Hello! PC builder and overclocker joining the world of photography.

[ChocoTaco]

Hello everyone, My name is Mark, I am a avid PC builder/overclocker I have always believed in getting the most for your money, I am currently a senior member over at extremeoverclocking.com I have enjoyed my time their and will continue to visit them daily. Sadly at EOCF I find the recommendations I receive with Camera options to be very limited (only a few members chime in) and the advise I do recive is rather biased Eg. nikon users suggest nikon and vise versa, I often visit this site to read reviews but decided the other day to make a place for myself within these forums! I am on the hunt for a new camera I have narrowed it down too four choices so I am almost ready to pull the trigger, I feel a little stuck but am hoping with some reading and user advise from the members of this fine forum that I can finally decide, I will list my primary considerations below. Thank you for taking the time to read this and a extra Thank you to the people who provide advise! Oh and also, my primary photography for the moment will be indoor/outdoor portraits, some nature shots and a lot of work at the zoo. also as you can tell by my lens selection Macro is high on my interest list.

all options will also include extra batterie, memory, bat etc. I am on a limited start up budget.

Option 1: Canon 40D (kit) with Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM
Option 2: Canon 50D (kit) with Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM
Option 3: Nikon D80, the kit with 2 lens located here http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...al_Camera.html with a Nikon Telephoto AF Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR
Option 4: Nikon D90 (kit) with a Nikon Telephoto AF Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR


Anyway hello to everyone again! and again thank you for taking the time to read this and hopefuly reply! :23:

[ChocoTaco]

Seeing how this is a picture forum I will post one of my current disappointments lol, this was taken with a cruddy little point and shoot at the zoo (where I plan to do a lot of photos) the IQ is bad, bokeh non existent but hey its a point and shoot I think my biggest gripe is their is no setting to turn off the bloody time stamp soon I will have my DSLR I find comfort in that

[freygr]

Hello everyone, My name is Mark, I am a avid PC builder/overclocker I have always believed in getting the most for your money, I am currently a senior member over at extremeoverclocking.com I have enjoyed my time their and will continue to visit them daily. Sadly at EOCF I find the recommendations I receive with Camera options to be very limited (only a few members chime in) and the advise I do recive is rather biased Eg. nikon users suggest nikon and vise versa, I often visit this site to read reviews but decided the other day to make a place for myself within these forums! I am on the hunt for a new camera I have narrowed it down too four choices so I am almost ready to pull the trigger, I feel a little stuck but am hoping with some reading and user advise from the members of this fine forum that I can finally decide, I will list my primary considerations below. Thank you for taking the time to read this and a extra Thank you to the people who provide advise! Oh and also, my primary photography for the moment will be indoor/outdoor portraits, some nature shots and a lot of work at the zoo. also as you can tell by my lens selection Macro is high on my interest list.

all options will also include extra batterie, memory, bat etc. I am on a limited start up budget.

Option 1: Canon 40D (kit) with Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM
Option 2: Canon 50D (kit) with Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM
Option 3: Nikon D80, the kit with 2 lens located here http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...al_Camera.html with a Nikon Telephoto AF Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR
Option 4: Nikon D90 (kit) with a Nikon Telephoto AF Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR


Anyway hello to everyone again! and again thank you for taking the time to read this and hopefuly reply! :23:

I think the best choice you have listed is the D80 kit. Both lenses are good, even though I highly dislike the 17-55mm Nikkor Kit lens(design dislike). You can always step up latter to a higher resolution Nikon Body later. All the other choices you have have true Macro lenses and unless you have other Canon or Nikon lenses you will be limited.

[ChocoTaco]

I think the best choice you have listed is the D80 kit. Both lenses are good, even though I highly dislike the 17-55mm Nikkor Kit lens(design dislike). You can always step up latter to a higher resolution Nikon Body later. All the other choices you have have true Macro lenses and unless you have other Canon or Nikon lenses you will be limited.

First, Thank you for the reply, regarding your response I actually have no equipment at the moment, I have shot a D80 and I really liked it but I wasn't sure if it is "to dated" this day in age, the Canon (kits) listed above both come with a Canon 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens so I would have two lenses with the Canon options as well (well I suppose their are 3 with the D80 option)

[Skyman]

Firstly Welcome to the friendliest forums on the internet!

I have never gotten into it, but my brother is an overclocker and one of the forums he is a member of (i can't recall which) have some of the best photography I have seen outside of the photography community.

When it comes to which camera to choose it is much the same as with computers, the simple answer is the best you can afford. As for Canon vs Nikon vs pentax vs sony vs olympus vs whoever I have forgotten well personal comfort counts for a lot, so be prepared to hit some stores and hold some cameras. Remember you are not just buying a camera but investing in a system (some photographers switch manufacturers but most tend to upgrade whatever they first bought) and this includes flashes, lenses and a host of other "essential" items you haven't yet realised you need! One of the best recomendations is to spend a bit less on your body (the actual camera) and a bit more on the lens. under most conditions people don't need the fastest camera with the most megapixels and fastest Autofocusing speeds, but having a sharper photo is something everyone wants and a good lens or lenses will definately help that.

refining your list, what sorts of things do you see yourself taking photos of? Are you the sort of person who will always carry a camera, someone who will carry it if there is an event but leave it the rest of the time or someone who will carry it only if they are thinking of taking photos? also do you prefer portraits or landscapes, action shots or posed shots? natural light or flash. Also many dslrs can have their firmware hacked so that they have some of the features of their more expensive bigger brothers. This isn't something I normally recommend but if you are into overclocking it is something you might look for.

[brmill26]

Honestly all of those are fantastic cameras. There's no "wrong" choice between them. Being a computer guy, maybe it'd help you to go to a store and check out the interface of the two, because it is quite different between the two. And you'll be stuck navigating that, so one system or the other may be more or less intuitive for you. Beyond that, both Canon and Nikon have very extensive systems of lenses and accessories, so I doubt you'll go wanting no matter which you chose. Pick them up, play with them, and whichever feels better to you, go with it.

[ChocoTaco]

Thank you for the replies gentlemen, As far as "playing" with the camera's go the closet thing I have near me (that I have found) is a 5D for canon (way out of budget) and the D80, now I have shot on a D80 and a Rebel XSi and I far preferred the D80 but I have read that the 40/50D don't have the same light/cheap/plastic feel of the XSi. If the D80 is still a solid camera I could see myself being comfortable with it but at the same time I want to make sure the body can keep up with the demands, I will primarily be shooting Portraits I am starting part time at a Portrait studio soon to learn the ropes I have also signed up to volunteer at the zoo and do photography for them, then the obvious family trips to the beaches/zoo/indoor events as well as my own personal fascination with macro photography all in all I see myself spending a lot of time behind the viewfinder (which is good as I need to get out more). one of the things that stands out about the Canon's is I have heard so many great things about the L lenses, I honestly have not heard much about Nikons offerings.. but I am 100% stuck on the final choice (couldnt afford a L for a while anyway) , I have about a month until I pull the trigger but I would rather have it be a educated choice as opposed to a Iny meeny miny moe situation Thank you again for your suggestions and questions :thumbsup:

[Skyman]

what does the studio use? it might be helpful to get what they have as you will be able to share lenses and flashes etc.

I am a canon user, but only because that was the first SLR I owned. I also worked in a camera shop for nearly 10 years and played with just about every camera on the market until 2005. I can honestly say that whilst some models might have an edge for a time realistically there isn't much of a difference between canon and nikon. Nikon have their equivalent to L series lenses but having said that I have seen great photos from both canon and nikon's cheapest plastic zoom lenses. This is as much about making the most of what you have as anything else. Since you are going to be shooting so much though I do think a stronger camera is better as they are designed to work harder. Given that you are on a budget, the older models 40d / d80 are probably the way to go.

[ChocoTaco]

what does the studio use? it might be helpful to get what they have as you will be able to share lenses and flashes etc.

I am honestly not sure, I know while I was their the young lady that was shooting at the moment had a Canon 30D so I know they have at least one of those on site, as far as my budget go's I am aiming at $2,000.00 initial start up I can probably eek $2,250.00-$2,500.00 if needs be though.

[freygr]

Just remember that the D80 comes with a wider lens than either of the Canon but it may have the same angle of view with the sensor size factor. Nikon's DX cameras the factor is 1.5 so a 50mm prime lens has the same angle of view as a 75mm prime, a great angle of view for portrait work.

[ChocoTaco]

Just remember that the D80 comes with a wider lens than either of the Canon but it may have the same angle of view with the sensor size factor. Nikon's DX cameras the factor is 1.5 so a 50mm prime lens has the same angle of view as a 75mm prime, a great angle of view for portrait work.

I have ruled out the D90 and the 40D so far, However I am still stuck between the 50D and the D80, the strengths of the D80 is a solid opening line up of lenses as well as the quality of the D80, weakness as far as I can tell are its age and whether or not the IQ produced will be good enough for my ambitions (at least for a while) Starting with three or four lenses is tempting however the 18-55 Kit lens probably wont get much play so that would leave me with the 55-200 and the 105 macro with a possible fourth which doesn't put it far ahead of the lenses I would start with the Canon. at least I have knocked two of the list though! that is progress! oh and to the poster above who mentioned flashes, a flash is included in my opening purchases the side items that I will be getting stay the same across the options (minus brand of course and in the case of memory SDHC vs CF) I will list the accessories below.

Flash;

Canon ~ 430EX II Speedlite TTL Shoe-Mount Flash
Nikon ~ SB-600 Speedlight i-TTL Shoe Mount Flash

Bag;

Lowepro SlingShot 300 AW Camera Bag

Memory;

Canon ~ Sandisk 8GB Extreme III CompactFlash Card (two of them)
Nikon ~ Sandisk 8GB Extreme III - 30MB/s Edition Secure Digital (SDHC) Card (two of them)

Body;

Undecided between 50D and D80

Lenses;

Depends on the body but all listed above.

[Photo-John]

You should take a look at the Nikon D90 vs Canon EOS 50D thread I just replied to in the Digital SLR forum: Help with D90 and 50D kits!

You mentioned the plasticky feel of the Canon XSi. There are very few people who handle cameras as roughly as I do - I shoot mostly in the outdoors in all kinds of weather. And the XTi and XSi have worked just fine for me. Camera build is an overrated feature for most photographers. One of the best pieces of advice I can give is to buy a less expensive camera body and put your money into lenses. From a computer perspective, buying an expensive body and a crappy lens is like buying a super fast computer and then using crappy software. The lens is what really counts. Put a cheap lens in front of a great sensor and you've got crappy image quality. Buy a less expensive camera (like the XSi or Nikon 60D) and get a great lens and you've got great image quality.

Hope that adds something to the converstion. And welcome to the site! Always happy to have a new, enthusiastic member

[ChocoTaco]

You should take a look at the Nikon D90 vs Canon EOS 50D thread I just replied to in the Digital SLR forum: Help with D90 and 50D kits!

You mentioned the plasticky feel of the Canon XSi. There are very few people who handle cameras as roughly as I do - I shoot mostly in the outdoors in all kinds of weather. And the XTi and XSi have worked just fine for me. Camera build is an overrated feature for most photographers. One of the best pieces of advice I can give is to buy a less expensive camera body and put your money into lenses. From a computer perspective, buying an expensive body and a crappy lens is like buying a super fast computer and then using crappy software. The lens is what really counts. Put a cheap lens in front of a great sensor and you've got crappy image quality. Buy a less expensive camera (like the XSi or Nikon 60D) and get a great lens and you've got great image quality.

Hope that adds something to the converstion. And welcome to the site! Always happy to have a new, enthusiastic member

Good read and courtesy of it the D90 is back on the table... not sure if I should thank you lol, their will be a lot of times where I will have to take poorly lit photos (zoo especially) curious though, in your opinion how is the D90 vs he D80? I have actually come across a few reviews today that referred to the 50D as "disappointing" so that almost puts the 40D back on the table putting me back at ground zero, now I am comfortable with my choice of either nikon or canon at least! anyway thank you again for your post.

[Frog]

I have the D80 and everything I've read is that the D90 is better at high iso.

Here is a comparison chart: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond90/page20.asp