canon vs. nikon

[Macc]

Well i'm getting the Sigma 50-500mm for the nikon so i'm thinking of maybe getting a D80, whats the best nikon camera you can get for £400.

Thanks,
Macc

[Ben H]

Well, the Completed listings on ebay show that D200s are going for around £420-£450, so it may be worth waiting a bit for extra cash or a price drop.

[Macc]

Im not gonna spend till i get the money, so probs about feburary.

Macc

[Heidfirst]

D90 should be cheaper by then, whether it will be as low as £400 ...

[misty]

Well i'm getting the Sigma 50-500mm for the nikon so i'm thinking of maybe getting a D80, whats the best nikon camera you can get for £400.

Thanks,
Macc

and whats wrong with the D50, try your new lens on it first and see what you get,
andy

[Macc]

Well i'm getting the Sigma 50-500mm for the nikon so i'm thinking of maybe getting a D80, whats the best nikon camera you can get for £400.

Thanks,
Macc

and whats wrong with the D50, try your new lens on it first and see what you get,
andy

I'm finding the ISO quite significant on it. at 200 you can see quite a bit of grain, also i think the D200 would give more options on my photos.

Macc

[Camberwick Green]

The D50 is a lot smoother than the D200. Trust me! If you are getting grain at ISO 200, then I wonder if you are just pushing the shot too far in post processing? After the magical combo of D70 and Bigma, I had four D200s and couldn't get shots as smooth as the D70, which is itself, nearly as smooth as Yep! The D50!

You need lots of light with a Bigma and you can push hard with a D50, but try it with a D200 and it will have your nadgers off. Forgiving, it ain't. You need to learn a slightly different style to get the best out of it, which is where I sadly parted with the Bigma. For a better lens, yes, but boy do I prefer the Bigma for its sheer versatility.

[Macc]

I've changed my mind again.
I'm thinking maybe a 80-400mm Nikkor VR and a 1.4x converter on the D80/D200.

would that work?

[Camberwick Green]

A quick bit of Googling says Errr.... No.

Apparently, the 80-400VR is an excellent lens in everything other than AF, where it is very slow unless you have something with a lot faster AF than the D80. A D200 upwards is needed to cover this weakness with any certainty. Gets very high marks for everything other than action shooting and with its natural aperture, if you fit a Teleconverter, you will be lucky if AF works at all.

I think you would need to try this lens before buying if Action photography is the aim. It is a sizeable investment if it might not do what you want. A second hand 80-200 or 70-200VR would work well with a Nikon teleconverter, (not a cheapy - you will compromise the main lens) but that TC is expensive new.

The comments above are based on just two reviews. Go to Google and see if you can find some that give a different conclusion.

[Macc]

I was trying the 80-400 out today. Focus Seemed fine.
The converter is something i can do without but it might be worth a try.

Anyone got a 80-400? and what do you think it's like?

[Hans Rolink]

I was trying the 80-400 out today. Focus Seemed fine.
The converter is something i can do without but it might be worth a try.

Anyone got a 80-400? and what do you think it's like?

Hi,

I have an 80-400 and have used it on a D70 and D200 before using it now on a D300. Yes, it focusses slower than an AFS lens but not to the point that is is unusable. In fact, I like it a lot. I do have to say that it performs best on a high end body. Only with the D300 did it really come into its own.

Hans.

[DaveM]

Just to be really awkward, I heard a couple of days ago that the photographer my sister is using for her wedding "ideally" wants to have a Nikon body with Canon lenses and a Fuji Sensor....

Work that one out...

[Camberwick Green]

The Fuji is a b*stard child of the Nikon and I was surprised when I Googled up a few reviews for the 80-400 and found that allegedly, some Canon lenses will fit, though God knows how. (since found out. Go to the review beneath)

The wedding boys love the Fuji, as its altered response is optimal for weddings which are not easy to say the least. From what I remember, it has more dynamic range to stop you blowing out the whites and undercooking the blacks, but with the quality build and handling of the big N

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/80400vr.htm

[Vodka]

Only Konica Minolta DLSR had true IS system in built .. what you get on all other makes today is a 'vibration reduction' or anti shake system and not the same. Even Sony's DSLR doesn't contain the same IS kit but a AS/VR

for true IS youll have to get an IS lens


I assume its cost. When the KM 7D came out it was £1,595 and the new Sony with AS/ VR is almost just under a grand.

So I assume it s down to cost?

[DTAnglesey]

I can't believe anybody's considering going FROM Nikon to Canon at the moment. As Koen says, there are a LOT of Canon photographers who are considering, if they've not already done so, going the other way.

I totally agree with Karl, there is a lot of photographers including myself that would change to Nikon if money was no object.

I have been a Canon user for as long I can remember and although I have only had problems with only my 20D since I bought it ( D60, 10D and my 1D Mkii has never let me down).

My 20D had to go back to be fixed 5 times and up to this day, the camera still gives me problems when used with the camera grip, (the camera just dies and after I remove and replace the batteries it works again). I just cannot trust the camera any more.

You also read so many things in the forums this days regarding "Please Help" my 30D overexposing, my 40D giving me error 99, my 1D Mkiii need to go back to have the shutter mechanism change, the autofocus not working correctly and so on.

After reading things like that, it does not give me the confidence to go and buy a Canon any more. At the same time I have found very little posts about Nikon users with camera problems.

IMO Canon have now days dropped their quality control and let the users find and report problems with new cameras. I would be very concern to spend my hard earn money on a brand new camera that has to go back to the manufacturer sometime soon to have something replaced. Canon should make sure all cameras are working correctly before they are on sale, something that Nikon are very good at.

Final thoughts, Both brands make very capable cameras, with now days, Nikon been the more reliable out of the two.


Cheers
Dimitris

[Macc]

Thanks you everyone for the advice, i'm gonna stick to Nikon and probably get the Sigma 50-500.

Macc

[umea4]

Hi,

I've come to this thread a bit late. Macc - sounds like you've made a good decision. About the 80-400 - like Hans Rolink, I have one and have used it on a D70 and D300 (and briefly on Camberwick Green's D200). It is a good lens, but like Hans says, comes into its own on a D300.

Anthony.

[DrBenR]

Hi Macc,

On my Flickr photostream, I have some of the Vulcan's arrival at Brize (you can tell it's not a show, that blue stuff with white fluffy stuff is a dead giveaway!!) shot with a D50 and Bigma.

Only adjusted the pics using the PictureProject software, due to not having Photoshop!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28198545@N05/

Ben R

[Macc]

Hi Macc,

On my Flickr photostream, I have some of the Vulcan's arrival at Brize (you can tell it's not a show, that blue stuff with white fluffy stuff is a dead giveaway!!) shot with a D50 and Bigma.

Only adjusted the pics using the PictureProject software, due to not having Photoshop!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28198545@N05/

Ben R

Those are great shots, kinda sways me toward the Bigma more/

[Camberwick Green]

If you want D70 and Bigma shots, then I will try to fish out the keys to my Photobucket account. The D50 and Bigma complement each other very well indeed. All you need is plenty of light.

[Heidfirst]

Only Konica Minolta DLSR had true IS system in built .. what you get on all other makes today is a 'vibration reduction' or anti shake system and not the same. Even Sony's DSLR doesn't contain the same IS kit but a AS/VR

Not true, the Sony SSS is an improved version of the KM sensor shake system as used in the 7D & 5D - after all Sony bought KM's DSLR division & the rights to use the tech.
& Olympus & Pentax/Samsung systems are very similar (not sure about Panasonic's)