I know this is a "Nikon Club" but has anyone used the Nikon D40's AND the Canon Xti's? I've been debating between the two for quite a while now. I dont have any previous lenses so there isn't a compatability issue here. As similar as they are, i just dont know which i want to go with. I currently have a film slr but would just be taking the plunge into dslr's.
(and yes, i know about the Ken Rockwell site already. )

 

In Washington DC you can rent a camera from Penn Camera. Part of the rental fee is credited to the camera's purchas. Each camera has its strong points so there is no point in playing the Nikon vs Cannon game. In your position I would suggest renting/borrowing for a few days before buying. You want to get a feel for each camera in your hand. If your old film camera is a Nikon the layout of the controls will be easy for you to pickup. I have never owned a Cannon but my guess the same is true for them.
The camera is just a small part of a system any more think about where you want to go with your photography. Nikon has the better flash system. Cannon - some would argue - has better lense varity. The at entry level the Nikon body seems to be able to take a little more abuse.

DP Review of the two cameras,
in the review at the end is a overall conclusion.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond40/
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos400d/

Notes:
On the face of the reivews I would say that the Cannon is the more capable camera in this choice ofthe two. Features do not take pictures though and the two or three times I have used a friends D40 has produced good results. I did a quick price check at B&H (www.bandhphoto.com) photo. The D40 body & 18-55 lense sells for $469.95. Less than the 674.75 for the Cannon Xti. It is not much of a suprise the xti has more features. Perhaps your getting an extra lense along with the d-40 camera body (there are two lense kits for the D40 that are an great value). It would be more fare to compare the D-60 (or even the D80) to the xti.

Just to play the devil:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonydslra200/page3.asp is in your price range.

John

 

Nikon:
D50
D80
18-55 Kit
18-135 Kit (broken)
20mm 2.8D
50mm 1.4D
Tokina 16-50mm f/2.8 FOR SALE OR TRADE! Hardly used. Too soft for me.
Lomo Fisheye Adapter
SB600 (Broken)
SB800
SC-29

And I have some lomos, a Canon AE-1, Polaroid Spectra, A few digital Point & Shoots and 110 Film cameras..

 

Haven't used a D40, D40x, or D60.. but I know you can't use some Nikon glas on those bodies, which is why I don't even want to bother..

My cousins all use XTi's and XSi's... I really liked them actually in terms of quality and build, as well as options. A great starter camera.

I really love Nikon glass though.. and if you were to go that route, the best body to get would be the D80.

Ken Rockwell isn't the best reference site... Try
www.megapixel.net
www.dpreview.com
My two favorites.

Good luck!

 

Which Lomos?

(I have an LC-A, the Fisheye, a SuperSampler)

 

man, i want a LC-A, how long have you had it? you don't have flickr do you?

I have a fisheye and a Holga 120 GFN

 

I've had the LC-A for several years now.
Flickr, yes. Here's the link: LC-A on Flickr

 

sweet.. i'll check that out. my stuff is here:

http://www.flickr.com/thevastdifference/

 

New Equipment List:

Nikon N65 SLR
Nikon D70s SLR
Nikon Nikkor 28-80 F/3.3-5.6G AF
Nikon AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8 G ED (new toy)
Nikon SB600 AF Speedlight Flash

 

I got a look at a D90 today. About the size of a D80. The camera is enrout to someone so I did not ask to shoot or play with it. They should be in stores for sale soon. It feels good in the hand and is noticably smaller and lighter than the D70 (maybe not a good thing for me). I do not know how that would compare with the D80. I'm considering upgrading to either the 90 or the 300. It was nice to compare them side by side. I kind of like the heft of the 300. The 300 has better weather protection too. It will be a few months before I can lay down the cash.

John

 

What does everyone think of Nikon Capture NX 2?? I just installed it on my laptop and so far I like it, but I wanted others opinions on some features that I might be overlooking, or another program that I should consider.

Thanks in advance!!

 

I have a D40 and love it. It is my first venture in DSLR, and my first serious SLR in general. It takes wonderful photos, is extremely small, feels durable (I have dropped it a couple of times and no damage). It gets the job well done for a beginning photographer. This was the only Nikon DSLR I could afford, and I have already found myself wanting more out of my camera after 3 months, but I once you learn how to get the most out of the camera it can do amazing things for the price. I say for the D40.

 

I currently use CS2 for editing RAW photos (when I take one) or if I need to major edit a JPEG photo. I tried NX2 (a trial version) and liked it for the most part. There were some things I could not get to work - but that may be my fault. It took a long time to load (running Windows XP on a one year old computer) but not much longer than CS2. If I was looking for a new program I would consider NX2 over the Adoby product. If I upgrade my camera I may make a switch or if I loose my CS2 when the kid goes to college (it's licenced in her name). I am just not looking forward to the learning curve. On DPReview I saw that someone wrote a how to book that got good reviews on how to get the most out of NX2.

 

Nikon sent out an email for $30 discount on NX2 about a week ago. I can't afford CS2 but that discount may make NX2 worth it for my use.

 

Kudos to Nikon Tech Support!!
I had a GREAT experience with Nikon's Tech Support...I could not figure out where the Serial # was to register NX 2, so I called and Cameron was extremely polite and helpful. Duh...it's the "same" as the Product Key. He even registered it for me while I was on the phone!!

 

Trying to figure out if shooting RAW/NEF is worth it. If so I'll probably go the Capture NX route - why won't they send me a discount to make my decision eaier

 

Actually you can get it for $30 off at Amazon right now anyway.

 

I have had enough!!!!


Went out and got a sensor swab kit ($45 at Penn) and Eclips solution ($9.50). The swab kit has 12 swabs. Someone that knows what they are doing should be able to clean with one swab. I needed 5 to get the job done. To make sure I got all the dust after each try I took a shot of a white computer screen then downloaded the picture. I think I finally got it all. Should be easier next time.
I read Thom Hogan's how to artical ( http://www.bythom.com/cleaning.htm) along with a couple of others. The big black clod in front of the cart above is now gone. This is not that hard to do. Strongly suggest learning how.

I am much happier now...
Thanks for letting me vent...

 

To be honest, I've attempted this cleaning on 3 separate occasions with the same product, and I've had the exact same results as you have. I'm going to use something a bit cheaper next time as I was getting pissed after each swab not completely cleaning it or leaving more goobers, then realizing that's another $2 wasted per swab. I'd really like to meet somebody who can really get a sensor clean with just one swab!

 

I just use a baby ear bulb. It works well if you dont let it get crazy in there. Best part it only cost $4

 

Is that a blower? If so I used one at the start with no luck. That goober was on tight and not very visible to the eye.

The dust is very small but still blocks the light going to the sensor. If I blow up the white page enough I can still find some dust, but we are talking the equivilant of a 20" picture. If I am going for something that big I'll be shooting raw and use photoshop to clean the dust.

 

Be careful using that as the air you blow out is not filtered. You'd be better off using a bit more expensive one that has a filter on it to ensure you're not blowing more dust onto your sensor. I'm using this Giottos Rocket Blaster which is specifically made for blowing a sensor clean and it does work well, unlike the sensor swabs.

 

I have and like the Rocket, too. It works very well but you do sometimes get permadust that an air blast won't remove.

 

Just stumbled on this thread-
I shoot with a D300 and a D50 as backup
18-200 VR
50mm f1.4
28-80 f2.8-f5.6

For those with questions about NX2, it's a great program, makes shooting raw completely worth it, and it's saved quite a few pictures that came out terribly over exposed. But make sure you have gobs of RAM. It's painfully slow with 1GB- I wouldn't use it without at least 2GB RAM and a decent dual core processor.

 

Great stuff Juan. Always love looking at your work. It's amazing.