Question by HelloWorld: A battle between Nikon and Canon (ok, Olympus too…)?
So I’ve ditched my point-and-shoot Sony Cybershot, and I’m currently left with the 2 MP camera on my phone. I am looking into entering the DSLR realm, and I’ve been intensely researching the pros and cons of both Nikon and Canon. I’ve looked at the Pen series of Olympus, but the quality brings back awful memories of the Cybershot.
Now, I know it is the lens of the camera that really matters. But the body of the camera does too, if you’re looking for those quality pictures.
MP does not matter to me – the quality of the pictures do. They must be clear and crisp. Compare the two below:
* http://gallery.photographyreview.com/images/reviews/sony_TX5/sony-tx5_ISO400.jpg – I really hate the haziness of these photos. My Cybershot made a few crisp images before, but most pictures ended up like this, especially in low light situations. Sigh.. ISO…
vs.
* http://www.theis.dk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/sample_l.jpg – Subject in the photo appears brilliant despite the low-light situation (probably used a flash)
* http://www.nikon-image.com/products/camera/slr/digital/d80/img/sample/pic_003.jpg – The front half of the subject’s head is in clear, crisp focus. But it quickly blurs towards the back of her head.
My total budget is around $ 1,000.
I want to take brilliant landscapes with HDR imaging, be able to take brilliant wedding photos (as best as possible using equipment within that budget), and memorable portrait images.
Would the lens of Nikon or Canon be suitable for these tasks? Should I just get the body and buy lens separately or start with a kit (which usually comes with 18-55mm lens)? Is the 18-55 “good” enough if I can only carry one lens?
And what’s the deal with Nikon bringing out two new cameras this month? Are we expecting updates from Canon very soon?
(Also, what is the difference between crop and conversion?)
Best answer:
Answer by Kermit
That’s quite a few question you’ve asked 
. Let me try to cover some.
Nikon vs Canon?
If you are starting out, there’s really not much difference between the two and it sometimes comes down to personal preferences. The ergonomics of the two is slightly different and if this bothers you, the only way to settle the issue is for you to try out both camera and see which suits you better.
It used to be the case that people use Nikons for studio and wedding shoots, and Canon for sports. However, both brands have come to a point where they perform very well in all areas. You just need to choose the correct accessories and lens.
If you want to get a near perfect system for your budget, it is best to pick and choose. To do this, you *must* know your requirements. The cost will be higher than a kit. The 18-55mm is a kit lens and is reasonably good for general purpose use. You may want to get this first and then decide, based on your shooting preference, what your next lens should be.
Picture/Image Quality
The last image you posted (Nikon) was shot with a Nikon D80 with a 85mm F/1.4 lens. The aperture used was f2.8 which is why you get the good bokeh (blurring effect). The IQ (image quality) of the lens is contributes to the sharpness and colour saturation. This is a prime lens (meaning fix focal length). The benefit of prime is they give very good IQ but I would not suggest getting this type of lens unless you know what are the limitations they have in composition.
New models
Both Canon and Nikon roll out new models regularly to refresh their model lines. The approx age of each model is around 18-24 months – give or take a few months. They will introduce new technical features here and there to keep the buyers busy. It is not necessary true that newer bodies will give better IQ. Going back to the Nikon image which you liked, the camera body the D80 was launched in 2006.
Cropped vs conversion
Cropped refers to the reduced sensor size (compared to the film size of 35 mm SLR cameras) found in most DSLR. The size of a 35 mm film is called ‘full frame’ and there are DSLR which use FF sensors. Most ‘crop’ is 1.5 or 1.6. This means that the full frame sensor is 1.5 / 1.6 times larger than that of the DSLR sensor. The DSLR sensor will capture a smaller portion of the picture compared with that of a FF.
Because of this, lens used in the DSLR with cropped sensors will not show the similar perspective as that of FF sensor. That’s where conversion comes in. Conversion refers to the ‘equivalent’ focal length for cropped sensor camera. So if you are using a 50 mm focal length, the conversion factor in a cropped sensor lens will show an image as if it was taken by a 80mm (1.6 x 50mm) lens on a FF camera.
If you do not use FF or is particular of this, this should bother you the least in the choice of camera. FF DSLRs are in the semi-pro to pro category and they are expensive.
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