I NEED ADVICE/HELP...

styrofoamclouds

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Okay, so I have been looking at both the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT, and the Nikon D70... I need the pros and cons for both, and which in your opinion would make a better companion for me.

I am a beginner, but I learn quickly, so I dont want to get bored with my camera and want a better one too quickly. If that makes any sense... But I also want to take pictures like

this: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/153/330978782_716bdba029.jpg?v=1167148431

this:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/130/333264564_8b544ac2a1.jpg?v=0

and this:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/142/333328865_2ab0315dc5.jpg?v=0


So, which camera would be the most compatible to take pictures such as these ones?

I know that the D70 is a 6mp, and the XT is 8mp, but do they not make much of a difference?

And also, if I buy the XT, I plan on buying just the body, and then getting the lens seperately, because I have heard from many, many people that the 'kit' lens that it comes with is crap...

Is that a good idea, and should I do the same with the D70 if I do decide to get that?

And my last question is, what lenses should I look for. More specifically, what lenses are good? I am looking for one that is inexpensive, but still takes good pictures.

Thankyou soooo much!!

Please help!! :p

xo
 
Well, coming from someone who shoots Nikon, I’m going to give you a biased opinion and I would take a D70s over any kind of Rebel anyday. You need to go to a camera store that stocks both Nikon and Canon and feel and use them in store to figure out which camera feels best and makes more sense to you.

The 18-70mm D70 kit lens is not crap.

I prefer the D70 over the rebel because for one, it's ALOT BIGGER. I have a really hard time holding and keeping comfortable with the Rebel because I have big hands. A Rebel with a 70-200 f/2.8L is excruciating for me. The D70 also has wireless TTL flash with an SB-600 or SB-800 which I use all the time, with any canon body; you need to buy a pocket wizard and yada yada yada. With the Nikon's, just set the body and flash to commander mode and it works. The 2nd command dial on the D70 is awesome for use in the manual mode, the Rebel just has 1 dial that gets a bit crowded in my opinion. The D70 is also alot quieter in operation, the D70's shutter is very much muffled and the dials are silent, The rebels are quite obnoxious in my opnion because the shutters are REALLY loud.

The D70 can also create folders in camera, meaning that while you are shooting in the field, you can name and create a new folder in which your pictures will be stored, you can also go back and forth between folders so that when you upload them to your computer, they can potentially already be sorted. I did an assignment in one of my classes recently doing that. Put all my ISO, WB, and exposure tests in different folders so that the only thing I’d have to do is rename them before I turn them in, as opposed to fishing through hundreds of images to rename them and sort them. I got an assignment that took every canon shooter in class 2-3 hours to do done in 30 minutes. I was the only one who spent more time shooting than sorting.

I'm pretty sure Rebels also can't do continuous dynamic AF. Meaning that if you're tracking a bird flying in the air and you have your AF constantly tracking it, the D70 will STILL track it even if it's off the selected AF point for a little bit before looking for it again. How cool is THAT? It's saved my butt more than a few times at football/basketball games. Looking through the menus, I never saw an option to do that on Rebel's.

I prefer my D70 over a D80. I like the exposure meter on my D70 more, the D80 exposed for shadows, the D70 exposes for highlights. So an image of a black car on a sunny day would look a little dark (fixing that is trivial) on a D70, as opposed to all the daylight being almost completely blown out on a D80. Underexposure is easily fixed in Photoshop, overexposure to the extent where thigns are blown out is totally unrecoverable in any program. Ken Rockwell explains that and has example images to help explain it somewhere in his D80 review.

Read this: http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d70.htm

Now Ken is also biased, but he’s got a Rebel XTi review in there and for the exception of RAW workflow, and a few lenses, he’s generally correct in my opinion.

EDIT: 6MP instead of 8? no biggie. You'd never notice the difference in a print.
 
Either camera will offer similar capabilities (though isn't there a D80 now?).

Edit. Meant to add, but it's been said above, try them out and see what feels best for you.

All of your questions have been answered 100 times in this forum, just have a read.

The canon kit lens may be a cheap lens, but it's not like it's a Holga plastic job. You can still take great photo's with it.

For Canon, L series lenses are considered good, but they're not cheap. In general you get what you pay for. The right lens for you will depend on your subjects. There's no point really getting a 14mm 2.4L to shoot action sports.

The talk of crap lenses I find pretty funny, some of the best photo's I've ever seen were taken with grainy film 50+ years ago, with lenses that in many cases wouldn't hold a candle to the 'crap' you get for a few $ with your camera.

The most important thing in your setup is the attachment that looks through the viewfinder.
 
You've both helped me tonss :D

Thank you so much.

I am going to try and talk my mom into letting me go to some camera stores tomorrow so that I can test them out, hold them, etc..

But, I might just end up buying them online for less.

Other than Ebay, B&H, and Amazon, what are other good websites to get good deals on the cameras with?
 
B&H, Adorama, and Newegg are about the only places that i would even think of buying online for computer/camera equipment.
 
I would buy online... but not before going to a place like Bestbuy and handling both cameras... neither is "better" ... both are able cameras or they wouldnt be selling... what really matters is how the cameras feel to YOU.... I know I personally dont like the smaller Canon bodies... but I did start with one.. and as far as quality goes it was fine... more than fine... my girlfriend uses Nikon and I use her cameras now and again also... she has the D200, D70, and D100... all three are able cameras... I run the 1D Mark II and 5D... and they are able cameras... what matters more is the photographer...
 
Thanks :)

Yeah, I am trying to go to Best Buy today and/or a couple of Camera Stores.

:)

edit: Okay, I went to the camera store. I played with the Nikon D70, XT, and XTi.

I really like the XTi...

But, I am still trying to decide which one I want.

And coaxing my dad to get it for me!! Haha.

Well, thanks for everyones help...

:D
 
I agree with those above who say go to the store and handle it. If you've had SLRs in the past, it'll be easier to decide. I have a Nikon F80 (film), so the D80 was the logical choice for me when I decided to go digital. If price is an obstacle, check out www.keh.com. They sell used camera equipment, and I have never had a bad experience with them. I bought my F80 from them used in EX condition (excellent), and I really couldn't tell that it wasn't brand new, aside from the fact that it didn't come with the strap or body cap. I think the D70 is going for around $450 used. Cameta Camera on eBay or Amazon (they have stores on both) is also good, that's where I got my D80, though their prices aren't that much lower than Best Buy, and actually more expensive than Newegg.
 
D70 used and 18-70 Nikkor is a wonderful combination that I used for 3 years and still use as a backup to my 200. 18-70 is a remarkable lens for a kit lens, actually for any lens.

I wrote the paragraphs below so will just quote myself.

I think that any Digital Single Lens Reflex camera (DSLR) is a two-edged sword for a beginner. The cameras have terrific flexibility and features but there is a steep learning curve to use them. Additionally, the images from SLR cameras like the D70 or D80 (or the xti) almost demand the use of post-processing software to optimize your images.

When combined with learning the concepts and technique of photography, this may be too daunting a task.

If you have the option, I might suggest you use a smaller P&S camera to take pictures for a while, learn the issues of photography, learn to compose and expose. Understand digital photography. Learn if you like the entire deal - and then take the step into SLR.

BTW. I love the D70 - it was my first serious camera and I still use the body as a backup for a D200. However the sensor of the D80 is a step above the D70 and the D80 is a less-robust, smaller feature set D200.
_________________
 
niccig: Ahh thank you soo much :D

Yeah, today I went to Circuit City and handled the D70, D80, XT, and XTi.

I really like all of themm. Lol.




traveler: Thanks also. I have been using my P&S alot, and I want to take a bigger step forward into photography... Maybe even take pictures for some events that my friends are in, or something like that.

I also want to take landscape pictures..

I've always been a big fan of photography. I've just never really been apart of it.

But, I definetely will take your advice and learn all the functions with my P&S, and get a good feel for it.
Hopefully, I'll get my DSRL though!

Thanks so muchh!
 
I would say to make sure when you're handling the cameras, do it someplace where they're not on security cables... real camera shops, etc. My favorite for that is a local place downtown Portland called heaven...err, I mean, Camera World. Every city should have something similar. You'd be amazed how different the a camera feels on and off that tether.
 
Don't handle the D200.
I once drove a Lotus Europa from Heidelburg, Germany to Munich to Zurich and life has never been the same.
 
The most important thing in your setup is the attachment that looks through the viewfinder.

I'm curious about this, could you tell me more about its importance? And what exactly would I be looking for? I searched eBay and came up with some eyecup attachments, but I don't know if thats what you meant.
 

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