D60 vs D100 (I'm telling, not asking!)

Rented both the D60 and the D100 for the weekend, in an effort to make my choice. I thought I would post the results so far, since I see this question a lot (including the time I asked it!) There is so much debate about this pair, the choice MUST be obvious, right?
Well... Ummm...
There isn't a difference.

Sorry I couldn't drag it out more! But really, the iamge quality, operation, and overall "niceness" of each camera came out about a dead even matchup. Both came with the optional portrait grip, and as far as weight, and handling, both matched up pretty evenly.

I like a couple of features on the Nikon better than the Canon, the on off switch, and the feel of the grip portion. A couple of the features on the Canon outshone the Nikon, namely the noise from teh focus motor and the "set" button in the middle of the control wheel.

But in terms of the image, I really see nothing to choose form between the two. Once I'm done tweaking the image in PS7, (and both took about the same amount of fine tuning), the resulting prints look pretty much the same. I ran 5x7, 8x10, and just for fun a crop out of an image sized to 20x30. They all look great. What really impressed me was how well both cameras have handled the shooting so far.
Today was studio stuff, tomorrow will be getting them outdoors.
Bill R.

Bill,

What lenses are you using?? Most will say that "L" lenses are better but i wouldnt know cause i cant afford them

Bill R said:

Rented both the D60 and the D100 for the weekend, in an effort to
make my choice. I thought I would post the results so far, since I
see this question a lot (including the time I asked it!) There is
so much debate about this pair, the choice MUST be obvious, right?
Well... Ummm...
There isn't a difference.
Sorry I couldn't drag it out more! But really, the iamge quality,
operation, and overall "niceness" of each camera came out about a
dead even matchup. Both came with the optional portrait grip, and
as far as weight, and handling, both matched up pretty evenly.
I like a couple of features on the Nikon better than the Canon, the
on off switch, and the feel of the grip portion. A couple of the
features on the Canon outshone the Nikon, namely the noise from teh
focus motor and the "set" button in the middle of the control wheel.
But in terms of the image, I really see nothing to choose form
between the two. Once I'm done tweaking the image in PS7, (and both
took about the same amount of fine tuning), the resulting prints
look pretty much the same. I ran 5x7, 8x10, and just for fun a crop
out of an image sized to 20x30. They all look great. What really
impressed me was how well both cameras have handled the shooting so
far.
Today was studio stuff, tomorrow will be getting them outdoors.
Bill R.

Click to expand...

D60 already outdated - read that the production stopped already....

look to compare with a model that is still in production and not oldtimers.....

Bill R said:

Rented both the D60 and the D100 for the weekend, in an effort to
make my choice. I thought I would post the results so far, since I
see this question a lot (including the time I asked it!) There is
so much debate about this pair, the choice MUST be obvious, right?
Well... Ummm...
There isn't a difference.
Sorry I couldn't drag it out more! But really, the iamge quality,
operation, and overall "niceness" of each camera came out about a
dead even matchup. Both came with the optional portrait grip, and
as far as weight, and handling, both matched up pretty evenly.
I like a couple of features on the Nikon better than the Canon, the
on off switch, and the feel of the grip portion. A couple of the
features on the Canon outshone the Nikon, namely the noise from teh
focus motor and the "set" button in the middle of the control wheel.
But in terms of the image, I really see nothing to choose form
between the two. Once I'm done tweaking the image in PS7, (and both
took about the same amount of fine tuning), the resulting prints
look pretty much the same. I ran 5x7, 8x10, and just for fun a crop
out of an image sized to 20x30. They all look great. What really
impressed me was how well both cameras have handled the shooting so
far.
Today was studio stuff, tomorrow will be getting them outdoors.
Bill R.

Click to expand...

Canon has NOT announced production stoppage for the D60 ... it would be stupid, as there is still a great demand! NO reliable source has said so. Rumours help no-one ... the D60 is still a great camera.
Ken

Laupi said:

look to compare with a model that is still in production and not
oldtimers.....

Bill R said:

Rented both the D60 and the D100 for the weekend, in an effort to
make my choice. I thought I would post the results so far, since I
see this question a lot (including the time I asked it!) There is
so much debate about this pair, the choice MUST be obvious, right?
Well... Ummm...
There isn't a difference.
Sorry I couldn't drag it out more! But really, the iamge quality,
operation, and overall "niceness" of each camera came out about a
dead even matchup. Both came with the optional portrait grip, and
as far as weight, and handling, both matched up pretty evenly.
I like a couple of features on the Nikon better than the Canon, the
on off switch, and the feel of the grip portion. A couple of the
features on the Canon outshone the Nikon, namely the noise from teh
focus motor and the "set" button in the middle of the control wheel.
But in terms of the image, I really see nothing to choose form
between the two. Once I'm done tweaking the image in PS7, (and both
took about the same amount of fine tuning), the resulting prints
look pretty much the same. I ran 5x7, 8x10, and just for fun a crop
out of an image sized to 20x30. They all look great. What really
impressed me was how well both cameras have handled the shooting so
far.
Today was studio stuff, tomorrow will be getting them outdoors.
Bill R.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--

No 1D, very few lenses, no camera bag or teleconverters thanks to some thief. Also, NO Canon 1200mm f/5.6.

Then it's down to the SYSTEM - this is the main thing which sold me the D60, the EF lenses (and of course the smoooth CMOS output)... ALL Canon EOS lenses work on the D60, from the 28-70 f3.5-4.5 of 1987 to the 24-70L of today and that includes a massive collection and therefore a lot of great bargains to be had used . ALL have the motors in the lenses and Image Stabilization is something else!..

Quite frankly, much as I liked the D100, the Nikon lens system looked a mess to me and the only stabilized lenses were the overpriced and underperforming VRs and I got lost as to which would work, which wouldn't and which used the lame AF drive from the body's motor..

--
Olympus C2100UZI +B300 +A28, Canon D60.

My Ugly mug and submitted Photos at -------->
http://www.photosig.com/viewuser.php?id=27855

Actually, Ken, there is no all-encompassing connection between production and demand. That is, there are many other factors in such manufacturing which make it necessary to finish production and move on. The market itself dictates this.

A great example is the Fuji 6900 which could not keep up with demand yet was replaced with it's successor. If they had not done that, Fuji would be quite far behind in the digital camera race. Perhaps the rumor sources are not reliable, but it should not be surprising if they are nonetheless true.

bg

Ken Phillips said:

Laupi said:

look to compare with a model that is still in production and not
oldtimers.....

Bill R said:

Rented both the D60 and the D100 for the weekend, in an effort to
make my choice. I thought I would post the results so far, since I
see this question a lot (including the time I asked it!) There is
so much debate about this pair, the choice MUST be obvious, right?
Well... Ummm...
There isn't a difference.
Sorry I couldn't drag it out more! But really, the iamge quality,
operation, and overall "niceness" of each camera came out about a
dead even matchup. Both came with the optional portrait grip, and
as far as weight, and handling, both matched up pretty evenly.
I like a couple of features on the Nikon better than the Canon, the
on off switch, and the feel of the grip portion. A couple of the
features on the Canon outshone the Nikon, namely the noise from teh
focus motor and the "set" button in the middle of the control wheel.
But in terms of the image, I really see nothing to choose form
between the two. Once I'm done tweaking the image in PS7, (and both
took about the same amount of fine tuning), the resulting prints
look pretty much the same. I ran 5x7, 8x10, and just for fun a crop
out of an image sized to 20x30. They all look great. What really
impressed me was how well both cameras have handled the shooting so
far.
Today was studio stuff, tomorrow will be getting them outdoors.
Bill R.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--
No 1D, very few lenses, no camera bag or teleconverters thanks to
some thief. Also, NO Canon 1200mm f/5.6.

Click to expand...

My own testing with both cameras (a year or so ago) led me to the conclusion that the D60 left the D100 in the dust. A friend of mine is trying to make the same decision now, and I asked him to send me some links to awesome D100 sample photos. He couldn't find any, but sent some links to me anyway - very unimpressive.

I'd be very interested to see full-res shots taken with both cameras, including EXIF info (my friend would be even more interested).

Bill R said:

Rented both the D60 and the D100 for the weekend, in an effort to
make my choice. I thought I would post the results so far, since I
see this question a lot (including the time I asked it!) There is
so much debate about this pair, the choice MUST be obvious, right?
Well... Ummm...
There isn't a difference.
Sorry I couldn't drag it out more! But really, the iamge quality,
operation, and overall "niceness" of each camera came out about a
dead even matchup. Both came with the optional portrait grip, and
as far as weight, and handling, both matched up pretty evenly.
I like a couple of features on the Nikon better than the Canon, the
on off switch, and the feel of the grip portion. A couple of the
features on the Canon outshone the Nikon, namely the noise from teh
focus motor and the "set" button in the middle of the control wheel.
But in terms of the image, I really see nothing to choose form
between the two. Once I'm done tweaking the image in PS7, (and both
took about the same amount of fine tuning), the resulting prints
look pretty much the same. I ran 5x7, 8x10, and just for fun a crop
out of an image sized to 20x30. They all look great. What really
impressed me was how well both cameras have handled the shooting so
far.
Today was studio stuff, tomorrow will be getting them outdoors.
Bill R.

Click to expand...

-------------- it has come to my attention that there are two distinct owners of both the Canon and the Nikon in this class of camera.

Your question about “good” samples has cropped up from time to time and when I initially bought my D100 and complained, I was shown a lot of work.

I’ve made my choice but this subject continues to fascinate me and my conclusion is this ~ for whatever reason, I think there are more photographers attracted to the Canon, who were already well versed in photography and continue with the D60 to produce good work and are knowledgeable enough to see the difference – anytime I am looking for real technical knowledge I hang out in the Canon forum for instance – a higher proportion of working and responding professionals post here more than anywhere else ~ as far as I’ve noticed.

On the other hand we seem to have a “weekend driver” brigade who simply want to “own” a Nikon, seemingly a far, far higher proportion of D100 owners did not own any camera or camera of significance ~ this very phenomenon was foisted on the D30 in the early years too if one remembers.

I have to admit that when I was doing the “which camera” I was shown beautiful, inspiring photographs from the D60 but I was directed to embarrassing rubbish from more and very excited D100 owners.

So my very brief and not serious take on owners:

Canon = Dedicated to achieving the best with knowledge to spare.

Nikon = A lifetime’s ambition to own a Nikon – They need glasses to read the manual and a Canon owner to explain it to them.

Fuji = Bone idles who want the camera to do all the work and they wear starched white shirts. ------ ))

hyslopc1 said:

My own testing with both cameras (a year or so ago) led me to the
conclusion that the D60 left the D100 in the dust. A friend of
mine is trying to make the same decision now, and I asked him to
send me some links to awesome D100 sample photos. He couldn't find
any, but sent some links to me anyway - very unimpressive.

Click to expand...

hyslopc1 said:

Bill R said:

between the two. Once I'm done tweaking the image in PS7, (and

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

I agree that JPEGs straight out of a D60 should look better than those of a D100, but after tweaking the quality of the photos should be fairly similar. And in good hands the D100 images could be very, very impressive even without much tweaking - see Jaco's photos at http://www.belgiumdigital.be .

Having said that, I sold the whole of my old Nikon film based system and bought D60 (with 2 Ls) 2 days ago and am a very happy man.

Ger Bee - I'm not sure your post was meant to be a joke and my apologies if this may offend you - but to me those are rather immature comments and do not add anything to this thread but biased views.

D60 or D100 they are just tools afterall. Owning a Canon does not make one become a whatever-you-think-the-owner-should-be.

Actually... I don't think Ger Bee's comments were that the D60 or D100 made the owner are particular type of person. He's just stating his observation as to what type of person purchases which camera.

I will not comment about the validity of his statement.

Joo

QTI said:

D60 or D100 they are just tools afterall. Owning a Canon does not
make one become a whatever-you-think-the-owner-should-be.

Click to expand...

--

• Maybe one day I'll take a decent picture. In the meantime, I'll blame the equipment.
• http://www.pbase.com/jchung/portfolio

Did you notice any significant difference in the abilities of the cameras to successfully, quickly achieve focus in low light??

This is supposedly one of the big differences!
--
Terry Danks
Nature & Wildlife (Hummingbirds!) Photography
http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/n1dcmc78/home.htm

You are right - I should have made myself clear and written:

I'm sure Ger Bee knows that the statement (what type of person purchases which camera) is not true, and switching from one brand to another certainly wouldn't make you a different type of person either.

Joo said:

Actually... I don't think Ger Bee's comments were that the D60 or
D100 made the owner are particular type of person. He's just
stating his observation as to what type of person purchases which
camera.

I will not comment about the validity of his statement.

Joo

Click to expand...

look at the posters profile, and that there has been no response, not to mention that no pics are posted as was requested.

the Canon lens system is hard to beat, the Nikkor system is like Adam-T said, "a mess".

the D60 is discontinued?.......another blind statement.(proof boys and girls.....proof??)

the Nikon guys have posted problems pics taken with some Nikkor lenses in which flare or big discolored spots showed up as a result to the back side of the iris not be flat blacked.

i've been gone for a week, and what i find funny is that this place has become like a soap opera..........miss one topic, and just pick it up in a new one.........LOL

danks said:

This is supposedly one of the big differences!

Click to expand...

The AF in low light IS better than the D60, there's no doubt about it but not different some might think (in other words it's not like the difference between an EOS-1VHS and a Pro-90) Even the Nikon SLR forum don't blow this out of proportion when comparing the two cameras it's certainly no where near as damning as the almost "consumer" shutter lag on the Fuji S2, the D60's AF isn't brilliant, it's just happens to be a favourite slamming post for 1D owners on this forum and therefore gets a lot of airing..

There's ways around the D60's AF deficiencies, just as there are around the D100s softness, noise and underexposure. Unfortunately, there's no way around the D100s Nikon lens mount and only a kludgy way around it's lack of PC Sync socket..

As I said, they're both damn good cameras, you just make your choice based on the strengths, weaknesses, existing glass and which feels best

--
Olympus C2100UZI +B300 +A28, Canon D60.

My Ugly mug and submitted Photos at -------->
http://www.photosig.com/viewuser.php?id=27855

QTI said:

should be fairly similar. And in good hands the D100 images could
be very, very impressive even without much tweaking

Click to expand...

Ger Bee's own D100 work for a start is very good (as it was with the E10) .. He gets to bump into more D100 owners than we do as he owns one and participates on the Nikon SLR forum so I guess he's going by what he's read there..

I agree with him about the Fuji - it's heavily processed output is definately not for me (let alone the awful handling and battery fiasco) - I've only met two S2 owners face to face, one had Cosina glass on and the other a Tamron 24-135 - both thought that they had the ultimate in image making tools and thought that AFS glass was for those with more pound coins than braincells.

Ahh well, leave them to it.

--
Olympus C2100UZI +B300 +A28, Canon D60.

My Ugly mug and submitted Photos at -------->
http://www.photosig.com/viewuser.php?id=27855

Ken Phillips said:

Canon has NOT announced production stoppage for the D60 ... it
would be stupid, as there is still a great demand! NO reliable
source has said so. Rumours help no-one ... the D60 is still a
great camera.
Ken

Click to expand...

I agree with Ken.
-Kevin
--
Canon D60, BG-ED3, 50mm f/1.8, 28-135mm IS/USM, 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro, 420EX
See some of my photographs at:
http://pages.cthome.net/cassella/index.htm

.. given all the wailing and nashing of teeth in this forum on the D60 underproduction and lack of availability I'm quite suprised you could find a shop that would rent not only a D60, but the power grip, flash, and other assorted add-ons.

Maybe if you would share the name of the shop that rents D60's some other lucky forum members could get their hands on one for the holidays while they wait for delivery of their very own!
Regards,
Steve

Bill R said:

Rented both the D60 and the D100 for the weekend, in an effort to
make my choice. I thought I would post the results so far, since I
see this question a lot (including the time I asked it!) There is
so much debate about this pair, the choice MUST be obvious, right?
Well... Ummm...
There isn't a difference.
Sorry I couldn't drag it out more! But really, the iamge quality,
operation, and overall "niceness" of each camera came out about a
dead even matchup. Both came with the optional portrait grip, and
as far as weight, and handling, both matched up pretty evenly.
I like a couple of features on the Nikon better than the Canon, the
on off switch, and the feel of the grip portion. A couple of the
features on the Canon outshone the Nikon, namely the noise from teh
focus motor and the "set" button in the middle of the control wheel.
But in terms of the image, I really see nothing to choose form
between the two. Once I'm done tweaking the image in PS7, (and both
took about the same amount of fine tuning), the resulting prints
look pretty much the same. I ran 5x7, 8x10, and just for fun a crop
out of an image sized to 20x30. They all look great. What really
impressed me was how well both cameras have handled the shooting so
far.
Today was studio stuff, tomorrow will be getting them outdoors.
Bill R.

Click to expand...

Steve,

Its not suprising that a shop has a D60 to rent. A local shop in Nashville told me they still have a waiting list for the D60 but they have one you can rent.

Steve said:

Bill R said:

Rented both the D60 and the D100 for the weekend, in an effort to
make my choice. I thought I would post the results so far, since I
see this question a lot (including the time I asked it!) There is
so much debate about this pair, the choice MUST be obvious, right?
Well... Ummm...
There isn't a difference.
Sorry I couldn't drag it out more! But really, the iamge quality,
operation, and overall "niceness" of each camera came out about a
dead even matchup. Both came with the optional portrait grip, and
as far as weight, and handling, both matched up pretty evenly.
I like a couple of features on the Nikon better than the Canon, the
on off switch, and the feel of the grip portion. A couple of the
features on the Canon outshone the Nikon, namely the noise from teh
focus motor and the "set" button in the middle of the control wheel.
But in terms of the image, I really see nothing to choose form
between the two. Once I'm done tweaking the image in PS7, (and both
took about the same amount of fine tuning), the resulting prints
look pretty much the same. I ran 5x7, 8x10, and just for fun a crop
out of an image sized to 20x30. They all look great. What really
impressed me was how well both cameras have handled the shooting so
far.
Today was studio stuff, tomorrow will be getting them outdoors.
Bill R.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

From my own personal experience, Nikon's CCD sensor puts out pictures from the camera that are more contrasty than the Canon CMOS. Also, there is less shadow detail. On RAW images this can sort of be fixed, but with JPG's...no contest - even the D30 has better image quality than the D100, in my opinion!! You may not have seen it in the studio, where light quality is controlled, but I guarantee you'll see it outdoors.

Also, some other things - Nikon grips have historically been smaller than Canon ones. The D60 has a much larger grip than the D100 and therefore feels better for people with longer fingers. Holding both cameras could not possibly leave you with the impression that they are the "same"!

In addition, the D100 is quite a bit lighter feeling than the D30, and significantly lighter feeling than the D60 - and it's physically smaller! The plastic is of a different composition and feels somewhat sturdier on the D100.

The D100's battery grip has extremely poor build quality (completely tightened on the body, there are large gaps everwhere), compared to the BG-ED3, which at least FITS on the camera.

Last, but certainly not least is the buffer mechanism. The D60 holds more RAW and large JPG in continuous frame mode than the D100. The D60 has faster CF write-back speed. The D100 will make you want to scream while it blocks up writes to the CF card.

The D60 has a very nice blue EL top-lcd Light. The D100 has a very goofy side-illuminated green LED light.

The D100's menu system is a mess, and using the 4-way control to run through the menu is PAINFUL. The Canon just lets you whirl your control dial and press the set button. It's about 100x easier to use - I'm serious.

Bottom line: The D100 is no competition for the D60. D60 wins in virtually all respects.