Nice to have a view
Discussion
This post goes way off topic I'm afraid...
If you're shooting RAW images at ISO 400 or below you will have a hard time telling the two apart (with comparable lenses). Canon is better at high ISO than the Nikons though I believe, although the 400D only does ISO 1600 while the D80 will do 3200 (probably quite noisy). D80 might do more fps in burst shooting as well.
GravelBen said:
I'm actually leaning towards the Pentax at the moment - similar spec to the others (10MP etc) but anti-shake sensor (so you don't need VR lenses etc which saves you money there)
Frankly I think the anti-shake is more nice-to-have than must-have. Its only good for still shots in low light, you're better spending money on more aperture than IS- especially if you're trying to capture action in poor light.GravelBen said:
and much much better weather sealing than the D80 or 400D - more equivalent to D200 in that respect, which is potentially very useful as a lot of my photography is done up the mountains where weather is often crap, or at rallies which are pretty dusty (and the weather is often crap 
).
I don't know at what point the Canon bodies are weather sealed (might only be 1D/5D) and only their L lenses are weather sealed = $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. Apparently non-L glass Canon lenses are bad at sucking dust in as you zoom them, which is partly why the dust removal mechanism has been installed in the 400D. ). GravelBen said:
According the sales guy in a shop I dropped into a couple of days ago the Pentax is compatible with a much wider variety of lenses than the others, but Pentax don't have that many dSLR specific lenses out yet. (he also reckoned Pentax lenses were cheaper for equivalent quality than Canon or Nikon)
I'll take his word for it. I didn't research Pentax/Sony alpha at all when I was looking for my camera.GravelBen said:
The D80 apparently has the best image quality of the 3, and more in the way of manual controls and pro-type features (which I'd have to learn to use). Having used a mates D50 I like the feel and workings of Nikons though, so I'll try and find a shop with both the D80 and the K10D and have a play with them.
D80 is definitely a step above the 400D in terms of features, for a price. www.dpreview.com will do a good comparison with lab-controlled test shots. I had a Canon compact so was used to their interface, and liked the idea of a somewhat smaller body.GravelBen said:
The 400D would be last choice of those for me, it does have the advantage of being a bit smaller and lighter than the others but I didn't really like the feel of it that much in the shop, I guess you'd get used to it but it does feel that extra bit cheaper than the others. Spending less on a body would leave more $$ free to spend on lenses, but if the lenses are more expensive it cancels that out a bit.
The point of spending money on lenses is that they actually contribute more to the photo quality than the body. I've seen tests where the lense actually limits the sharpness of the photo, not the digital sensor! Interchangeable lenses is also the second-best feature of dSLRs (best being large sensor), otherwise you may as well buy a prosumer compact. I have an AU$900 lense and I'm still not entirely happy with its sharpness or the distortion of straight lines at wide angle (evident in the photo you particularly liked- its not bad but I'm fussy!) It will be a huge money sink I'm sure.If you're shooting RAW images at ISO 400 or below you will have a hard time telling the two apart (with comparable lenses). Canon is better at high ISO than the Nikons though I believe, although the 400D only does ISO 1600 while the D80 will do 3200 (probably quite noisy). D80 might do more fps in burst shooting as well.
GravelBen said:
Anything in particular you can think of that I've missed in my reasoning? I'll probably try and make myself put it off until I start proper work at the end of the year anyway, but you never know, sometimes deals come up...
There is nothing wrong with doing plenty of homework, read reviews, comparisons and so on. Its good to keep in mind what you want to do beyond your initial purchase- I could have bought a twin-lense kit with the standard 18-55mm and a 70-300 zoom but that didn't fit with my long term goal of having a camera that I would never have to compromise with. Oh, and don't let any of the brand-whore camera owners out there sway you without decent reasoning. The Nikon v Canon battle is as bad as any car brand comparison.GravelBen said:
ETA: I like that third shot yours (with the buildings in the middle), nice angle on the city.
Thanks, I was hanging off the edge of a 12th floor balcony in the wind trying not to look down at the street below! Got a few other good ones over there, the more I shoot the more keeprs I get.Edited by HTSD on Wednesday 6th June 14:18
Edited by HTSD on Wednesday 6th June 14:19
Kylie said:
I wish I had this view!! Well its an unfinished artwork of mine, not a photo (I wish), am hoping to complete this week. I love going to this area its a special place.
Always the way isn't it. Thank God for digital! Cheers for the camera advice.
RobDickinson said:
Freezing up here, went for a surf saturday, ooh cold...
Doesnt help I was in a cheap 2.5mm wetsuit no boots etc..
Nice painting, airbrushed? Wifes busy painting the tekapo one... (with plans to do the milford one next
ils)
All you surfies are mad, my sisters boyfriend made me watch him surf down in Timaru last winter. His hands and lips were blue with cold, I was freezing watching him!!Doesnt help I was in a cheap 2.5mm wetsuit no boots etc..
Nice painting, airbrushed? Wifes busy painting the tekapo one... (with plans to do the milford one next
ils)For this one I wanted to use PPG Dulon car paint instead on the main stream stuff artists normally use, I am always trying to be a little different experimenting in different mediums. The painting is 90% airbrushed and rest with a fine paint brush. It will have black borders and silver writing on the lower side. It will be finished in PPG AAA Clear. The colours should pop right out once I hit it with clear giving it a translucent wet look. If I like it, it goes to the gallery. If not stays on the wall, otherwise Simon will nick it for his office
The next one is Lindis Pass and another southern scene after that. 
Have a look at this GravelBen- I'm tempted, its ludicrously cheap for a 30D! I don't understand it.
Edited by HTSD on Sunday 10th June 05:26. Bl**dy formatting rules.
Edited by HTSD on Sunday 10th June 05:26
RobDickinson said:
Digital rev is above board, long time seller of camera stuff.
Seems a decent deal to me, not 100% sure on price, the 30d's due for replacement soonish & the kit lens isnt worht all that much.
They also do the 30D 'Enthusiast Kit' for about AU$1800-1900 which comes with the EF-S 17-85mm F/4-F/5.6 lense, same one as I have, which is a seriously good deal. I paid more money for the same lense and a 400D body!Seems a decent deal to me, not 100% sure on price, the 30d's due for replacement soonish & the kit lens isnt worht all that much.
does look a good sorta deal - I guess it could be explained by what Rob said about the 30d being replaced soon. Still, the new model coming out doesn't make the old one any worse.Gassing Station | New Zealand | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff