Canon Body and Lens Question

[zndmazza]

Hello everyone,

My Nikon D80 is on the absolute fritz. It fell off my desk and the speedlight hasn't worked the same since. That leaves commander mode out of the question... so it's really driving me crazy. I've got some photos that I have to take coming up... an outdoor wedding... I'm debating selling my Nikon gear and going with Canon (see below)...

Right now my gear is as follows:

Nikon D80
Sigma 17-70mm
SB-600
SC-29 Sync Cable (I believe that's the right model number)

The rest of my gear is universal.

I was originally leaning towards the Canon XSi body only, but someone mentioned the Canon T1i with lens was only a bit more and was a much better camera...

I wanted a good portrait / telephoto lens... so I'm looking at the body plus a Canon 70-200 F/4 Non IS lens. I'd plan on selling the Nikon gear, so it should leave me with a budget of around... $1200.

(I'm wanting to do more outdoor photos and wildlife photos, so the telephoto with my monopod seems like a great fit.)

Am I making a good decision or should I keep my current lens and just replace the body?

Thanks for your help,

Zac

 

[Rakumi]

What made you consider switching brands? What made you not just consider getting a new camera off the back? Its not often somebody wants to switch their entire system. Was something about Nikon bothering you when your equipment was working correctly?
You could just go for a d5000 for just a few hundred dollars.

I use canon and I love it, I actually own the XSI and it is a great camera. But switching your entire system seems extreme unless you really were unhappy with Nikon.

Well just to give you a bit of information, if you did go the direction of canon. The T1i is not much better than the XSI. The differences is pretty minor where most say if you do not need video, save the money. Especially if that difference in money will allow you to buy the lens you wanted. If I was in your shoes and the difference between bodies is $200, I would go for the Xsi. If just $100 difference, I would shoot for the T1i.

As for lenses, the 70-200mm f4 is a great lens, but I would say consider and look up the 55-250mm IS lens. This lens is not very expensive and offers great IQ. I personally in my experiences have found its IQ is not noticeable compared to the 70-200mm if your not making huge prints or pixel peeping or just not an expert pro (which I am not). This is just my thoughts. Maybe somebody else has a much sharper eye.
For $1200, you can get a nice little setup.
Just recommendation, but you can go with whatever;
Xsi body w/kit $560
55-250mm IS $255
50mm 1.8 $100

270Ex speedlight (has tilt head for bounce effect, fits in your pocket, nice power) $150

total $1,050 Not bad I would say. Well good luck.
--

Darkness is the monster and your shutter is your sword, aperture your shield and iso your armor. Strike fast with your sword and defend well with your shield and hope your armor holds up.

 

[Guidenet]

My Nikon D80 is on the absolute fritz. It fell off my desk and the speedlight hasn't worked the same since.

I'd plan on selling the Nikon gear, so it should leave me with a budget of around... $1200.

I hope you aren't thinking you can sell a broken D80 and that kit for $1200. A D80 in great condition is going for around $500 these days or less. A new D90 is selling for a little over $700.

I'm also thinking that your lens won't bring much nor will the SB600, though the flash might be the most valuable part of it. Have you priced what it takes to repair the D80? You might wish to repair it prior to trying to sell it.

If you liked the features of the D80 and like the rest of the gear, I'd consider a D90. If you want those same semi-pro features in a Canon, you'll need to be looking at the Canon 50D or better.

If you don't care about those semi-pro type things on the D80, then sure enough, an entry level camera like the X1i or XSi would certainly do fine.
--
Cheers, Craig

Equipment in Plan via Profile

 

[zndmazza]

The $1200 budget was with money that I would put towards the purchase as well. Realistically, I was thinking $500 for the entire D80 kit.

As far as moving goes... I don't have TOO much invested in the Nikon system. It's not that I don't like it, it's just that Nikon glass is sooo expensive compared to some of the Canon L series glass. The 17-40 and the 7-200 f4 come to mind.

So, rather than invest MORE in the Nikon system, which for the record I don't have a problem with, I thought it would be a good opportunity to try Canon.

Thanks for the advice and the help. I may look into just upgrading bodies.

Zac

 

[Rakumi]

person I hear did that. Switched from Nikon to Canon because of the prices of the lenses was a bit much. Hmmm
--

Darkness is the monster and your shutter is your sword, aperture your shield and iso your armor. Strike fast with your sword and defend well with your shield and hope your armor holds up.

 

[slayboss]

Hello everyone,

My Nikon D80 is on the absolute fritz. It fell off my desk and the speedlight hasn't worked the same since. That leaves commander mode out of the question... so it's really driving me crazy. I've got some photos that I have to take coming up... an outdoor wedding... I'm debating selling my Nikon gear and going with Canon (see below)...

Right now my gear is as follows:

Nikon D80
Sigma 17-70mm
SB-600
SC-29 Sync Cable (I believe that's the right model number)

The rest of my gear is universal.

I was originally leaning towards the Canon XSi body only, but someone mentioned the Canon T1i with lens was only a bit more and was a much better camera...

I wanted a good portrait / telephoto lens... so I'm looking at the body plus a Canon 70-200 F/4 Non IS lens. I'd plan on selling the Nikon gear, so it should leave me with a budget of around... $1200.

(I'm wanting to do more outdoor photos and wildlife photos, so the telephoto with my monopod seems like a great fit.)

Am I making a good decision or should I keep my current lens and just replace the body?

I think Canon has the better crop DSLR models and cheaper lens but then I 'm biased! I would look at the newer Canon T2i (550D), especially if you will use the video features

 

[Guidenet]

The $1200 budget was with money that I would put towards the purchase as well. Realistically, I was thinking $500 for the entire D80 kit.

As far as moving goes... I don't have TOO much invested in the Nikon system. It's not that I don't like it, it's just that Nikon glass is sooo expensive compared to some of the Canon L series glass. The 17-40 and the 7-200 f4 come to mind.

So, rather than invest MORE in the Nikon system, which for the record I don't have a problem with, I thought it would be a good opportunity to try Canon.

I agree. It might be fun to try Canon and you don't have much invested at this time. My only concern was which Canon. If you're used to a real optical glass pentaprism viewfinder and a bit beafier build along with the top LCD and better controls, the 500 and 550 might be disappointing.

Those same features start with the Canon 50D or better bodies. Though if those semi-pro things aren't important and if you usually shoot in some automatic mode, it won't matter much at all. I don't know your shooting style. You might not need to access the manual controls much and menus would be easier.

The new Canon entry level models are superb cameras by any measure.

I am biased and prefer Nikon glass. I know it can be more expensive, but I know I'm usually getting top notch optics. I'm used to that. Nikon has always been a bit more. On the other hand, there's certainly nothing wrong with Canon L glass and it can be a little cheaper sometimes. If I were better aquainted with the various models, I could better navigate the good from mediocre. I am much better knowledgeable about Nikon glass and can navigate the line. I think there are slightly less duds to worry about, though there are duds on both sides.

I think Nikon finally got the message about pro-build constant f/4 models for the masses that don't want to afford f/2.8 pro-level glass. We just got the new 16-35 f/4 superwide. It's more than the older Canon 17-40 f/4 L model, but I think a little better with the VR and Nano coating. Canon will probably update theirs soon. Nikon will likely come out with a 70-200 f/4 hopefully, now that they've finally got the message. We'll see how it compares. Canon's is wonderful. I very much doubt that Nikon will come out with a non-VR model though like the Canon.

Canon also has a great and cheap 400 f/5.6 that causes some Nikon bird shooters to drool. Personally, I think the 300 f/4 and 1.4 converter is better optically, and a good choice to compare with, but that's taste.

Though you say you are comparing Canon L and notice it can be less expensive, why have you such a small kit with the D80. You've not gone to the expense of pro-grade lenses since you've purchased the D80. Do you think once purchasing a Canon that you'll suddenly be in the market for L glass? Look at Nikon's 16-85 VR. It's considered a consumer zoom, but pretty much kicks the 17-40 f/4 L model in every review for sharpness and most other attributes. It's also cheaper. L glass means a better build, but not always a better lens.

Good luck with whatever you decide to go with.
--
Cheers, Craig

Equipment in Plan via Profile

 

[Rakumi]

Hey, I agree switching or trying new things can be fun. I have always been interested in playing around with some Nikon stuff. As far as what you said about some good consumer grade Nikon lenses that are pretty good, I think people might get a little thrown off when they are looking for some tag line that will let them know if they are getting pro quality or not. I have seen a thread where somebody said "why does Nikon not have a "L" line or equivalent?" I guess only the real knowledgeable know what is what.

Also agree each company has their choice picks for lenses. I love the idea of the 18-105mm kit from Nikon. And for a long while, I wanted to buy a Nikon d40 to see what all the rant was about. And the d60 with its go motion movie mode just seemed awesome. When I was young and in 1st grade, I had a film/photography class where we made go motion video out of paper drawings. So that feature seemed awesome. I wish every camera made it.
--

Darkness is the monster and your shutter is your sword, aperture your shield and iso your armor. Strike fast with your sword and defend well with your shield and hope your armor holds up.