Entering the DSLR market, which camera?

[SpeedZealot369]

I am an amature photographer who is about to enter the dslr market. I was playing with a dslr (some kind of canon) for two days and just fell in love.

my question is, should I go Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS, or Nikon D60? anyone have experience with both cameras?

 

[AkumaX]

Canon 5DM2 > 7D > 50D > 40D > T2i > T1i > XSi > XS

 

[mocyt]

If you owned a film SLR before and you have invested in some good lenses, I think you should go with that camera mount.

But to answer your question, I have no experience with the Canon Rebel XS. I owned a Nikon D40 and loved it. The D60 is basically a D40 with higher MP but with the same sensor and lower flash sync speed. Majority of reviewers suggest that the cheaper D40 actually has better IQ than the D60.

 

[SpeedZealot369]

Canon 5DM2 > 7D > 50D > 40D > T2i > T1i > XSi > XS

what about 60d?


sorry i mean nikon d60

 

[MotF Bane]

Have you handled both cameras? If not, go do that.

 

[slashbinslashbash]

Canon vs. Nikon is an age-old debate. IMO you should try and use both and see how you like them. They come from different design philosophies. They are both great, but some people prefer one or the other. It doesn't have to be a D60 and XS specifically -- the XS is similar enough to the rest of the Rebel line, and the D60 is similar enough to other Nikon cameras that if you tried a D70, D40, etc. then you would get the idea of what I'm talking about. There is no one who can tell you which is better for you.

 

[SpeedZealot369]

that's why I'm asking.. to get a better idea. Where I live it's impossible to see or feel them before you buy them.

as I said before I'm looking at the enrty level dslr's.. so please any advice from someone who has handled both cameras before.

 

[MotF Bane]

that's why I'm asking.. to get a better idea. Where I live it's impossible to see or feel them before you buy them.

as I said before I'm looking at the enrty level dslr's.. so please any advice from someone who has handled both cameras before.

Where do you live?

I would go with the Nikon; and that's because I prefer how Nikons feel in hand and are laid out for controls. Somebody else will have a different opinion.

 

[uOpt]

Personally I just ditched a newer Rebel for an older 40D.

For learning photography I find the additional user interface hardware invaluable. All the parameters at your fingertips without taking the camera down to push twinky buttons.

I also prefer CF over SD cards and batteries for the 40/50D are cheap.

The only thing I really dislike is the clunky battery grip. The rebel grip is much more ... well, handy.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

A lot of people like to recommend the D40. I honestly think that camera is overrated. If you already understand some basic shooting like you've used the advanced P&S (I came from a Powershot G3), then a dSLR is not that much different. I thought the 9pt AF of my Rebel was insufficient, but I just can't bear the 3 point AF at ALL on the D40. It's a joke. Without cross point AF either, it's quite useless in low light. It's a hunt fest.

I have Nikon friends who ALWAYS (and I just heard the rant today again), but it's always the D40 recommendation. Seriously. I know MP isn't everything, but somedays I feel sad for their 6MP. I love cropping the hell out of my 18MP and still maintaining excellent detail.

My Canon friends are funny though. They ALWAYS recommend the 5D2 to almost everyone... even newbies. LOL.

I say it all depends if you're gonna grow or not. I take on lots of hobbies, and I usually push them to a certain extent. Usually my first everything comes out to be insufficient. My first snowboard was an excellent $300 starter board that had intermediate capabilities. My bindings were top notch beginner/mid-range ones that even my advanced rider friends rode. Well, I outgrew them after 2 seasons and I jumped on some midrange $550 board (Burton Custom).

The same with photos. I thought a Rebel would be fine, but I soon wanted more. 7D I went.

If you see yourself growing, there's nothing wrong jumping straight there. There might be a little suffering in the beginning, but you'll save money

 

[SpeedZealot369]

I live in Israel.

why everyone is talking about a D40 when I said D60? or is D40 what everyone goes for instead of d60? excuse my newbiness

 

[uOpt]

I think some people mix up D40 and 40D. I was talking about Canon's 40D, not Nikon's D40.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

i hear nikon has better lenses, canon has better electronics.
truth?

 

[speedy2]

i hear nikon has better lenses, canon has better electronics.
truth?

I would say even. Also, factor in the 3rd party lenses. You can't really go wrong with either company. It's best to hold each one and use them a bit. Let that decide.

 

[Muse]

At the risk of coming off as a fan boy, I'll suggest you take a look at the Pentax K-x (I bought one for my first DSLR recently, after a long look at my options). You get a lot for the money, and your lens options are less expensive in general. In the USA, Pentax has a low profile these days, but elsewhere, considerably more. I think you will encounter some Pentax DSLR's in Israel, although Canon and Nikon dominate the market globally. Surely there is access to stores that stock modern DSLR's, or are you distant from the major cities?

 

[Zenmervolt]

i hear nikon has better lenses, canon has better electronics.
truth?

Not really. The best lenses are effectively equal across all lines. Whether Canon, Nikon, Zeiss, Olympus or Pentax, the top-of-the-line glass is all ridiculously good. There are variances (e.g. Zeiss has historically favored sharpness over bokeh) but those tend to fall more into the personal preference category than actual differences in quality.

As far as electronics, any of the major players, Canon, Nikon, Sony (formerly Minolta), Olympus, Pentax, etc are going to be solid in their higher-end bodies.

My general recommendation is to find the camera that fits your hands the best and go with that one. Alternately, if you already had film cameras and have good lenses already, then go with a camera that can use the same lens mount.

ZV

 

[jpeyton]

Nikon D3100, Canon T2i, Sony A55

 

[Silenus]

The D60 is gone, replaced by the D3000. If you are even considering a D60, the D3000 is the same sensor but with much better autofocus and some other newer features. Having said that...I'd wait till next month when the Nikon D3100 releases. It will be the new low end camera from Nikon and has some VERY nice looking specs for it's price range. Alternately....you could wait till the D3100 comes out and you may then find the older D3000 discounted for a very good price.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

I thought D40 => D3000 and D60 => D5000?

 

[shortylickens]

Nikon D3100

 

[Silenus]

I thought D40 => D3000 and D60 => D5000?

Well sort of yes, in that the D40 and D60 were the bottom 2 cameras, as the D3000 and 5000 are the bottom 2 now. But in terms of the tech progression and the sensor used in each camera it was more like:
D40X => D60 => D3000 (Each one used the same basic 10mp sensor and added some featuers, thus making the one before it obsolete)
The D5000 was more of a distillation of a camera/sensor above it (D90) rather than a progression upward from a lower end.

The D40 was kind of a special case as it used a different (6mp) sensor than those above and was available concurrently for a while with the D40x and then D60.

 

[Munky]

I still use a Nikon D40, and love it. The center AF point is a cross-type, so it's not like the AF sucks. Also, the 1/500 x-sync is a major reason I keep using it. But you can't buy them new anymore, so the debate is moot.

I say the Nikon D90 is the best camera under $1000, especially if you're interested in photography, and not the video recording.

 

[Silenus]

I still use a Nikon D40, and love it. The center AF point is a cross-type, so it's not like the AF sucks. Also, the 1/500 x-sync is a major reason I keep using it. But you can't buy them new anymore, so the debate is moot.

I say the Nikon D90 is the best camera under $1000, especially if you're interested in photography, and not the video recording.

I didn't mention above that the D40 is also the camera I own as well! It will go down in history as a classic I'm sure. I have no plans to sell mine even when I do eventually upgrade. I've put most of my money towards glass and lighting rather than spend on a new body. Long live the D40!

 

[ElFenix]

the k-x is actually a fairly decent little camera.

i think the xs is about to be replaced as it's now 2 years old and comes up short against the D3100, the new sonys, and the pentax.

 

[Muse]

the k-x is actually a fairly decent little camera.

i think the xs is about to be replaced as it's now 2 years old and comes up short against the D3100, the new sonys, and the pentax.

There are a couple of new Pentax cameras that are evidently on the near horizon, the K5 and the K-r. The K-x will probably still shine, but the K-r presumably will have a new feature set. Don't know if it's a replacement. It's a little early for that, the K-x having been out something like a year. I think they will both be in production for a time.

The K-x has some of the best low light (high ISO) performance available in DSLRs. Also, nice high burst rate for an entry level DSLR (over 4.3, claimed to be 4.7). In-body shake reduction. I'm happy with my choice.