CHE Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 Hi, I need some help. I am buying a new digital SLR camera this week. I have a budget of $1,200USD and these are my top picks so far: Nikon D80 http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-3-5-5-6-Aspherical-Autofocus-70-300mm/dp/B000IF7HW6/sr=1-7/qid=1160964955/ref=sr_1_7/104-3725453-5973560?ie=UTF8&s=photo Nikon D70S http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-Digital-Camera-18-70mm-55-200mm/dp/B0009JPREG/sr=1-16/qid=1160964366/ref=sr_1_16/104-3725453-5973560?ie=UTF8&s=photo Canon EOS 20D http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002XQJFA/ref=pd_cp_p_title/104-3725453-5973560?ie=UTF8 I know people in this forum own some of these cameras and/or are knowledgeable about this subject. It would be great to hear from you and get a piece of advice before I make the purchase. Thanks, Ernesto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliot Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 Ernesto, Between my daughter and I we have the D70, D200 and the D80. My favorite one is the D80. It is basically the same thing as the D200 but with a few less controls. The photos on both cameras look very similar. The D200 is faster, which is good for sports. I think the D80 has better colors. Any of the Nikons are very good. There have been bugs reported on both cameras. The D80 seems to have less bugs. My advise is to save on the body and buy some good lenses. Read on http://www.kenrockwell.com Good Luck Elliot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Botofte Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 hey.. you deserve my first post on this fantastic site!.. (sry for my bad english :/) well.. i would say Canon EOS 20D.. i have be working with nikon a few years and now i wanted to try somthing different..so i but a Canon..(not this one ext.) but..i really liked the new one.. it's really good colors and it's cheaper.. hard to deside but i think you should buy Canon.. well.. another thing you could do is to walk down to your local dealer and ask him if you could try em both.. just for a few minutes.. then you could try to take a few pic's and really fell the balance (if it's things like that you are looking for) and ask him about the differences.. - David.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHE Posted October 16, 2006 Author Share Posted October 16, 2006 David, Welcome to our community. I hope you find it to be very informative and indispensable. I just finished reading an article about the Canon EOS 20 camera. They said that it is one of the few cameras in the market right now with slow data transferring times. Have you had any problems of that sort with your Canon? Elliot, What do you think about the Nikon D80 configuration that Amazon is offering? Do you know anything about Tamron lenses? What Nikon body and which lenses would you suggest to get started? Thanks for your comments guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Botofte Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 Thx ^^ well.. never really had a problem with that maybe they are right.. the one i have is a EOS-3 50D (take a look at that one..it's maybe what you are looking for) ánd i can coppy the whole card (1gb right now) in a few minutes, so for me it's not a problem.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHE Posted October 16, 2006 Author Share Posted October 16, 2006 I think that this is what I am going to buy: 1-Nikon D70S 6.1MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with 18-70mm Nikkor Lens 1-Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras 1-Nikon Accessory Kit 9983 (70mm-300mm/f4-5.6 G lens, extra product protection with a two-year Nikon extended warranty, a photo guide with tips and techniques for getting the best shot under different conditions, a memory card rebate offer on additional memory, and a gadget bag) 1-SanDisk SDCFH-1024-901 1 GB Ultra II CompactFlash Card (Retail Package) 1-Nikon ML-L3 Wireless Remote Control for D50 & D70 Digital SLR Cameras All for less than $1,300USD. Let me know what do you think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHE Posted October 16, 2006 Author Share Posted October 16, 2006 If I get the Nikon D70S (Body only) + Nikon 18-55mm instead of the Nikon D70S kit with a 18-70mm included I can save around $40. I wonder if it is worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliot Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 Ernesto and Dave, If it was me, I would only buy the D80. The D200 is good but the features vs cost is not enough to convince me. However, the main reason for the D80 is because our D80 seems to have better colors. The D200 is a more rugged camera. It has all the weather seals and it is definitely faster. There is a lot of people saying the D80 photos are better. I think the difference is very small, but I do think the D80 has better colors and sharpness. I don't know anything about Tamron lenses. We only have Nikons. One of my favorite lenses is the 50mm 1.4f. We also have the 50mm 1.8f. People say they are similar. However, I think the 1.4f is better. We just purchased the 85mm 1.4f and that is fantastic lense. Some people do not like it.... I guess it is matter of taste. The clarity, speed and bokeh are incredibly good. I have heard they are going upgrade that lense to a VR version. If you like low light photography the 1.4f are better. I am definitely addicted to lenses, I think that is were 50% of the photo is derived from. The rest is from the photographer. My daughter is an artistic person, with less equipment and less technical know how, her photos are way superior over mine.... My main two reason for not wanting the D70 or D70s is the file size and above all the size of the viewfinder. The D80 has a viewfinder as big as the D200. At my age is kind of difficult to look through a small viewfinder. Spend the money on lenses, those do not go obsolete as fast as the bodies. The bodies are going obsolete like every 18 months. I think Bill Gates and Intel did some business counselling to Nikon. Regards Elliot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHE Posted October 17, 2006 Author Share Posted October 17, 2006 Spend the money on lenses, those do not go obsolete as fast as the bodies. The bodies are going obsolete like every 18 months. I think Bill Gates and Intel did some business counselling to Nikon. Regards Elliot Elliot, The only D80 kits that I can afford are these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000IF7HW6/ref=pd_rvi_gw_2/104-3725453-5973560?ie=UTF8 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HGIWN4/ref=pd_rvi_gw_3/104-3725453-5973560?ie=UTF8 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HJ4YMY/ref=noref/104-3725453-5973560?ie=UTF8&s=photo I will not be able to afford any more lenses if I buy one of those. Remember that I only have around $1,200USD to spare. Do you still think that one of the D80 kits would be a better option than the D70S Body + 3 leses + extra accesories that I listed in a previous post? Thanks a lot for your help, Ernesto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliot Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 Ernesto, I am not familiar with those lenses you listed. However, I have heard good things about them. I have never used one. If the choice was between the D200 and the D80 under budget consideration, stic to the D80, the photos do not need as much tweaking as with the D70. The difference is too small. The D70 is a good camera but there is definitely a difference in the file, quality and focusing of the D80. The D80 is superior. Then the viewfinder makes the final reason for the the D80. Lenses are important but you can also acquire them later on. The D70s or D70 are almost 3 year old technologies. If you are begining from scratch it may be worthwhile to get the D80 in spite of the budget - lense consideration. Some guys are not happy with flash sync speed on the D80 vs D70. The D70 is better. In my case I don't use the camera in a way where the sync speed is critical. I use it for our business to take still images of products. The D80 is certainly better. The photos do not need as much tweaking as with the D70. The files are larger and it allows better cropping of details. It all depends what you are going to be doing. However, the D80 is a good little camera. Some people claim it is like a toy because it is not heavy and doesn't have some of the features of a larger camera. At the end it takes the same photos as the D2Xs. Since I got into digital I have found that as with 3D Max.... you will need to use Photoshop to minute tweaking..... even if you have an expensive camera. Canon's seem to be very good cameras. I tried a Canon and it was good. I preffer Nikon plus I have been collecting Nikon lenses for over 20 years.... Visit http://www.kenrockwell.com http://www.dpreview.com http://www.nikonian.org http://www.nikoncafe.com These listed sites have a lot of information. Some of the information is very biased by over jealous Nikon users but generally you can get good info. I have had the D80 for 1 month, the D70 for 3 years, the D200 for 10 months. My favorite one is the D80. It is light and easy to carry. I have deviced a small studio with several inexpensive strobes, diffussers and 5 SB-800's. I place the camera on a tripod and use the laptop to control my camera and see the results inmediately after I take them. The photos of the products are fairly good considering the fact that I am not a proffesional photographer. Regards Elliot PD: Another importan feature is that you can dial the white light straight into the camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHE Posted October 17, 2006 Author Share Posted October 17, 2006 Elliot, I am going to buy a D80. I would like to know what do you think abut these two options: Option1 1-Nikon D80 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera Body + Tamron 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspherical Autofocus Lens + Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro Autofocus Lens KIT 1-Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras 1-SanDisk SDCFH-1024-901 1 GB Ultra II CompactFlash Card (Retail Package) $1,277.93 or Option2 1-Nikon - D80 Digital SLR w/Nikkor 28-80mm F/3.3-5.6G AF Zoom Lens - NEW! 1-Nikon 50mm f/1.4D AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras 1-SanDisk SDCFH-1024-901 1 GB Ultra II CompactFlash Card (Retail Package) $1,352.92 Thanks, Ernesto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Mottle Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 Hey Ernesto, First off, I'd only buy Nikon glass, but that is just me. Second what type of photography do you want to do? That might affect the reccomendations for the type of lenses you need. I'm sure you know this already, but just in case, you need to multiple all the focal lengths of those lenses by 1.5. Think my next lens will be the 70-200 and the 12-24. Tell us what kind of photos you want to take... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHE Posted October 18, 2006 Author Share Posted October 18, 2006 Hi Jeff, I will use the camera for work, school, and personal art. I do not like to use flash for indoor photography so I definitively want to get one of the fast lenses. I was aware about the multiply factor issue that the 1.8 50mm lens has. I didn't know that this was the case for the rest of the lenses I posted. Thanks, Ernesto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliot Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 Ernesto, I agree with Jeff. I like the Nikon lenses. Because of this reason I would stick to Option 2. By the way the 50mm 1.4f is a very nice lense for low light photography. I use that lense very frequently. I have the 12-24mm, I am not to sure I like it, but it is a nice one. It is like Jeff wrote, it all depends what you want to do..... for low light stick to the prime lenses. Regards Elliot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Mottle Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 Based on the images you posted you should really be looking to put a wide angle lens in your arsenal. None of the lenses you have listed are wide enough for most landscape work. You originally had that kit lens in there, but I would buy the body seperate and get the 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5D instead as the kit lens is kind of a crappy lens and it not built that well. Also don't forget fast lenses that are wide open equal extemely shallow DOF. Unless you are taking a lot of really low light pics I'd probably go for the 1.8 and use the money you save over the 1.4 towards another lens. These are the lenses I have: Nikon AF Nikkor 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5 ED-IF Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5D Nikon AF Nikkor 24mm f/2.8D Nikon AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.8D The nice thing about that 28-105 is that it also has some reasonable decent macro abilties as well. The 85 is a nice portrait lens, the 24 is ok for some landscape stuff. I use the 18-35 for almost all of my pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHE Posted October 19, 2006 Author Share Posted October 19, 2006 Jeff, I took those photos with a Nikon FM10. The camera came with a Nikkor Zoom 35-70mm 3.5 ~4.8. Do you think that I will be able to use this lens with the D80? I like the lenses that you have. I wish they were a little less expensive. What camera do you have? I really want to buy the D80 but I might have to buy a D70S and use the rest of the money in lenses. Thanks, Ernesto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHE Posted October 19, 2006 Author Share Posted October 19, 2006 Elliot and Jeff, I wanted to let you know that I just placed an order for the following: 1 "Nikon D80 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera (Body only)" 1 "SanDisk SDCFH-1024-901 2 GB Ultra II CompactFlash Card (Retail Package)" 1 "Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras" 1 "Nikon 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5D ED-IF AF Zoom Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras" Thanks a lot for all your help. I will post some pics soon. Ernesto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaron-cds Posted October 19, 2006 Share Posted October 19, 2006 Ernesto, You may want to check your order because the D80 takes the SD / SD-HC card, not the compact flash card I was looking at the D80 at dpreview. It makes me want to drop my D70 on the ground by accident. I think that's the only way my wife would let me buy the D80. It's tough with all these great toys. I'm saving up for a new dual dual core intel xeon 5160 3ghz workstation. $6k. Speaking of glass, I just picked up a nikor 28mm 2.8 D. I love it. I also have the Nikon 50 mm f/1.4D Nikon 70-300 mm f/4-5.6D Quantaray 18-50 mm F3.5-5.6 I noticed the 12 mb + size for raw files. My raw files with the D70 are a little over 5 mb, then again it's a 6mp camera. Have fun with your new toy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHE Posted October 19, 2006 Author Share Posted October 19, 2006 I am afraid I was too late to cancel the flash card order. I am going to have to return it once I get it. Thanks for noticing and letting me know. Do you know if this flash card would work for the camera? http://www.amazon.com/PNY-PSD2GRF3-Secure-Digital-Memory/dp/B000EVPYDI/sr=8-19/qid=1161265300/ref=sr_1_19/104-3725453-5973560?ie=UTF8&s=electronics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaron-cds Posted October 19, 2006 Share Posted October 19, 2006 Yes, that will work. That's too bad about your order. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Mottle Posted October 19, 2006 Share Posted October 19, 2006 Jeff, I took those photos with a Nikon FM10. The camera came with a Nikkor Zoom 35-70mm 3.5 ~4.8. Do you think that I will be able to use this lens with the D80? I like the lenses that you have. I wish they were a little less expensive. What camera do you have? I really want to buy the D80 but I might have to buy a D70S and use the rest of the money in lenses. Thanks, Ernesto I think your 35-70 should work, assuming it's the same one I found googling it. Seems like a nice lens that a lot of people like. I have a D70. So far no complaints with it other than there is no vertical grip. At least nothing that is not an aftermarket hack job. The D80 has one you can get from Nikon becuase they added additional contacts to control focus amoung other things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaron-cds Posted October 19, 2006 Share Posted October 19, 2006 Jeff, have you seen this new vertical grip for the D70? http://www.wolfcamera.com/product/224080010.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Mottle Posted October 19, 2006 Share Posted October 19, 2006 Jeff, have you seen this new vertical grip for the D70? http://www.wolfcamera.com/product/224080010.htm I hadn't, but I assume it either does not allow half-presses auto-focus or it uses that cheezy IR tube. Might have to do some research. I don't think it's possible with any of them as there are no contacts to control it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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