Canon 20D vs. Nikon D70s

[hannahsmom7]

I had my mind all make up on the Canon, but now my husband just went into Ritz and the Nikon is on sale for $999 (actually almost the same as B&H!). What do it do? I've heard great things about the Canon, which is why I had decided on it, but I'm all about saving a couple hundred and buying a lens instead if it is as good of a camera. This will be my first DSLR, very amateur, but want to learn. I'll pay the extra money though if it's worth it for the Canon. For the record my P&S digital and my SLR are both Nikons, but I only have one lens for the SLR, so I don't have an issue with brand swiching now. I need to get one before WDW in ELEVEN days, woohoo!

 

[Kelly Grannell]

Comparing D70 and 20D, not much difference in overall quality, but low-light performance (ISO800, ISO1600 and ISO3200 -- boost mode --) the Canon 20D wins hands down. D50, on the other hand, have a similar high ISO performance to the 20D, but lacking lots of important features (such as backlighting on the LCD, no battery grip).

 

[captaincrash]

Canon has a huge lead in market share. I MIGHT not consider the Nikon simply on the grounds of herd mentality seeing the the INCREDIBLE difference in sales dominance Canon enjoies.

On the other hand if I were to start THINKING about the differences in detail... I would begin by referring you to DP review by Askey. They have very detailed reviews supported by lots of comparative images. And... I would add with saying the optical tecnology is more advanced with Canon versus Nikon... at least in their pro line. But if you are NOT going to buy pro line lenses then the differences are very very slight. This is more the case considering you're only using the sub-sized APS sized image sensor as opposed to a full frame sensor. With full framed sensors you need SHARP lenses for good performance in the corners... and of course, the full framed sensors are going to yield state of the art sharpness and performance. Which make optical deficiencies even more obvious IF your lenses fail at the edges.

As for how the DSLR performs... I feel the focus systems are more sophisticated and slightly faster with Canon. And on the sensor and processing combination I would say the Canon images tend to come out flatter but as such they posses more shadow detail and smoother noiseless images. Nikon enthusiasts say they LIKE the contrasty default images that come from their cameras. That is nonsense as an original image that's overly contrasty is less likely to have shadow detail. I suspect only an ill informed enthusiast would prefer a universally contrasty digital original. Of course, I do not own a Nikon (although I used to be a Nikon SLR snob 2 decades ago)... so rather ... I do not own a Nikon DSLR. But I can say that externally I love the fit, feel, and quality of finish on the Nikons.

Another consideration... in the focusing systems. In matched model "side by side" comparisons I believe the Canons have more sophisticated and faster focusing systems. However, I do have a slight preference for the Nikon low light focus assist lamp versus the Canon srobing. However, that is a minor quibble as they both focus in fairly low light.

As for any other considerations. I think that some folks feel the Nikon interface is excessively sophisticated. This can be either an advantage or disadvantage depending on your POV. There are times when I might like the added features that are buried in the Nikon menus - and at other times I am comfortable saying the Canon is already more then what I need in capabilities. So- that may not be saying musch about MY creative skills.... today. For tomorrow I might advance into the exploring the few extra features in the matched level Nikon DSLRs.

Overall though - I have heard the images are far closer then dissimilar in purity. And you probably cannot go seriously wrong if you choose either a Nikon or similar Canon. Compared to all the Nikon bashing you've seen before this point you might wonder at my "about face". But only a fool would deny the advantages of having a weather sealed body on the mid range Nikon. I forgot which model it was but I was impressed that you could get that weather sealed feature on an affordable model... IMHO.

Cheers!

 

[AZ JazzyJ]

I've used both and the Nikon felt more comfortable. I personally like the sharpening that Nikon adds to their photos and Canon must like that too as their new cameras are to come standard with sharpening enabled (which is different than they were before). As the Captain said, weather proofing was a big thing for me as I do a lot of sports and action photography. The D200 (which better come soon or FedEx has some explaining to do) is said to be nearly dust proof and living in Arizona I plan to test that quite often. It really boils down to which one you prefer. I have friends who have Canon and love the way the menus are laid out. I wasn't that thrilled with where the controls on the 20D were located (I'm left handed so that was a big thing for me since most controls are laid out with a right handed photographer in mind). The Nikon on the other hand seemed better suited for me and how I looked for a control. You may find just the opposite. This is why I try to stress that you should find someone who has each of the cameras you are thinking of buying and try and take a few pictures with each. You'll naturally gravitate to one or the other and that's the one you should get. It doesn't matter which one is more technically advanced or has more features if you don't use it and feel comfortable with it.


Jeff

 

[robertchance]

Buy what you want, if you are a biginner/amateur, the differences will not be important overall for you, if at all,,, buy the nikon and save some cash, buy an extra lense and have fun exploring your creative side.

 

[Kelly Grannell]

Given the choices, as mentioned earlier I'd choose Canon. However, if this is your first dSLR ever, I'd personally find the cheapest dSLR with a kit lens and start from there.

By doing so, I would learn what I really need in a dSLR, what I thought I need but in the end never use in a dSLR. Once I've mastered the dSLR, the camera is obsolete. Only then I buy a higher end dSLR that actually suits my needs and wants.

That's how I started with SLR anyway (my first SLR camera is a Canon Rebel 35mm).