Canon DSLR XTi or Nikon D80?

[xSeongminx]

Dell is running a deal where a Canon Digital Rebel XTi (body only) comes out to be 611$. Circuit city has a coupon floating around that enables the D80 to be had for 880$. The D80 also comes with a 18-55mm lens. From these two prices, which one could you guys get?

 

[johnjbruin]

I would love to hear opinions on this too - thinking about it for almost 2 weeks now.

 

[GrantMeThePower]

I asked this question a couple days ago and people were recommending the new Pentax K10D. I've done a bit of looking and it seems like a worthy contender as well.

 

[Kelvrick]

Originally posted by: GrantMeThePower
I asked this question a couple days ago and people were recommending the new Pentax K10D. I've done a bit of looking and it seems like a worthy contender as well.

Especially if you're not already part of either of the lens families.

 

[paulney]

The drawbacks of D80 is that it does not use Compact Flash, and the shutter is limited to mechanical only (not electronic + mechanic). This limits the shutter speed to smth like 1/2000 or so if I remember right.

 

[NoShangriLa]

Depends on what lenses you currently own, and style of photography you are intend to take.

Nikon is a great system for general photography and it's amateur wide angle lenses tend to be slightly better than Canon amateur wide angles. However, both system pro lenses are about on par with each others.

Canon EF/IS lenses have a slight leg up on Nikkors for action & telephoto photography because the Canon lens auto focus motor is quicker. Nikkor have similar technology in their pro lenses but unfortunately they are still behind. Camera bodies are easily upgradeable and lenses are not, therefor I would go with a Canon system due to the lens lineup.

Good luck.

Should you buy a Rebel XTi or Nikon D80?

 

[ELopes580]

Originally posted by: paulney
The drawbacks of D80 is that it does not use Compact Flash, and the shutter is limited to mechanical only (not electronic + mechanic). This limits the shutter speed to smth like 1/2000 or so if I remember right.

According to Nikon's site. The shutter speed on the D80 is 1/4000. The model it replaced, the D70s, had a shutter speed of 1/8000.

 

[ElFenix]

canon!

<--- canon person due to the historical accident of his parents owning an AE-1 program when he was growing up

 

[aphex]

Ok, i went through those whole decision process about a week ago..

Lemme find the thread, 1 sec

 

[Koing]

1D mkIIN

I'd get the XTi. I prefer the Canon lense line up personally but you need to get the lense line up that suits your style of shooting.

Koing

 

[aphex]

Here we go;

I was upgrading from a Nikon D70 and was torn between the Rebel XTi and a Nikon D80. Although the CMOS sensor on the XTi does indeed handle high iso noise better than the Nikon counterpart, there were a few deciding factors that led me into the D80 over the Xti.

Why the D80?
- Larger Viewfinder. Look at the two side by side, its a HUGE difference. With my poor eyesight, the larger viewfinder really helps me tell if the focus is spot on.
- Build Quality. The XTi, while nice, felt a bit like a toy to me, didn't immediately make me think it would last a long time like feel the Nikon's instill.
- Size. The XTi would be great for someone with small hands, but for me it was uncomfortable to hold. My right hand actually started cramping up from holding it a few minutes. I may have gotten used to it, but the D80 felt more natural and balanced.
- On-Board Commander. The Xti, while $200 cheaper, lacks the ability to control a wireless flash out of the box like the D80 has. You need to purchase an additional flash for $150-200 just to be able to go wireless, basically negating the cheaper body price. (for me at least)
- Grid display in viewfinder. For me, this was a big one. I am horribly bad at taking "straight" pictures, and with the amount of landscape shots i take, the lack of a viewfinder grid on the XTi, which i had gotten used to on the D70 was a killer. I didn't want to deal with cropping every picture I took just to get it straight.

In the end, i couldn't be happier with the D80. Its a very worthy upgrade from my D70, larger viewfinder, better sensor (MUCH MUCH better than the D70 in high iso noise), slighly smaller frame (but not too small for me like the XTi), 11 AF Points, built in commander mode, and lots more.

Don't get me wrong, the XTi is a great camera, just not for me. Many of the points i noted above were just personal things that helped me decide.

Go to a BestBuy or Ritz/Wolf and try them out side by side.

BTW, if you can work it at the right time, the price difference isn't so huge...

The XTi was $612 + tax for me while the D80 came down to a little under $750 + tax

 

[NoShangriLa]

Originally posted by: ELopes580

Originally posted by: paulney
The drawbacks of D80 is that it does not use Compact Flash, and the shutter is limited to mechanical only (not electronic + mechanic). This limits the shutter speed to smth like 1/2000 or so if I remember right.

According to Nikon's site. The shutter speed on the D80 is 1/4000. The model it replaced, the D70s, had a shutter speed of 1/8000.

How often that 1/8000 shutter are use?
1/750 is quick enough for most general purpose photography and sport photography with tripod/mono pod. 1/2000 is more than quick enough to freeze airplane propellers in the air. Faster than 1/2000 shutter may require if you intend to hand held super long/heavy telephoto lenses. And, then there is the light/depth of field problem because you have to sacrifice depth of field and/and or quality (ISO speed) to get the supper high shutter speeds.

IMHO, there isn't much different between 1/2000 to 1/8000 shutter speeds unless I'm into scientific/highly specialize photography.

 

[imported_Mike]

Is that the D80 kit for that price? If so, that is pretty good. Nikon's "kit" lens is decent while you'd want to get just the XTi body if you went with the Canon. I've owned the 20d and XT and actually preferred the size of the XT over the 20d while the 20d does have a better BQ. That beind said, I have no problems with the BQ of the XT. I think like the 20/30d, you'll find the D80 to have the better BQ over the XTi.

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: ELopes580

Originally posted by: paulney
The drawbacks of D80 is that it does not use Compact Flash, and the shutter is limited to mechanical only (not electronic + mechanic). This limits the shutter speed to smth like 1/2000 or so if I remember right.

According to Nikon's site. The shutter speed on the D80 is 1/4000. The model it replaced, the D70s, had a shutter speed of 1/8000.

the D80 does 1/4000 , you wont use it, its only there so you can shoot wide open f/2.8 or so in bright daylight with a 300mm or greater lens for sports or wildlife, so you can freeze say a hummingbird in flight and have aa nice uniform blurred background

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: NoShangriLa
How often that 1/8000 shutter are use?

ISO 100, 1/8000, and F/2.0 is ideal exposure for sun-lit objects. maybe you want a really shallow DOF. *shrug*

 

[dandruff]

i went with XTi because i had all canon lenses ... superb camera! if you have large hands go with nikon otherwise canon ... as said before goto store and hold both in ur hands ...

 

[jamesbond007]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: NoShangriLa
How often that 1/8000 shutter are use?

ISO 100, 1/8000, and F/2.0 is ideal exposure for sun-lit objects. maybe you want a really shallow DOF. *shrug*

Yep, exactly that. This summer I tried to do some shallow shots of orchids in a very-well lit area in a section of woods. However, the 1/4000 on my 300D wouldn't let me shoot at f/2 with my 135L, so I had to bump it up to 2.8.

 

[kami333]

Originally posted by: jamesbond007

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: NoShangriLa
How often that 1/8000 shutter are use?

ISO 100, 1/8000, and F/2.0 is ideal exposure for sun-lit objects. maybe you want a really shallow DOF. *shrug*

Yep, exactly that. This summer I tried to do some shallow shots of orchids in a very-well lit area in a section of woods. However, the 1/4000 on my 300D wouldn't let me shoot at f/2 with my 135L, so I had to bump it up to 2.8.

For stuff like that a ND filter works

 

[Anubis]

.

 

[jamesbond007]

Originally posted by: kami333

Originally posted by: jamesbond007

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: NoShangriLa
How often that 1/8000 shutter are use?

ISO 100, 1/8000, and F/2.0 is ideal exposure for sun-lit objects. maybe you want a really shallow DOF. *shrug*

Yep, exactly that. This summer I tried to do some shallow shots of orchids in a very-well lit area in a section of woods. However, the 1/4000 on my 300D wouldn't let me shoot at f/2 with my 135L, so I had to bump it up to 2.8.

For stuff like that a ND filter works

Right, but if the camera has the 1/8000 ability, why not use that instead of plunking down more money? Quality 72mm Neutral Density filters are not always cheap.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Originally posted by: jamesbond007

Originally posted by: kami333

For stuff like that a ND filter works

Right, but if the camera has the 1/8000 ability, why not use that instead of plunking down more money? Quality 72mm Neutral Density filters are not always cheap.

For me personally, ND's would be used to get as slow a shutter speed as possible. Kinda bright out and you need to get that flowing effect of water but the slowest shutter speed you can do is 1/50s? Plop on an ND and hopefully bring that number into the seconds.

 

[czech09]

If you don't care about the price the D80 is the better buy but the $200+ price difference wouldn't be enough for me to justify it. How does the XTi compare to a 20D? I know those are going for around $600-650 used for the body...might want to check into it. If you're just getting into DSLRs I'd really suggest the Rebel XT - there are virtually no differences between that and the XTi (check the dpreview.com review of the XTi for proof) and you can save the extra $150-200 on a nice lens (the 28-135 IS or the 17-85mm IS are both very nice ones to start out with; if you're going for Nikon get the 24-120mm VR). Good luck!

 

[czech09]

1. http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos400d/page21.asp
2. http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos400d/page22.asp
3. http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos400d/page24.asp
4. http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos400d/page25.asp
5. http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos400d/page29.asp

^ use those to decide. I really suggest the 350D (Rebel XT) I don't think the upgrades in the 400D are worth it to about 90-95% of people who actually own it.

Hope this helps and let us know which one you go for. If you care about feel, the D80 is the better call. The XT and the XTi are very small however your hand does get used to them after a while.

Edit: You should check out a photography forum, many don't know what they're talking about here. I'm on Fredmiranda.com ask there or just search the threads (many have probably already asked this before).