Lee Miller Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 Hi all, About 12 months ago I sought your advice on a DSLR purchase that I didn't go ahead with. This time I'm getting more serious. I've narrowed it down to either a Nikon D80 or a Canon 400D. But the choice of lens will certainly influence which camera I go with. I've been using a Canon 30V fillum camera with a Tamron AF28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD zoom. I love the range of the lens and want to stick with that size. However, the focal length multiplier on the Canon is 1.6 and on the Nikon it's 1.5. So to get the equivalent of 28 - 300mm I will need to go 18 - 200mm. Canon don't have a 18 - 200mm lens in their range but Nikon (Nikkor) do. One option would be the Canon 400D with a Tamrom 18 - 250mm. I don't want two lenses to get the same effect - I just can't be bothered with swapping lenses all the time. Although a 100mm macro lens would come in handy later So, it comes down to either the Nikon D80 with a Nikkor 18 - 200mm (@ $2175, including filters, extra battery etc) or the Canon 400D with a Tamron 18 - 250mm (@ $1600, including filters, extra battery etc). Does anyone have experience with either the D80 or the 400D? Any information, advice or comments appreciated. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuong Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 Do you know if your old Tamron would fit onto the new 400D? I know some of the older lenses do fit onto the new bodies but don't know exactly which ones are suitable. Either way it's a much of a muchness between the two and it's just up to personal preference with camera ergonomics etc. Although with the money you're saving on the 400D + lens you have a nice sum saved up for the 100mm macro. Have a read on dpreview, if you haven't already, for reviews on the Tamron lenses. The third party lenses are generally excellent buys for their price and are great if you're on a tight budget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reillin Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 I'm looking to get a Canon 400D with sigma 18-200mm lens. Would you think that is any good for fish photography? Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cisco Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 Hi Lee, I have the D80 with lenses 18-70 and 70-300vr ($2104) A great camera to handle. If you haven't already check out www. nikonians.org All the best, Ross Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chorrylan Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 hi Lee, as part of your decision making I'd recommend taking your existing lens in and checking that it works correctly with the 400D. It should but check anyway. If you already have one or more canon EF compatible lenses are comfortable with the camera and control systems then I'd find it hard to going ove to the dark side (I'd find it just as hard recommending a switch to canon for anyone who already had an investment of $ and usage in nikon equiment) Be aware that most (if not all?) the DSLR lenses that cover the range you want for have reduced image sizes. eg say the TAMRON AF18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 XR Di II which looks like it'd do the job for you but will not fit your existing film camera or a true 32mm dSLR down the track. The reduced image sensor size and hence 1.x multiplier on these cameras is (according to my crystal ball at least) a temporary abberation and we will revert to full 32mm image sizes in the not too distant future as prices come down. So if you buy one don't pay too much as you can be reasonably sure it'll be the only camera body you'll ever use it on whereas the lens you already have should move with you to a new camera body some day. I use a canon 28-135 IS USM lens for most purposes. It has limited zoom but the image stabilization is pretty addictive as the longer lenses I have access to require me to lug tripods around too as they have no IS whatsoever. For wide angle stuff I have a sigma 15-30 DG but it's big, bulky and I can't use it in low light (I need a speedlight to stop the flash shadow on the image due to the sheers size of the lens) and most places I'd like to use it are at the end of 30-40k hike so I just make do with the 28-135 and stitching images together in photoshop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Miller Posted August 4, 2007 Author Share Posted August 4, 2007 Firstly, thanks guys for the replies. Cuong, My Tamron AF28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD zoom does work on a 400D but with the 1.6 focal length multiplier it becomes equivalent to 45-480mm and I lose most of my wide angle capacity. The AF28-300mm currently retails for about $600. I'm more focussed on getting a camera/lens combination that will do what I want rather than saving money and not being happy with the equipment and its functionality. Reillin, The 400D with a 18-200mm lens will be a great all round combination. My wife and I do a lot of walking, 12 months ago we did the 232km Larapinta trail out of Alice Springs taking 2 weeks to complete, and I had my camera in my hand most of the way. Hence I'm not keen on carrying extra weight and changing lenses. The 18-200mm should take reasonable fish shots but the 100mm macro will take better Cisco, I've registered with Nikonians now - thanks for the tip. Laurie, Can you tune up that crystal ball and find out when full-frame digitals will become affordable? The Canon 5D is about $5000 but that's a bit over-budget for me. I'm not really obsessed with keeping up with the latest technology and I'm looking at this purchase as something that will last me at least five years. So, as I said above, I'm more focussed on being happy with the equipment and its functionality than on saving money. Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chorrylan Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Can you tune up that crystal ball and find out when full-frame digitals will become affordable? The Canon 5D is about $5000 but that's a bit over-budget for me. Unfortunately my crystal ball only works in reverse.... the 30D, 60D, 10D and 5D rolled out about a year apart all at around US$3k and halving the price of the previous models each time. On that basis we we're overdue for the 5D replacement and the 5D should be down around AUS$2300 by now. Unfortunately they've been putting all their effort into expanding the entry dSLR market instead of pushing the line upwards.... but it can't be far off. (my 10D and a few lenses a few years back cost the same as a 5D does nowdays *sigh*) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishdance Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 Lee and others, I dont know how much research you have already invested but I am doing a similar thing right now moving off a Konica-Minolta 7D (and 4 lenses) which is an awesome camera but discontinued. As well as comparing the different camera specifications, it is also important how a camera feels in your hands. If a camera doesnt feel "right" immeadiately, it is much harder to learn and sometimes impossible to get used to. Thats been my experience anyway. Another bit of personal advise is the higher end cameras (and lenses) tend to do specific things very well but are often not as versatile or suited to many general purpose situations. ie depending on your use and expectations, an entry level D-SLR might give you better results than a much more expensive one. Luckily this isnt your first SLR so Im probably telling you how to suck eggs... If your ready to start from scratch, take a long look at Pentax 10K (or even 100K if budget is tight). Its weather & dust sealed, self cleaning sensor and best of all (for me) the anti-shake is the body so all lenses are much cheaper, especially if you go generic like Sigma and Tamron. Example, Pentax 10K body and kit zoom lens for around AUD$1200 at a guess (I am in Japan atm). If you go hiking, there are some youtube videos of idiotic people sticking their 10K under running water successfully to test weatherproofing. And to confuse you further, I have just bought a Ricoh R6 ultracompact Point & Shoot for the occasions where a large SLR is not suitable. Speaking as an SLR person, it takes AMAZING macros and is perfectly suited for general fish photography in medium light situations. A d-SLR cant take fish spawning videos either ..... I am a member at dpreview.com which is a great online community full of really helpful and awesome photographers of all makes. Strongly suggest you have a look there and perhaps post some questions. http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pentaxk10d/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CThompson Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Lee I bought a Nikon D50, which I assume, though I don't keep up with these things (though got very heavily into it when doing the purchasing research), is the model before your suggested D80. I went with it because it fitted all my existing Nikon lenses , and it was under a thousand $. I happy with the camera, though the automatics on the lens that it came with packed it in just out of warranty. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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