My conundrum

[swampa]

I have had my trusty Canon 350D (Rebel XT) for over a year now so it means it is time to upgrade.

Just kidding, I’m looking to upgrade as there are some features that I really want from the camera but aren’t in this model (things like a higher ISO and faster burst mode).

I was all set to go to the 30D and follow the Canon way of life until recently when I went to a trade show where I got to have a play with the Nikon D200 (why must these two brands both use D’s in the name? I keep getting them in the wrong place when talking to people 😡 – I do realise it is for digital but it is still annoying)

I found the controls on the D200 to be much easier to use with the twin selection dials (I tend to shoot in either manual or aperture priority – depending if I think I’m feeling smarter than the camera on the day :P). I had a play with the 30D but it didn’t seem as easy to use (but then the guy on the Canon stand didn’t even seem to want to acknowledge my existance so I was operating on my own). The extra MP on the D200 is also nice.

Canon has it’s lenses going for it though, I like the fact that there are a heap of IS lenses available across the range (Oh yeah, forgot to mention that I tend to shake a bit). I know Nikon has the VR lenses but there doesn’t seem that many of them (at least over here) and I haven’t heard much about them.

Now I’m not sure which way to go. Fortunately I haven’t invested too much in Canon (basic twin lens kit and the nifty fifty lens) so that isn’t too much of a concern for me to switch at this point.

Any thoughts/knowledge/warnings about these cameras would be greatly appreciated.

[Analogy]

That does sound like a bit of a conundrum. If you prefer the interface of the Nikon I’d say go with that. The interface is probably the most important part of a camera, what’s the point of having tons of features if you can’t get to them in the heat of shooting?

Just so you know I’m not biased, I have a 30D and love it, but I picked Canon mainly because my friend is a Canon shooter and we share all our accessories. I never even tried the Nikon gear so I have no idea what the interface is like.

As for the shakes, I’d say use a tripod or monopod when you’re in a situation where they’ll become a problem.

[linguine]

Although Ive never used a D200, Ive had a D50 for close to a year now and Ive been very happy with it. The only issues Ive had with the D50 are that I havent been really happy with the autofocus(although Ive pretty much always used manual focus so this isnt much of an issue for me) and the focus ring is a little loser than I would like it to be which caused me to accidently take some out of focus shots when I was first getting used to the camera because Id change the focus just a little bit when I was taking my hand off it. I have no clue if the D200 uses the same lenses as the D50 so this might not even be an issue for you but neither of these issues has bothered me close enough to even get me to consider changing cameras.

Also from what Ive heard theres a large selection of quality 3rd party lenses for nikon cameras as well so when you combine those lenses with the ones nikon makes you should have a large selection of lenses to chose from.

[Analogy]

A problem with one individual model of lens isn’t a black mark against an interchangable lens camera. And all Nikon cameras use the same lens mount, so you can mount the same lenses on any of them.

[Lovesandwich]

That is a hard call. I am a Nikon lover, mostly because the size of the body fits my hands better, and having a bit more mass in the body also helps you stabilize a bit easier. I am currently shooting with a D70s, using a Tamron 18-200mm lens with macro, and a Sigma 10-20mm wide angle. I don’t need any kind of VR since I have very steady hands. (have been known to shoot up to 2 seconds free hand at night) Other than the body mass of the Canon being a lot lighter, therefor harder to keep steady, I don’t think that you will find much difference in the cameras. As for VR lenses from Nikon, I have no clue just because I have never looked into them. (I just realized that I am rambling, but it is because it is 3AM and I am really sleepy.)

There is also Steve’s Digicam’s dot com, although I don’t know if he reviews lenses there. Might be worth a look

I will go away now and sleep. =)

[Claff]

Big fan of Nikon here only beause I’ve never used a Canon. Since I know the controls of the Nikon so well (?) I’m not really interested in trying something new. The two dials for shutter speed & aperture make the ‘higher’ Nikons so much better than anything else out there we have two of them (my D100 and the wife’s D70s).

Can’t say to definitively go with the Nikon over the Canon, but this is a vote of confidence for the “N” brand.

[caradoc]

I shoot Nikon. I’ve shot Nikon for about five years, now.

I tried a few of the Canon bodies, and I wasn’t prepared to spend $2K to get a body that fit my hands when a D80 works just fine for me.

The Rebels are just too fricking small for me to get a good grip on them.

[Analogy]

Getting the portrait/battery grip helps with the Rebels.

[swampa]

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts.

I like taking concert and sports photos (usually in the crowd so a tripod isn’t an option). The shake only becomes an issue at about 1/50s (the blurred photos outweight the in focus photos at this speed – unless using the 300mm lens which the speed needs to be at least twice that)

I found that the Rebel fits perfectly in my hand thanks to my little finger being able to curl under the camera without any discomfort.

[Analogy]

I found that the Rebel fits perfectly in my hand thanks to my little finger being able to curl under the camera without any discomfort.

See, that’s what most people talk about when they say it’s too small. I personally like the camera big enough to take up my whole hand. In that respect even the slightly beefier 30D is a little too small, I had to add a battery grip.

[Author]

Posts