Nikon Vs Canon

[uaecasher]

Hello,

I'm new to photography and i want to buy a DSLR but I'm not sure which brand to chose Nikon or Canon.

here is my needs:

i need a good image quality camera (12 MP)

i need a camera that is good with capturing moving parts.

I'm not considering photography as professional job but more as serious hobby.

I need it to have HD video mode like (Nikon D90)

with my budget ($1000 ~ $1500) i found the Nikon D90 best for me, but i want to take you thoughts about my chose as i see a real pros here :D

thank you

[gkarris]

Here we go....

:eek:

Olympus... :D

[TuffLuffJimmy]

i need a good image quality camera (12 MP)
The megapixel count has little to do with image quality.

i need a camera that is good with capturing moving parts.
Then you need good glass, most DSLRs in each price range are about the same.


with my budget ($1000 ~ $1500) i found the Nikon D90 best for me, but i want to take you thoughts about my chose as i see a real pros here :D

You really should be investing in good glass. Your camera will last you a few years, while glass, if kept properly, will last you a lifetime. So if you're set on the Nikon then what glass do you want to use with it? Really you don't buy a camera, you buy into a system. Thus you should be looking at all the parts that you will want to purchase, before you start to look at cameras.

[adrianblaine]

I think you've already answered your question then. If you are first starting out it's much easier to go with either. Once you get established in one, it's nearly impossible to switch because of all the money that goes into one or the other (unless you have a very large budget for camera equipment). The only camera Canon makes that fits your budget and requirements is the newest Rebel which I'm not sure has even been released yet. I was a Rebel owner until I got a 40D, after which I will never go back to a Rebel ever again. I've heard many good things about the D90 though.

[gkarris]

^^^
Yes, I like the pics from Canon better, but the Nikons look good to me when you use the ED glass...

[uaecasher]

The megapixel count has little to do with image quality.


Then you need good glass, most DSLRs in each price range are about the same.




You really should be investing in good glass. Your camera will last you a few years, while glass, if kept properly, will last you a lifetime. So if you're set on the Nikon then what glass do you want to use with it? Really you don't buy a camera, you buy into a system. Thus you should be looking at all the parts that you will want to purchase, before you start to look at cameras.

what glass do you recommend me to get for taking images of moving objects?

[TuffLuffJimmy]

what glass do you recommend me to get for taking images of moving objects?

depends on your glass budget. Realistically your best glass should be around the price of your camera, if not more.

[waiwai]

what glass do you recommend me to get for taking images of moving objects?

u just need a fast lens... anything 1.2, 1.4, 1.8 or 2.8 will suffice. it also depends on your available light... if you're shooting concerts and stuff... you're going to want the 1.2 or 1.4 because lighting in concerts are pretty random and dim in most cases. 1.8 and 2.8 should be used when u have a fair bit of light to work with.

hope u got lotsa dough to spend... cuz photography is expensive :)

[Razeus]

hope u got lotsa dough to spend... cuz photography is expensive :)

doesn't have to be. just get 1 or 2 lenses you like to shoot with and that's that. people that have the hardware bug are the ones that find it expensive.

[uaecasher]

u just need a fast lens... anything 1.2, 1.4, 1.8 or 2.8 will suffice. it also depends on your available light... if you're shooting concerts and stuff... you're going to want the 1.2 or 1.4 because lighting in concerts are pretty random and dim in most cases. 1.8 and 2.8 should be used when u have a fair bit of light to work with.

hope u got lotsa dough to spend... cuz photography is expensive :)

i don't want to be that accurate as i said before i like photography as a hobby and well I'm in high school but i got around $10k savings (from a business i started then stopped), 1st i bought MBP unibody and planing to spend the rest on other apple products and the cam XD oh and a server :D

[toxic]

u just need a fast lens... anything 1.2, 1.4, 1.8 or 2.8 will suffice. it also depends on your available light... if you're shooting concerts and stuff... you're going to want the 1.2 or 1.4 because lighting in concerts are pretty random and dim in most cases. 1.8 and 2.8 should be used when u have a fair bit of light to work with.

a fast lens isn't required to take photos of moving objects. any lens will, provided there's enough light.

i suggest you forget the HD video and get a normal SLR and camcorder. if you really want video, the Canon T1i/500D comes out May 1, as an alternative to the D90.

[SLC Flyfishing]

I think that a Nikon D90 is going to be your best option. It's a great body, good high ISO performance (for an APS-C sensor which is all you're going to afford), and with a descent lens you'll be able to do just what you're setting out to do.

It would help us all a tremendous amount if you could tell us a little about the photography you plan on doing. Light levels, distance to subject etc.

If you can get moderately close, or these moving parts you plan on photographing are very large, you could get the D90 with the kit lens (18-55 or 18-135) and then just pick up a 50 f/1.8 (around $100). I'd think that this combination would be about as capable as any you will be able to purchase for this task, as long as you don't have to be far away from your subject; the farther you have to be while shooting, the more money you're going to have to spend to get good results. The D90 has HD video too, but I think it can only record for 5 minutes at a time.

SLC

[uaecasher]

a fast lens isn't required to take photos of moving objects. any lens will, provided there's enough light.

i suggest you forget the HD video and get a normal SLR and camcorder. if you really want video, the Canon T1i/500D comes out May 1, as an alternative to the D90.

but it will cost me more + i will have to carry two cameras :P and ya D90 have the option to take photo when I'm shooting a video, I'm wondering if other SLR have this feature ?

[SLC Flyfishing]

but it will cost me more + i will have to carry two cameras :P and ya D90 have the option to take photo when I'm shooting a video, I'm wondering if other SLR have this feature ?

I'm pretty sure that the D90 and Canon's new 5D MkII are the only currently available DSLR's to feature video recording. The new Rebel is supposed to as well, but I can say from experience that the D90 is a much better body than the Rebel series cameras (for many different reasons). The image quality should be pretty similar between the two, but the build quality won't be, and neither will the viewfinder (the D90's got a pentaprism while the Rebel will only have a penta-mirror). The D90 also has a top LCD for shooting info, and front and rear control dials, all which are not available with the Rebel cameras. The Rebel is more of build quality and a feature competitor with the Nikon D60.

APS-C DSLR's are already at a less than optimal situation with their viewfinders, you may as well get the best one you can. Peer into a pentaprism viewfinder, then look through a Rebel (or anyother pentamirror viewfinder) and you'll see that the difference is staggering.

SLC

[cube]

The Panasonic GH1 coming out now has 1080p 24fps AVCHD video WITH AUTOFOCUS.

OK, that's an EVIL, not strictly a DSLR.

[fiercetiger224]

Ohhh boy. Another "Nikon Vs. Canon" thread.

So, as of NOW, the only camera that has video capabilities within your budget is the D90. If you wait a couple months, then you'll have access to the Canon T1i.

The only thing I'd worry about is the D90s rolling shutter. It's much worse than the 5D Mark II. I've used both (I own a 5D Mark II), and I can say that D90 really loves the jello/skewing effect. If you're not so picky, then the D90 may be for you. It takes amazing pictures though! :cool:

I'm going to be grabbing a T1i as a second-hand camera once it's out. :D

[leighonigar]

What on earth does the OP mean by 'Moving parts'?? Runners? Fruit bats? Racing cars? Ants? Please clarify!

[jons]

The megapixel count has little to do with image quality.


Then you need good glass, most DSLRs in each price range are about the same.




You really should be investing in good glass. Your camera will last you a few years, while glass, if kept properly, will last you a lifetime. So if you're set on the Nikon then what glass do you want to use with it? Really you don't buy a camera, you buy into a system. Thus you should be looking at all the parts that you will want to purchase, before you start to look at cameras.

Excellent advice. I hope the OP is listening.

[keith204]

Jimmy is dead on.

Also, don't be swayed by Image Stabilization, unless you are wanting to do some panning and get the "mode 2, panning" IS. Mode 1 IS does absolutely *nothing* for fast action, since it doesn't actually increase the shutter speed like a larger aperture would allow.

The lens is the most important part of the setup. I'd highly recommend the 70-200 f/2.8L IS by Canon ($1700) but also, the Canon 85mm f/1.8 ($350) is extremely good in low light, and has some of the fastest autofocus I've ever seen.

Don't be afraid to check out the XSi It's far better than the previous Rebels. I have it as a backup to my 5D Mark II and the XSi holds its grounds very well.

The 70-200 f/2.8L IS has the panning-mode IS which helped me nail some racing shots w/ a previous 40D:

http://keith204.smugmug.com/photos/332685184_gph36-L.jpg

http://keith204.smugmug.com/photos/314464426_ukdBb-L.jpg

[Hmac]

Buy the D90, use the kit lens. See how it works for your "moving parts" purpose. If it doesn't do the job you need it to, figure out what's lacking and then add that - new lens, flash etc.

The kit lenses on current lenses are fine for getting started. I see these posts here all the time and the inevitable" buy better glass" fans. Baloney. Good glass is expensive. Get the camera and learn to use it. Otherwise, you only have the advice of a bunch of anonymous internet photographers telling you what THEY think is good glass with no knowledge whatsoever of what YOUR needs are. Don't waste your money on glass up front.

[vicious1]

I have to agree with the previous poster. Get a dslr and learn how to use it. Learn the techniques and possibilities.Equipment does not make you a good photographer. Later whenyou have hit the limits with your glass you can always get better one but until then I would say get a kit and a prime lens and start shooting. The camera and lens is a part that can be changed and upgraded once you have "the eye" And know what you are doing. The d90 is a great choice.

//vic

[Little HZ]

^^
Agree 100% w/ previous two posters. The starter kit will keep you busy learning for months and months. Shoot a lot. Take a class or two. figure out what YOU need from there.

BTW--GREAT photos, Keith!

[jaseone]

Wait till next week before making your decision, it is rumored that Nikon will announce a new entry level SLR that has a HD movie mode on the 14th and even though it is just a rumor it is still worth waiting for as it is just a few days away, if it was further away I would say just go with the D90.

[svndmvn]

you can pre-order the Nikon D5000 which is close to a D90 in a D60 body.

[wheelhot]

Firstly, why is having the ability to record video is a must? You can't really use it like a walkaround video camera cause how a dSLR is design, the ergonomics is not really useful for walkaround video recording and it's hard to zoom in by turning the lens cause we can't get the very smooth zooming found in a proper handycam.

I'll go with what other says, get a dSLR and a video cam, dSLR video feature is more of a specific purpose rather then a all purpose use. And then now I bet in the future some people will request dSLR to have power zooming. Zzzzz

I suggest you to wait, D5000 just announced and Canon is bound to lower the price of the T1i.

[OreoCookie]

I agree that the video function that Nikon's and Canon's new dslrs feature is way overrated. Even if my dslr had it, I wouldn't use it. I'd much rather use a cheap P&S (with obvious limitations).

I second the others that you should invest into good glass. Getting a D80 instead of a D90 or a 400D instead of a 450D would be a good way to save money that you can invest towards nice lenses. From your description, it seems that you're not very experience yet. Hence, I would start with a decent bread and butter zoom (e. g. Tamron's 2.8/17-50 mm if you're strapped for cash or Tokina's 16-50 mm lens if you have some money to spare). Then I would add a flash, even a small one such as Nikon's SB-400 or Canon's Speedlite 270 EX. Put everything in a decent bag and then take some pictures. After one or two thousand pictures, you should have an idea what you're lacking.

Whether you pick Nikon or Canon will make preciously little difference at this stage. As a matter of fact, you should have a look at other manufacturers as well and not just those two.

[convert09]

I have a Nikon D40 which I've have for nearly two years and have the kit lenses with it. I recently bought the Nikon D90 mainly because the image sensor is better than the D40 - which does NOT mean the 40 takes bad pics. The sensor in the 90, as I understand it, is supposed to be the same as the one in the D300, which is supposed to be a great camera. In my limited testing so far the 90 takes great pics without doing any +/- adjusting like one must do for the 40.

If you NEED video you may want to consider another camera, though. The D90 does NOT autofocus so be aware of this. I read about this before I made my purchase and it doesn't matter to me 'cause I'm not big into taking vids.

For my lens I chose the 18-200 VR. What I want is a fast long lens because I shoot a lot of low light photos. However, I discovered that with my new monopod I can shoot in low light very effectively with the 18-200. I shot a couple hundred photos the other night of our church Easter program and the majority of shots turned out well.

[convert09]

Oh, and I have to agree with the others here in that the last thing you should worry about is the MegaPixels. Get a DSLR that has the features you want and learn how to use it. Also, take LOTS of pics. Don't be afraid to delete pics, either. Getting the great photo is all about taking lots of photos, especially when shooting a moving target. I shoot the birds in my yard and I have to wait patiently and take a lot to get the good one. Hope this helps.

[Aqueus]

Firstly, why is having the ability to record video is a must? You can't really use it like a walkaround video camera cause how a dSLR is design, the ergonomics is not really useful for walkaround video recording and it's hard to zoom in by turning the lens cause we can't get the very smooth zooming found in a proper handycam.

I'll go with what other says, get a dSLR and a video cam, dSLR video feature is more of a specific purpose rather then a all purpose use. And then now I bet in the future some people will request dSLR to have power zooming. Zzzzz

I suggest you to wait, D5000 just announced and Canon is bound to lower the price of the T1i.

What sort of price bracket are we looking at comparing the two? D5000 and Canon's T1i?

Anyone heard any good/bad experiences with the Canon T1i?

[wheelhot]

Well right now, according to Japanese price (Nikon 5000D) and US price (Canon T1i : Amazon), Canon is more expensive then Nikon but knowing Canon, they will likely reduce the price of T1i to ensure the entry level consumer market sales do not end up to Nikon but you this to me isn't the greatest news, the best news is the price of XS or XSi (which is considered as a great entry level body) will drop considerably and the money you save on buying these will mean you can get another glass or flash gun which will definitely improve your photography beyond owning a camera with video recording feature.

Seriously, which is more important to you? video or photography? having both will just slows down your learning process in my opinion that is. Cause learning how to shoot proper video with dSLR will take time and it won't work like normal PnS video recording capabilities, and the time wasted on learning how to use the video properly could be put into better use in learning to take better photos :)