Nikon D80 (vs) Canon Rebel XTi

hazardouschild

hi, that's my another question.

my birthday is coming up soon and only have a few days to decide my gift... been researching on those two I'd love to have. but I'd like to finalize the decision with cool grinners. :thumb

(superb marco, good quality and good zoom must-have) .. thanks!

ziggy53

hazardouschild wrote:

hi, that's my another question.

my birthday is coming up soon and only have a few days to decide my gift... been researching on those two I'd love to have. but I'd like to finalize the decision with cool grinners.

(superb marco, good quality and good zoom must-have) .. thanks!

Are you asking for both camera and lens recommendations?

When you say macro just what is the subject matter?

Tons of different zooms out there. Again, how would you use the lens?

Indoor and low-light needs?

Are you planning to sell images or are these for personal use?

TwistedJ

don't go with Nikon unless you are ready to spend a bunch of money on glass (lenses) to compensate your wants. I'm in this dilemma right now. I have a D40 shoots great macro.....zoom, notta. Got to spend big bucks for descent zoom.

swintonphoto

The D80 is a superior camera in my opinion (Better build quality, better grip, more features). It sort of fits slightly above the XTI and slightly below the 30D-40D cameras. It is well priced right now too. My brother has one and LOVES it.

hazardouschild

ziggy53 wrote:

Are you asking for both camera and lens recommendations?

yeah I guess.

When you say macro just what is the subject matter?

insects, objects and textures of small animals ..

Tons of different zooms out there. Again, how would you use the lens?

as super as any - I would love trying all three nikon lens and canons if any.

Indoor and low-light needs?

sure.. for all furkids I have!

Are you planning to sell images or are these for personal use?

both, especially selling.

twister, they are, usually, how much?

thanks swinton! great grip is important too... sometimes I'd have to do some sommersaults shooting; amazing how sunbathing cats can rotate their heads 360 degree!

ziggy53

So you want to do everything?

All it takes is time and money.

Start with a comparison of the basic features of the two cameras here:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=canon_eos400d%2Cnikon_d80&show=all

Next, a comparison review:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos400d/page21.asp
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos400d/page22.asp

RAW comparison:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos400d/page25.asp

High ISO noise comparison:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos400d/page27.asp

Finally the resolution comparison:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos400d/page28.asp

On paper, these two cameras seem very similar. So why the difference in price? (The Nikon is a bit more.)

As SwintonPhoto alluded, they are not designed for exactly the same market and the D80 is designed to be a notch above the XTi.

Both produce excellent images under most circumstances, but then so do most any dSLR cameras nowdays.

Remember that you are buying into a system, so be sure to look into all the options before you commit to one brand or even one format.

Unless you have "very" deep pockets you may be well seved just to visit some stores where you can actually try different cameras to see how they fit your hand and how they work as far as controls and placement.

I would not limit myself to just those two models either. All of the major manufacturers have plenty to offer these days.

Once you are sure that you have a better idea what it is that you want, feel free to ask more pertinant and direct questions about individual features and attributes.

Tee Why

I think the XTi is cheaper and that'll allow you to spend more one lenses where you probably will see a bigger difference than between the bodies.
I think the XTi may have lower noise at higher ISO's but I personally think Nikon has a better body feel and features as well, and I own and use the XTi.

So pick your priorities and finances and go from there.

Good luck.

hazardouschild

thank you both!! appreciate the help. while I will take more look at ziggy's links - I'm on a pager right now - does anyone know M¡ke Pasini?

ziggy53

I know "of" M¡ke Pasini at Imaging Resource.

Why do you ask?

hazardouschild

just wondering what you guys thought of him. his inputs of cameras, etc. he's almost everywhere in the cyber.

ziggy53

M¡ke Pasini is a prolific writer. I'm sure that I couldn't agree with him on everything but I have used him as a resource and Imaging Resources in general.

Likewise DPReview, Steve's Digicams and The-Digital-Picture are valuable. Look for common threads and conclusions. If professional reviewers are making the same or similar observations, that's a pretty good indicator of fact.

hazardouschild

oh I totally agree with you ziggy. basically, no one knows everything or everything perfectly. I've just often take his opinions on camera - that is just because I love my uncle.

hazardouschild

looked at links ..
and studied closely all comparisons, wow - very competetive. I think I've picked my decision - my baby nikon. I went to best buy this morning to check out their grips and I'm definitely more comfortable with nikon, and it's also lighter....as for finances, remember this will be my birthday gift! but of course, I may need to buy zooming glasses myself sometimes soon after.

thank you everyone so much for your time replying to this.

ziggy53

hazardouschild wrote:

... I'm definitely more comfortable with nikon, and it's also lighter....as for finances, remember this will be my birthday gift! but of course, I may need to buy zooming glasses myself sometimes soon after.

thank you everyone so much for your time replying to this.

That's great! I am proud of you for taking the time to "feel" the cameras. Do you have any question about features, now that you have some "hands-on"?

Lens choice will depend a lot on use. First determine how you want to use the camera. Lens recommendations are based on a comprehensive and careful examination of your intentions.

ChezD

D80 lens question
If you don't mind, I'll jump in here with a related question regarding lenses for the D80. I'm in the same position - about to purchase a new D80 and I'm wondering about fitting my old Nikon lenses with the D80 body. Can you tell me, should I be able to use my AF Nikkor 35-80mm lens with a new D80, or should I buy both the body and the lens to start with?

ziggy53

ChezD wrote:

If you don't mind, I'll jump in here with a related question regarding lenses for the D80. I'm in the same position - about to purchase a new D80 and I'm wondering about fitting my old Nikon lenses with the D80 body. Can you tell me, should I be able to use my AF Nikkor 35-80mm lens with a new D80, or should I buy both the body and the lens to start with?

ChezD, welcome to the Digital Grin.

If it's the Nikkor 35-80mm, f/4-5.6D I should think it will work fine on the D80. I think you would not have autofocus on the D40/D40x/D60 however.

Feel free to let us know your experience.

pyanez

Why not the XSi
Long answer:

I'm a bit confused... why are you comparing the D80 (a very good camera) to the XTi instead of an XSi (which is much better that the other Canon). I've used both and both are great buys for the price. I like the Nikons images (generally) a bit better right from the camera (sharp, more saturated and a bit warmer in general), but I find that Canon's give you more latitude to play with after the fact. The Nikon kit zoom 18-135mm is excellent but then again so is Canons new 18-55mm IS which comes with the XSi.

The deciding factor for me was Canons absolutely, amazing, affordable, compact, tack sharp 60mm EF-S Macro. As far as I'm concerned this is the best bang for the buck for any lens I've ever bought, for a bunch of reasons -- too many to list here, IMHO the lens is flat out better than Nikon's 60mm Macro and much easier to use and flexible that their new 105mm VR.

If you want to see lots of images from the lens you can visit my macro gallery Here

...or here are a couple of recent samples with the 60mm and the XSi (hand-held using only the built in flash):






oh, BTW - the short answer is that both of the cameras are excellent and you can get outstanding photos from both