Canon or Nikon beginner to slr... I did a little shopping...naturally u r right;)

[lindakmonty]

I don't come down to the photography board much but now that my 5 yr old is starting into sports... soccer right now ... I want to look into slr cameras for the speed and zoom. My sister has an Nikon D50...but I absolutely love to take pix. w/my p&s... but I want a GOOD camera!!!! I've been reading reviews on the Canon Rebels v/s the Nikons.... I'm thinking maybe the Nikon D200 would be a great camera...but there are so many to choose from what kind of cameras do you have?? TIA


eta: I did take dh shopping some over the weekend. You guys are right the D200 is way more than I would need and the $ would be much better spent on lenses... I really liked the D80...and the canon that is comparable that has the wheel..sorry can't think of which one it is Thanks so much for the info. I really do appreciate it. I'll probably go looking again this weekend... Hmmm early Christmas present to me?? sounds good to me Thanks so much!!

 

[JR6ooo4]

I chose the Canon line about 6-8 months ago. Can't remember why. Comparable models from Nikon to Canon are realy close in quality. Slight differences like backlit screen...

The decision may be only limited to which feels better in your hands. Or even which looks better to you. Like canon's black or silver choice, with the rebel.


Mikeeee

 

[Anewman]

Canon shooter here, mostly sports.

The D200 is awesome, upto 22 RAW files(yes raw) @ 5fps.
The Canon 20D does give me 5fps but the buffer maxxes out at about 7 shots.

 

[RadioNate]

At $1700 body only for the D200, I'd consider the D80

There is a D80 review here
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Nikon/nikon_d80.asp?dontcount=1

Ken Rockwell has a D80 v D200 comparison.

For a beginner with consumer level needs I wouldn't go with a $1700 body. You can get the D80 body and the 18-200VR for the price of the D200 body only.

ETA - I forgot the Ken Rockwell link.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d80/vs-d200.htm

 

[mhutchinson]

I am also a Canon owner. For me the rebate was better with the Canon 20D vs. the Nikon D70s. The D200 is a really nice camera, the specs on the new Nikon D80 also look really good for slightly less. One thing the caught my eye was the nice sized LCD with the RGB histogram display.

http://www.nikondigital.com/main.html?page=d80

Mike

 

[Furgus]

I have a D50 and I love it. Would have liked to have gotten the D80, but for the money, the D50 is an awesome camera. My suggestion would be to get that, and a pretty fast tele lens, and you can still save some money. You will not be unhappy. D80 ad D200 files sizes are too big, 6.1 is plenty for enlargments, and you can stick a lot on a card.

Look into it before you buy the big guy D200.

 

[handicap18]

Based on what you wrote in your original post, I'm thinking that the D200 is going to be WAY to much camera for you. The D200 is considered an entry level "Professional" camera. Most amerture photographers will not get the D200 unless they have plenty of extra money. The D200 goes for $1699. Thats a lot of money to put into just a camera body unless you are planning to sell a lot of pictures or have a lot of disposable income.

I've been a Nikon SLR user for 15+ years. I currently use the D50. I seriously considered the D70s, but then decided that it was just a bit to much camera for me. The D50 works perfect and it is more than $1000 less than the D50.

The D80 is an option to look at if you want a higher res camera. It is about $999 body only for a lot of what the D200 gives you and a little more than the D50 offers.

In todays changing world of digital cameras. Your better off getting a very good dSLR body for $600 and spending the $1700 on great lenses. The lenses wont lose their value over time no way near what a body will.

The Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR zoom lens is one of the top lenses made by Nikon. It goes for $1700 and is GREAT for side line sports. Fast aperture, great sharpness and very good zoom range for being on the sidelines. Though for sports you really don't need the VR, so another less expensive option is the Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8D ED AF or AF-S. Just as sharp but with no VR and goes for about $900. Then you can add the upcoming 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 ED IF VR AF-S. Not as fast, but does have the VR and is about $550.

I'd put my money towards lenses, not a body.

 

[safetymom]

I agree that the D200 is too much camera for a beginner. I would look for a good deal on a D70S. It is a great camera. I would put your money into lenses also. I would take a look at the 18-200 VR lens that comes on the D200. It is a great all around lens.

 

[barrie]

I agree with Kyle's post. I have a D50 and love it. I considered the D70S when I was looking but the D50 was a better choice for me because I had only used point and shoots before then. The D80 sounds pretty nice too, but for the price I couldn't be happier with the D50 - it's great.

I got the 18-55 and 55-200 lenses. Thoses aren't working so great for me. I mostly use the 55-200 and it has more camera shake than I wish. I hardly ever use the 18-55, just because of the kind of shots I like to take - but when I do want to use it I find it a bit of a pain in the butt to have to switch it out. I am now looking to buy (saving my pennies, that is!) the 18-200 VR lens. I wish I had been able to get that to begin with.

Good luck on your search! Barrie

 

[Groucho]

If you're after sports photography, the Pentax K10D that'll be released next month will have the unique combination of in-camera image stabilization and unlimited JPG shooting at 3 shots a second, until your card is full. It'll also be dust- and weather-sealed so should survive fine in the rain. Of course, not being out yet there are no reviews, but on paper, it's pretty amazing. Hopefully they'll have made the jump to 10mp without noise issues.

Retail will be $900 w/o lens or $1,000 w/lens, but I'm sure that street price will be quite a bit less.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

One thing you should consider is what your friends shoot with. If you've got Nikon or Canon friends, you might be able to share lenses. If you have shops nearby that rent lenses, you might also inquire as to what they stock.

 

[WebmasterAlex]

The Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR zoom lens is one of the top lenses made by Nikon. It goes for $1700 and is GREAT for side line sports. Fast aperture, great sharpness and very good zoom range for being on the sidelines. Though for sports you really don't need the VR, so another less expensive option is the Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8D ED AF or AF-S. Just as sharp but with no VR and goes for about $900. Then you can add the upcoming 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 ED IF VR AF-S. Not as fast, but does have the VR and is about $550.

I'd put my money towards lenses, not a body.

I completely agree with this. I have that lens and a D50 body and I have never ever felt like I needed more camera for kids sports, I shoot a LOT of soccer.
If I was buying again I MIGHT think about a D80 for the faster frame rate but that's about it.
When I first got the camera I used the "kit" lens
It's a night and day difference
Money into lens's is the way to go
Here's a link to some soccer shots with that combo:
http://www.pbase.com/webmasteralex

 

[AZ JazzyJ]

I have the Nikon D200 and absolutely love it. I also own a Nikon D100 and a Nikon D70s so I do have some experience with each of those. The D200 is a lot of camera and probably more than what you would want as an entry level DSLR. I absolutely love the focusing area of the D200 more than that of the D70s or D100. For sports photography it seems to pick up and focus a little quicker than the other two models. I have had a much better success rate in getting the shots I wanted with the D200 than I did with either the D100 or the D70s. All three cameras have the Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8 VR lens so the differences are specifically with the body. If you have the ability, I would highly recommend that lens. It is very fast and the VR is awesome when shooting from the sidelines. I've been able to handhold the camera where in the past it woudl have required a monopod to get the kind of shots I wanted. I would suggest that you go to a dealer or if possible find someone who rents camera equipment and take the D50, D200, and Canon Rebel for a day and see which one feels better and which one gives you the confidence to capture the shots you want. It is more important that you feel comfortable with your camera than picking based on feature sets. If the camera feels good to you and the settings are easy for you to find, it will help you become a better photographer. If you are constantly fighting the camera to find the right settings it will become a source of frustration and you'll end up going back to your point and shoot.

Jeff