Nikon vs Canon

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OlympianHiawatha

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Update!!!

Folks, remember this thread? Here's the good news- the email was legitimate, I actually won the Second Prize in Amtrak's See More on a Train photo contest organised during National Train Day!
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The initial email said I can choose between a DSLR camera or a $500 gift card from a mobile carrier. Obviously I told them I'll take the DSLR camera and asked them details such as which model of camera will they give, will it just the body or will it come with lens etc. The company handling the event was probably confused which camera they can give me for $500 (since that's the budget allocated for 2nd prize) so they made me an alternate offer- we will give you a $500 Visa gift card and you go buy whatever camera (or anything else) you want
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I received the promised Visa gift card today by FedEx
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So now, all you good fellas, please recommend me what DSLR camera and lens should I buy using this Amtrak-sponsored gift card? I currently do not own a DSLR camera (my winning entry photo was taken using a point and shoot
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) and I have been anyway planning to get a DSLR in this year's festival season (Labor Day/Thanksgiving sale), this makes things easy for me! Of course I can use the gift card to buy anything I want but I do not wish to spend it on groceries and gas and invite bad karma from Amtrak souls
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Generally if you stick with Nikon or Canon you cannot go wrong. I've had great luck and fantastic service and pricing with www.onecall.com aka Huppins Camera in the case of photography equipment.
 
So now, all you good fellas, please recommend me what DSLR camera and lens should I buy using this Amtrak-sponsored gift card? I currently do not own a DSLR camera (my winning entry photo was taken using a point and shoot
biggrin.gif
) and I have been anyway planning to get a DSLR in this year's festival season (Labor Day/Thanksgiving sale), this makes things easy for me! Of course I can use the gift card to buy anything I want but I do not wish to spend it on groceries and gas and invite bad karma from Amtrak souls
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Aloha

Well you will get quality from a major brand. What I recommend is go to a store that will let you handle different models because if the camera feels uncomfortable in your hands you will not get good pictures regardless of your skill.
 
Also, do you have any friends that have a DSLR? A good friend of mine has a Nikon, so when I bought mine I stuck with that so that I could borrow his stuff. My brother in law has since got in on the action and the 3 of us routinely swap lenses and flashlights, and Tony has borrowed my body to use as a backup when he has need of one for a paid gig.

What kind of budget are you looking at? Do you have anything else to put in the pot to get more that $500? I'd look at the used sections at adorama or KEH, you can get a lot more bang for your buck buying used (I just bought a D700 + lens used for cheaper than a new D700 would have cost). Since its coming from a major retailer that inspects the gear and accurately grades its condition, I'm not too worried about getting a piece of junk.
 
Tony has borrowed my body to use as a backup when he has need of one for a paid gig.
Hope nobody takes that line out of context. :blink:

Still, I find it strange that they would offer a prize, but not have any idea of what that prize is or how to give it to you within their budget. Was it like the elephant that Bart won in The Simpsons? Nobody expected you to actually pick that prize, so they never thought about it?
 
I remember picking up a Canon Rebel XT body for around $500 by buying online. My first lens probably cost me another $200 or so. The lens attached to it now cost me around $400 if I recall correctly. These are pretty cheap lenses compared to much of the Canon line. However, if you take the advice to buy used you could probably get both the body and a lens for substantially cheaper. Or you could simply choose to buy one of the non-swappable DSLR combos. That should drop the price quite a bit. I've tried several brands and I think I actually prefer Nikon compared to most, at least at the mid-range and above. I'm not a fan of Nikon's point-and-shoot lineup however. For point and shoot I'd still go with Canon. I'm also looking at a Panasonic FZ150 for something more versatile than a point-and-shoot but not quite as involved or as expensive as an full-on interchangeable DSLR.

Tony has borrowed my body to use as a backup when he has need of one for a paid gig.
Hope nobody takes that line out of context. :blink: Still, I find it strange that they would offer a prize, but not have any idea of what that prize is or how to give it to you within their budget. Was it like the elephant that Bart won in The Simpsons? Nobody expected you to actually pick that prize, so they never thought about it?
Hilarious reply and not what I would normally expect from you. :lol:
 
If I were buying, and had a little more money in the budget. (I'm assuming Nikon, since I know Nikon. If you want a Canon, one of the Canonheads will have to chime in)

Refurbished D5100:

http://www.keh.com/camera/Nikon-Digital-Camera-Bodies/1/sku-DN02999121871X?r=FE

$460

LN- ("Like New Minus" 97-99% of original condition. Extremely slight wear only seen upon very close inspection. Box and accessories usually not included. Glass perfect.*)

18-105 zoom lens

http://www.keh.com/camera/Nikon-Digital-Zoom-Lenses/1/sku-DN07999103240R3?r=FE

$299
 
Ryan One think to look at is the glass.. both NIkon and canon have good glass. Just be aware that Nikon has more wide glass then canon.

on the topic of glass

most of the low end SLRs from nikon cant" drive" Old non digital glass.. you will have to man focus and man stop the lens.

not a BIG deal but I hear of new photograhers buying Low Nikon SLR and wanting to mount gramps Old glass from the 70s and they wonder where AF and AE went ..

with EOS canon As a rule . If it fits .. it works ...

I got in to canon as I used to own a Canon removable lens Video cam that can take SLR EOS lenses too . Nikon never has done video so this was a turn off to me not being able to share glass between my gear .

as bad as this sounds .. unless you Need instant shutter response . most of these 500 USD bridge cams can do as good as a low end SLR and are far more fun !.

G10 is a example .

peter
 
I did not notice this discussion had jumped into this section.

Thanks for all the advice. I am ready to put in $100 or so over the $500 I have from the gift card.

I would like a DSLR that can also take HD video. I know some of the recent Nikon and Canon models have that facility. I do not want to go into a lot of specialized lens, maybe I can start off with stock lens if I am purchasing a combo and then go for another lens once I am comfortable with handling the camera. I do not wish to buy a DSLR just for the heck of it because everyone and their neighbor these days has one, I am actually interested in improving my photography skills.

I am currently using a Canon SX20 point and shoot which can be called an intermediate between pocket sized camera and DSLR. One thing I HATE about that camera is that Canon has no option to show how much battery life is left and on more than one occasion the camera has given up on me exactly when I wanted to shoot something very interesting. Do Canon DSLRs also have the same deficiency? If yes, that'd be reason enough for me to go for Nikon, provided Nikon also does not have this same stupid lack of feature.

Does anyone have personal experience on using Nikon D3100 and D5100? What is it about D5100 that makes it worth, or not worth, spending additional $150 over D3100? I see Amazon has D3100 for $499 and D5100 for $649.
 
I do not want to go into a lot of specialized lens,
Aloha

One thing to remember, for Rail Photography you will need both a fairly wide angle (20) and a reasonable tight (200) lens. not many moderately priced lenses have this range. With lower price, 2 lenses can cover this range.
 
I recently bought a Canon DSLR (Rebel T3i) and have been very happy with it. It's my first DSLR, so I can't really compare it to other DSLRs, but I will say this: I've always been happy with my Canons.

My first digital camera was a Canon point-and-shoot. It did well, and I used it for several years, but it eventually gave up the ghost and the sensor started burning out. I replaced by upgrading to a mid-range, non-SLR Canon, and was very happy with the performance of that one, especially the startup and focus speed.

Unfortunately, that Canon was stolen during a mugging, a little over a year after I got it. At this point, I was interested in HDR photography, so I went looking at mid-range, non-SLR cameras that had that capability. As it turned out, Nikon had a camera that met most of my specifications and was priced well. The one thing that camera does well is AEB for HDR. Everything else was frustrating and disappointing. The P7000 takes forever to start. It takes forever to focus. It periodically freezes. You can basically forget taking pictures out of a moving train, because the camera just won't respond in time.

Now, I've heard that the upgraded version of that camera, the P7100, fixes many of those problems. But I was so disappointed in that camera, that I've basically written off Nikon. I know that all the manufacturers focus their talent on their DSLRs, but Canon seems to understand that people work their way up to DSLRs and tries to put quality into their lower-end cameras.

My uncle has a Nikon that he's very happy with. I know Ryan likes his. But for me, I wasn't willing to spend any money on that brand, since they clearly had software issues with the P7#00 line.

In summation, my cameras:

  1. Olympus: Film point-and-shoot: Happy
  2. Canon: Digital point-and-shoot: Happy
  3. Canon: Digital mid-range: Very Happy
  4. Nikon: Digital mid-range: Unhappy
  5. Canon: DSLR Rebel T3i: Very, Very Happy
As a brand, Canon is a winner. As for picking individual cameras, go for the one that seems to best do what you want it to do. I'd also advise going to a camera store and handling the cameras. See what they feel like, how they weigh. And sleep on it.

When I knew I was going to get a DSLR, I must have gone to camera stores a few times a week for a month trying out (and retrying out) cameras and reading reviews online before I settled.
 
I know some of the recent Nikon and Canon models have that facility. I do not want to go into a lot of specialized lens, maybe I can start off with stock lens if I am purchasing a combo and then go for another lens once I am comfortable with handling the camera. I do not wish to buy a DSLR just for the heck of it because everyone and their neighbor these days has one, I am actually interested in improving my photography skills.
First of all, don't pay any attention when people say "you can't go wrong with brand X" or the like. Every camera maker out there has at least a few lousy cameras in the lineup. Trust me, I've found them. Sometimes it's the quality, sometimes it's the price, sometimes it's the flexibility, and sometimes all three. No company has a perfect lineup and you can absolutely go wrong with a Canon or Nikon if you don't do your homework first.

One thing that would make it a little easier to give useful suggestions is if you could tell us what your primary goal is. Photos? Movies? Flexibility? If you're mainly looking for overall flexibility I'd probably go with a Canon. I honestly think they have some of the best glass out there and the market for used Canon lenses is huge, although they're still expensive if you're starting from scratch. You can easily spend double or triple the cost of an entry-level DSLR on a single quality used lens. With Canon you can attach a large number of lenses to a huge number of camera bodies, which is part of the reason the market is so large.

If you want the best sensor that requires the least amount of post processing to look good I would probably go with Nikon as I feel their glass is still very good and they have generally had the best sensors for still images. However, this point depends entirely on actually having a Nikon sensor in your Nikon branded camera. I have been rather disappointed with Nikon's point-and-shoot cameras of late. Sloppy controls, third party sensors, and questionable lens quality just did not add up for me at all.

If you want a general purpose camera that puts as much focus on movie making as still images with more 'bang for the buck' you might want to look at something like an MFT DSLM...

I would like a DSLR that can also take HD video.
This brings us to an interesting conundrum. If the mirror has to be out of the way while the video is being shot, then why do we still need a mirror at all? The reason we use DSLR's for video is obvious. The sensors are already exceptional, the glass is among the best, and it's great to have everything you need in a single package. However, one of the more interesting developments over the past few years has been the growth of the Micro Four Thirds lens system and the Digital Single Lens Mirrorless camera body.

In theory, what you save in size and cost by removing the mirrors and prisms and reducing the lens size can be used for more lenses and/or better electronics in a smaller size that weighs less. There are already several good lenses for MFT, but if you want something that is not yet available or is unlikely to be made again you can attach an adapter for using more conventional lenses as well, with the usual caveats for adapter use.

If you have the money, by all means go the full DSLR route, but be prepared to hand over several thousand dollars over the next few years for a nice range of quality lenses and all the other wonderful things that DSLR's allow but don't include with your initial purchase. After which your electronics will be outdated. Followed by a new camera body that exposes the flaws in your lenses. At which point you can start the upgrade process all over again.

On the other hand, if purity of the glass and sensitivity of the sensor aren't at the top of your priority list then you might want to consider a less expensive and more balanced approach. A MFT DSLM like the Panasonic GH2 can still compete favorably with mid-range Nikons and Canons for video quality and lens flexibility at a lower price and smaller size. This is especially true if you're willing to side-patch the firmware to allow for higher data throughput.

I am currently using a Canon SX20 point and shoot which can be called an intermediate between pocket sized camera and DSLR. One thing I HATE about that camera is that Canon has no option to show how much battery life is left and on more than one occasion the camera has given up on me exactly when I wanted to shoot something very interesting. Do Canon DSLRs also have the same deficiency?
Even my ancient Canon 350D keeps me informed of my battery life and does what it can to avoid wasting energy. However, in my experience you really need to have more than one battery to avoid this sort of thing. Simply knowing that the battery is dying won't give you the extra juice you need to get the shot you want when it actually happens. I've used non-Canon batteries in the past, but they don't last as long as the real thing and you probably wouldn't want to leave them in your camera for any extended amount of downtime.

If you move up to a full DSLR it will be able to give you information on battery life, but even more important than the information is the ability to attach a dual battery pack to avoid running out of juice in the first place. Of course, this is just one of many ways that an entry level DSLR can end up costing a lot of money by the time you've given it all of the advantages that DSLR systems are known for. Top of the line DSLR's already come with this sort of thing built-in, which is part of the reason they can cost as much as a car or truck.

Does anyone have personal experience on using Nikon D3100 and D5100? What is it about D5100 that makes it worth, or not worth, spending additional $150 over D3100? I see Amazon has D3100 for $499 and D5100 for $649.
In general with the D5100 you're getting better overall image quality thanks to a higher source resolution, lower noise, more dynamic range, a much higher resolution flippable screen, an external mic jack, in-camera HDR, better light sensitivity, longer battery life, and faster shooting speed. I'd probably spend the extra $150 if it were me, assuming it didn't prevent me from buying a decent lens to pair with it.
 
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