So, what's with canon then?

[karlosfandango]

I've been contemplating a dslr for a while now and have basically cut the field down to the d70s and 350d. Reading through this board it seems that the Nikon boys and girls have the opinion that their kit is better.

I plan to buy just the body and probably something like a sigma 24-60 f2.8. Coming from a compact the Nikon feels huge, the Canon is alot smaller but still quite big. I tried them both in a couple of shops and prefer the Canon. What makes the NIkon worth £100 more than the Canon?

edit - <first post and I nob up the title> Missing word is Wrong

>> Edited by karlosfandango on Thursday 4th August 20:18

[_dobbo_]

karlosfandango said:

I've been contemplating a dslr for a while now and have basically cut the field down to the d70s and 350d. Reading through this board it seems that the Nikon boys and girls have the opinion that their kit is better. I plan to buy just the body and probably something like a sigma 24-60 f2.8. Coming from a compact the Nikon feels huge, the Canon is alot smaller but still quite big. I tried them both in a couple of shops and prefer the Canon. What makes the NIkon worth £100 more than the Canon?

Canon folk may disagree, but I would say the significantly better build quality, coupled with the even more significantly better kit lens.

I believe the Canon is lacking in some of the more advanced metering functions as well, but may be wrong. On the plus side it's got 2 more megamapixamels or whatever they are called. On the downside in practical terms that isn't that much difference.

You wont go wrong whichever you buy, so don't worry too much about what gets said here, it's all pretty tongue in cheek.

[ErnestM]

Try them both. See which one you are more comfortable holding. You'd be surprised how important that is. I chose the 350 (Rebel XT in YankSpeak).


ErnestM

[daydreamer]

karlosfandango said:

Reading through this board it seems that the Nikon boys and girls have the opinion that their kit is better.

Don't forget that the Canon boys and girls know that their kit is better, but don't feel the need to shout about it quite so much.

I really tried to like the 350D, as with a general purpose lense on it it is almost compact size. However, ended up with a 20D, a little for internal memory, but mainly as I liked the way it feels.

Both camps will tell you that you should go with what feels best. If there is a couple of MP difference between the two, you will only see it on an extreme crop - in which case, you should have put the correct lense on in the first place.

At the end of the day, they are both cracking cameras, and the output will be fab provided that it is being pointed in approximately the right direction

Rich

[simpo two]

Hi (you remember the TV ad too )
Assuming you're comparing bodies only (and therefore the AF-S Nikkor 18-70mm is not in the equation), one reason for the price difference might be that you're looking at the D70s and not the D70, which is virtually the same camera but cheaper.

Is there a reason why you've chosen an f2.8 lens? 24-60mm is not a massive zoom ratio, and 24mm, whilst very handy on a 35mm SLR, is 'only' 36mm on a Nikon and 38mm on a Canon - not great wide angle. You'll get a better deal with the Nikon and its 18-70.

As has already been said, the choice is six of one and half a dozen of another. Functionality and feel is important. Does it feel right? Are the controls that you need where you want them, or buried in a menu? Ultimately, whether it costs £100 more or not is not really important in the scheme of things: if you prefer it, buy it rather than settle for second best.

[simpo two]

daydreamer said:

Don't forget that the Canon boys and girls know that their kit is better, but don't feel the need to shout about it quite so much.

You need a special kind of smug to have a Canon

[mindgam3]

_dobbo_ said:

Canon folk may disagree, but I would say the significantly better build quality, coupled with the even more significantly better kit lens.

I don't understand why many people view the canon as having poor build quality; this simply isn't true. The silver body may feel slightly plasticky but at the end of the day it's a very solid piece of kit.

However i'd agree that the kit lense is better on the nikon, although i prefer the canon range of lenses that are an option to me and the canon brand in general.

_dobbo_ said:

You wont go wrong whichever you buy, so don't worry too much about what gets said here, it's all pretty tongue in cheek.

Exactly, personal preference at the end of the day, they're both great cameras

[karlosfandango]

I think I'm all set for the dark side

What lens would be your choice to cover most eventualities? I'll probably get something with a decent zoom later on. I didn't fancy the kit lens as it tended to get a bit of a caning from some of the reviews I found. The Sigma was around £250 so what else would fit the bill?

[406]

simpo two said:

You need a special kind of smug to have a Canon

And a "Make Do" attitude :laugh;

[ehasler]

mindgam3 said:

I don't understand why many people view the canon as having poor build quality; this simply isn't true. The silver body may feel slightly plasticky but at the end of the day it's a very solid piece of kit. ... Exactly, personal preference at the end of the day, they're both great cameras

Canon certainly don't have poor build quality, and while the cheaper models don't have the same "hewn from rock" feel of the high-end models, they certainly aren't lacking in this area.

As said by others, they are both excellent cameras, and to be honest, if you lined up two photos from the respective cameras, very few people could tell which camera took what.

The main thing is to have a play with both and see what feels most comfortable - after all, there's little point in having better high-ISO performance if you get fed up with the buttons being in the wrong place

If you do go for the Canon, then the EF-S 17-85 f4-5.6 IS lens is rated pretty highly, and would be a good (albeit pricier) replacement for the kit lens.

Check out www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/ for reviews on the various lenses.

[_dobbo_]

mindgam3 said:

_dobbo_ said: Canon folk may disagree, but I would say the significantly better build quality, coupled with the even more significantly better kit lens. I don't understand why many people view the canon as having poor build quality; this simply isn't true. The silver body may feel slightly plasticky but at the end of the day it's a very solid piece of kit.

That's a fair point, what I should have said is that the Nikon feels much better built due to the materials.

[mindgam3]

_dobbo_ said:

mindgam3 said: _dobbo_ said: Canon folk may disagree, but I would say the significantly better build quality, coupled with the even more significantly better kit lens. I don't understand why many people view the canon as having poor build quality; this simply isn't true. The silver body may feel slightly plasticky but at the end of the day it's a very solid piece of kit. That's a fair point, what I should have said is that the Nikon feels much better built due to the materials.

agreed if its the silver bodied 350D. The black version IMO, looks and feels alot better and is more comparable in feel to the nikon