New to DSLR - Nikon D80 vs Canon 30D same price point

[dafris]

Please help me decide

I am new and have read so many reviews. I am constantly seeing that I shouldn't compare the 30D to the D80 because it is the class of the D200 and the D80 should be compared to the Canon 400D.

400D is too small for my hands and both the D80 and 30D feel great in my hands and they are exactly the same price 'body only'.

What should I do? Can anyone offer any suggestions, would one camera serve me better, is one more intitutive to navigate the menu and controls, does one have better lens quality / cost / suppy etc...

I am going to learn and play with all the settings, however my wife will want to pick up the camera in probably shutter priority and capture our 7 month old being so active. My wife's only requirements was for it to start up fast and not miss the shot - I feel both will be fine for this so it's down to my needs and this is where I just don't know which way I should go.

Kind Regards :?:

[gstark]

Hi, and welcome.

Yes, the classification of the cameras is as you've been told, but that's somewhat of a lesser issue.

You've been playing with the bodies, and this should take you a fair way down the correct path - which do you feel most comfortable with? Which, for you, has the best ergonomics?

Answer those questions, and you have your answer, as every one of those cameras will help you to get great images.

Don't forget though to consider the glass that you're going to stick on the front. The cheapest Canon glass is exactly that: cheap. Nikon's cheaper glass is generally well regarded, but once you move above the cheap glass categories, both brands make truly excellent glass that can and will work with you.

So ... if you're thinking a Canon body, factor in slightly more expensive glass to start with ... if you're thinking Nikon, just get the kit glass as a starting point, and you'll be fine.

[Oscar]

Hi dafris2002 and welcom to the forum. Hope you enjoy your time here.

The question you ask is one which many of us have faced and the battle of the brands still rages.

The simplest answer is go out and have a play with both cameras (preferably in the same outlet and with the same focal length and quality lens). See which body feels best and has the best ergonomics for you.

Both companies have a great range of lenses and both cameras will serve you well.

Cheers, Mick

[Big V]

Hello and welcome, if really long exposure photography is ever going to be a consideration or you wish to shoot with high ISO, then the Canon 30D, also if you are going to need 5 frames per second, then again the Canon. However as they are both exceptional cameras for the dollar you cant go wrong. As Gary has said, the body is only the start and the rel fun starts with selecting the glass...

[devilla101]

I was in the same both a few months earlier. For me it was the decision between the 30D, D80 or D200.

I followed what the helpful members suggested here and went into the shop and tried them.

At the end of it however I got myself the 30D (Early this month). Mostly because I was using a Canon 10D at the time and knew the ergonomics well and felt more comfortable with it.

[iGBH]

I agree with what has been said above. I'm in a similar situation in trying to choose a new dSLR around the same price point. My choice was the D80 because it just felt right in my hands. Also, if you don't have any lenses, the kit lense with this camera is also very good imo.

Either way though, you can't go wrong.

[xerubus]

It all depends on what your style of photography is. Both are great cameras.

All differences are arguable, however some differences are:

D80 wins on res with 10mp vs 8mp
30d for lack of high iso noise
30d high shutter speed of 1/8000 vs 1/4000
30d for 5fps vs 3fps
d80 less weight and slightly smaller.
d80 auto iso


cheers

[joey]

One other important pro for the D80. It's made by Nikon.

[dafris]

Thank you all very much, your comments are appreciated. I will spend some more time with these two and decide.
Regards, David

[Zeeps]

Have a feel/play with the bodies in store and see which ones fits best.

Also another camera worth noting would be the Pentax K10D.

Built in shake reduction (effectivly all your lenses will have IS), weather sealed etc.

[DVEous]

... Obsolete ...

[gstark]

One other important pro for the D80. It's made by Nikon.

Are you suggesting that some Canon branded bodies aren't actually manufactured by Canon?

I suspect that he's suggesting that the Canon bodies are not made by Nikon.

Let's not go down that path though: as has already beenh noted, this is more opf a personal touchy-feely thing, and both manufacturers make excellent products.

What's most important is how the camera feels to the user.

[stubbsy]

I own Nikon gear and am more than happy with it so you know my biases up front. Here's what I tell friends who ask me the same question.

Both canon and Nikon make exceptional cameras so choosing either gives you a good start at capturing the image (and it's only a start - you need skills too). Aside from ergonomics (which body feels better to you) there is one significant difference between Canon and Nikon bodies for me. Canon images out of camera tend to be softer than Nikon ones (so most Canon shooters would sharpen their image as part of routine post processing) whereas Nikon images out of camera (especially at high ISO - say 800+) have more noise than Canon ones (so Nikon uses tend to use noise reduction as part of routine post processing at high ISO).

For me I don't take many high ISO shots (very little low light shooting) and want to be able to start with the sharpest image I can so I chose Nikon. If I took lots of low light shots then I'd have got a Canon.

Now what I say above is a big generalisation so like all generalisations there will be exceptions (there are bodies like the 5D from Canon for example that give sharp images out of camera), but it's a good point of difference to bear in mind.

[moz]

Stubbsy, the varying sharpness out of the camera is one reason Canon added picture settings groups to the newer models. It gives people a little more control over what exactly the jpeg looks like, so people who don't shoot raw can tweak settings more. I have jpeg settings stored for sunlight people shots, riding my bike (day and night), and inddor at night, but use those mostly for speed of getting shots on the web - I'll shoot raw+small/crap jpeg, and stick the small jpecgs straight on the web while I process the raw files.

But since I always shoot raw, none of that really matters to me very much. I'm a Canon shooter who habitually tweaks shaprness in several passes, but also uses noise reduction, white balance and a range of other things on virtually every image. Partly because I have the tools, and partly because the camera so very rarely gets everything right. I find swapping brands to be quite straightforward in the sense that raw files from a Nikon (I've worked with both D2H or D70s) didn't seem appreciably different to the 30D/5D that I normally use.

A lot of it is pure preference - the obvious one being Canon going for a very warm look under incandescent light, where Nikon give a very white look. So I shoot RAW all the time... it's not as though memory cards cost that much compared to the camera. With PoS cameras I usually say "1/2 to 1/3 of your budget on cards" but with SLRs it's more like 1/10th

[joey]

Here’s another approach to this question.
Choose the lenses you would want to have for your photography and necessary accessories. Then, choose a suitable camera for them.

[dafris]

Thank you again and all good info. I'm shopping around and found this site. Can anyone comment on this at all for me.

http://mydigitalslr.com/products.html

I'm wondering if this is reputable and delivery to Australia would be english manuals etc... I have sent them an email.

Regards, David

[Bugeyes]

Thank you again and all good info. I'm shopping around and found this site. Can anyone comment on this at all for me.

http://mydigitalslr.com/products.html

I'm wondering if this is reputable and delivery to Australia would be english manuals etc... I have sent them an email.

Regards, David

Very sus...wouldn't touch them with a 10 foot pole... http://www.dslrusers.com/viewtopic.php?t=25617

[digitor]

Thank you again and all good info. I'm shopping around and found this site. Can anyone comment on this at all for me.

http://mydigitalslr.com/products.html

I'm wondering if this is reputable and delivery to Australia would be english manuals etc... I have sent them an email.

Regards, David

Ha Ha, good one - I prefer http://dodgey-cameras.ru for most of my purchases - they only take cash (US dollars preferred - small bills)

Cheers

[dafris]

Thank you for the link and interesting reading. That's why I'm glad I'm talking to you guys. Well done
Cheers, David