Advise needed on Camera....

I would think the D80.....but you should go in and handle the cameras yourself. The Canon is smaller than the D80 and that doesn't suit some people.

Jay

The Canon sensors are generally recognised as giving better performance and picture quality in lower light conditions i.e. higher ISO settings.

Otherwise there is probably not a lot to choose.

read the reviews on dpreview.com for technical assessments of each camera...then go and handle them yourself; quite often the choice will rest on your preference for layout of controls, menu structure etc.

Bear in mind that if you go to warehouseexpress.com the 30D is £643, body only, after Canon's £100 cashback.

Tony

As an owner of a Nikon I've always envied the speed of auto-focus on Canons that I've handled. Even the cheapest Canon glass seems to focus very quickly - but for fast auto-focus with Nikon lenses you have to spend a bit extra.

So I'd say that, if you don't own lenses for one brand or another, think about whether you need fast focusing (sports etc) and if you do - get the Canon.

Thanks for reply folks....

for both Canon/nikon I can master the control in a matter short of time. The only thing concern me is about the result/ image quality/sharpness...

Thanks again and will head to nearest camera shop soon....cheers

For image quality and sharpness the lens is far more important than the body. If you don't have any experience of using a digital SLR then either the Canon or the Nikon will be great. I would choose the first of these two instead of the second.

Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM +
Canon EOS 400D (Black) Body Only

Canon EOS 30D + EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Mkii Lens


Nigel

Lots of useful stuff here on the various brand oriented fora.

You should consider carefully which lenses you buy. The standard 'kit' lenses are often OK, but little more (I forget which of C or N is said to have the worst offerings...) The lenses you get WILL have a significant affect on image quality and better (More expensive) glass will almost certainly give better results as far as image sharpness, and lack of image related problems such as distortion, chromatic aberations (?sp) and the like. The lenses you want/need are also function of what kind of thing you want to photograph.

As other posters have said, get to hold the cameras you are considering. Usability (ie menus and location/function of various buttons) and 'feel' make a BIG difference, especially initially when getting used to a camera.

Technology is also moving quite fast and although the megapixel race has died down somewhat, expect better high ISO performance from all brands, etc. etc. My gut feel is that a particular camera model is current for 12 months or slightly longer. If you are unlucky, your chosen camera will be superceded a couple of months after you have bought it.

For this reason, another option would be to get a second hand body of the brand of your choice with, say, a 6 month warrenty (If such a thing is available) from a dealer, or a new, but 'obsolete' (ie no longer current) body and put your money into more expensive lenses. Once you become more proficient/demanding in a couple of years time, get the best (priceerformance) camera body then, and take your investment in glass with you.

Good luck.

/dl

Thanks,

I'm a minolta user (film) Dynax 9, 700si and 600si classic. I've sold all those cameras couple of years back since I've got no time in it and thinking the digital is the way to go in the future. All this while I'm using Canon S80 compact and thinking of getting serious back in the photography with mid price D-SLR.

cheers

Ridzwan

As long as you are aware that the performance of the D-SLR's you are referring to won't be in the same league as your Dynax 9.

Peter

.

I've never used Canon, but I'm pretty happy with my new D80.

A stupid question time.

What's an SLR?

quote:

Originally posted by kuma:
A stupid question time.

What's an SLR?

Single lens reflex (SLR)

quote:

Originally posted by kuma:
A stupid question time.
What's an SLR?

Kuma - see here part 1 for details and how they get their name.

Cheers,
Ali

quote:

for both Canon/nikon I can master the control in a matter short of time. The only thing concern me is about the result/ image quality/sharpness...

In which case, you should look at both - as in *handle* them. Ultimately if a camera doesn't 'feel right' in your hands, you won't pull it out of your bag to take shots with it. They're both about as good as each other - there are pros and cons.... when it comes down to it, the differences between them don't make us much difference to your images as the person behind the camera and what you do with it.

Don't get sucked in to the myth of 'noise at high speed' - take a read of Ken Rockwell's article DSLR Resolution and Noise Comparison aka 'Resolution and noise have almost nothing to do with real image quality'.

To reiterate - they're both great cameras. You'll make the biggest difference. Buy the one that feels the best and most intuitive to you.

HTH.

Kuma how can you be taking great shots like you do and not have the first clue about cameras?

Hey - nice one garyi, I never thought of that.....but it's true!!

Thanks for the link, Rico...very good.

Yeah, Kuma is a good photographer..if not great!

Both Cameras are more than capable
Click the link below for some really detailed info.

http://www.dpreview.com/