Photography Club!

[twich54]

Whoaaaaa there Richard, don't for one minute think the Nikon is any more rugged than the Canon. Outside of the better noise issues at higher ISO's there are other reasons why far and away the majority of Sports photograhers shoot Canon, they are rugged and extremely weather resistent.

Hey I'm NOT knocking Sony/Minolta, Nikon or any of the others. Sure the entry level Canon DSLR's (or any other brand for that matter) are not that tough but if your'e beating it up, move up the food chain.

There is another big reason why one buys Nikon or Canon....support, NOBODY compares to those two for aftermarket products...PERIOD !!

Joey, the Canon Rebel XTi or Nikon D-40x will both yield you many years of digital bliss, so choose whatever appeals more.

 

[MickeyVee]

Hey Joey,

I've been into photography since 1976, started with Minolta, went to Nikon in the early 90's and did the switch to Cannon about 5 years ago when Nikon's first digital SLR, the D100 did not cut it for me.
I dabble in wedding photography shooting about 6 weddings a year for a pro studio. I also worked at Downtown Camera in Toronto part time for 11 years.

So, the Canon versus Nikon debate.. first of all, the camera has to feel good in your hands and should be somewhat intuitive. If you don't like the feel, chances are that you won't be happy with it no matter how good it its.

Since you're pretty much looking at the entry level, you cant go wrong with either. If you get serious about photography and want to move up the like in lenses or bodies, they are both fabulous systems. You can't go wrong with either. They are both excellent, quite usable and do have excellent optics, especially as you move into the better lenses.

My preference for design is Nikon (on the higher end, i.e. the D3 and D300.) I'm currently using Canon D30 & D40 with three 'L' (pro) lenses.

Canon may still have the edge with their CMOS sensors. The picture quality is silky smooth and quite close to film. (think of it as the difference between regular amps and tube amps.. both a re great but one shines in the detail and smoothness) Take this with a grain of salt as I have not done a direct comparison lately. The D40 uses the same or similar sensor to the Rebel. I do have to say that the D40 is just the best camera I have ever used.

In the end, you cant go wrong with either. When you do get to shooting RAW, and you will if you're serious, it's about the software. Both have good support. My preferences are Adobe's Lightroom and Photoshop. Just getting the camera is the start of a long learning curve and a whole bunch of experimenting and tweaks.. just like audio..

So, I've probably given very little advice here.. the truth is, buy what feels good and know that you are buying into a great system either way.

Just like audio, once the technical decision is over, enjoy the system. Tweaking the images is far more satisfying than audio as you see the results immediately and can interpret one photography in literally hundreds of ways.

In the end, enjoy! You'll love it!

Cheers,
Mark

 

[Burke]

my $0.02 worth.

two year when I switched from film to digital, I was in the same dilemma Nikon or Canon. I had a brother and several friends with Canons that I could share accessories with. That became the deciding factor. At this time I think that the Canon has the better imager, but this is close and changes from time to time.

The reason Sasha's pictures are so good is that Sasha has a gifted eye and probably lots of practice. A great photographer takes great pictures with any camera, regardless of price / features /brand. A bad photographer take bad pictures with the best of equipment. Buy the camera that feels best to you and then worry about subject, composition and lighting. That is what really matters.

I shoot everything in raw and convert on my pc, give me the most options with least loss of information, I can always reprocess from the original raw.

 

[Joey_V]

I think the Canon XTi might be the one for me... I played with them yesterday and the Canon definitely felt more natural as I've had several Canons in the past including the S2IS which was a favorite of mine (though it lacked indoor IQ). I'm trying to find the best deal...

 

[twich54]

I'm trying to find the best deal...

I use BH Photo out of NYC, In all my years of dealing with them I've had one problem that was resolved promptly. They may not be the cheapest but support is good and there is no nonesense when it comes to differntiating between "Gray mkt" and "USA" goods.

 

[tonepub]

As someone who has spent the last 15 years in the digital imaging world, both as a commercial photographer, writer and consultant to Olympus, Epson and Adobe, my suggestion would be the same advice I got the first day of photography school thirty years ago:

Get any camera and learn how to use it inside and out.

Photography is about your vision. Yes, there are more cool toys to make images than ever before, but the more time you waste worrying about what camera, lens or software will diminish your vision.

The Canon you are thinking about is excellent and has enough capablility to do just about anything you could ever dream of.

The learning curve on Photoshop is straight up, you can just keep discovering things no matter how long you use it, so that is a ton of fun...

You have a big journey ahead!

 

[Joey_V]

Thanks all for everything!

I have decided on the Canon based on a lot of the tips and comments here... including finding which seems to best fit for my hands/use/technical skill. I have found them at Circuit City locally for under $530 brand new with the lens kit...

Just an FYI for anyone looking to buy this gem, I have a 10% off coupon for CC (PM me if you need it, it works with any purchase above $249!). Best Buy currently sells this for near $670 and Ritz sells for $700. That was the best deal I could come up with, and that includes BHP, newegg, and anything online...

THANKS EVERYONE!

 

[Audioseduction]

Thanks all for everything!

I have decided on the Canon based on a lot of the tips and comments here... including finding which seems to best fit for my hands/use/technical skill. I have found them at Circuit City locally for under $530 brand new with the lens kit...

Just an FYI for anyone looking to buy this gem, I have a 10% off coupon for CC (PM me if you need it, it works with any purchase above $249!). Best Buy currently sells this for near $670 and Ritz sells for $700. That was the best deal I could come up with, and that includes BHP, newegg, and anything online...

THANKS EVERYONE!

Which Canon? There are several internet locations selling the Canon XTi Kit for under $500.

 

[mcblum]

My camera of choice...

I use a 1Ds Mk II since I'm actually a professional photographer but if I weren't and I wanted a kick ass camera I'd get a 30D. If I wanted a REALLY kick ass camera I'd get a 5D. Just remember to spend good money for the lens. Better to be using a 35mm 1.4L lens and a digital rebel than a 1Ds MKII and any sort of kit lens.

My work is at http://www.mattblumphotography.com so you can make sure I'm not blowing smoke.

Good luck!
Matt

 

[Joey_V]

Which Canon? There are several internet locations selling the Canon XTi Kit for under $500.

George,

Where did you find it for that cheap?

Joey

 

[twich54]

George,

Where did you find it for that cheap?

Joey

Joey, MAKE SURE IT IS NOT GRAY MARKET !!!

 

[Joey_V]

Joey, MAKE SURE IT IS NOT GRAY MARKET !!!

Dave,

No worries..... I think my parents already bought it for me.... I don't think they would buy gray market, they're scared to buy from the internet as it is.

 

[Audioseduction]

George,

Where did you find it for that cheap?

Joey

My bad, as I look into each ad that was listed it was just the body. I would say your price is very good.

 

[Yang1815]

w00t w00t!

Darn it I saw this too late. I have a Nikon D70 and I love it. Have a Sigma 18-50 F2.8 and a Nikkor 55-200 + a Gitzo tripod and other accessories Have fun with your Canon and start learning!

I went with a Nikon for DSLR because a friend of mine has lots of Nikon lenses. I have a Canon A-1 35mm with a 52mm 1.4 prime lens.

 

[mosttoysrk]

You will enjoy the Rebel XTi, I am a professional photographer and have been for over 25 years, I used Nikon and Hasselblad until Canon came out with the N series film cameras. They just focused better than the F4 at the time.
I now use Canon 1ds, 5d's, and 1d cameras with L series lenses. The best upgrade you can make for the xTi is to get the battery grip. It balances the camera and you get even longer battery life with 2 batteries in the grip as well as additional controls when you shoot vertical.
Happy shooting.

 

[Joey_V]

Dang... I hope I learn quick. I bet this thing's going to take a few years to actually get good at taking proper pics.

 

[tonepub]

You'll want to upgrade way before then!!!

Digital camera stuff changes every 4-6 months. You thought
hifi was bad, this will drive you to madness.

 

[Yang1815]

Well, DSLR doesn't evolve as fast though.

Before you upgrade though, please keep in mind that (someone already said this kind of) it's your vision and your ability to capture the moment and the equipment comes second.

Honestly if you don't have much time to play with it (I sure don't...), it'll take awhile. I've used a DLR before I got my DSLR so it wasn't too hard to make the transition but you have so much to learn! The different modes on the camera and how to use the camera is one thing... But to KNOW what to use when does take lots of practice. You could essentially get the same exposure with many different combination of settings that you just can't really learn by reading. After you master that, since it's all digital, you have all the PP (post processing) technique to learn as well... That's where I'm stuck since I don't know anyone who can show me how to use PS CS3. But anyways I'm just rambling on and it's late and I'm tired so I'm just gonna stop now. Bottom line is, good luck, have fun, and keep shooting!!!

 

[David Prall]

Joey,

You will probably be happy with any of the choices you listed. When I shot 35mm, I used a Minolta Maxxum (1st generation <grin>) Currently I use a Nikon D80 which I'm very happy with. When people ask me which camera is best choice, my 1st response is whichever one you have the most lense compatibility with. Lenses can easily become the most expensive part of your photography costs. In the Nikon's case, they had a fairly decent compromise lense of 18-135 packaged with it, which saves lots of time switching out lenses for the average user. While I felt the need for more telephoto with VR (vibration reduction), and bought one of those as well. If I buy any more lenses, it will be a fish-eye or a very wide angle lense for interior shots in small spaces. I think the Canon you chose will please you just fine! :rocker:

 

[Joey_V]

Thanks fellas! Looking forward to opening up my new XTi for Christmas!