Which camera? nikon d50 or canon rebel xt?

[pontifex]

i stopped at a camera shop today. unfortunately, they didn't have the d50 or the rbel xt in stock at the moment. so i was talking to the guy at the store and he was telling me about different stuff. he said that if i can borrow my dad's lenses, the nikon would probably be the way to go. if i wanted to get my own equipment, he said i should go with the rebel xt.

i also asked him about other camera, non-dslr. he suggested the fuji s9000 and the kodak p850 as good non-dslr cameras. i haven't checked on these on any review sites, so i will do that soon.

anyone have any experience with the fuji s9000 or the kodak p850?

 

[PHiuR]

Originally posted by: pontifex
i stopped at a camera shop today. unfortunately, they didn't have the d50 or the rbel xt in stock at the moment. so i was talking to the guy at the store and he was telling me about different stuff. he said that if i can borrow my dad's lenses, the nikon would probably be the way to go. if i wanted to get my own equipment, he said i should go with the rebel xt.

i also asked him about other camera, non-dslr. he suggested the fuji s9000 and the kodak p850 as good non-dslr cameras. i haven't checked on these on any review sites, so i will do that soon.

anyone have any experience with the fuji s9000 or the kodak p850?

dpreview.com to check the reviews on the fuji and kodak cameras. If you can borrow your dads lenses then I suggest getting whatever body he has lenses for.

 

[Anubis]

personally id go with a D70 or D70s just because they use compact flash and the D50 does not, however seeing as you are ona buget, id still go with the D50, IMO the XT feels more like a toy then the D50 does

 

[virtuamike]

Neither. There's a huge supply of used D70's on the market right now with owners making the upgrade to the D200. You can probably score a body in the $550 range. Add on an 18-70 for $225 or so and you're set.

The 18-70 D70 kit lens is a little more versatile and has better image quality than the 18-55 D50 kit lens. If it's going to be your only lens, it'd be a good upgrade.

La la shameless plug, 12/23 and prior all shot with D70

 

[Papagayo]

My brother-n-law has Nikon D2H..

They rock..

 

[UnoSigmaPi]

I'm a Nikon person myself, i have the D70. It's an awsome camera, and i have no complaints.

 

[virtuamike]

Originally posted by: Papagayo
My brother-n-law has Nikon D2H..

They rock..

No kidding they rock. It's a pro body. Almost bought one last year during the price drop, stuck it out with the D70 and invested in lenses instead.

 

[ultimatebob]

So, pontifex... Is this whole camera thing a ploy for you to meet women?

 

[pontifex]

haha, no its not, why do you ask that?

 

[ultimatebob]

Originally posted by: pontifex
haha, no its not, why do you ask that?

Just checking. It's been awhile since your last YAGT post update

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: ultimatebob

Originally posted by: pontifex
haha, no its not, why do you ask that?

Just checking. It's been awhile since your last YAGT post update

oh...
because there's nothing to update really...
i did email another woman on match and got a response from her. yay, i'm now 1 for 100!!! i replied to her email this morning and nothing has been sent back yet. just waiting to see what happens.

 

[FreshFish]

I am interested in the d50 as I am a newb, but I would like to start somewhere....I was wondering which kit lens out of these two choices would be more useful for general applications:

18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S DX

28-80mm f/3.3-5.6G ED

The first one is more expensive...so I assume it will be teh winnar....just wondering if someone could explain why (ie what does the AF-S and DX stand for)

 

[tfinch2]

Originally posted by: FreshFish
I am interested in the d50 as I am a newb, but I would like to start somewhere....I was wondering which kit lens out of these two choices would be more useful for general applications:

18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S DX

28-80mm f/3.3-5.6G ED

The first one is more expensive...so I assume it will be teh winnar....just wondering if someone could explain why (ie what does the AF-S and DX stand for)

The 18-55mm lens is designed for digital cameras such as the D50. The 28-80mm is usually the standard kit lens that comes with low-end Nikon film SLR cameras. With the crop factor on the D50, that 28-80 will really be like 42-120, while the 18-55 is just about 28-80mm.

 

[FreshFish]

Originally posted by: tfinch2

Originally posted by: FreshFish
I am interested in the d50 as I am a newb, but I would like to start somewhere....I was wondering which kit lens out of these two choices would be more useful for general applications:

18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S DX

28-80mm f/3.3-5.6G ED

The first one is more expensive...so I assume it will be teh winnar....just wondering if someone could explain why (ie what does the AF-S and DX stand for)

The 18-55mm lens is designed for digital cameras such as the D50. The 28-80mm is usually the standard kit lens that comes with low-end Nikon film SLR cameras. With the crop factor on the D50, that 28-80 will really be like 42-120, while the 18-55 is just about 28-80mm.

Perfect, thanks! :beer:

 

[raildogg]

Nikon makes some of the best cameras around. In this particular case, you should get the Nikon D50.

 

[jpeyton]

Go to a Best Buy or CompUSA, hold both, try out both, see what you like/dislike about each.

You aren't buying a CPU or video card here; raw numbers and specs won't help you make your decision. A camera is something you hold, carry, and interact with physically to make pictures. The most important characteristics of each camera will only be noticeable when you have them in your hands. I would start by getting the megapixel difference out of your mind first; the difference between 6.1MP and 8MP is not even worth discussing.

As far as lenses go, Ken Rockwell said it best: you will find many more similarities than differences in the lens lineups of Canon and Nikon.

Canon USM (Ultra Sonic Motor) = Nikon SWM (Silent Wave Motor)
Canon IS (Image Stabilization) = Nikon VR (Vibration Reduction)

 

[SparkyJJO]

rebel XT FTW!!!!

 

[Pocatello]

I've just ordered the Nikon D50 with the lens kit. Hopefully I can get it by Friday .

 

[imported_Owl]

I bought my wife, who had been using a small Panasonic digital camera, the D50, and she loves it. Lot of features, well built, menus are very user friendly, good lens. She thought the menus were a little easier to navigate on the D50 compared to the Rebel XT. In addition the thing takes great pictures. Very pleased.

 

[pontifex]

i found the d50 with a lens kit for $548 from a reputable place. can also get a 1 gb sd card for about $70 from there. not sure if i'm gonna take the plunge yet or not.

link to seller for those who may be intrested

 

[tfinch2]

Originally posted by: pontifex
i found the d50 with a lens kit for $548 from a reputable place. can also get a 1 gb sd card for about $70 from there. not sure if i'm gonna take the plunge yet or not.

link to seller for those who may be intrested

reputable?

 

[ultimatebob]

Originally posted by: jpeyton
Go to a Best Buy or CompUSA, hold both, try out both, see what you like/dislike about each.

You aren't buying a CPU or video card here; raw numbers and specs won't help you make your decision. A camera is something you hold, carry, and interact with physically to make pictures. The most important characteristics of each camera will only be noticeable when you have them in your hands. I would start by getting the megapixel difference out of your mind first; the difference between 6.1MP and 8MP is not even worth discussing.

As far as lenses go, Ken Rockwell said it best: you will find many more similarities than differences in the lens lineups of Canon and Nikon.

Canon USM (Ultra Sonic Motor) = Nikon SWM (Silent Wave Motor)
Canon IS (Image Stabilization) = Nikon VR (Vibration Reduction)

I don't think that Best Buy really has the best selection of SLR cameras. I'd recommend going to a good camera store to try out cameras instead. Ritz is a decent camera chain, but the best camera store that I've ever seen is B&H in NYC. It's the only place I know where you can get some free soda and chew on free candy while playing with an $8,000 Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II. Damn, that's a nice camera!

 

[jpeyton]

B&H and Adorama are the two best places to order camera stuff online, hands down. Ritz isn't too bad; I buy stuff from them occasionally when I need something NOW and I don't mind paying the extra $10-$20 they cost more than the online shops (but watch out, sometimes they charge about twice as much as B&H/Adorama).

CompUSA and Best Buy will both have Rebel XTs and D50s to play with, so they are as good of a place as any to try them out. D50 with lens will be around $580-$650, unless you get a super deal somewhere. Rebel XT with lens will be around $750-$850, unless you get some extra discounts somewhere.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: tfinch2

Originally posted by: pontifex
i found the d50 with a lens kit for $548 from a reputable place. can also get a 1 gb sd card for about $70 from there. not sure if i'm gonna take the plunge yet or not.

link to seller for those who may be intrested

reputable?

reputable on pricegrabber.com - 4 out of 5 stars, over 3500 reviews
heh, just did a check on the actual reviews, pretty bad recent reviews...

i was just talking to my dad. he said he ordered from Abes a few times and never had a problem.

 

[jpeyton]

Here's a great deal on a D50 w/ Lens Kit.