Need camera advice

[Civilian]

I will soom be upgrading my SLR to a DSLR and thought I had it figured out(maybee still do). I really like the Canon EOS 30D for its long list of features and 8.2 megapixel CMOS sensor. Now they release the Digital Rebel XTi with a 10.1 MP Canon CMOS sensor, though the features aren't as nice.
Anyone have an opinion on these?
I am thinking that there is more to great shots than Megapixels.

[severedthumbs]

go with the 30D, you will be much more happy with the feel of the magnesium body than the plastic of the Rebel. Trust me you will not miss the 1.8 megapixel you give up with the 30D. Plus the extra features of the 30D come in handy quite often.

[ront]

Hi Civilian, what are you going to be using the camera for? If you have never been to this site, I would check it out. They do pretty good camera reviews and I have looked there often. http://www.steves-digicams.com/
I honestly don't know much about either one of them, but I think that I would agree with you, "that there is more to great shots than Megapixels".
I can tell you, for sure, that I would be thrilled with either one!!!!

Ron

[severedthumbs]

also check out dpreview and luminous-landscape

[zenheretic]

Holy Imagdary coincidences Batman! I was thinking of starting a thread to see if anyone knew some camera sites who had useful reviews. Thanks everyone!

[xdrewsiferx]

Go with Nikon thats my advice.

I went and got a



I usto be a Canon guy untill I got this Nikon now I am die hard Nikon fool.

[severedthumbs]

Go with Nikon thats my advice.

I went and got a



I usto be a Canon guy untill I got this Nikon now I am die hard Nikon fool.

Ignore this and stick with Canon unless you want to spend hours in post processing.

Also remember the quality of glass you buy will play a bigger roll in image quality than either of those cameras. If you go Canon I would highly suggest getting some L glass.

[Echo63]

if you already have a Canon SLR then i would stay with canon for your DSLR
i would go with the 30D over the XTI (400d here in australia)
it has a tougher body and better features.
the XTI/400D is the replacement entry level DSLR

try looking around on http://photography-on-the.net/forums
its the canon digital photography forum, and they are as helpful and friendly as the members of this wonderful forum

[bk1]

I agree with everyone else that if you have Canon lenses that you want to keep and use go with the Canon.
I on the other hand have had Nikon's for over 20 years. Sold both of my Nikon film cameras but kept my 105 marco (just love that lens).
I presently have the d70s and do not mind tweeking pics in Photoshop.
From what I understand though with the New D80 you don't have to do as much post editing in photoshop.
Good luck in which ever camera you get. Let us know what you decide.
:D

[HoB]

Well, it is not quite easy as that, you can not just keep the lenses. Some lenses will work well others not so. Unfortunately, the new lenses are marketed as "Digital lenses". Of course there is nothing digital about them and "digital" doesn't make them better. But the sensor has a different size than the film in a film camera and the lense should be optimized for that. So in many cases, you will need to buy new lenses when you go digital, anyways....unfortunately (I own some very nice film camera lenses as well).

It is definitely true that 8 or 10 Mpixels will make nearly no difference at all. Much more important is the intrinsic sensitivity of the sensor, which will keep the noise low, which is really the bain of all the better d-cameras these days since the number of pixels are really pretty much sufficient for even demanding applications.

Also, ignore all calls to ignore any brands. That is just stupid. There are many good brands out there and the landscape is constantly changing since several companys now cooperate (Sony and Zeiss, Pansonic and Leica, Minota and Zeiss??). Personally, I have been always partial to Nikon, really a personal taste, but until recently, my choice would have been a Canon D30, but now I am very excited about the D80, which all considered, would be (and might very well end up to be, I am still a few months away from buying a D-SLR) my choice. Currently, I am also very much enamored with this one, but it ain't cheap:http://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/st ... 0000005702

Best webpage I have found is http://www.dpreview.com. What I like in particular are the full-sized .jpgs that you can download so that you can really judge image quality for yourself.

[severedthumbs]

Any EF lens will work on the Canon 30D you do not need to but the newer EF-S lenses. Like I said invest in quality glass, this is where you will see the biggest difference in your images. I recommend the Canon line of L glass, it simply can't be beat. Also Canon handles image noise much better than Nikon so you can use your camera at much higher sensitivities, like iso3200, something Nikon can not do.

[severedthumbs]

also let me suggest you check out the Canon 5D for the simple fact it has a full size sensor.

[HoB]

Any EF lens will work on the Canon 30D you do not need to but the newer EF-S lenses. Like I said invest in quality glass, this is where you will see the biggest difference in your images. I recommend the Canon line of L glass, it simply can't be beat. Also Canon handles image noise much better than Nikon so you can use your camera at much higher sensitivities, like iso3200, something Nikon can not do.

That is actually not correct in this generality. It is true that the Canon CMOS sensors have been better than the Nikon sensors on the D50 and D70 which is why I would have gone with one of the Canons but it is not like Nikon is asleep either. Also the differences are not THAT great and ISO 3200 is stretching it in all camera. It is also nonsense, if you were to compare a Rebel against a D2. The D2 has of course the far superior sensor, it also has a 4-5 times larger price tag. An the part with the glass is also only partially correct. The L for the Canon lenses stands for "low dispersion". It is not better glass but since you are combining low dispersion with normal dispersion glass you have more parameters that you can adjust and can in principle make a better lens. Of course all major manufactures use this technique for about 20 years now: Nikon calls theirs ED for "extra low dispersion" and no, it is not "lower dispersion" than Canon, and Zeiss and Leica both never bothered to print what they use on their lenses. You can rest assured that both will put into their designs, what ever is necessary. But then again you don't see a Rolls Royce with "turbo" on the trunk either.
And I wasn't talking about what lenses will "work" on a digital camera, what what lenses are "optimized" for a certain camera. Low dispersion glass will not help you if the lens isn't optimized for a certain sensor. There are several test on the net and in various photo-magazines in which older lense are tested on new D-cameras. Some work very well, some not so.

I agree though that the D5 is a very nice camera,...unfortunately not exactly cheap either.

Best download some photos and compare for yourself. And also very important, go to a store and handle the camera, see if the operation is intuitive for you.

[severedthumbs]

That is some right HoB. Any EF lens will work excellent on Canons Dslr's, I will say that with confidence and the L lenses will produce much better results on any Canon dslr. Canons L lenses are a bit more involved than just a low dispersion element. And actully the L stands for Luxury. L lenses are the pro line of lenses and are among the best in the world. L lenses also have much faster f stops than non lenses.

What is the Canon "L" Lens Series?

Good question - and many answers exist, but it is Canon's professional line (though used extensively by non-professionals) of EOS EF autofocus 35mm SLR and DSLR still camera lenses. Some say L stands for "Low Distortion" - achieved by the UD lens elements found in these lenses. But, the true answer is probably the one in Canon's Lens Work III Book - "L" is for "Luxury".

Watch the sidelines at the next professional sporting event you attend or watch on TV. Look for the identifying L-lens red stripe around the end of the photographers' camera lenses. These are the people who make a living with their equipment - and they frequently trust the Canon L Lens Series for their income.

About their L lenses, Canon says "these lenses use special optical technologies [such as] Ultra-low Dispersion UD glass, Super Low Dispersion glass, Fluorite elements, and Aspherical elements to truly push the optical envelope."

OK so what does that mean - practically speaking?

What you can get when you use Canon L lenses (if you do your part right) are amazing pictures. In fact, this amazement is said to cause a disease know as "L-Disease". Once caught, it is incurable. You will have to buy Canon L lenses in all of the focal lengths you use.

I also believe iso3200 is very useable in Canons newer cameras. With Nikon 1600 is still unacceptable. Both are good cameras but I do feel that Canon has the edge over Nikon in many areas.

Please read Michael Reichmans reviews he is very knowledgeable and explains things really well.

[severedthumbs]

Canon L lenses are top quality pieces throughout the line. They typically have wide apertures (fixed throughout the zoom range for most L zoom lenses). Canon L lenses share a rugged build quality. The build quality combined with wide minimum apertures usually result in Canon L lenses being heavy.

The image quality of the Canon L lenses is generally as good as it gets. Contrast, sharpness, color, bokeh (background/foreground blur quality), flare, CA (Chromatic Aberration) ... All are excellent. Full Frame camera body owners will especially find L series lenses to be (on average) significantly sharper toward the edges of the frame compared to lesser lenses.

In general, Canon L series lenses focus fast. The wide maximum apertures (smallest number) and fast, quiet USM motors (Ultrasonic Motors) enhance focusing speed. The Canon 85mm f/1.2 L USM Lens and the Canon EF 180mm f/3.5 L USM Macro Lens are two exceptions to this rule.

Many in the Canon L lens series are white in color. According to Canon, this reduces heat gain when a lens is used in bright, direct sunlight. White reflects more light than black - thus, less heat gain. The white lenses look great (my opinion of course), but attract attention. Again - watch for them the next time you watch a sports event on TV or in person.

Full time manual focusing (FTM) is another feature typically present in the Canon L lenses. You can let the camera autofocus, then manually adjust focus yourself prior to the shot - without lifting your finger from the shutter.

Many of the Canon L series lenses share a 77mm filter size. Because of this, sharing filters such as the B+W Circular Polarizer is possible with many of the lenses in this lineup. More space in the bag and money savings result.

Canon L lenses typically have a non-rotating front element. This is important when using certain filters.

[Civilian]

Thanks everyone for the opinions, now I have to checkout those sites. I have been busy learning how to use my wife's new camera, a Sony DSC-N1 a great point and shoot with good video to boot.
Pretty funny that I got this(attached file) in my email today.

[hrdwrguy]

Civilian, if you have any friends with the same cameras you're looking at I recommend borrowing and try the camera for a day or two. What brand of lenses you already own can make a big difference unless they are not particularly good or you really want to move to something else, I get the feeling you already have some Canon stuff. There can be a differences "digital only" lenses, usually that they are designed for a 3/4, or aps, size sensor not full frame film. This doesn't really matter when you buy for digital cameras but will if you use the "digital" lense for film.

My ex has a 20D and it is a great camera to shoot, very solid and very reliable performance from full manual to full auto. I own an old non-auto Nikon and a couple really nice lenses, I would have stuck to Nikon had I not used the Canon.

Now I'm waiting for the D80 to come out so I can compare it to the 30D, (chances are one of the two will be my xmas/grad gift to myself). One thing to note is that I get the feeling that the basic line of lenses from Nikon, and what they package with their kits, give a little more bang for the buck than Canon, at the higher end the difference is negligible though. The stock 18-55 lense on that 20D was the one thing that was so so, but then thats comes in kits.

Mike

[Teresa]

I just have an old Canon 300D and while still learning it I love it. You can find a lot of lens for the dang thing and it works like a champ. Like it better than the newer cheaper Rebels I've seen come out.

As for the L lens...god if I could afford one I'd buy one in a heartbeat. I read everything all of you said about them and posted about them but you forgot one important thing...they're extremely quiet. Many of these lens you can buy that are cheaper (including Canon lens) are not.

A factor to consider...you get what you pay for.

That being said Nikon is a heck of a good camera as well. I just did not care for the ergonomics of it (or the price when you got right down to it). I got my Canon used (not abused) for an extremely reasonable price from a friend on the net along with a bunch of extras...I would not of been able to afford it otherwise. I have not been disappointed yet with it. Nor with my new 70-300mm lens I picked up last weekend.

[Civilian]

Hi Civilian, what are you going to be using the camera for?

Fwiw I want to get a Tele-photo lens for wild-life and RC airplane shots, a good Macro for knives and bugs, and finaly be able to try some Astro-photo stuff! I'd like to do some good burst shots for biking, bowling, and the occasinal airshow.