Canon Rebel XTi or Nikon D80

[AuNatural]

I am really interested in getting into photography and am continually seeing things that I wish I had a camera to capture the image. I have been looking around at some of the different cameras and I think that I have narrowed it down to these two, the Cannon Rebel Xti and the Nikon D80. I would like something that I can take to my kids sporting events and school activities, as well as something that I can take numerous other pics with. My wife has done some modeling and I would love to be able to get to a point that I could take some nice pics of her and possibly portraits of the kids.

OK, so these may be too abitious of goals for now, but I would like a camera that I can expand with and that will give me the opportunity to grow into. Any help and advice would be much appreciated as I am so new at photgraphy that I don't know that I even qualify as a beginner.

Thanks

[redwing]

I don't think you'd go wrong with either of these. They are both 10mp, so you will get great image quality no matter which you choose. I use a Nikon D70S which I absolute love. Another member here just bought a D80 and seems to be enjoying it very much. I also know people who shoot with a Rebel and have no problems whatsoever and take great pics.

The first thing you should do is get your hands on both of them to see which one feels better and is more comfortable. The bodies are slightly different and one may fit your hands better than the other.

Expansion will not be a problem with either machine. You can buy a multitude of lenses for both, so the next thing I would look at would be accessories. Look at batteries and memory cards. Maybe you already have a device that uses the type of memory card the Nikon uses, so you would be ahead a little there. Or if you already have a Sony product of some kind, you may have a matching battery and charger for the Rebel. Do a little research there and help yourself out.

If you like both cameras and it strictly comes down to price, check this link...

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Digital-...e=UTF8&s=photo

I would never tell anyone not to buy a Nikon, but the Rebel XTi and an 18-55 lens for less than $800 is a bargain indeed.

Hope this helps you. Let us know what you decide on, and then post some pics when you've got some to share.

[AuNatural]

Thanks, I really appreciate the input and website. What do you guys think about the packages offered on eBay? Are they really worth it or should I shop at another location like the link above? I am concerned about warranties on something from eBay or getting scammed.

[AuNatural]

What about photo editing software? Any favorites on this subject. I apologize if this has been covered elsewhere. I didn't check before posting this. Thanks.

[pgonzales23]

I second what Redwing said. Go to your local camera store or store that sells these two cameras. See which on feels better in your hands. Also both are name brands so when it's time to grow you'll have many options.
I shoot with Canon and have since the film days. No real reason then I like Canon equipment. Good luck. One more peace of advice. When you get your camera start shooting everything and anything. With digital it's a blast.

[boreal]

Great advice from Redwing and pgonzales23, both great cameras

See: http://www.pcmag.com/products/0,,qn=...al+SLRs,00.asp

and

http://pcworld.com/article/id,123929...1/article.html

Good luck!!

[Vizigoth]

One of the great debates in Photography for the past twenty years. Try renting both of them and see which one you like better. I have been shooting Medium and Large Format Photography for more than twenty years. Many years ago, I found that the amazing features to be found in 35mm SLR Systems were just too much fun to ignore. I took a good hard look at both Nikon and Canon. I have always loved the Viewfinder and Manual Focusing System used by Nikon. However, with the advent of Automatic Focusing features, I found that either brand's auto-focusing system could focus faster and more accurately than my eye. I looked at the lenses and tested both brands extensively. I found the clarity of shots by both to be virtually equal. Then, I checked the zoom lenses.

I discovered that the motor drive for Nikon lenses is in the camera body. Canon puts the motor drive for each lens in the lens. I found that since Canon had substantially larger motors in their longer lenses, they could focus noticeably faster than the Nikons. Such a feature becomes critical in shooting action shots, such as sports. Check for yourself and see whether or not this fact is still true. In my area, there are two camera stores that rent photographic equipment. Take each one out for a day shoot and see which you like better. If you get serious about Photography, you will find that you have far more money invested in lenses than in camera bodies.

When I converted to digital two years ago, I again researched the Art. I found that Minolta, Olympus, and Canon owned most of the patents that had anything to do with CCD Technology, and that they had been doing R&D in digital imaging for more than a decade longer than anyone else. CCDs (Charged Coupling Device) are the gizmos inside the camera that actually pick up the digital image. In comparing those four brands, Nikon came out number four, and Canon was clearly best. Nikon has seriously lagged behind in CCD Technology as they worked very hard, during the '90s, in trying to prove to the world why their Film Technology is superior to Digital Technology.

In my judgement, Film is still superior to Digital in terms of color accuracy and density, sharpness, clarity, and dynamic range (more potential f stops). However, digital technology is so amazingly simple to use that one is forced to embrace it. Being able to process my images on a large LCD screen sitting in my livingroom beats the hell out of being in a totally dark room, using a dozen chemicals that have to be correctly mixed plus or minus one half of one percent, and have to be at the correct temperature plus or minus one half of one degree.

The growth rate of digital imaging is still amazing to watch. My favorite camera is a Mamiya RZ67 that shoots film negatives that are 6 cm x 7 cm. It weighs about ten pounds, but produces GREAT images. I have about $35,000 invested in the camera, lenses, film backs, and accessories. Three months ago, a digital back was released on the market for it that costs $20,000. However, the capacity of the digital back is 264 MEGAPIXELS (yes, 264 Mp). I can hardly wait the 2-3 years that it will take for the price of that digital back to drop to $5,000. Think of the growth in that technology. By that time, there will be SLRs that will be in the 100-200 Mp range. Sometime between now and then is when we will see digital technology finally leave film behind. That day is coming.

[AuNatural]

Wow, thanks Vizigoth. I will be taking a long lunch today to check out the camera shop and hold both of the cameras. Man, that was a lot of great information. It looks like I have a lot of studying to do concerning photography.

[A-Nation]

If it hasn't been said already, one of the best digital photography review sites out there is DPREVIEW for in depth, precise conclusions.

[Cbasstn]

I realize I'm coming into this a bit late but I thought I'd throw my .02 in . . .

The XTI's lens cleaning system, if it works, would be worth it's weight in gold. But since it's relatively new technology, nobody has really come down firmly on the yay or nay side.

When I was comparing the Rebel XTi and the 30D, one of the deciding factors for me was the size and feel of the camera. I'm ashamed to say that my hands are so big when I held the XTi I felt like I was using a kids toy. It was just too small for my fingers to work the buttons.

[AuNatural]

Well, I took everyones advice into account and this is what I ended up doing. I went down to Wolf Camera and checked out the two different cameras and the D80 felt best, so I bought it from them. It was a little more expensive, but I like the fact that I can walk into a camera shop and talk to a real person. Plus it came with some free classes on how to use the camera and different types of photography. I am pretty pumped about taking pics. I have taken a few that I will post on here later today or tomorrow. I posted them on one other site, but I am curious to see how you guys feel about them.

I really want to learn how to make better photos and am going to try some experimenting with portrait shots of my kids. My wife said she feels a little weirded out by letting me take pics of her, even though she has done some modeling in the past. Don't get me wrong I didn't ask her to take off her clothes and run naked through the feilds, just sit for some pics so that I could learn and experiment. It's all good though. She'll warm to the idea, or I will find another model to run through the fields for me .

Thanks again to all of you for your help and advice. Now I am going to try to learn as much as possible. I am feeling a little overwhelmed with info at the moment. f-stops, iso's, lighting, ...........what the hell have I gotten myself into.

[AuNatural]

BTW Cbasstn I am with you on the feeling of the XTi. It felt very small and like my little finger didn't have a place on the XTi. I really like the D80 and if all goes well I may upgrade in a year or two. We'll see. I need to learn how to use this one first.

[mangchi]

both are great but I'm a fan of Nikon. I've heard better things about the customer support from them...

[HDPhysiques]

If you do your homework on DPreview dot com you can't go wrong.