Im about to upgrade my actual point-and-shoot camera and buy a DSLR camera. For the uninitiaded a DSLR camera is a digital-mechanical camera (DSLR stands for Digital Single Lens Reflex) that uses interchangeable lenses.
Many professional photographers and enthusiasts prefer DSLR cameras instead compact digitals, mostly because of the manual controls that allows you to explore and to experiment more with photography compared with automatic cameras.
But compact digitals arent bad at all. They are perfect for everyday photography where light conditions are acceptable good. My current camera setup is:
- Canon Powershot A570 IS
Another cameras that I have used before were:
- Canon Powershot G3 (from my mom. A very old model if you compare it with the G10)
- Sony Cybershot DSC-W30
I think I have learn a lot from my current camera (since it has manual controls). So I understand some terminology about depth of field, aperture, time value and ISO (light sensibility) so I consider Im ready to go ahead the next step: lens terminology, macro, wide and night shooting.
I have been doing some research in the cloud, more specifically with Nikon and Canon DSLR cameras. There are extensive groups and users who uses those cameras and those are the only brandnames I can get locally in here.
Official Canon EOS site.
Nikon Site
Digital camera reviews site
Flickr camera finder group
And friend bloggers who owns DSLR cameras as well are
* Danny Choo uses a Canon Digital Rebel XSi has also a Nikon and Lumix camera.
* Kodomut uses a Nikon D90
* Meronpan uses a Canon 40D
* Gordonator: not sure. lol.
* Jeff Lawson uses a Canon Digital Rebel XT
So, first choice to make for me: Nikon or Canon?? What do you think about those cameras? I would like to know also whats your current camera setup.
12 comments
I still use my D40 at times too, and I used it for 1.5 years. It's pretty awesome for such an old camera!~
Any brand is as good as the other . Just choose your favorite and that's all. The only important thing is the lenses and all brands are seeling great ones.
My point of view between Canon and Nikon : Nikon have great lenses for low range/midle range, best quality for the price. But Canon have the best high end lens (but very pricy, the L lenses)
So if you have lots of money, go for Canon and L lenses but if you want good quality without having to sell one arm, go for Nikon.
Oh and you should consider the Sony DSLR's , as you can find some older kits at crazy prices and i think they're particulary great for taking pics of figures. Very crisp pics with Sony macro lenses.
So yeah the choice is yours, just pick your fav brand and then the real choice will be the lens :)
im a canon user. however, i would rather have a nikon body. the feel and ergonomics of Nikon has been, for decades, outstanding. the feel of the camera every day is important, as well as features and lenses. both makers are mostly the same with few minor differences. you can't go wrong with a nik d40 or canon 400d (or 40d). go to a store and try them out first-hand
lenses are great on both ends. but canon made a name for themselves by being cheaper on the market for beginners. Nikon has just as good pro lenses as canon L. though canon's selection is much more enticing imo, it's highly unlikely you'll even be buying anywhere near half the lenses on the market. if u have friends with the same lens mount, it might be something to consider since you might be able to borrow.
im a bit disappointed with canon since they haven't been very innovative, but quality wise, they are great. i suggest thinking about feel and budget vs your needs.
my setup:
canon xsi/450d & ae-1(film) kitlens 18-55, ef70-300 f4-5.6, bower canonFD-EF adapter ring for older manual lenses, FD 50mm 1.4 canon, 1 sigma wide and 1 tamron aio/1.4xmacro FD lenses
nikon F & F65 (film) with 50mm, 35-105, tamron 80-210 aio/1.4xmacro & 28-70 electronic
@kodomut: Nikon D40 was first introduced in dec, 2006. I think its not too old.
@James: Thanks for your comment. Its really nice to have your appreciation on both cameras. didnt know about the deal with the lenses.
@atmzeal: Just wonder, is it possible to have nikon lenses in a canon body (or viceversa)?? Im agree with you about how cheaper is canon for beginners.
I would say look at sony, their prices for kits are the lowest, howeveer their lenses cost a ton .-.
If not get a prosumer so you can learnmore about photography. Thats what I did =D
i would also say that it's hard to go wrong whatever your choice is. sony, nikon, canon... there might be some technical limitations or benefits to some, but usually i think those are more likely to be concerns of semi-pro or pro shooters. (for example i think i might have read that nikons have been flash support (or did at one point?) when doing some type of syncing or something?)
in general you should be able to accomplish your goal regardless of the brand, though in some particular cases price might be an issue. for example, i ended deciding to purchase canon's 100mm macro lens, which runs for about ~$550usd at the moment? nikon's 105mm micro (their word for macro) costs more like ~$800usd?
i think sonys also have some (all? most? not sure which ones) dslrs with image stabilization built into the body. after shooting with my prime lenses, i've really come to appreciate image stabilization technology. assuming sony's works similar to canon's, it's a real blessing to have. having it built into the body would be nice because with canon/nikon, it's built into the lens (and the lenses that have it are generally more expensive than non image stabilized lenses).
to answer your question about swapping lenses between canon and nikon, unfortunately no, i don't think it's really viable. you're probably better off selling your equipment and buying the other stuff.
a good resource for canon stuff is this website:
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/
he does pretty thorough reviews of most everything in canon's lineup. however, the site doesn't provide much canon vs. nikon sort of comparisons.
gads i'm rambling ^^; guess i'll close up with some notes on my current equipment...
as you noted, i'm shooting with a 40D - the 40/50/7D bodies are still 1.6x crop but feel a lot more solid than the 400/450/500D bodies. Good if you want the body to have some substance to it, but bad if you'd rather have a lighter camera ^^;
started out by immediately obtaining a 18-55mm kit lens (the IS version, ~$100) and the 100mm f/2.8 macro. one thing i immediately noticed is that the 100mm macro is *sharp*!! wonder lens. unfortunately it immediately pointed out the inadequacies of the kit lens to me ^^;; however i'm still happy i have the kit lens since i still don't have the budget for the zoom lens i want. even moreso on a 1.6x crop, 100mm is simply too long for a general purpose walk around lens so i don't mind the lesser image quality. any image is better than none ^^
i also added the 50mm f/1.4 to my lineup. for pictures at home with the family or other indoor events, the 1.4 aperture is just a joy to have. pump up the iso to 1000, open up the aperture and that's when people start asking, "don't you need a flash?" ^^ a little long on a crop body, but i bought it mostly for portrait-ish pics for which it's fitting the bill just fine. i used it as a walk around general purpose lens in singapore for which it was a bit long as expected (not to mention restrictive, being a prime). there's a really cheap f/1.8 which i hear also has outstanding image quailty (especially for the price). for figures it's nice to have as a wider backup when 100mm isn't practical.
...ok i think i've written enough for one comment ^^;;
many sony and olympus lenses should actually be cheaper since they don't package a stabilization system in-lens (unlike nikon and canon who includes upgraded and improved systems with each new lens)
nikon never changed their F mount for lenses, so all old manual nikon lenses, albeit some with modification, will work on new bodies. however, canon changed their FD mount to the EF in like 1979 and now EF-S mount for cropped sensors.
unfortunately, you cant control aperture on autofocus electric lenses. meronpan's right, i dont believe any adapter exists that would convert the electric contact points (autofocus lenses) from canon to nikon or vice-versa. however, adapters exist for nikon to canon Manual lenses. non-manual lenses can be used but it'll be a fixed aperture so it's sort of pointless. So if you go with Canon, you can get old nikon lenses. but from what i know no adapter exist canon to nikon (could be wrong, but ive never researched). of course, adapters have their problems, like being teleconverters, a stop or two down, and adding cheap glass to your IQ. it's only worth it if you actually had a bunch of old nikon or canon lenses so dont worry about that. you also have tamron, zeis, sigma, tokina/kenko 3rd party manufacturer lenses to choose from so lenses are definitely open for either brand.
btw to meronpan, the nikon micro lens is priced higher because it has VR included in it, among other reasons. extra features = extra money. the canon 65 1-5x macro lens is around $950 because it's a serious macro lens, although there are multiple problems with it (extremely slow and vulnerable to shake, glass quality, etc.). but nikon and canon never really have equivalents, like how a nikor micro 85mm might go against a canon macro 100mm. there are reasons each company chose the focals for their macro so it's not always fair to compare them per cost. like why did canon come out with a new L macro, again, at 100mm? some prefer more focal, some prefer less (especially factoring in perspective, aperture/overall size, shake)
one thing about macro photography is that you need a tripod and good light (macro flash if ur serious about it), regardless if it's a sony or canon or nikon or olympus or samsung. so again, meronpan is right. it's all really the same. it depends on preference and what each brand offers in whatever niche you care about.
I use a Canon Rebel T1i, and I like it so far so you can guess where my loyalties are.
Not sure about your area, but there's been a lot of Canon Rebel T1i and XSi deals floating around. Best DSLR you can get for the price.
I wish I could give you advice but I know next to nothing when it comes to the choice. I'm going to be in the market for one soon myself though so I'm interested in everyone's opinions here though.
@Ex14: I havent seen Sony DSLR cameras around here but will need to ask to be sure.
@Meronpan: Thanks for your comment. I still remember you did the exact same question a few months back ago. Now that you say it, I will need to go to the stores and see by myself and feel not only the camera gear but to ask about lenses available choices and prices. I think I will need to compare not only the camera body price but the lenses price as well.
Im really aware both choices are good and both brands has different cameras for everyone taste.
Thanks for the review link too. Will check it for a better understanding.
@atmzeal: My folks has the FD Canon Lenses and they commented how Canon lenses probably would match with a converter. But I think I would do what you say, pick up the right lenses and accesories for my camera body model.
@Reltair: Im seeing the local market to compare prices and options.
@Persocom: Tell us when you do the convertion. Lol.
I have a Canon XTi and SX10. I mostly use the XTi and my wife uses the SX10. The reason for me picking Canon was that I have a Canon AE-Programable model back in the mid 80's and loved it.
I love my XTi and wish I could get a more higher end model.
The only drawback on the SX10 is the shots get grainy and the super macro is a bit hard to get to work.
It is hard as hell to pick these things.
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