"They" make better bodies

[sincere]

When people say that ,what does it mean? How much of a difference does it make in the picture quality? Or is the weight and material only good for knocking muggers upside their head?:mrgreen:

Your 2 cents please..

 

[kemplefan]

i am under the impresion that canon bodies are faster stronger and hier res but nikon has better lenses

 

[PlasticSpanner]

One difference I have found is that some bodies have plastic lens mounts and others are metal. Means a lot with my clumsy hands!

I'd expect a lot is to do with quality/durability too. I love my old SLRs because they have metal bodies all round.

 

[Big Mike]

With Film cameras, the body is just a light tight box to hold the film. Some are made more durable or with weather sealing. Some are made to be more affordable, so use cheaper material (plastic rather than metal).

With digital bodies, the recording media is built in...so yes, image quality will vary. Same deal with the quality of materials though...expensive pro bodies are made to be strong and durable...and cheaper ones are made to keep costs down.

Anyone who blindly says that one company is better than another...is an idiot.

Most brands have a range of cameras. For example, you might say that Canon's 20D is a better quality body than Nikon's D50. The 20D is a mid level body and the D50 is an entry level DSLR. There is also a price difference.

Nikon's new D200 has weather sealing, which might be a plus to some people. To get weather sealing in a Canon body, you have to get a 1 series pro level body...which is very expensive...but built like a tank.

While people often like to talk about the differences in build quality...It's not much of an issue IMO. Even the cheaper DSLR cameras are tough enough for typical use from a hobbyist. But a Pro who needs his camera to work, in order to make a living...might need the durability of a pro body.

Same deal with lenses. You can't blindly compare brands. Both Nikon & Canon (Pentax etc.) has cheap (not-so-great) lenses, better quality lenses...and Pro level lenses. Both Canon & Nikon make some of the best camera lenses available.

 

[kemplefan]

one again you get into brand loayalty nikon people will swear by nikon and cannon the same
i like the nikon becaus there cheep lenses feel better than cannons and i cant aford the good lenses, its all brand loyalty

 

[ksmattfish]

If you really look at "their" product lines throughout history you'll find that most of "them" have made crap bodies and lenses and stellar bodies and lenses.

 

[Torus34]

A 'better' body is one in which over time [pick those which apply to the specific body or add others as desired] the shutter, the film advance, the film rewind, the focussing, the mirror-flipping, the electronics and the film counter work properly. You might find that some rather surprising cameras do well by this definition. It essentially stresses a quality called 'ruggedness.'

After all, what we desire [I hope] is a camera which will do exactly what it is supposed to do when it is supposed to do it. Anything else, no matter how many whistles, bells and/or megapixils it has, is simply unsatisfactory.

That is, of course, assuming we purchase a camera to make pictures rather than to collect or to impress others.

 

[Rob]

When people say that ,what does it mean? How much of a difference does it make in the picture quality? Or is the weight and material only good for knocking muggers upside their head?:mrgreen:

Your 2 cents please..

Durability is an important quality if you are going to use the camera a significant amount.

With film cameras, a light tight box that goes up to perhaps 1/2000th is pretty much all you'll ever want. There are other features, such as motor drive, mirror lock up etc. which are good to have. You may find a certain feature sways you to a certain model.

With digital, image quality is also a factor as you've got a sensor with your body. Also, they tend to have LOADS of features.

Rob

 

[ksmattfish]

A 'better' body is one in which over time [pick those which apply to the specific body or add others as desired] the shutter, the film advance, the film rewind, the focussing, the mirror-flipping, the electronics and the film counter work properly.

Rather than over time I'd say for a certain number of uses, activations, etc... A crap camera that isn't used much won't wear out. On the other hand, the only cameras I've ever had to have repaired have been my Rollieflex and my Widelux, because they see much more use than the rest of my cameras. I think most folks familiar with these brands would agree that they are very high quality cameras.