Canon or Nikon

cabla

Hey I am looking to get a digital slr camera soon. I have only been ever using a canon digital camera (ixus something).

I am very ignorant to SLR cameras. I would really like to get into photography and I think this would be my first step, but I am unsure what to get as I havn't a clue really about these cameras.

I was looking at a Canon 1000D or Nikon D60.

What do you guys think? I don't want to spend mad money, but these look good (to me though).

Thanks

Tallon

you should read the stickys at the top of the page first. some good advice in there

Dr.Louis

They're both great so my advice is to buy whichever one has the best deal.

I'd highly doubt anyone could tell the difference between a photograph taken with both the 1000D and the D60.

If you were looking for something a little more technical then- The 1000D has liveview but the Nikon comes with a VR lens. I think that this lens is a little better than the non IS (Canon's VR) lens you get with the Canon and so it would sway me towards the Nikon.

Rb

1000D is coming with the 18-55mm IS lens now afaik.

Dr.Louis

In that case buy other one of them. Your photography won't be limited/improved by one or the other. Their both great!

cabla

Much appreciated guys. Thanks for the help

TheDriver

I am in the same boat as you and was going to buy the Nikon but the only thing is if you want to add lenses later, you must get AFS if you want auto focusing, as the AF needs a motor in the camera.
Canon doesn't have this issue at all, can get any second hand EF or EFS lens and seems to be a better bet if you are buying more add ons in the future.
Canon 450D is in Argos on sale at moment at 514 euro while D60 is only 359 pounds from Jessops with delivery.

cabla

Ye thats what I am thinking too. Like price difference is big.

RoryW

The D60 is about to be discontinued according to www.nikonrumors.com

OctavarIan

Go into a camera shop in Dublin and ask to hold both a Canon and Nikon. Go with whichever one feels most comfortable in your hands. That's what I did anyway, the difference in specs between the entry-level cameras is tiny afaik

CabanSail

As has been said many times, both are very good systems. If you are going to get into Photography both will serve you well. I find the Nikon System to be more ergonomic than the Canon, but I have been using it for a long time. Canon seem to have more menu driven functions which suit some better.

Get either & you will not have made a bad choice, you can then concentrate on taking Photographs.

cabla

Brilliant. Sounds good then all round. Ill check them out a little further. Thanks for the help

smelltheglove

I love my nikon however when I need something second hand it is harder to source, there is a lot more Canon kit for sale second hand as far as I can see!

micdug

TheDriver wrote: »

I am in the same boat as you and was going to buy the Nikon but the only thing is if you want to add lenses later, you must get AFS if you want auto focusing, as the AF needs a motor in the camera.
Canon doesn't have this issue at all, can get any second hand EF or EFS lens and seems to be a better bet if you are buying more add ons in the future.
Canon 450D is in Argos on sale at moment at 514 euro while D60 is only 359 pounds from Jessops with delivery.

Not true. You won't be able to focus on mechanical focus lens which somebody with a starter body is highly unlikely to buy - any Nikon DX lens will work just fine. You could just as well say all pre-1987 lens for Canon can't be used on current Canon while Nikon lens going back to the 50's can still be attached to your DSLR.

I would personally recommend a Nikon D40 Kit over the D60 using the money left over to buy another lens. Look out for the deals on free training. But most of all focus on taking pictures and not the technology - any Nikon or Canon will do just fine.

jpfahy

With digital there are four elements to a good photo;
The camera body.
The lens.
The software you post process with.
Your ability.

All four are at least equally important (indeed some would argue that the body is the least important of the four)
You can trade a body up while keeping your lenses. I would advise starting with maybe a secondhand body and a good lens that you can keep.
Save some cash for Lightroom/Aperture software for PP

mloc

jpfahy wrote: »

With digital there are four elements to a good photo;
The camera body.
The lens.
The software you post process with.
Your ability.

All four are at least equally important (indeed some would argue that the body is the least important of the four)
You can trade a body up while keeping your lenses. I would advise starting with maybe a secondhand body and a good lens that you can keep.
Save some cash for Lightroom/Aperture software for PP

I would disagree. An experienced photographer with a keen eye could take a far superior photo with a disposable than the average person would with €10k of DSLR. Ability is 100x more important than any other factor. Ability>>>>>>>Lens>>Body>>>Software, IMO.

charybdis

micdug wrote: »

Not true. You won't be able to focus on mechanical focus lens which somebody with a starter body is highly unlikely to buy

Like the extremely popular and oft-recommeneded 50mm f/1.8 & 50mm f/1.4 lenses and numerous Nikon primes?

micdug wrote: »

You could just as well say all pre-1987 lens for Canon can't be used on current Canon

Canon lenses pre-1987 were designed for a different camera system. You be equally critical of modern Nikon DSLR's inability to use Nikon S-mount lenses.

All Canon EF lenses will work on all Canon EOS cameras.

micdug wrote: »

Nikon lens going back to the 50's can still be attached to your DSLR.

Many older (pre-AI) Nikon lenses can actually damage your camera if you mount them without significant modification and the touted compatibility of Nikon's lenses is greatly overstated. With some physical modification and the sacrifice of some features, they may work, but there are a whole lot of caveats and addendums to that statement. Here are some charts to get you started.

Strictly speaking, Nikon lenses going back to the 50's (and even ones made today) can be attached to Canon SLRs. Some require slight modification and lose the ability to autofocus and sometimes meter, but the same is true for many of them if you were to mount them on a modern Nikon SLR.

I'd strongly recommend a Canon DSLR in this price bracket, particularly if you're interested is using fast prime lenses.

pete4130

In all fairness. Someone buying a camera for the first time isn't gong to be worrying about pre 1987 Canon lenses or manual focus Nikon lenses form the 50's.
They are going to worry about the kit lens, what lens to get after that and then think about A 55-200 LENS or a 70-300 LENS with the possibility of a 50mm 1.8 lens.

OP, I've used the Nikon D40 and D60 and the Canon 450D. The Nikon D40 is small, light compact and very capable. The D60 is slightly bigger, more pixels and very capable too. The 450D is probably somewhere in between in size on the higher pxel end of things compared to the D40 and is also very capable. I was really surprised at how good the kit lenses are on them too.
I say go for whatever one feels best to you and whats within your budget.