DSLR: Sony, Canon, or Nikon

[bioasisx]

So my parents are willing to chip in for an DSLR for my birthday, and I'm questioning which one to get.

My budget is about $1500. My main focus will be low light, and wide-angle. I have used Nikon D80 and D40 before, and I have loved both. However, the D80 can't compare with the Canon and the Sony. The only one that they have (to compare to the both of those) is the D300 and that's out of my price range.

My main concern is the prices of the lens. Canon makes great lens, but they cost a lot. I have not looked into the used department of Canon yet. But Sony on the other hand, has a lot of Minota Maxxum lens to choose from... Which can reduce my cost on the lens....

Feature wise for both camera is great.

Give me your 2cent please!

[dmogx]

seems like you automatically vetoed the nikon out already lol.
and 'most' members here use canon... so with that in mind, GO SONY!!

you're lucky, i wish my parents would chip in for a dslr.. they told me screw off hahaha.

[w00tgasm]

Sony.
In body image stabalizer. Cheaper lenses.

Why not Pentax?

[bioasisx]

K10D? I've not really looked into it. Have not tried it either.

[Ice-520]

you know my vote 

[Ice-520]

for canon, there are also a lot of third party lens to choose from

[dmogx]

Get this!

[bioasisx]

yeah.. right.....

[melonvitara]

i am bias
Canon FTW!

[IMASA]

Guess I'm the only Nikon shooter here.  It's not really which camera is better as they're pretty much similar.  It's more of which system you like better.  The D80 is an older model, the replacement should be coming this fall, I'd expect it to be onpar with the 40D.

If you were going to get a Canon, I'd probably get a XTi since they're cheap now and spend the rest on a nice L lense.  Since bodies depreciate so quickly, I'd rather spend the money on lenses.  I don't have any experience with Sony or Minota lenses, but if you check used camera B&S or even Ebay, there's way more selection for Canon and Nikon mounts. 

[w00tgasm]

Actually, was thinking the K20D.
Or you could get something with a 4/3 lens mount and have a variety of pretty lenses

Right now I'm shooting with my 35mm Minolta which I'm not even sure works yet, haven't developed a roll.
So far the shutter sound on a 35mm makes me drool.

[StevieSpeed3]

you know my vote 

+1

[bioasisx]

Guess I'm the only Nikon shooter here.  It's not really which camera is better as they're pretty much similar.  It's more of which system you like better.  The D80 is an older model, the replacement should be coming this fall, I'd expect it to be onpar with the 40D.

If you were going to get a Canon, I'd probably get a XTi since they're cheap now and spend the rest on a nice L lense.  Since bodies depreciate so quickly, I'd rather spend the money on lenses.  I don't have any experience with Sony or Minota lenses, but if you check used camera B&S or even Ebay, there's way more selection for Canon and Nikon mounts. 

I was thinking about going to into entry level models, but most ppl i know have upgraded from those. I rather buy one that I'll stick with for awhile.

And is there going to be a new Nikon coming out? I've only heard of the D300, and one of my teacher likes it a lot. He used to use Canon but has switched.

[IMASA]

There's a Nikon D60, but that's just basically a D40 with anti-dust and sensor clean.  I started out with a D40X and moved up to a D200. A D90 replacement is rumoured to be coming later this year.  There's nothing wrong with getting an entry level.  The D40 is limiting mainly because it doesn't have an internal focusing motor, all the other functions aren't that necessary.  I find I still use my D40x a lot simply because it's small and compact.  Slap on the Nikon 18-200VR and that serves as my main walk-around.  The XTi has enough features to keep you going for a while.  I like the 40D, but the XTi is a great buy simply because the XSi came out.  On that note, have you considered the Canon XSi? 

[levitron]

Use the money for nice lenses.  You can get an entry-level body for below $700 these days for any brand.

Invest in your lenses.

As for which system to go for, I chose Canon because:
-most of my friends use Canon, so I can mooch off of them (this was back when I first started) when I need a lens or two
-Canon has a pretty strong used market
-Canon had the Digital Rebel (300D)

Some of those things do not apply anymore but you get an idea of what you want after you look at what you NEED.  Because of all the available options out there now, it's better to lay out what you need and then trying to find a system that's right for you.

Oh, and did I say INVEST IN YOUR LENSES?

[levitron]

....I have to add: entry-level body is fine.

It takes better pictures than any prosumer camera out there that do not use APS-ish sized sensors.

However this also comes down to your skill level with photography.  Are you starting out?  Or have you been taking photos for years but just on film?

[rancid]

I've used the Pentax and Canon.  I own the Nikon D200 and have used the D80 as well.

used the Pentax K10D for about a week.  My impression is that it's a great camera.  Not a whole lot of lens selection but depending on what you want to shoot, it maybe suitable for you.  I shoot alot of wildlife and scenery pics so I need a good selection of zoom lens.  With the pentax, it has in body image stabilization so basically all the lenses that you slap on the Pentax has image stabilization.  The other thing is that it has a dust shaker to reduce dust build up on the sensor.  The menus are fairly easy to use once you get used to them...it's with any of them really.  Buttons are placed very well and you can quickly access as you need it.

Image wise, it took some pretty good pics.  The pictures, I found were poor with JPEGs...put it into raw mode and the amount of detail that it captures is amazing!  There is a night and day difference between them.  Pentax has released some new lenses into the market but again, the zoom lenses are lacking.  Though for pentax, there are a huge selection of lenses from way back when that is compatible with the camera. 

With Nikon.  I've used the D80 for about a week as well.  Great camera to use.  Lots of features to get your hands dirty.  Took some really good pictures and has enough features to keep you going if you are interested in photography.  Now, the downside is that, you can't meter with old manual focus lenses.  I'm not sure if the camera will recognize the lenses or not which was one of the reasons why I did not pick this camera.  The other reason was the grip.  I didn't like how it felt...wasn't too comfortable to hold...felt the body was a little small.  I even tried it with the grip but that felt even more awkward.

I own the D200.  Yes, I did consider the D300 but for what I wanted to do with the camera, wasn't worth the extra in price.  I've also considered the Canon 40D when I was looking to buy.  I'll go into that later.  With the D200, I'm able to use the older manual focus lens from Nikon.  I happen to really like the pictures that the manual focus lens takes.  I have an old 70-210mm F4 lens that I use very frequently...it's almost my walk around lens.  I also have the 18-70mm Nikon as well as a Tokina 80-400mm zoom lens.  The 18-70mm is a fairly sharp lens but when I took pictures and compared it with the 70-210mm....there was no comparison.  The 70-210 was 100% more sharper and captured a lot more detail.  Even the 80-400mm couldn't come close.  I took pictures of the full moon and the tokina was not clear or sharp (this was partially due to my tripod as it wasn't very sturdy...shook when the shutter went off).  The amount of detail that the 70-210mm captured was amazing...I was quite shocked...and they were taken at the same zoom level as, F-stop, and shutter speed as the tokina.  If you want to see the pictures, PM me, and I'll send you the files to compare.

The D200 is a great camera to use.  Very comfortable to hold, good weight for hand holding, shoots very fast, quick power up time.  You can use it almost instantaneously.  It was easy for me to learn but the downside to it is that there is no auto mode or any of the modes like portait mode, scenery mode, night shots, etc.  You have to set the parameters yourself.  In terms of learning, I think it's a great camera to learn on.  Albeit, maybe a little bit much for most people to start out with.  If you don't use manual focus lenses or have no desire to use them, the D200 would be a little over kill for you if you just want a better camera than your average point and shoot.  The downside tot he D200...it's not really a travel friendly camera.  It is larger than the D80 and it is heavier.  I carry a backpack with my camera and lenses and to take it hiking and stuff...not very fun.  Wear it around your neck...not fun...gets heavy.  The battery life on it is ok...not the greatest.  You'll definitely need a spare.  The D80 has much better battery life.

I've also used the Canon 40D.  It's a great camera.  If you do a lot of action or sports photography, the 40D is great.  Very fast at taking pictures.  Feature loaded!  It also takes great pictures.  Very comfortable to hold, good weight, solid build.  Why didn't I choose the camera?  It came down to personal preference.  I liked the colors on the nikon better than the 40D.  I found the 40D to look a little "plasticky"  It didn't look "normal" to me.  But that's personal preference.  If you showed me two pictures really quickly from the 40D and nikon, I wouldn't know.  The 40D does put out great pictures with very nice colors.  It depends on what looks to you.  ultimately, it is you who are going to look at the pictures.  The other advantage to the 40D is it's low light picture quality.  You can really amp up the ISO on the 40D and the pictures are better looking than the D200.  Different story when you compare it to the D300.

If you are looking for a comparible camera to the 40D, you should look at the D200.  It's closer in comparison than the D80 is.  The 40D came out in response to the D200.  You'll notice that canon and nikon are always trying out do one another.  They offer different options and features.  It's never really been a direct competition per se if you look at it from another perspection.  They both offer something in between each other.  Either way, I think you'll be happy with your purchase.

I did look at the XTi...held it and just put it back on the shelf.  I found it cheap feeling and wasn't very comfortable to hold.  Was just to small.  I like the larger sized bodies for more stability.  It really helps when you have a medium to heavy lens attached to the camera

As with sony.  They have minolta's technology as they bought them out when minolta went under.  Cameras feel very solid and they are easy to use.  I haven't shot with them in the real world...just in the store.  I have a sony point and shoot.  Not very happy with the colors that it produces...they are rather dull to me. 

If you are looking at lens prices.  They are similiarly priced.  The canon is cheaper than the nikon but they are around the same price range.  Both also have very good aftermarket support.  Sigma, Tamron, Tokina to name a few.  If you are leaning towards nikon, have a look at the used market for a D200.  The prices are REALLY good right now.  A lot of people are dumping their D200 for the D300...they are after the newest and greatest features. 

Nikon also has released the D60 to replace the D40X.  It is a 10mp DSLR.  I haven't used it but it has a few features and what not.  Comes bundled with the 18-55mm VR lens.  I've used the regular 18-55mm lens and I don't like very much.  Feels very cheap to me.  I suspect the 18-55mm VR should feel better. 

With image stabilization, canon and nikon have it built into the lens.  They are more than your non-image stabilized lens but they do allow you to hand hold and take clearer pictures.  Particularly if you have a medium to large zoom. 

For the price that you've mentioned, you can get a Nikon D200 for around $900 bucks used and have about 600 bucks to spend on lenses and other accessories.  Use your money wisely and you'll be able to acquire a few good lenses.  Get a 4gb or larger CF card.  You should also invest in a case for your equipment as well.  If you are looking for the D80, you can pick them up for around the same price as the D200...some maybe a couple of hundred cheaper.  My D200 was used and I've had absolutely no issues with mine.  With the 40D, you won't have that much extra to spend on lenses and such.  I haven't seen very many for sale. 

As for picture quality...you can manipulate to a certain extent in photoshop and lightroom.  Just make sure you use RAW instead of JPEG to allow yourself maximum correction options later on.  With the jpegs, it is somewhat limited.  You'll probably be happy with either camera.

[rancid]

oh yeah, the D80 you want to compare to the 40D and A700..it will sorta keep up but a more accurate comparison would be to throw in the D200.  Many people think it's obsolete....regardless, it's still out there.  I would say the D80 could get replaced either in the summer or in the fall.

[StevieSpeed3]

Thats the biggest post Ive seen in awhile Nick...Good advice

[BLAM]

the canon 40D blows the D80 out of the water.

and both those kill the sony.