Help decide D80 vs D50 vs 400D for first DSLR please?

Hi, I am looking for some advice on buying my first DSLR, I have been interested in photography for a number of years now, and have decided to takethe plunge and take it up as a hobby.

The cameras that I am looking at are the Nikon D80 or even the Nikon D5O, maybe even the Canon 400D, From what I have been reading, I think the best bet would to buy the body only then team it up with the basic nifty fifty lens, to start off with, then take it from there, as I start to learn more about photography.

Is the Canon’s EOS Integrated Cleaning System a big help for the beginner, or is the better to go with the better build and features of the above Nikons?

The more I read the Canon seems the cheaper option with lenses etc, but my heart is telling me to go with Nikon?

Help much appreciated
Thanks
Mark.

What is your budget? Both initially, and are you likely to spend money on more kit own the line?

What type of photos do you intend to take, portrait, children, sports, nature - this will affect lens advice.

nc3 said:

What is your budget? Both initially, and are you likely to spend
money on more kit own the line?

Click to expand...

Looking to spend around $1200 for starter camera and maybe second hand lens.

nc3 said:

What type of photos do you intend to take, portrait, children,
sports, nature - this will affect lens advice.

Click to expand...

Mostly inersted in Nature, Landscapes & Portrait.

marky1967 said:

Hi, I am looking for some advice on buying my first DSLR, I have been
interested in photography for a number of years now, and have decided
to takethe plunge and take it up as a hobby.

The cameras that I am looking at are the Nikon D80 or even the Nikon
D5O, maybe even the Canon 400D, From what I have been reading, I
think the best bet would to buy the body only then team it up with
the basic nifty fifty lens, to start off with, then take it from
there, as I start to learn more about photography.

Is the Canon’s EOS Integrated Cleaning System a big help for the
beginner, or is the better to go with the better build and features
of the above Nikons?

The more I read the Canon seems the cheaper option with lenses etc,
but my heart is telling me to go with Nikon?

Help much appreciated
Thanks
Mark.

Click to expand...

I would definitely recommend the D40 if you are a beginner. Unlike Canon it comes with a great kit lens and is adequate for learning. And the nice package with the kit lens costs less than a Canon 400D body so its a good buy. If you are not going to use the advanced features of a 400D or a D80 at this point in time it makes sense to buy a D40, learn, and when you are ready sell it and upgrade to the latest iteration of the D80 which could the be the D90.

Of course the D40 and 400D are good buys as well, with the D80 having much better ergonomics. Ultimately instead of comparing bodies, you should compare systems like Canon vs Nikon taking into mind lenses, flash, etc. Then pick your body last, as bodies keep getting outdated frequently with digital but you remain locked into the system and its costly to change.

And no, the integrated sensor cleaning is mostly considered to be a dud. As per magazine reviews only Olympus has got it right. I dont think that sensor cleaning should have much weightage in your decision to buy a camera.

Hi Mark,

I don't know about the D50 but...

Six months ago, I was using a Panasonic FZ5 and really enjoyed taking photos with it. My son made me fall out of the love with the FZ5 by getting the 400D because the image quality from 400D was so much better. After a little research I bought the D80.

The image quality from the D80 and 400D is pretty much the same. The big difference is the ergonomics and the way the camera actually feels in the hands. To me, the D80 feels like a high quality camera. In comparison, when I pick up the 400D now, it feels like a toy.

If you look at the minute detail there might a feature that swings it in one direction or the other, but mostly I think it is a budget and qualitative choice. By that I mean the cost and build-quality of the camera itself more than quality of the finished photos.

Sensor dust is a non-issue. When the time comes you just buy a kit and clean it off. What I have not done, but will do soon, is to check for dust on the 400D to see how effective the cleaning mechanism is.

Regards

Peter

PJackson said:

Hi Mark,

I don't know about the D50 but...

Six months ago, I was using a Panasonic FZ5 and really enjoyed taking
photos with it. My son made me fall out of the love with the FZ5 by
getting the 400D because the image quality from 400D was so much
better. After a little research I bought the D80.

The image quality from the D80 and 400D is pretty much the same. The
big difference is the ergonomics and the way the camera actually
feels in the hands. To me, the D80 feels like a high quality camera.
In comparison, when I pick up the 400D now, it feels like a toy.

If you look at the minute detail there might a feature that swings it
in one direction or the other, but mostly I think it is a budget and
qualitative choice. By that I mean the cost and build-quality of the
camera itself more than quality of the finished photos.

Sensor dust is a non-issue. When the time comes you just buy a kit
and clean it off. What I have not done, but will do soon, is to
check for dust on the 400D to see how effective the cleaning
mechanism is.

Regards

Peter

Click to expand...

Hi, I had a look at the 400D and the D80 today, the D80 feels solid, which I like. The 400D is a lot lighter, but is proabably more suited to my hands, choices!!

Yeah its Important to pick the one that's best in your hands.
I never regretted picking the D80.
My girlfriend has a 400D and its so tiny and I can never get used to it.
Love my D80

I've had a D50 for the last two years, using it mainly for pics of my kids, landscapes and and real estate work. For the realestate stuff I use a Tokina 12-24mm, and I have an SB600 too. I kept getting roped into taking photos of other staff members' properties, so I laid down the law and the boss bought a 400D with a Sigma 10-20mm. The image quality, to my eye, is on par. The 400D does have 4 more megapixels though, which is certainly a factor. That aside, as previous posts have mentioned, to me there is a major difference in terms of ergonomics. The D50 feels solid and secure in the hand, whereas the 400D to me feels like a lady's camera - smaller and more slippery. ISO, AF Mode, White balance etc are quick to adjust on the Canon, but very easy to change by mistake. On the Nikon, they're just as quick, but less easy to change accidentally. From memory, the D50 has a higher exposure compensation range too - I think it's + - 5 EV versus the 400Ds - + 2EV. The only time I've ever needed that wide range though is when I've created a diffraction effect shooting into the sun. Another thing I notice is between the two brands' external flashes. The SB600 was the entry level Nikon flash when I bought my D50. The flash for the work camera is also the base model external flash, but a whole lot more difficult to manipulate quickly - the buttons are so deeply recessed that it's like you need really long fingernails to be able to manipulate them (flash EC buttons in particular). Some aspects of the Canon's menu system are less than desirable for me, seeming to require more button presses than the Nikon's. I used the work camera and D50 recently for a friend's wedding. Not knowing how many shots I'd need to take, I took candids of my mate getting ready with the 400D and 430EX flash first. By the time I got to an acceptable image, I'd had to wind the camera up to ISO 1600, wind the flash up, and the aperture up to F4 or something. By contrast, I could leave the D50 on ISO 800, F7 (using kit lens) and achieve a similar (and slightly sharper) image. I screwed up so many shots on the 400D because I mis-pressed buttons etc that I just put it away. Try both, see what you like. Work out what style of pics you'll be taking the most. My feeling is that if your subject matter is more static and still, the Canon may be an attractive option, but if it's subject matter that might require responsiveness and the potential for 'nervous' button pressing (or if you need to grip the camera tighter) then Nikon is probably the way to go.

EDIT - If I had the $$$ available, I'd be going for a D80 for sure, only for the gridlines and remote commander flash mode that the D50 doesn't have.

I chose a D40x for its small size over the better photo capability of a D80, by better I mean grids, flash control and use of more lens with auto focus. I don't think you can buy a realy bad camera from the current Nikon or Canon SLR ranges.
--
Richard H