Nikon or Canon SLR

[brat5063]

I have been looking at SLRs and I just can't decide which one to get. I was looking at the Nikon D80 or the Canon Rebel XS. If you could share any knowledge you have on these two cameras or any other SLR that is in their price range, please do. TA

I was leaning towards the Nikon b/c I read you could edit pictures in the camera taking out red eye. Do the Canon's have that feature. Kind of a silly reason to pick a camera. Also what does live view function mean? You can look at the LCD to see what shots you are taken? I tend the use the view finder, but I thought I read that the Nikon did have that feature but the Canon XS did, which makes me lean towards the XS.

 

[Furgus]

I have a Nikon so I say Nikon. BUT...go to somewhere you can hold them both, as well as other types of SLR's. You will know which one to get after that.

 

[YesDear]

The Nikon D80 does not have live view feature. The D300 is the first one to do that. That feature is very valuable if you are holding the camera in a strange position, but I would would not want to use all the time. It eats battery life.

I support the Nikon, but have owned them for 30+ years. I agree that you should hold each of them and see which one is easier to use for you. The features you mention are not ones I would used as determining factors but that what makes America great! You can decide on your own what is important to you!

 

[Quicklabs]

FWIW, I have the D80 and like it very much. I don't use the in-camera editing stuff much--I can't see what I'm doing on the view screen, so I'd just as soon take car of my edits in PS. But if that's what's important to you, go for it! I do find the D80 very user friendly, and imagine that one day, I'll trade up to the D300
In a sense, I think "Canon or Nikon" is like saying, "Red or Blue?" Both can be great, and it's a matter of preference. The main factor is to pick one that you like, and you'll probably stay with that brand so that your lens purchases will be compatible with the NEXT one you buy!

 

[Softrider]

It really more of a personal preference than anything else. As others have said, handle each camera and the choice should be pretty clear. You might also consider Pentax, they are making some really fine DSLR cameras these days.

I use Nikon, but know many people that swear by Canon.

 

[handicap18]

Nikon or Canon? Coke or Pepsi? Coffee or Tea? Ford or Chevy? ....

I'm also a Nikon guy so I say Nikon. However, there are 5 major camera makers out there right now so make sure you take a look at them all. In the end there isn't too much of a difference between them. The biggest difference is going to be in how they feel in your hands.

As for in camera editing. On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being least important 10 being most important... I personally think that it is a 0.5.

The D80 doesn't have live view. That feature is currently only on the higher end dSLR's (Nikon D300 and above; Canon 40D and above). There are strong rumors out there right now that Nikon will be announcing the release of the D90 to replace the D80 at the end of this month. It should have a lot of the features of the D300 including live view but in a smaller lesser expensive body.

I read a review of the Canon XS and it was real good. Nikon's most recent dSLR bodies (D3, D300 & D700) have gotten the highest marks in their class. I would expect the D90 to be a big upgrade over the D80 especially with a new sensor and much better high ISO performance and faster frames per second (rumors abound that it will have video capabilities, but I'm skeptical about that right now). If it is anything like the D300 then it will be worth the wait and priced not much higher than the D80 (initial prices are speculating that it will be the same as the D80's original price almost 2 years ago, $999 body only).

 

[Gdad]

Why are you limiting yourself to only two brands?

 

[dr_zero]

WoW Guess there are alot of Nikon owners on here

Im a Nikon owner also I have a older Nikon D50 and love it!

The D80 has a nice feature that allows you to use just about any lens made by Nikon in the last 20 years.
So if you have any other Nikon lenses you can still use them or if you see a bargain on a piece of older glass you can use it!
The D40 and D60 do not have that option.

I also agree with not using the in camera editing all editing is done on the PC.

But try them out and see what handles better for you since you have to use it.

 

[saturndb]

you should go to a store and play with both of them. You might find that one just feels better to you compared to the other one. Either way you can not go wrong, they are both good cameras.....

Good luck and enjoy whichever one you get....

 

[DVC Eric]

Canon has a live veiw on the new xsi, I don't have much problem with red eye on my cannon xti.

 

[wscato]

The Canon XSI has a red eye option on it.

 

[ukcatfan]

Red eye should not be much of a problem on any DSLR b/c the flash is getting far enough from the lens that it is not as likely to happen. If you plan on much flash photography then you should get an external flash.

 

[adabob]

Love my nikon D40

 

[MonoManBlue]

Nikon........

and for the record, even if I ever upgraded to the D700 or 300, i'd never use live view.....that would just make it a fancy point and shoot.

 

[handicap18]

Nikon........

and for the record, even if I ever upgraded to the D700 or 300, i'd never use live view.....that would just make it a fancy point and shoot.

I can see a few situations where using live view would come in handy. I've come across a few myself where I wish I did have live view because it was IMPOSSIBLE to look through the view finder. So I had to guess on the composition, then look at the picture, recompose, take another picture, recompose again, take another picture.

It definitely is a nice feature to have even if you only use it here and there.

 

[Kyen]

My vote is for Canon! I love my Digital Rebel. I had only one little problem with it (While at Disney) but they fixed it with no questions asked free of charge. My camera was also 'dropped' and when I took it back to Canon they ended up fixing it again no charge.

 

[Experiment_626]

Nikon........

and for the record, even if I ever upgraded to the D700 or 300, i'd never use live view.....that would just make it a fancy point and shoot.

Well, I'd rarely use it, but it can come in handy -- pretty much any time getting the camera where you need it for the shot you want means you can't look through the viewfinder. I'd use it then.

SSB

 

[Boo Bear]

I sell cameras for a living and I think that both cameras have great things to offer. I'm an avid Nikon user and own a D70s (version before D80) and a D300. I never use my live view option for my D300. I think it's only important if you're planning on raising your camera in the air for a shot, but then again it's hit or miss for composing the photo appropriately. At work, we sell the XSi for $899 with an 18-55 IS lens. We sell the D80 body for $699 and with a lens for $799 but it doesn't have VR. Don't let the IS (Canon) or VR (Nikon) lens throw you off too much. Just because the lens for the XSi has IS, it's not necessary for a lens that only zooms to 55mm. IS (Image Stabilization) or VR (Vibration Reduction) lenses are, in most cases, only necessary for greater zooms like an 18-135, 18-200 or 250 or 70-300mm and so on lenses, as they compensate for unsteady hands or lack of the use of a tripod.

Like everyone else has said... go hold both of them. I personally choose Nikon for the ease of use, active d-lighting function (I'll explain if you want, just PM me), amazing optics and lens quality, neutral color tone and price.

If you're looking for a camera mostly for on the go travel and family photos, I'd also recommend the D60. It's the smallest Digital SLR body on the marked, comes with an 18-55mm VR lens and retails at our store for $699. It doesn't have as many advanced functions as a D80 but is revolutionary as far as start up time and quickness. It's perfect for travel and has an active child setting if you have little ones or pets in the family.

As far as red-eye goes... I haven't had any problems with either one of my Nikon SLRs. You can potentially get red-eye with any camera with head on flash, it's just the way it works, but I don't know much about in camera editing other than it can be somewhat unreliable. Sometimes it's hard to target exactly where the red eye is on an LCD screen and can leave grey blotches in the middle of people's faces.

 

[brat5063]

Thanks for all the responses. There are a lot of Nikon users out there. No reason really why I limited it to just Canon or Nikon, I guess b/c it is what I see people tend to like the most. I ended up buying the Canon XSi. I found a 10% off coupon to Dell and got it for $630 something, plus tax, free shipping. If I didn't have to pay the tax, it would have been a great deal.

Thanks again.