Ahh Need More Help Choosing!

[TJ K]

OK so I was almost set on getting the rebel xsi and canon 17-85 lens. But now I was searching around some more and saw the Nikon D90 with the Nikkor 18-105mm lens. That really caught my attention and 1299 didn't seem like too bad of a price. so I was wondering which was better and why exactly. And I think someone said something along the lines of with Nikon you have to edit the pictures more where as canon the original pictures are fine and ready to print. Well thank you for all the help. I am planning on getting one of these for Christmas depending on which you guys and gals help me with. Thanks
-TJ

 

[chrisburke]

the D90 is amazing.. it does Video.. in HD.. i've got a wedding in october, and with the money i make from it, i'm getting a D90... chase jarvis did a video about it, its on youtube.. check it out..[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVQX1rC-fRA[/ame]

 

[tirediron]

I don't think you'll find that there's any difference in the amount of post you have to do with Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax, or Olympus; depending on the internal processing settings you select (Sharpening, hues, saturation, etc) the results will vary, but that's something over which you, as the user have control.

As far as the D90 goes; why? If you want video-recording capability, buy a video camera. Aside from that, there's really nothing to recommend the D90 over the D80. Remember the camera body is just the recording device. In fact, in importance, it's several steps down the list, after lenses, filters, and tripods.

All of that aside however, the biggest favour you can do for yourself is go into a camera store and handle the different units. You may well find that there's something about both the Nikon and Canon that you really dislike, but that the Pentax works for you. This really is a Ford/Chevy debate, and comes down to (for 99% of users) what you prefer.

 

[chrisburke]

yes, you really should go in and check them out for yourself.. the reason I dig the D90 so much is because I'm a skateboard photographer.. 25FPS on the d90 which is a huge upgrade from the 3 that my D40 gets and the 2.5 that my D50 gets.. I do have video gear as well (Sony DCRVX1000) but i just think its a neat added feature...plus the kit lens alone is amazing.. 18-105.. its like a 400 dollar lens alone..its deffinatley a big camera, and its heavy... so if thats an issue, the D90 is not going to be for you... go check them out.. let us know what you decide on

I believe the camera is directed more to people like me... if you watch their promo add for it, it really focuses on skateboarding...

 

[manaheim]

OK so I was almost set on getting the rebel xsi and canon 17-85 lens. But now I was searching around some more and saw the Nikon D90 with the Nikkor 18-105mm lens. That really caught my attention and 1299 didn't seem like too bad of a price. so I was wondering which was better and why exactly. And I think someone said something along the lines of with Nikon you have to edit the -TJ

Nikon! WOOT!

I wouldn't put any more stock in the comment about Canon or Nikon having more "ready to use" images than I would a statement like... oh, I dunno... CANONS BREAK MORE!

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=137236

The cameras do vary quite a bit in their initial settings on how sharp/saturated/etc. they are, but all are adjustable and you're also going to find you are going to want to fine tune the images as they come off the camera. Just taking them as they are 100% is rarely the right way to go. Little cropping, touch of sharpening, etc. is often common.

 

[TJ K]

Yah but I believe the d80 also doesn't have live view which is a feature I def. want. And also when I go on vacation's in the mountains and snowboarding and stuff I think video would be a pretty sick option to have. I have found a D90 with the 18-105 vr lens for like 1035 on ebay ending in like 1 day from a trusted seller so hopefully around Christmas time there will still be these good deals when I have some money.

 

[manaheim]

Yah but I believe the d80 also doesn't have live view which is a feature I def. want. And also when I go on vacation's in the mountains and snowboarding and stuff I think video would be a pretty sick option to have. I have found a D90 with the 18-105 vr lens for like 1035 on ebay ending in like 1 day from a trusted seller so hopefully around Christmas time there will still be these good deals when I have some money.

You realize, now, that I need to drag you out into an alley and beat you mercilessly with a Canon AE1, right? I'm sorry man, I do this out of love.

Seriously... live view... NOT a feature you need to be choosing as a primary criteria for selecting a DSLR... no no no... bad bad bad...

I'm not saying it won't be potentially handy from time to time, but live view is not something you need in 99.9999% of circumstances when shooting with a DSLR, and in fact the only reason why live view exists (in my opinion) is because point and shoot cameras do not do a good job at showing you exactly what you are going to get in your shot BECAUSE you are not looking through the lens. In fact, live view is a "look through the lens" feature of Point and SHoot cameras... since DSLRs are fundamentally designed around you looking through the lens, you do not need this feature.

And no, I really don't care what anyone has to say in support of this feature. So go away.

 

[chrisburke]

i think live view on DSLRS is just silly and useless... even when I used a point and shoot i never used the live view.. mainly because they drain your battery.

 

[tirediron]

i think live view on DSLRS is just silly and useless... even when I used a point and shoot i never used the live view.. mainly because they drain your battery.

Like most features, it has it's uses but I agree (to an extent), it's not really important on a DSLR, and DEFINITELY should not be a criteria for choosing which camera. If my D300 had not had live view, it wouldn't have made any difference. In eight months, I've used it twice I think.

 

[TJ K]

Oh ok thank you all for helping but I think I still like the video feature but will this take away from some of the quality because they had to put video stuff in there. I do think I will go with the d90 if not the d80 probably.