Which DSLR????

[jaydreams]

Hi friends i want to upgrade to DSLR, from my canon S3 IS.

The choices I have in mind are Canon 30D or Nikon D80 or Rebel XTi .please help with your suggestions.
which one do you suggest and for what features?

Thank you in advance..

[Franglais]

Hi friends i want to upgrade to DSLR, from my canon S3 IS.

The choices I have in mind are Canon 30D or Nikon D80 or Rebel XTi .please help with your suggestions.
which one do you suggest and for what features?

Thank you in advance..

What do you want to use it for? If you tell us what your needs are then it's easier to pick one that suits you. You have mentioned 3 cameras at different price points and the number of features increases with the price.

Otherwise we get down to personal preferences where the Canon users slag off Nikon and vice-versa.

Charles

[drg]

Don't forget that what makes a D-SLR so desirable is the lens options which are as, if not exceedingly more, important as the body or brand.

Initial use and realistic long term goals/plans will help to narrow down the choice.

You will spend far more on various lenses and accessories than on the body.

Handle all three and see if that helps to determine what will best work.

There are several threads throught the website about various selection criteria and comparisons.

Generally factors for your decision are, in no special order:
1. Cost
2. Usage(General/Family/Friends, sport, nature/wildlife, business)
3. Legacy (familiarity with a brand or glass collection)

All three D-SLR's you mention are fine options. Let us know what you weighing as options and we will help if possible.

Welcome to PR!

[Franglais]

As nobody really answered the question I suppose I could try to give a reply which is un-biased. Of course I do shoot Nikon. Just sticking to the best features of each camera :

Nikon D80

- great viewfinder
- great flash system
- excellent autofocus and exposure system (though exposure is less accurate than D200 & D2X)
- wide choice of excellent lenses designed for digital
- manufacturer committed to the sensor format
- same SD card format as your Canon S3 IS

Canon XTi

- cheapest of the three
- dust-removal system for the sensor
- light and small (if you happen to have small hands)

Canon 30D

- better low-light performance than the other two
- 5 frames per second
- low-level pro camera

I find it very difficult to work up any enthusiasm for Canon, somehow..

[Franglais]

I bought Reponses Photo today, there's a comparison of the XTi with other cameras and I've found another plus point -

- it has an optional grip/battery pack. Wow.

But then the 30D does too, it's not really an advantage for the XTi. And Reponses Photo is really critical of the 18-55 that comes in kit with the camera. They suggest that Canon deliberately propose a poor lens to encourage people to upgrade to something better. But then that's slagging off Canon...

[Franglais]

No sign of life from the poster or even from a Canon Champion. Feel like I'm talking to myself.

Anyway - I've thought of another advantage of the D80: Auto-ISO. You set the base sensitivity and the longest shutter speed you want and if there isn't enough light then the camera changes the ISO setting by itself. It's really useful and Canon don't even offer it.

Right now with my D200 90% of the time I'm on auto-ISO and 95% of the time I've got the 18-200VR fitted and Canon don't offer either.