Canon VS Nikon DSLR

[x23]

I am looking into getting a DSLR sometime in the near future. I've always been a fan of Canon's Powershot series.(loved the SD700 and S5). Just looking for a general idea of what everyone prefers and why?

Which brand has more lens option? Better lens quality? Better lens price?

The two DSLR I'm looking at is the XSI and the new D90.

 

[USACanuck]

1) Go to store
2) Handle the Canon, play with the menus and functions
3) Handle the Nikon, play with the menus and functions

4) Ignoring anything a salesperson might say, decide which one of the two you liked better.
5) Buy the one you liked better

Done!!

--
'I reject your reality and substitute my own' -Adam Savage
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrnoronha/sets/

 

[tinrobot]

Both have great lenses.

Go to a camera store and try both cameras. Look through the viewfinders, see how the fit in your hand, get a feel for the interfaces. One will feel better than the other. Buy that one.

 

[Arby26]

I am looking into getting a DSLR sometime in the near future. I've
always been a fan of Canon's Powershot series.(loved the SD700 and
S5). Just looking for a general idea of what everyone prefers and why?

...

The two DSLR I'm looking at is the XSI and the new D90.

That's a really tough decision. Video on an dSLR sounds like loads of fun, but I imagine there wont be many times the quality would matter more than just carrying your old compact digicam, unless you live some sort of action-packed life. I imagine the Nikon has much better build quality and ergonomics than the XSI (if it's built anything like the D80), but that is up to you when you try them out. If it were me deciding strictly between Nikon and Canon, at around this price point, I'd go with Canon, but skip the XSI get a 40D for its new low price (about the same as the D90). Canon's prime lenses interest me more than the Nikon line-up, and I could live without video recording. That's would be my preference.

 

[Archer S]

I am looking into getting a DSLR sometime in the near future. I've
always been a fan of Canon's Powershot series.(loved the SD700 and
S5). Just looking for a general idea of what everyone prefers and why?

Which brand has more lens option? Better lens quality? Better lens
price?

The two DSLR I'm looking at is the XSI and the new D90.

Why limit to only those two? Pentax, Olympus, heck, even Sony make fine dSLR's. Go to a camera store and handle everything. Don't let a salescritter limit your choices.

--
Archer in Boulder

'The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude.' -- Friedrich Nietzsche

 

[Chrisku13]

Since lens selection was one of the criteria the OP originally mentioned, I imagine Nikon or Canon would be a better choice.

As others have said, try out both (although that will be a little while for the D90). And I believe you have the right idea thinking about lens choices, as selecting a brand just by the feel of the body will prove shortsighted when it comes time to expanding upon your DSLR system.

 

[Arby26]

Also true. Between Canon and Nikon I'd probably get a Canon, but between all manufacturers I prefer Olympus for their zoom lenses and well-featured cameras. And I don't mind the prices either (though those super-high-grade lenses aren't on my shopping list anytime soon!). The E-510 has all the picture-taking ability i want and there isn't anything else quite like their lens selection, though i'm a little jealous of some prime lenses they don't have (yet). I was originally going to get a Canon, but realized i would be paying more for the same picture-taking ability as what i ultimately decided to get. And the Canon zoom lenses were just to hard to sift through.

Just my view on how there're many of options out there.

 

[dreamtimestudio]

theres a saying going around something like this :

"cannon is designed by engineers for photographers and nikon is designed by photographers for photographers"

In reality im sure they are both designed by engineers but if your into techincal specs then go for a cannon for sure, if you like a camera with good ergonomics and color which is more pleasing go a nikon (also nikons are better value for money)
--
Shane Aves
http://www.dreamtimestudio.com/
The point and shooter

 

[charlesh]

on this forum is asking for trouble. Since there is a HUGE amount of info regarding the endless Canon v Nikon wars, it doesn't take much effort to do a little digging here on this site. You're going to need to make up your OWN mind, as the responses will be ridiculously varied, biased, informative, misleading, insulting, helpful ... you don't want your thread to fall into that hole, do you? Do some homework here and report back with your findings.

 

[martynk]

There used to be a saying that Canons were designed by marketing people, and Nikon by engineers. I should think that both departments are involved.

It's a moot point whether Nikon offer better value. How do you define value? I live in South Africa and all photographic gear is expensive, but Nikon is the most overpriced of all the brands. I have an affection for Nikon from the film days, but bought a Canon because it was far more affordable for me.

Better ergonomics? This is another moot point. It's personal and subjective.

 

[AnandaSim]

I am looking into getting a DSLR sometime in the near future. I've
always been a fan of Canon's Powershot series.(loved the SD700 and
S5). Just looking for a general idea of what everyone prefers and why?

The point and shoot market and the DSLR market are quite different. If you have developed a perception of the Canon brand in the point and shoot market, then kudos to their marketing and branding people.

Which brand has more lens option? Better lens quality? Better lens
price?

The two DSLR I'm looking at is the XSI and the new D90.

At this point in time, all brands are reasonably competitive. Best is relative - depends on $$$. $$$ is relative - depends on country pricing and discounts, whether you compare 2 year old models or this year's models. DSLR have short market lifespans - so you could get older models brand new and selling at a worthwhile package with more lens or better lens compared to this year's model.

This year's models are good but then in 12 months, they will look less good because next year will be another Photokina.

Tip #1 - There is no absolute

Tip #2 - There is no best.

Tip #3 - Some are better some are worse but the bigger factor is the photographer and his approach.

If the photographer is the bigger factor, then how do these tips help you?

Buy the camera you think is best. Does not mean or make that camera best but what you think is best makes you confident to shoot better.

Make up criteria that will discriminate between brands and models if you are indecisive.

Here are my brand perspectives:
http://anandasim.blogspot.com/2008/08/brand-and-model-perspectives.html
--



Ananda
http://anandasim.blogspot.com/

 

[Stujoe]

There is soooooo much information out there.

Lens selection is incredibly easy to figure out and pricing too. Just go to BHpPhoto.com (or similar) and browse the offerings.

Quality varies from lens to lens in all brands and varies by your budget too. Look at photos (I think pbase has them broken out by lenses) and take a peak at slrgear.com too for some tests on lens quality. In general, the lenses I have that slrgear had reviewed perform pretty close to their testing, imho.

--
Stu
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stujoe/

.

 

[refrax]

If it lands on its edge, go with Sony.

 

[6Toes]

As others have said - go and play with them, then buy the one you like.

My advice is if you can't make your up mind, buy the one that's cheaper.

 

[Simon97]

I'd try out the cameras before deciding. The feel of the grip may be the deciding factor. When I compared the low end SLRs (Rebel vs D40), the Nikon grip felt much better to me and I owned a Canon.

I don't care about brand names. Whatever is best to me is what I get. I have Pentax now because I bought the kit for $399 at a department store and Pentax has a fine set of old lenses.

As far as Canon vs. Nikon. I think Nikon is really handing it to Canon now. Nikon has been introducing some fine SLR cameras lately. Canon will be announcing more new cameras soon.

 

[x23]

Thanks for all the replies. Yes, I only want to get a Canon or Nikon for lens selection. I have played with the D60 and XSi at BestBuy and to me, the Nikon feels way better in terms of design and built quality. It just looks a lot more strudier than the XSi. Each brand has some features that I like and such.

But generally, I just want to know what everyone prefers and why? I am not really trying to compare the two brands and pick which one is better.

 

[kbalaz]

I use Nikon have for over 20 years. Why? Not sure, like how they feel. I guarantee you will be happy with either choice. It's whats behind the camera that makes the picture, not whats in front.

 

[K1000Photographer]

IMHO the best Japanese lens makers are Oly and Pentax. The latter has a better range and pricing, especially when it comes to primes.

Unless you need the faster frame rate or long glass for shooting sports, I would look at others besides N & C.

 

[exp1orer]

..is what the OP mentioned...i wonder how many of those many lenses will focus accurately and won't suffer from BF/FF issue.

Since lens selection was one of the criteria the OP originally
mentioned, I imagine Nikon or Canon would be a better choice.

As others have said, try out both (although that will be a little
while for the D90). And I believe you have the right idea thinking
about lens choices, as selecting a brand just by the feel of the body
will prove shortsighted when it comes time to expanding upon your
DSLR system.

--



http://www.exp1orer.com

 

[Wombat 52]

Thanks for all the replies. Yes, I only want to get a Canon or Nikon
for lens selection. I have played with the D60 and XSi at BestBuy and
to me, the Nikon feels way better in terms of design and built
quality. It just looks a lot more strudier than the XSi. Each brand
has some features that I like and such.

But generally, I just want to know what everyone prefers and why?
am not really trying to compare the two brands and pick which one is
better.

I usually try to ignore the which is better type of post.You originally mentioned Xsi and D90 and got some good advice about handling the cameras and picking the one you liked.You now mention the D60 which is a worthy camera--- but definitely not as good as the others.If you prefer Nikon handling you would be much better off with a D80 and might even get a decent deal on one.Also try putting a battery grip on the Xsi---it totally transforms the handling.
--
PJT