Need help choosing the best Canon

[Solarflare]

Canon bodies are normally less expensive.

Based on ... what exactly ?

Canon produces different cameras than Nikon.

Whats correct is that Canon produces the cheaper entry level cameras, but that doesnt mean they are the same as the Nikons. For example, they are 1.6 crop factors, not 1.5 crop factors like Nikon.

 

[EDL]

want a camera with better auto focus, fuller colors, better lowlight, more lenses, and a viewfinder

Canon and Nikon will auto focus well. Some models have better auto focus (cross type points, vs horizontal only).

Both will provide good colors

Lowlight - this is where I would steer you to Nikon. Nikon consistently has better lowlight performance than equivalent Canon models.

Lenses and view finders abound across both brands.

Unless you are interested in macro too, then based on what you had to say I'd say get a Nikon.

P.S. I'm a Canon T3i owner and love it, but low light shots aren't my main interest.

 

[sovietdoc]

50mm f/1.0L USM hah you crack me up. The person is looking for a cheap DSLR and you throw in "canon is better because they have a lens that costs $4200 and has been discontinued for 12 years"

I lol'd.

 

[jake337]

The major difference between canon and nikon is in the mount.

Canon has changed their lens mount alot.

Nikon has not.

With Nikon, you can mount almost every lens they have made on almost every body. The invasive fisheyes will not mount on newer bodies. But even the pre AI lens can be mounted on everything with some small modifications.


That being said.

Pick what feels best in your hand. You won't go wrong either way.

 

[sovietdoc]

The major difference between canon and nikon is in the mount.

Canon has changed their lens mount alot.

Nikon has not.

With Nikon, you can mount almost every lens they have made on almost every body. The invasive fisheyes will not mount on newer bodies. But even the pre AI lens can be mounted on everything with some small modifications.


That being said.

Pick what feels best in your hand. You won't go wrong either way.

Last time Canon has changed their mount (if I remember correctly) was 1987. That was like what 25 years ago? So what is this "a lot" you speak of?

 

[o hey tyler]

With Nikon, you can mount almost every lens they have made on almost every body.

With Canon, because of the flange distance (IIRC), you can mount almost every Nikon lens on a Canon body.

 

[3bayjunkie]

They're looking for an entry level camera, not L glass. I don't get the point of this post.

Plus, the 50mm f/1 isn't worth getting for the price point, and the 200mm f/1.8 is prohibitively expensive and hard to find.

I would go for a T2i, OP. Or a used 40D.

I was giving the OP an idea of the advantages of both nikon and canon.

Also if you think a 200mm f/1.8 is hard to find look on ebay. Yes they are expensive, but much less expensive than a new 200mm f/2... So i think it is a noteworthy lens.

 

[Dao]

With Nikon, you can mount almost every lens they have made on almost every body.

With Canon, because of the flange distance (IIRC), you can mount almost every Nikon lens on a Canon body.

In additional, not sure if it is true or not since it is from Ken Rockwell site.

Quote from Ken Rockwell site:
"[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] Nikon manual focus lenses on most Nikon AF cameras are almost useless and provide no metering. These same manual lenses used with these adaptors on Canon EOS cameras provide metering, more function than on most Nikon AF cameras. Strange but true!"[/FONT]

 

[Dao]

They're looking for an entry level camera, not L glass. I don't get the point of this post.

Plus, the 50mm f/1 isn't worth getting for the price point, and the 200mm f/1.8 is prohibitively expensive and hard to find.

I would go for a T2i, OP. Or a used 40D.

I was giving the OP an idea of the advantages of both nikon and canon.

Also if you think a 200mm f/1.8 is hard to find look on ebay. Yes they are expensive, but much less expensive than a new 200mm f/2... So i think it is a noteworthy lens.

If I am going to buy a economy 7 passengers car, are you going to tell me which Car makers make racing Engine in F1 races, which company build a car that was the last year Rally Championship.

Also, if a lens can only be find on ebay, you may think differently but personally, I think it is considered as hard to find.

 

[belial]

Are there no major differences between the XSi, T3, and T1i?

Main difference is t3 doesn't spot meter so I'd cross that off the list. In your choices this leaves xsi and t1i. Very similar cameras. Personally I say t1i as the menus were a lot easier to navigate than previous rebels.

 

[belial]

With Canon, because of the flange distance (IIRC), you can mount almost every Nikon lens on a Canon body.

Yup. I was looking at adapters today. $24 for an adapter that has aperture control and focus confirm and it still retains metering

 

[Derrel]

For $400 you could get a good used Canon 40D or T1i. Both great cameras. Don't place much stock in tests; at any given price point, photos from Canon or Nikon will look exactly the same. Pick the one that feels best in your hand and is easiest to set all the various settings and menu options.

Both those sound like GOOD, used camera values to me.

 

[sovietdoc]

If I am going to buy a economy 7 passengers car, are you going to tell me which Car makers make racing Engine in F1 races, which company build a car that was the last year Rally Championship.

Also, if a lens can only be find on ebay, you may think differently but personally, I think it is considered as hard to find.

I want a 7 seat economy passenger car with a F1 racing engine and F1 transmission, with last year Rally Championship suspension and traction control for under 10 grand. Will pay cash.

 

[MLeeK]

If I am going to buy a economy 7 passengers car, are you going to tell me which Car makers make racing Engine in F1 races, which company build a car that was the last year Rally Championship.

Also, if a lens can only be find on ebay, you may think differently but personally, I think it is considered as hard to find.

I want a 7 seat economy passenger car with a F1 racing engine and F1 transmission, with last year Rally Championship suspension and traction control for under 10 grand. Will pay cash.

I've got one of those. If you'll wire the money to my nigerian bank I will personally deliver it to your door.

 

[Derrel]

With Nikon, you can mount almost every lens they have made on almost every body.

With Canon, because of the flange distance (IIRC), you can mount almost every Nikon lens on a Canon body.

YES, EXACTLY right, o hey tyler. The flange-to-film distance on Canon is LONGER than it is on many other lens mounts; therefore, there is plenty of extra room to build an adapter that will go behind a lens from, say, an M42 screw-thread, or a Nikon F-mount, or a Leica R-mount, or an Olympus O-M mount. Seven different 35mm "system" lenses will easily adapt to Canon EOS, with NO GLASS needed in the lens adapters to achieve full infinity focusing. This means it's finally possible to put some world-class wide-angle lenses on a Canon EOS body; wide-angle lenses have long been a very weak spot for the Canon company. Canon makes very few W-A prime lenses, and many of them are, well, sub-standard compared to what Nikon and Leitz have been making for decades. Canon's wide-angle L-series zooms (16-35/2.8 and the Mark II version of same) are also kind of suspect as well, falling flat on MTF compared to Nikon's older 17-35 AF-S and just being flat-out ass-whipped by the new 14-24 AF-S Nikkor zoom.

I snapped these two images last night on my desk, after dinner.View attachment 16945The tall,extended lens on the left is an M42 thread-mount Vivitar 55mm f/2.8 1:1 macro; Nikon 24mm f/2.8 Ai-S with CLoser Range Correction flaoting element system on camera; Olympus 28mm ultra-compact f/2.8 wide-angle; Asahi 135mm/3.5 and 200mm f/4 SUpr-Takumars in back; M42 mount Super-Lentar 35mm f/2.8...a $13 garage sale lens that at f/4 to f/10 is about as good as the 24-70mm f/2.8 Canon L zoom...only with lower distortion and higher resolution than the "L"-glass zoom... and in this second desktop snap, we getView attachment 16946 a more close-in look at the Canon 5D classic body ($700-$800 used) with the Olympus 28mm/2.8 prime ($45, pawnshop), and the Vivitar 1:1 macro racked out to its glorious full extension for 1:1 life-size macro, and the Ashai Super-Takumar pair.