[MiG Eater]

Well...its come around again, and my good friend in France has once again told me that I need a new camera, lol.

I'm currently using a Canon Powershot S2 IS, which has served me faithfully for nearly a year, and I have learnt many new ideas and tricks. Now, for an SLR.

I've not really had much chance to look around, but a few friends have them. I've had a rushed look at:

Canon EOS 5D - Far too expensive and proffessional for me at this time.
Canon EOS 300/350D - About the right price range, but I'm not sure about that flash that pops up when it feels like and I don't have any lenses.

Nikon D70 - Errrmm...Haven't a clue. And again, no lenses.

In fact, apart from the adaptor tube for the PS, I have nowt!

Please help!!

Nick

[silkstone]

The flash doesn't pop up unless you tell it to, except in full auto (green square) mode which you'll perhaps never want to use.

The built-in flash can be very useful IMO, and it also works pretty well as a macro light with either the 50mm f/1.8 plus tubes or a proper macro lens.

The 30D is a superb piece of kit if you can run to it, although I'm sure that D70 owners will say the same about that!

The acquisition of lenses is a lifetime's occupation and guarantees you will never have an embarrassment of riches.

[Dabhand16]

I went through a sifting process and ended up with Canon v Nikon D70s. They both are very similar, but have subtle differences. In the end, I opted for the Nikon because it felt more comfortable to hold and the controls fell to hand a little better. I stress that this is for me, and you might find the opposite. There is a really good 18-70mm kit lens for the Nikon, and an 18-55 I think that is not as good, and may not be as good as the Canon equivalent.

Silkstone is right about the flash - it only pops up without your say so on auto. In other modes you can apply exposure compensation, so it works really well as a fill within its range.

The choice of a camera is tricky, but in the end, there is no substitute for handling the cameras.

[MiG Eater]

I'll be poping into Ringwood camera shop sometime over the coming months and have a play with their display peices. Thanks for the words of advice, much appreciated.

Nick

[Gary Bagshawe]

350d will sort you out for years to come.

[stepheno]

Hi Nick - All good points from the others but, other than the camera you should consider which lens system you would be happiest with. Oh, and start doing the lottery

[Steve]

Either the Canon or the Nikon would meet all your requirements and as Dab has mentioned in the kit form the Nikon has the better lens as standard. Two things to consider very carefully before you buy are how the cameras feel to you (in your hands) the controls, the menus, the size and the weight, if any of those are wrong using the camera for long lengths of time will become a chore instead of fun. The second one is the price and range of accessories that interest you for the future, at this point you are not tied into any one manufacturer but once you buy a body and one or two lenses for most, they will stick with that brand, this means their lenses, flashguns etc and the prices that they want to charge for that stuff. Look at the big picture and consider both of these points while looking to buy and you wont go far wrong, both cameras are very capable.

[Dave]

Following on from Graham & others advice, I would say it comes more down to personal choice re Nikon vs Canon, as there is nothing in it really.

One thing to consider though is looking s/h. I've done this with both the Canon 300D I once had & the Nikon D70 I have now. Both were bought from forums where I could see the members were trustworthy. For me it allowed me to get more camera for the money. You never know you might find someone selling a whole setup, including lenses

If your in for the long run & like the idea of S/H, I would recommend looking at the Canon 20D & Nikon D70 as cameras that will provide more than enough quality & function for years to come.

Hope that helps.

[Steve]

A Canon 20D if bought second hand would be a great camera that would serve you well for a ver long time. Its slightly larger and more substantial than a 350D and with it recently being replaced by the 30D you stand a good chance of picking up a fairly new one for a good price.

[noah]

why not throw in a nikon d50 to the mix. i was using one yesterday and the jpegs straight out of the camera were hands down better than my d70, better colours, less noise i was very very impressed. you lose the remote flash control and some of the shortcut buttons but its not a problem in general use. you also still have spot metering they're £325 body only so you can buy whatever nice lenses you choose.

the nikon 18-55 is a good lens optically, it's just that it is built with a plastic mount not a nice metal one like the 18-70. still it's good for the money and from my experience better than the canon kit lens. but you could happily pick up a new 18-70 from ffordes photographic : Main Index or Mifsuds.com, PX Welcome, PX Welcome, PX Welcome, PX Welcome, PX Welcome as they go in 'as new' condition for around £150 in the secondhand section.


hth

edit: i dont know why the links went like that, i only typed the url's in....

[Dave]

It's all voodoo magic Interesting to read you feel the images are better from D50 than D70. I'm intrigued if anyone else has experienced this ?

[noah]

i'd heard a lot of people say it, but didnt believe it until i used one. it's nothing you cant fix in pp, expect the high iso noise- stuffed there really. but it is impressive for straight out the camera.

i still wouldn't get rid of my d70 as i couldnt live without having 2 control wheels, quick format shortcuts, the quick metering changing button and the wireles flash that the d50 lacks. these aren't big things and
if they don't bother you the d50 is superb.

[Steve]

Originally Posted by noah

edit: i dont know why the links went like that, i only typed the url's in....

Smart init

[asd]

If your going down the canon route id go for 30D over 20D because of the bigger LCD screen,( 30D coming down in price by the day) i dont like auto white balance on the Nikon cameras, sometimes can give you odd resultsIMP. If going down nikon route Nikon D50 is great camera, but for sake of paying a little more i would go for D70 Alot of people in my photography class at college have the Canon 350D, and is a belting little cam, a little small for me though in my hands which stopped me from getting one,also a couple have Minolta 7D which is great also, maybe go into Jessops and testdrive a few, and buy from somewhere cheaper when you,ve decided.

also sony have just released Apha 100 SLR at around £599 rrp, not heard any reports yet but worth a look, and should drop in price soon judging by the current market

wait to you start buying lenses, that is a minefield, i always pester Steve for advice.... it works for me! lol

[asd]

Sorry didn't read the posts fully, interesting that results of D50 jpegs are better then D70, would like to see this subject run a little, i have gone down canon road so will leave nikon stuff to guys n gals that have that brand

as Harry Hill says.....Canon...Nikon...theres only one way to sort it out...........................FIGHT!

[MiG Eater]

Cheers peeps. Ill be going into town hopefully Friday or Sat. Will let you know how it goes.