# 30D or D80



## 335i (Feb 23, 2007)

I've been looking and looking... can't find much though.

I'm on the fence between the canon and nikon, and really, it's boiling down to image quality. I'll be blowing some images up, so take that into consideration. I doubt I'll need to shoot any sports, so the 3-5fps is not important to me. I prefer less noise, and money is no deciging factor. That said, I don't need the D200, it's overkill. I'm comfy spending ~ 1200, that's including a lens (a starter - mid grade lens) I DON'T like the XTi - I've returned it already.

I'll be editing on a 17" Macbook Pro, so please also take that into consideration.

Please don't kill each other with nikon vs canon either, I know each has it's strong suit. Just looking for objective analysis.


----------



## 3LOU5 (Jun 14, 2002)

According to www.megapixel.net, they're pretty much even in terms of image quality. Read more about them there, and over at www.dpreview.com.

If I were you, I'd check both of them out at a reputable camera shop. If you can, rent them out and see which one feels more comfortable and easy to use. You really don't want to miss a shot while trying to fiddle around with camera settings and such.

I'm a Nikon guy, so you pretty much know which one I'd recommend.


----------



## mullman (Jan 5, 2006)

I have a D50 (w/ 18-200VR) and some P&S Leicas.
SLR film, and then DSLR shooter for some years.

Personally I would not overlook the Leica M8 rangefinder - It will be my next camera...
But at $4795 body + $1500 lens the wife just needs more convincing...:angel:

I'm tired of dragging an SLR sized camera around.


----------



## beauport (Jul 2, 2002)

Tough decision as both cameras will produce great images. The Canon probably deals with noise better at higher ISO ranges but whether that is important to you may depend on your shooting style. If this will be your first digital SLR review the bigger picture of lenses, accessories, etc. of each company and what they may mean to you as you add equipment, which inevitably happens.


----------



## 335i (Feb 23, 2007)

Anybody have any troubles getting the nikon to autofocus? I was checking them out last night and I couldn't get the nikon to autofocus for anything, it kept going in and out. I have a feeling that the lens was broken, but I couldn't remove it to see. Also, the body and lens felt a little cheap in the nikon than the canon. I REALLY liked the D200, and wouldn't mind picking one up, but I don't use it for professional work on a dailly basis... and I'm spending money on a car too.

In terms of lenses - well, I'm still shooting from a nikon film SLR, so I'd like for the setup/controls to be pretty much the same as a film slr. I'm not sure if its me or if the nikon lenses just felt cheap. Any thoughts?


----------



## Cliff (Apr 19, 2002)

335i said:


> Just looking for objective analysis.


You probably ought to be reading the review sites then.


----------



## 335i (Feb 23, 2007)

I wound up buying a the D80 for now... I think I'll be using it for a while, and eventually my back up - I think I'm really wanting to wait for the 40D (canon), but need to be shooting now. I'll probably end up selling it when the 40D comes out. I wound up with the D80 for 1100, and that included the 18-135mm lens. It was several hundred cheaper than the Canon, and after playing with a working D80, I didn't see quite as big of a difference. I think I'll actually be using more of the MP than most will... I like to blow my images up  

After trying to find subective sites to discuss both cameras, I found that most people may rank the 30D and D80 very close together, possibly the 30D a little bit higher... If the 40D comes out like rumors say at 1300 - the same price as the curent 30D, I'd kick myself for buying the 30D though. Not something I want to do. We'll see how it fares, I'll post some raw images and then some cleaned up images, see how you all like them.


----------



## 335i (Feb 23, 2007)

A pic from the new D80 - senior picture time - pre-preprocessed.


----------



## Jon Shafer (Dec 15, 2001)

335i said:


> A pic from the new D80 - senior picture time - pre-preprocessed.












Great first shot. Almost looks 3-D...

:thumbup:


----------



## 335i (Feb 23, 2007)

thanks! I've gotten a lot of good feedback on the pics so far - I'm shooting in RAW, and was getting ~ 81 pics on 1 GB Ultra II SD Card (old card). (I've since upgraded to an Extreme III 2 GB last week, for $49 at circuit city, and I can shoot a constant 3 FPS and not even phase the camera. Plenty fast for me, Id hardly ever use it, but pulling the images off was painless compared to the ultra II. I'll be running 2 Extreme III cards in Europe. Very impressed with the extreme III card, especially for the price.


----------

