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Digital cameras: Canon XSi or Canon 40D or nikon D80? Help!
Canon XSi or Canon 40D or nikon D80? Help!
by heckp - 3/21/08 9:13 AMI am stuck and can't decide which one I should buy. I will use the camera for my vacation, landscape, sports and basic photography but I don't mind learning more about the camera and play with the functions available. Any suggestions? I want beatiful pictures, fast and I will be using the camera in a lot of indoor photography too.
Well....
by kalel33 - 3/21/08 9:46 AM In reply to: Canon XSi or Canon 40D or nikon D80? Help! by heckpIf you're into sports photography then you'll really like the speed of the 40d compared to the other two. That said, the fast lens needed for sports will require $$$$. You need more than the kit lens for that. The XSI will likely do very well. Dpreview.com already has their hands on the test camera to do a review and so many people are waiting for that. The difference between the 40d and the d80 is.
--6.5 and 3 fps continuous shooting (D80 has 3fps only)
-[14 bit files (D80 has 12 bit)
live view and live view simulation (D80 doesn't have this at all) - great for macro and landscapes
-low noise and good definition at all ISO - considerably better than D80
-Custom settings, c1,c2 and c3 (not on the D80) - very useful to set up and switch between different types of shooting
-the 40D has 1/8000 max shutter speed and 1/250 flash sync, while the D80 only has 1/4000 and 1/200 sync.
Not to say that the D80 is not a wonderful camera...it is. All three of those would do what you wanted them to do and more. If sports was the primary, I would choose the 40d, otherwise it's more up to which one you're most comfortable with holding and using.
I would
by kalel33 - 3/21/08 10:33 AM In reply to: XSi or 40D? by heckpI would wait until you can actually pick it up and decide which one is more comfortable to you. The XSi will be slower than the 40d 6fps to 3.5. They are both 14bit color, but there are many other questions that won't be answered until an in-depth review is done. One thing I can say is that the 40d is here now, and you could be taking great photos right away. You could go with the XSi and spend the extra money on better lens, which will make a bigger difference.
Especially if you're doing indoor sports, the 85mm f/1.8 is a great basketball lens. Night football is extremely expensive for lens. Daytime you can get away with the Canon 70-200mm f/4L at just over $500. You need the decent light and it would not work for low light action.
Just depends on your budget and the willingness to make it a step process. Buying lens can get very addictive and expensive. It's really best to go with the kit lens and one fast prime(ie. 85mm f/1.8 or 50mm f/1.8) and see what you're missing based upon the your needs. The kit lens for the XSi and the 40d will be very good for a walkaround lens and do most of what you want.
I went with the 40D
by rrc1962 - 3/21/08 7:27 PM In reply to: Canon XSi or Canon 40D or nikon D80? Help! by heckpThose were the 3 on my list as well. I don't think the 2mp difference is a factor so is looked at other things. Live view was a nice feature and the fast frame rate was nice since I shoot motorsports. That put the 40D on top of the list.
I ended up with the 40D with 28-135 IS kit lense. Then I bought the Canon L series 100-400 IS Zoom. This is a great lense. I can shoot indoors, well lit, hand held at 400mm with this lense. It's not a great low light lense but I mostly use it outdoors. I also bought a Sigma 10-20 Wide Zoom. Thus lense is great for shooting at car shows. I can get a full frame from very close with no noticeable distortion. I also bought the cheap 50mm f1.8 lense. This is a cheap lense but it takes a good photo. I use it for portraits and other photos where I'm looking for more depth of field control. Otherwise, the kit lense works well for portrait work.
I think the lense is more important than the body. The L series lenses put the standard kit lenses to shame in both construction and image quality. The kit lense takes a good photo, but the L series is noticeably better when you start looking close.
I print 16x20's on an Epson Pro 3800 from the 40D and they are crystal clear. You can literally count hairs. Better than or equal to a lab developed print from medium format film.
Regarding the Nikon D60 post
by snapshot2
- 3/23/08 3:52 PM
In reply to: Canon XSi or Canon 40D or nikon D80? Help! by heckp
A message from the Moderator.
The Nikon D60 post was deleted because this person is advertising his web site.
He is trying to get a monetary kickback from advertisers.
When you see a web-link that starts with the name of the camera, followed by the model number, it is this same person.
All of his posts will continue to be deleted on sight.
Anything posted under his post is automatically deleted too.
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Be sure to physically handle them before you decide
by Lm_wise - 4/11/08 8:37 AM In reply to: Canon XSi or Canon 40D or nikon D80? Help! by heckpI was debating between the Xti and 40D also. So I went in to a local camera shop to check them out. I couldn't believe how much difference there was in size and weight between the two. Seeing photo comparisons online just doesn't give you the whole story. Since I'm rather petite with tiny hands, the 40D seemed huge to me! I felt very nervous about possibly dropping it. Although I really wanted to like the 40D because of its better features, I recognized that because of its size, I'd be unlikely to take it with me very often, defeating the point of getting one. For me, the smaller Xti was a perfect fit, feeling very comfortable in my hand, and I could see myself taking it along everywhere. Having already purchased a larger, more feature-rich camcorder that sits at home, I'm now okay with getting a little less quality if it means I'll actually USE it. Although others may not have the same experience or concern, my point is that you shouldn't overlook the physical comfort of whichever camera you go with. I'm glad that I checked them out in person BEFORE I purchased one.
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