Canon 450D vs Nikon D60

I doubt whether anyone here could tell in a test which photo's were taken by which camera! Seriously. The lens and ISO setting will have more effect on the picture quality than the make of camera.
They are both great cameras for their price, so, if you con't already have suitable lenses for either of them all I can suggest is you go to a local shop and handle them. If you prefer the ergonomics of one.... buy it!! You won't be disappointed.

Tony

I think Tony is generally correct in his comments. Nikon and Canon are at the top of the dslr photography pile and you would be hard pressed to go wrong with either.

Apart from the handling/ user interface differences (I'm a Nikon fan when it comes to this!) the main differences are that the 450D has a 12mp sensor vs 10mp on D60 (ie better resolution image potential); it also has a larger rear display 3" vs 2.5"; it also has Live View ie you can frame your subject matter by looking at the rear display panel rather than through the viewfinder (an important feature for some people switching from compact cameras).

You may wish to partake in some light reading:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond60/

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos450d/

Good luck & if you have any spare funds remember that the lens is one of the most important components - a bit like the source first thing with hi-fi - and worth spending extra on.

Peter

Thanks Tony, just the answers I'm looking for. I don't have any lenses and would like your advice on this. Would you recommend buying the camera body and a different lens? Bearing in mind I would nt want to spend more than £200 on the lens, not sure whether this would represent a worthwhile investment over the stock lens provided?

Thanks

Thanks Peter, going into Jessops tomorrow (if its open) to try them out. Would you think a lens for around £200 would make a big difference?

Freddie

"Source first"....spend as much on a quality lens as you can - if you think can justify it. A word of caution though - if you don't know much about photography and how to really use the features of a DSLR, or more to the point know how to frame and expose properly, you are unlikely to see a huge, if any, difference over a good point and shoot. Image editing software can help fix stuff but it can't (usually) turn a pigs ear into a silk purse.

If you buy a DSLR then either read up on photography technique or go to evening classes - there is no substitute for knowledge and technique and that applies whether you use 35mm or digital.

Just my word of caution. BTW, my lenses all (individually) cost more than my camera body (Canon EOS 20D) and were the best photography investment I made.

Cheers

Jim

Fred

I'm in a poor position to advise on lens selection.

Like Jim, my lenses cost an embarrassing amount and I would definitely not recommend that someone coming cold into photography forks out mega-bucks on the top lenses.

My suggestion is to go with the basic body and lens combo and try it out for a few months to familiarise yourself with the features and, more importantly, establish that dslr's are for you. I suspect after the novelty factor wears off, many folks find them too bulky and heavy to be regularly be lugging them around.

You are probably paying £40-£50 for the entry level lenses which will work fine to get you started and, if you decide to take it further later on, you'll be better placed to decide on which lens best suits your needs.

Having said that, if someone was offering a fantastic deal on one of the 17-85mm lenses.....

Peter

Peter

Thanks Jim. Thanks for the warning! I am actually leaning towards a canon as a good friend of mine is into photography and has a canon, so looking to learn from him.

Once you get the camera, play with it until you get familiar with it - then try and forget it. Start looking at the world as if you could get a frame out of what you're seeing - and plan the kind of shot you could take of it - then get your camera there and take the shot.

And take your camera with you everywhere.

This way you will get a lot of value out of your investment.

Every good photograph was taken by a photographer - not a camera...

Freddie,i had a good look/touch etc at most of the
"entry level" DSLR's and bought the Samsung GX10 /double lens kit and i'm very happy with it .
as my 1st foray into Digital it has all the bells etc i need.

dennis

If you do go with Canon, then for the price, I'd advise looking at the Canon 18-55mm here with image stabilisation. It's not the greatest lens for quality, but it is a good all-rounder for a beginner. After a short while you'll have an idea what you need for your photography.

Tony

Freddie,

One thing that's kept me a loyal Nikon man is their policy of non obsolescence; kit may get cleverer and new lines may develop etc, but you can still bolt an old Nikkor lens onto a recent model and get some sort of functionality. This seems to be less important to other manufacturers, presumably so that they can sell you new lenses rather than just a new body.

Have fun, whichever you go for.

Thanks for all the advice guys. In the end I went for the Canon, tried it out in Jessops and it just felt nicer, more comfortable to me. Plus it has £50 cashback and comes with the lens as shown by Tony. Having plenty of fun learning all about it.

Looking forward to taking something which qualifies for the "Great Photos" thread!

Fred

You will need to double check the below, as I am making a quick reply, but I hope it is of some help to anyone looking for futher advice on digital SLRs.

With the Nikon D60 you can use old, existing Nikon lenses, and it works with auto focus, etc, with the recent ones.

The Nikon D60 has a photo sensitive chip that is the size of a 35mm neg, so the focal point is OK for the old lenses.

I have the D70s, and have been very happy with it for a couple of years.

As far as I know the Canon only works with the new digital only lenses. However the Canon may be able to make short movie clips, which the Nikon can not as it is geared to work via a 35mm shutter in the old manual exposure method.

I do like the viewer in the Canon, but an still veru happy with my Nikon for its flexibility.

Freddie,

Ignore some of what Jamie has written!!
The D60 DOESN'T have a full size sensor. Cameras at under £1k tend not to.
The Canon will be able to take ANY EOS lens made, that's since about 1986/7.

Canon didn't make the older non auto-focus lenses unusable on EOS cameras to pee off owners. They did it because it was better. For nearly 20 years Nikon were playing catch-up on the auto-focus technology. Thay are there now.

Tony

Always been a Nikon man. From the the F3 onwards.

Jamie

I don't believe the Nikon D60 has a full frame sensor - it is almost identical in size to the Canon.

Canon's can use the EF lenses (the standard canon lenses since 1987 I believe) as well as the newer EF-S ("digital")lenses...so old lenses are not redundant. I don't believe the Canon does movie clips.

Cheers

Jim

Oops.....didn't have time to type as Tony had beaten me to it! Amazingly the facts match as well!

Jim

Indeed, there are only two Nikon models available with 35mm equivalent sensors - D3 (£3,000) and the just launched D700 (2,000).

Peter