purchases for future use. If you go full frame in the future your current 1.6x lenses will not work properly at some focal lengths.

As far as a used XT+Grip, probably $600-$650?

 

[kmrivers]

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny

Originally posted by: OdiN

Originally posted by: kmrivers

Originally posted by: OdiN
The 70-200mm is an excellent lens. Stick with Canon since you have that IMO.

Yeah. I just hope I can get a good price for my XT and not have to shell out a ton to make up for the difference on a 30D or something else.

There isn't much benefit in the 30D over the 20D, and the 20D is cheaper now because of it if you can find a good deal.

The XT should hold a decent amount of value.

Yeah, I would stick with Canon. It's not fanboyism, it's just practicality. The 30D and the 20D are pretty much the same thing except the 30D has a larger LCD screen, faster FPS and larger buffer, a different menu system, and ISO is now seen in the viewfinder and it can be adjusted by 1/3rds of a stop I think. There are other differences but those are of note to me. It's basically a features upgrade whereas something like the 5D would be a complete hardware upgrade. Also keep in mind lens purchases for future use. If you go full frame in the future your current 1.6x lenses will not work properly at some focal lengths.

As far as a used XT+Grip, probably $600-$650?

600-650!??? No way. That is a big hit. Here is what I will be selling:

Black XT Body
Kit Lens
Battery Grip
512MB Sandisk Ultra II CF
4 Year mack warranty

I would like to see at least $800-$900

 

[OdiN]

I would expect more $750-800 actually.

 

[AndrewR]

I was thinking only about Canon and Nikon because of the lens selection, but then it occurred to me that I am NOT a professional and won't likely have more than a few lenses anyway since I need money for necessities like housing, food, and college funds for my children.

SO, I've decided to go with Minolta, the Maxxum 7D. It's cheap now (body only, $750 or so), and there are enough lenses and accessories for general photography. The Anti-Shake feature is pretty awesome, and if you're worried about using menus, it seems the controls of the 7D are among the best around (buttons for everything!), which I like instead of delving into damn menu systems. The rumor is that Sony is still working on the 9D, the professional version, and Konica-Minolta (plus Sigma, Tamron, Tokina, and Phoenix) is still producing lenses for the KM mount.

I wouldn't limit yourself yourself to just Canon or Nikon if you're just an amateur shooter, even a serious one. While they have a bigger selection of lenses, how many $1500 lenses are you really going to buy? Personally, that's my budget for a camera, two lenses, a flash, and a memory card! The Olympus E-500 is a decent camera, and you can also consider Pentax and even Samsung has one now, as I recall.

Just a contrarian view. I should be buying my 7D this summer.

 

[PHiuR]

go to Nikon, too many people shoot Canon nowadays.

 

[OdiN]

Originally posted by: PHiuR
go to Nikon, too many people shoot Canon nowadays.

That's not exactly a reason to go buy a Noink.

 

[PHiuR]

Canon
Nikon
Olympus
Pentax
Minolta

Whatever floats your boat.

Pentax has a decent system, and you can get lenses for cheap.

 

[s0ssos]

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny


Yeah, I would stick with Canon. It's not fanboyism, it's just practicality. The 30D and the 20D are pretty much the same thing except the 30D has a larger LCD screen, faster FPS and larger buffer, a different menu system, and ISO is now seen in the viewfinder and it can be adjusted by 1/3rds of a stop I think. There are other differences but those are of note to me. It's basically a features upgrade whereas something like the 5D would be a complete hardware upgrade. Also keep in mind lens purchases for future use. If you go full frame in the future your current 1.6x lenses will not work properly at some focal lengths.

As far as a used XT+Grip, probably $600-$650?

you are a fanboy. you give made up information to make the 30d sound much better than the 20d. get a grip: from dpreview
faster FPS? no way you can say that. it is 5 on the 20d. 5 on the 30d.

 

[s0ssos]

Originally posted by: MazerRackham
What's not intuitive about Canon's menu system? (I'm a 20D owner)...

Every camera maker has a slightly different system, so switching to Nikon won't necessarily mean you'll be any better off in terms on menus.

How much Canon gear do you have? Just the XT body and kit lens?

the dumb wheel? why don't you use a up down joystick thingy? that's what i call intuitive

 

[s0ssos]

as for nikon vs. canon:
it is generally acknowledge nikon has better ergonomics and canon better image quality (at least at the level you're talking about)

 

[yhelothar]

If you're not too limited to the big two, I'd consider Pentax.
Their cameras have been known to be focused on ergonomics.
Luminous Lanscape says it's the K1000 of DSLRs
The *ist DS2 costs about $700 and is as small as the rebel XT, but has features of the D200(same size viewfinder/LCD). People often overlook the importance of a good viewfinder these days. The viewfinder is the key interface for you to compose your images.
Anyways, I'd go to the store to compare them, and see what you like. You can't compare ergonomics by looking at numbers on paper.

If you're concerned Pentax's line of lenses to be lacking, they generally focus on very high quality primes. Their limited line of lenses are considered to be affordable leicas to many. All of their high quality zooms are on digital format, so lenses are much cheaper for the equivalent range.
For example, an "L grade" 16-45mm F/4 lens from Pentax costs $300. In comparison, the Canon 17-40 F/4L costs $600.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Originally posted by: s0ssos

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny


Yeah, I would stick with Canon. It's not fanboyism, it's just practicality. The 30D and the 20D are pretty much the same thing except the 30D has a larger LCD screen, faster FPS and larger buffer, a different menu system, and ISO is now seen in the viewfinder and it can be adjusted by 1/3rds of a stop I think. There are other differences but those are of note to me. It's basically a features upgrade whereas something like the 5D would be a complete hardware upgrade. Also keep in mind lens purchases for future use. If you go full frame in the future your current 1.6x lenses will not work properly at some focal lengths.

As far as a used XT+Grip, probably $600-$650?

you are a fanboy. you give made up information to make the 30d sound much better than the 20d. get a grip: from dpreview
faster FPS? no way you can say that. it is 5 on the 20d. 5 on the 30d.

Wow, I made a mistake with the "30D has increased FPS comment." I'm sorry I don't have a photographic (no pun intended) memory. I guess that makes me a fanboy :roll:

If you'd actually taken the time to really read my post, you'd know that my post was really just a statement of differences between the 30D and 20D. In fact, I see no reason to buy a 30D. Let's see... a 30D for over $1000 or a used 20D for 75% of the price with the same sensor and no increase in image quality???

Seriously, think before you post something that makes you look stupid.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Originally posted by: virtualgames0
If you're not too limited to the big two, I'd consider Pentax.
Their cameras have been known to be focused on ergonomics.
Luminous Lanscape says it's the K1000 of DSLRs
The *ist DS2 costs about $700 and is as small as the rebel XT, but has features of the D200(same size viewfinder/LCD). People often overlook the importance of a good viewfinder these days. The viewfinder is the key interface for you to compose your images.
Anyways, I'd go to the store to compare them, and see what you like. You can't compare ergonomics by looking at numbers on paper.

If you're concerned Pentax's line of lenses to be lacking, they generally focus on very high quality primes. Their limited line of lenses are considered to be affordable leicas to many. All of their high quality zooms are on digital format, so lenses are much cheaper for the equivalent range.
For example, an "L grade" 16-45mm F/4 lens from Pentax costs $300. In comparison, the Canon 17-40 F/4L costs $600.

I definitely agree with the large viewfinder comment. A large, bright viewfinder is SOOO comfortable. The Rebel XT's is way too small and dark IMO. I had to put a magnifier eyepiece on mine just so that I could effectively manual focus. Compared to my old Minolta x-700, the viewfinder on the XT is like a postage stamp while the Minolta's like an entire window. I must admit though that my Minolta's viewfinder is still huge compared to cameras like the 5D, so perhaps I'm spoiled.

Ah, and there's nothing like a fast, razor-sharp, light prime to get the creative juices flowing. My favorite lenses are my primes; Tamron 180mm macro, Sigma 30mm (normal lens), and Canon 50mm MKII. I sold my 70-200mm f/4L and haven't looked back. Well, much anyway.

 

[dman]

I have had the Rebel XT for about 9mo's now and it is my first SLR and therefore first DSLR too. Compared to my previous P&S Digi and P&S 35MM it is leaps and bounds better. The following are con's to me (not to everyone):

1) No digital preview (comes with the territory--for now) which is not a big deal but there are some cases where I could lift the camera up over my head with the P&S and look at the LCD, have to just 'guess' in those cases now.

2) Size & Weight over P&S. For that I have a small elph digi I can use instead.

3) Using the manual mode more and more, I find that the settings to change aperture and shutter speed is a bit cumbersome, enough so that I'm not fast enough and I've missed shots. I can use aperture priority or shutter priority modes instead of full manual, to make the process quicker (compromise), but, having those extra decisions to make over full auto may cost me a few shots too.

4) In Auto Mode, turning the flash off is not an (obvious) option, the only workaround I know of (in auto) is you have to wait for it to pop up, then push it down (holding in the shutter button) to then take the shot. There are many places where you can use a camera that it's not socially acceptable to use a flash. See #3.

As I get more experienced with the camera, I am able to work through these limitations. I know the idea is to train myself, but, that process is not short, and sometimes I'd just like to fall back on the safety net of Auto. Basically, this camera would be perfect all-around for my first DSLR if it had added to the auto mode with a fill-flash and no-flash setting.

Anyway, I'm very happy with it and the results, but it's not perfect, and at the price point I don't think Canon intended it to be.