Canon Digital Rebel XTi or Nikon D40?!? What lenses to go with as well?
I'm looking to invest in a good solid entry level DSLR. I'm not looking to go pro in photography but i would like a camera that I can have fun with and take some good pictures (Sports, landscape, etc) I have looked a lot at the Canon Digital Rebel XTi and the Nikon D40 and they look like solid affordable cameras. But i'm open to any other suggestions on cameras.
On top of this what kind of lenses would I need (this is one field where I have not done too much research and have no idea which to get).
I appreciate any help and thank you!
 Nikon D60 SLR with Customized LENS KIT 102 Megapixel  US $455.00
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 Pentax K x Digital SLR w 18 55mm 50 200mm Zoom Lens US $589.00
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 NIKON D50 DIGITAL SLR W LENS AND ACCESSORIES MINT US $177.50
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 Sony SLR A200 102 MP with 18 70mm Lens US $157.50
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 NEW Canon EOS 50D w EF 28 135mm Digital SLR Lens Kit US $890.00
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 Canon Rebel XS 101 Digital SLR Kit EF S 18 55 IS lens US $315.00
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Tagged with: cameras • canon • canon digital • canon digital rebel • canon digital rebel xti • landscape • nikon d40 • photography • sports
Filed under: nikon slr lenses
They are both excellent cameras, and it won’t make any difference which one you go with. We agonize over these decision before purchase — but I really don’t know what impact it has afterwards on the typical use by amateurs (I am in that category).
Your areas of interest — sports & landscape photography — have more to do with the lens than the camera body. Unfortunately, you are at two opposite ends here. For landscape, you need a good wide angle lens. For sports, you need a fast telephoto ==> which tranlates to expensive.
The kit 18-55 that comes with Nikon (and possibly something very similar for the Canon) is adequate for day to day shots, and almost sufficient for landscape. So you are probably better off just looking at the lens that you need for the sports photography, if you are on a budget. If not, I hear good things about the relatively new Tokina 11-16 for the wide angle end.
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tokina/11-16mm.htm
Have you actually handled these cameras? If not, I would suggest you go to a good camera store and try them out. Take some pictures and see how easy it is for you to reach the controls. You will know the one for you when you hold it in your hands.
Then ask advice about the lens you should have. It all depends on what kind of pictures you like to take.
I’d say go with the XTi, but I’m a Canon guy. The lenses you get will depend on your needs. You’ll probably just want to start out with the 18-55m kit lens. Once you’ve got used to it you’ll probably have a better idea of what you want in your next lens. My guess is that you’ll probably want a telephoto next. If you can afford $500 the 70-300mm would be a great choice. If not you’ll probably have to settle for the 75-300mm unless you can find the 100-300mm. If you do get the 75-300mm buy it used and don’t pay more than $100 for it.
Go with the Canon Digital Rebel XT (a step down from XTi). I was looking at the XTi as my entry DSLR as well and decided to get this one instead. It was a good bit cheaper, which I liked, but I still got everything i wanted! Love the pictures I get out of it, and i didnt go broke!
Unfortunately I haven’t branched out into the world of lenses, I’m still having a great time with what the camera came with.
OK here is my short answer. I have a D40 and I love it. The D40 has a full manual mode, Flexible progam, aperature priority, shutter priority modes. These are the same modes on all DSLR. It also has several other programed modes for things like portrait, night, children etc. As a photographer improves and learnds to use metering better these additional modes seldom get used so they are usually found on the more amature cameras and seen as not needed on the professional cameras. I feel I have a fair amount of experience as a photographer and it performs well for me but I can give it to my 12 y/o grandson if set on program and he can get good usable pictures as well. His photography is improving as he is already learning to use many of the functions himself ( yes I’m a proud granpa) .
I also would not get caught up in the megapixel hype and instead look at the entire sensor issue. Look at the article I linked below The D40 will do everything a beginner to intermediate photographer needs at a great price. It comes with an 18-55 lens. It will let you use any other money to buy more accessories. And by the time you outgrow it cameras will have advanced to the point that most of what is on the market now would be obsolete. I bought a D300 last year and only had a it a few months when the D700 came out. The canon would also serve you well but I am a Nikon person so I suggest them. I have friends that are very happy with thier canon’s and take great photos. You will have others that like Pentax and Olympus and they are not bad cameras but if they were in the same ballpark you would see many more professional photographers use them
Now for the longer answer as you already have some experience I will be preaching to the choir on a good bit of this.
I would say the Nikon D40 Its an entry level DSLR. A digital SLR will give you a much larger sensor than any point and shoot camera. Larger sensor = more light to each pixel = clearer, crisper photo with better color saturation. DSLR will also let you grow and take more control as you learn more and you can change lenses when you have a need to. The sensor on the olympus is smaller than on Nikon or Canon
I am a nikon person and have had nikons since the 70’s I personally think the nikon D40 give you more for the dollar than any DSLR today. There are some that do more but you pay a good bit more. Do not let the lower megapixels concern you if you do not do very very large prints you will never notice the lower DSLR. My brother recently needs a DSLR for a class and I recommended the D40 to him So I would also say get the D40 not the D40X. The Nikon D40 does not have limited functions compared with other entry DSLR. Yes it has fewer funtioncas than a 1500 dollar camera body would. It is not a a cut down version its equal or above most any entry level DSLR.
There is a great article in this months Digital Photopro Magazine that is titled "Megapixels how much is enough" EVERYONE looking at buying a new digital camera can profit by reading this article. Its here
http://www.digitalphotopro.com/studio/me...
I have a d300 and a d40 and when I am shooting for fun I grab the d40. Its weightless, a joy to use and gives good results
If you have a bit more money the D60 give you a number of things you want. It has newer firmware and image processors, designed for the 10 mp sensor. It has an "Active Dust Reduction System with Airflow Control ". Nikon not putting a system on the D40 to deal with dust is one of the biggest drawbacks I see to the D40 ( though I think its still a great camera for the money) If you change lenses dust will get in and the camera needs a system to deal with it. With the D60 you get a VR lens. That will help with low light situations ( they may offer that now with the D40 but originally it was not) . The D60 has Adaptive Dynamic Range. Nikon calls it "Active D-Lighting," it lets you save some highlights that my otherwise be lost. It has a newer better metering system than the D40. So you can get the D40 not the D40 x and spend the other money on lenses or a flash
Some people will want to make a big issue out of the fact that there are some nikon lenses that will not autofocus on these cameras. Right now there are "only" about 39 lenses that autofocus on these cameras. They cover the range of focal lengths. I doubt any photographer would be seriously limited with "only" this many lenses to choose from. If you want to manually focus you can more than double this and do so at a low cost. Manual focusing is easy and how we did things for decades before the advent of autofocus.
Cannon and Nikon chose to put the vibration reduction in the lens rather than the body. Somefolks put it in the camera and make of that. Yes that means you get stabilization only on lenses with that feature built in. In the body in theory it would work on every lens. But in fact image stbilization in the lens has proved to work faster and smoother with a lower impact on focus times than image stabilization in the body/ One problem with in body stabilization comes from the fact that the sensor would have to move different amounts for different focal lengths. A canon white paper says an in body system would have to move the sensor 1/4 inch to account for movement on a 300 mm lens.
Now a comment on liveview. Have you ever tried to hold several pounds of digital camera and lens steady at arms length while you look at an LCD screen. It not at all the same as holding a few ounces of point and shoot camera steady in the same position. One of the things we preach to new photogrpahers is to learn to hold the camera properly so the body mechanics give you a steady shot. You can’t really do that looking at the LCD. So liveview is really something that will have very limited applications in a DSLR. So liveview is really something that will have very limited applications in a DSLR. Usually only when its on a tripod. I have liveview on my D300 and have never used it.
Nikon also has great service. I was just reading the other day on eyefetch in the Nikon forum where someone posted that they had dropped thier lens and broken it. It was not a fault of the company they messed up. The sent it to Nikon and Nikon could not fix it. Nikon offered them a brand new identical lens at half the price. They did not have to
In closing all major camera manufactures make good cameras get out and compare the features and how they feel in your hand. Go to places like kenRockwell.com and DPreview.com to compare them. Nikon and Canon have the largest market share and I personally think there is a very good reason they do. Not bashing other brands but photographers tend to be very very demanding folks and they then tend to be loyal to what has worked for them well and consistently. That is not a pavlovian response anymore than it is a pavlovian response in my work at the fire department when I trust the brands of turnout gear and airpacks that have worked for me time and time again. Sometimes even going beyond the published specs. People in ANY demanding profession gain loyalty and trust from thier experiences. And if the product did not perform it would not be favored for long.