First things first: I’ve booked my flight to San Francisco. Fellow foodie Tom read my WWDC post, and decided to google for it. I’d been in Knoxville for the past 2 days, and hadn’t had much chance to search on my own. Tuesday morning:
tom: Found that ticket yet?
me: no.
tom: Tried this one yet? [link to Minnesota Craigslist].
I emailed the address as quickly as my fingers would move. Still available. For the original price. The Early Bird Special price. Too good to be true. The check is in the mail, and should arrive on the 29th.
In a worst case scenario, should something happen along the way, I’ve at least booked my first trip to the West Coast where I’ll get to hang out with the Big Bro in his element.
Which brings me to the point: Digital Cameras. I’d like to buy one.
In the past, I’ve always been a Canon guy. I think it started with my first real video camera, the Canon GL2. I loved the way it rendered colors, but I didn’t like the lack of a zoom ring or that I couldn’t change lenses (easily). Then I picked up a Canon 10D DSLR for my trip to the UK, and loved it, although it was used and had horrible battery life!
Taken with the 10D
When I moved to New York, I liquidated most my assets including all the bikes, any video game systems, the tv, and my digital camera. While this may seem Spartan, it allowed me to move with 2 duffel bags and my laptop. It also let me figure out what I actually needed, and dump everything I didn’t.
Without a decent digital camera, I found myself starving for photography experiments. On my birthday I grabbed a little Canon POS PowerShot SD750 that took decent-enough pictures, but it wasn’t enough.
Taken with the PowerShot
So here I am. I’m torn at the infamous crossroads of staying with my brand, or experimenting with “the competition.” Nikon.
I’m considering a kit with at least 2 lenses, and I’m not a fan of plastic parts that are prone to breaking. Because I’ve this, I’ve pretty much ruled out anything less than the Canon D series, and the Nikon D80.
First consideration:
- Canon 40D, a 10.1MP Camera with EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens, for $1,130.
- Nikon D80, a 10.2MP Camera with 18-135mm AF-S DX Zoom for $999.95
My biggest pet peeve with Canon is that for the most part, they don’t support SD Cards, opting instead for big clunky Compact Flash cards in all their DSLRs. I also happen to have almost 8 gigs of storage in SD Cards, so I’m kinda bummed about that.
Nikon has great attention to detail. I think their UI’s look better, and overall, the camera’s aesthetics are designed better. They also use SD. But will I love the photos it takes as opposed to Canon?
My inclination is to stick with Canon, but I’d love to hear some opinions. Please mention your current rig, and ideally some sample pictures. Change my mind:
Congratulations on nabbing a ticket!
I’ve shot with both the 40D and the D80, and I’d take the Nikon any day. It’s not that it takes “better pictures”, it’s that I feel like *I* take better pictures with it.
Right now I’m shooting with the 20D, but only because it was given to me on “permanent loan” by a family member. If I was forced to choose, I’d pick up a D300.
But whatever you do, don’t get that 18-135mm D80 kit. I’ve heard bad things about that lens. Better to go with a body-only kit or the 18-55mm. See if the vendor will even throw in the new 18-55 VR that comes with the D60.
@sean thanks for the congrats. I’m so psyched about it. how goes your search? people keep telling me that a ton of tickets pop up shortly before the event, although that assumes you can swing the travel as well.
Thats very interesting info on the lens. I’ve heard that Nikon did something screwy with the D60 by stripping it of the auto-focus motor, but i’m glad I didn’t fall for the D80 kit.
Looking into the D300 now…
Well I wouldn’t consider myself a dSLR enthusiast, I’m more of a rangefinder enthusiast … but I do like using SLR’s every once in awhile to do what they’re good at.
I think both cameras you’ve picked out are good choices. I would more look at which lenses you’d like to get and go from there. I think Canon has a bit faster glass available but Nikon has some interesting unique lenses available as well. Are you wanting a walk-around shoot everything type of lens or just a fast prime or … ?
Eli, I own a Nikon D70 and I wish I would have bought a Canon. Why? They’re simply lighter. I got to try my sister’s Rebel when she was in town and loved the overall handling of the camera. Did you consult http://dpreview.com? Always a good resource when it comes to buying a camera. Let me know what you go for!
I’d take the Canon 40D. My dad recently got one with a 17-55 f2.8 and it rocks! Image quality and clarity is amazing, it is fast, and has a new “Live View” feature allowing you to look through the lens on the LCD and snap pictures. All in all, from what I’ve seen, it’s a great camera. I know Nikon makes excellent cameras as well, but I’ve loved what I’ve seen with the 40D. Cheers!
yo dude… both are great cameras
if you’ve got lenses for the canon already I’d stick with that
otherwise they’re on par with each other