Canon 400D or Nikon D80


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peterpingpongpang

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Apr 23, 2007
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Hi all,
Newbie planning to upgrade my current Powershot S2IS to an entry level DSLR. Still deciding between this 2 models. Some of friends advise to get the 400D body as its cheaper and invest more on the lenses rather than spending more on the D80 body.

Basically I use my camera more for outdoor and sports shooting rather than indoor. Any feedback on whether which is more suitable and also the lenses to go with this 2 models for outdoor and sports shooting?

Thanks. Appreciate that. :)
 

Both are great camera bodies/systems and should fulfill your purposes.
You just need to go down to the shops and try out both cameras.

Ryan
 

Outdoor sports - sounds like a 100-400L USM kind of business to me.
 

how much for that lens you're talking about bro? issit meant for both models?
 

Hi all,
Newbie planning to upgrade my current Powershot S2IS to an entry level DSLR. Still deciding between this 2 models. Some of friends advise to get the 400D body as its cheaper and invest more on the lenses rather than spending more on the D80 body.

Basically I use my camera more for outdoor and sports shooting rather than indoor. Any feedback on whether which is more suitable and also the lenses to go with this 2 models for outdoor and sports shooting?

Thanks. Appreciate that. :)

As usual, I would advise you to go down to the shops and handle them before making any decisions. Feel how they fit in your hands first. See if you're comfortable with it.

Outdoors and sports may need different lenses and depending on your type of sports, it may not be cheap too. Canon lenses can't fit on Nikon cameras, likewise for the other way around (some would tell you that there is an adapter for Nikon lenses to be used on Canon cameras, but well you lose AF and some other functions, not sure coz I'm not using Canon)

Look for a decent one which will last you sometime, I believe 1 - 2 years would be a good guage here before you consider upgrading again. And also look at the other accessories which are required, flash, memory card, etc...
 

how much for that lens you're talking about bro? issit meant for both models?

I think he is referring to Canon lens. You may get a official price list from the canon.com.sg website.

Jsut to share with you my experience of choosing between the 400D and D80.

I bought a Nikon SLR (F series) 15 years ago camera and it is still working. I did't get any extra lens and speedlight as budget not allowed. the camera gives superb image and the focus is fast. Nikon was always my first choise, but the price is on the high side. I stopped this hobby until I decided to buy a digital SLR last year christmas.

Since I basically had noting to start with, I can choose from the two brands. At first, D80 was my top choise becasue it is Nikon. But I finally get 400D becasue it is cheaper, and i can use the extra money for other accessories, like speedlight, which is a must, if you serious about this hobby.

To me, the other reason I choose Canon is that Canon is adhead of Nikon in digital field for a very long years. And also, the WHITE lens from Canon is very attractive. For your information, based on what I know, Canon provides a wider range of lens than Nikon, and Canon generally has bigger apperture on the range of their lens, good for potrait. Not sure if I am right here but i saw if from one of the articles. But those white lens, or they call it "L" lens are very expensive.

To me, the dslr has come this far that you can't bother so much for what the features and qualities from the different brand. after all, soon after you get your new camera, the new models will appear offering better features and qualities. I think you can take my word, they are both as good. It really depends how far you want to go about this hobby.

Between this two, I would say that D80 is slightly (emphasised) better for the price that you are paying. But you are paying for more, of course. One thing I like about D80 is that it is solit on my hand, i mean the bigger grip. Some think that it is important. 400D is very small comparing to that. but image quality wise, they are both as good. Note, it is not a good camera that produces the good picture, it is the photographer.

But as I said, I can get other accessories, like extra battery, verticle grip, speedlight, IR remote control, extra cheap plastic 50mm f1.8 prime lens, etc, by paying less for 400D. If you have a budget like me, what I did may not be a bad idea. Among the accessories, I think the speedlight is very important. But I only get the third party speedlight to start with.

For your information, both nikon and canon does not have the stabilisation feature on the camera body, which i sometime find it is necessary. if this feature is important to you, you may want to consider sony A100. If you are getting a canon or nikon, consider getting a lens with IS(Canon) or VR(Nikon) feature if possible.
 

Both systems have their pros and cons. Different cameras have different specs, and there is no true apple-to-apple comparison. Each at a price range has their own specs. Based on price ranges, here is a list of how they stack up in terms of price for current models (non-FF models):

Cheapest --> Most expensive
1. D40/x
2. 400D
3. D80
4. 40D
5. D300 (D200 seems to have stopped selling in some places)

So... assuming that you won't be progressing in the next 2 years for full-frame cameras, here are your choices according to price.

Then you need to consider what system you are buying into. It is never just buying a camera, but buying a system, and each has its pros and cons. Go find out about them.

A system would consist of the camera body, the lenses, the lighting system, the compatible lenses, etc.

You also need to ask yourself what you are going to shoot, that will help you narrow down what you need to buy. You mentioned sports photography... so you would need to check out things like how many fps can the camera shoot at, how many AF points, what lenses go with this, how is their metering in daylight, how fast is the focusing... etc...

I'm not giving you any answers here... but questions to think about...
 

my advice is that go try both the camera out and see whether which one u are more comfortable with
 

You can read all the specs,read all the reviews and you still wont know how they feel in your hands
like so many of us has said here,go to a shop and try them out:)
 

You can read all the specs,read all the reviews and you still wont know how they feel in your hands
like so many of us has said here,go to a shop and try them out:)

Very true. At first, I lean toward the Canon 400D because of the low noise at high ISO level. However, after handling the cameras, I bought the Nikon D80 because it feels the best.
 

seriously, looking at the price of the body is pretty much useless, since most of your $ will probably go into lens and flash, i would rather consider the estimated cost of the whole system base on the lenses i am planning or might buy for my own application usage.
I suggest you do a lot of research on the lenses from nikon, canon and 3rd party and do a little planning.
 

You may like to read some of the reviews by other users on 400D
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/read_opinions.asp?prodkey=canon_eos400d
and also D80
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/read_opinions.asp?prodkey=nikon_d80

I have seen both camera image quality and found D80 produces better:thumbsup: image as compare to 400D:thumbsd:. Also the feeling of have a 400D on the hand is like holding a toy more than it's a camera you are holding.

Still its better for you to try both cameras out before buying. Good luck.:)
 

woah woah woah. dun let the brands bashing get into you, most impt u must like the camera.

Canon 400D - Sensor · CMOS APS-C 22.2 x 14.8 mm (1.6x)
Nikon d80 - Sensor - 23.6 x 15.8 mm (1.5x)

you will need to read up on http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/digital/full_frame_vs_aps-c.html.

Also Read up on http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?t=245883 seriously.

if u are considering f80 should also go consider 40D. (if budget allows)

the bodies are similar in size. 400D is smaller, harder to grip but can be rectified a little by getting the batt grip which cost 170sgd.

Nikon DX lenses/equipment tend to be more expensive.. haa the dark side got a price to pay.

Good lens u wanna get...
canon - EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM : MS $1,480 / AP $1,470 / JO $1,480 (w/ gst)
Nikon - AF-S 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED DX - $2170 (AP, Jul07 - copycat)
Tamron - AF 17-50mm f/2.8 Di LD (IF) - $600+ (third party lens but this is really a good piece of lens they say)

For wide angle shots..
EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM - $1,070
AF-S 12-24mm f/4G IF-ED DX - $1540

zoom lenses.
Nikon - AF-S VR 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED - $2600 (Grey, TCW, Aug06 - william_wwong)
Canon - EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM : OP $2650

Go to some of the friendier shops and test out the cameras....
If you know what u really want to shoot, buy the body for either cam u are deciding den buy 1 or 2 lenses to play with?

haha just dun let the BBB (buy buy buy) virus hit u.... quite hard esp when u start buying a dslr. keke. have fun!
 

I went to try out both Nikon D80 and 400D, think I've decided to get the D80, now when it comes to Nikon lenses, was told AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED is suitable for everyday photography. Anyone has any comment about this len? Or any third party lens to intro that is comparable to this? Nikon lenese damn exp sia...;p
 

I went to try out both Nikon D80 and 400D, think I've decided to get the D80, now when it comes to Nikon lenses, was told AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED is suitable for everyday photography. Anyone has any comment about this len? Or any third party lens to intro that is comparable to this? Nikon lenese damn exp sia...;p

I have the Nikon 18-200 VR lens... and it is a great lens... very versatile! There is a reason why Nikon lenses are so expensive :) When you compare the image quality of the Nikon lens with other 3rd party lenses, that is when you start to see the difference. Good choice!
 

The Nikon 18-200mm VR works great for what it is made for.
I got no third party to compare but several good online reviews, but best of all i love working on my copy
:)

Ryan
 

bro any shops to recommend to get the D80 body plus the 18mm-200mm VR lens with batt grip? Estimated 2.5k enough?
 

bro any shops to recommend to get the D80 body plus the 18mm-200mm VR lens with batt grip? Estimated 2.5k enough?

w/o batt grip may already cost you 2.5K. w batt grip cost abit more. BTW got my D80 w 18-200Vr lens for 2.5K++ at TK Foto.
 

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