Starter dSLR - Nikon or Olympus?

[Tech007]

Originally Posted by 1969

just looking at the sensor spec. between the nikon and the oly go with the nikon. the sensor is considerably larger.

and another thing to pay attention to is the crop factor. the nikon is a 1.5x and the canon is a 1.6x factor and the oly (with the smaller sensor) is even larger of a crop factor.

OK thanks - the format wars and the small details like aspect ratio + DOF differences is WAY beyond me but fun to consider. So many choices.

The Rebel has moved onto the list - in first place for now. Oly and Nikon tied in second place.

10MP xTi with 2 lens for $899 is pretty good start. Will try and horse trade that down a bit.

[ababuu]

Originally Posted by Tech007

My two choices so far -

Nikon D40 -$500 cheap, light, great image quality, speedy operation. good lens selection. cons - 6 meg sensor.

Olympus E410 - $600 - cheap, 2 lens, live preview. 4/3 format. 10Mb sensor. great lens.
cons - short batt life.

You're approaching this completely incorrectly. The D40 is only 6MP but it has a bigger sensor (23.7 × 15.6 mm) than the 10MP E410 (18.00 x 13.50 mm). So, the E410 is trying to do more with less. And, I'm gonna take the not so wide leap of faith and say that the E410 is going to be far more noisier, given the sensor size/MP.

Next, the lens selection on the D40 isn't that great because it can't autofocus on some great Nikon lenses and focusing manually with it is a bitch. The D40 was never intended for people looking to buy extra lenses. If you want to get a Nikon, get a D50.

I'd suggest you look at the lens prices for both systems. Make a list of lens requirements for your intended usage and then compare the prices.

Lastly, you should look into the Canon XT/XTi and the Minolta 7d. From what I've seen, the Rebel line has better noise control than comparable cameras. The Minolta 7d is relatively cheap (though you can only get it used) and has a gazillion cheap lenses (again most of them will be used).

[1969]

Originally Posted by Tech007

OK thanks - the format wars and the small details like aspect ratio + DOF differences is WAY beyond me but fun to consider. So many choices.

The Rebel has moved onto the list - in first place for now. Oly and Nikon tied in second place.

10MP xTi with 2 lens for $899 is pretty good start. Will try and horse trade that down a bit.

it's not so much a format war as a way to convert things from grapefruits and pears to apples to apples.
for example:
the kit lens for the canon is a 18-55 which in 35mm format is would be a 28.8-88mm lens and the same lens on the nikon would be 27-82.5mm so now you can easily see you are loosing 5.5mm on the long end. which isn't too much but as you get longer glass the differences become larger.

[Tech007]

Originally Posted by ababuu

You're approaching this completely incorrectly.

Next, the lens selection on the D40 isn't that great because it can't autofocus on some great Nikon lenses and focusing manually with it is a bitch. The D40 was never intended for people looking to buy extra lenses. If you want to get a Nikon, get a D50.

I'd suggest you look at the lens prices for both systems. Make a list of lens requirements for your intended usage and then compare the prices.

Originally Posted by 1969

it's not so much a format war as a way to convert things from grapefruits and pears to apples to apples.
for example:
the kit lens for the canon is a 18-55 which in 35mm format is would be a 28.8-88mm lens and the same lens on the nikon would be 27-82.5mm so now you can easily see you are loosing 5.5mm on the long end. which isn't too much but as you get longer glass the differences become larger.

OK good points. I was looking at the Nikon SWM lens and liking what I saw - I have no old lens to worry about. Manual focus wouldn't kill me sometimes though...

Budget is no up to about a thousand if I look at a new-ish Rebel. Great.

Hard for me to evaluate lens details with so many details. Thanks for the pointers.

[1969]

Originally Posted by Tech007

OK good points. I was looking at the Nikon SWM lens and liking what I saw - I have no old lens to worry about. Manual focus wouldn't kill me sometimes though...

Budget is no up to about a thousand if I look at a new-ish Rebel. Great.

Hard for me to evaluate lens details with so many details. Thanks for the pointers.

oh, and if you reallllllllly want to get into some good reviews of the cameras look at dpreview.com

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympuse410/
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/NikonD40/
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/NikonD50/
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/NikonD80/
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/CanonEOS400D/
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/CanonEOS5D/


just for a smattering of the ones out there....

the rebel xti with 18-55 lens at newegg is 590 and shipping is around 10 bucks. which kit are you looking at?

[Tech007]

Originally Posted by 1969

oh, and if you reallllllllly want to get into some good reviews of the cameras look at dpreview.com

the rebel xti with 18-55 lens at newegg is 590 and shipping is around 10 bucks. which kit are you looking at?

Thanks - that site and Steves digicam are my fav photo h/w sites.

Rebel is bundled with that lens and a 75-300mm lens for $899 retail. Kit you quoted is $700 here. but dealing may get close to US prices.

I WON'T go over a thousand. seriously...

[stjoe]

Originally Posted by Newsy

Not too sure about that. With the D40 and the D40x, you can only use Nikon's DX lenses, PERIOD. It's completely sensor driven, not pin driven like most lenses.

This is completely untrue. I have both a D40 and a D300, and I can use ANY lens built since the 60's on both. The AF just doesn't work if you use non-AF-S lenses. It's not such a pain since focusing manually gives a better result for me most of the time.

[stjoe]

The choice was pretty easy for me, Tech. Go to Futureshop or Bestbuy, pick up all three of the cameras, take some test photos (the cameras should be in demo mode) and decide which one you like best. That's how I picked the D40. 69 is going to tell you to get Canon because that's what he uses and likes. I'm going to tell you Nikon because the Rebel's feel like cheap plastic toys and I thought I'd break it in the first week. But really it just has to feel right to you. Anything you get is going to be better than an A530 (which I also own) or whatever 'A' you're currently using.

[Tech007]

Originally Posted by stjoe

But really it just has to feel right to you. Anything you get is going to be better than an A530 (which I also own) or whatever 'A' you're currently using.

No shit!! Whole new world. (Mine is an ancient POS A70 that just won't die. Amazing) I've played with a lot of dSLR's but never intended to buy. til now.

Test drives will reveal a winner. But you are right the D40 feels so perfect - great grip + balance. We'll see about the Rebel.

[stjoe]

Originally Posted by Tech007

No shit!! Whole new world.

Test drives will reveal a winner. But you are right the D40 feels so perfect - great grip + balance. We'll see about the Rebel.

I loved the D40 when I got it. Best camera ever. And then I wanted more. More features, more this, more that, so it didn't even take a year and I spent $2000 on a D300. It's an addictive and expensive hobby. I know '69 does it for a living, and if you're going that direction the 5D he has is great, but it's also $2,600 right now. I don't remember if Newsy makes money from his pictures, but I think I remember he does too. There's nothing wrong with the Rebels, I just prefer the feel of the Nikons.

I also have a friend with an Olympus, and he likes it, but wants something a bit better already (he got an earlier model) but has invested far to much money in glass to switch to a Canon or a Nikon.