Any Nikon Experts here?

morgan · 6 Mar 2006 at 19:35

mrk said:
This is your thread and you are asking us for our opinion yet you are contradicting the points being given!

sorry if its come out that way. Basically at the start of the day (when I made my original thread) I knew absolutely nothing about Nokon whatsoever. after many hours reading reviews, opinions on other forums, looking at samples etc etc I have basically come to the conclusion that the pro-am lineups from both canon are basiacall neck and neck.

Like you say where one fails the other excels etc etc. In my work I need something that I can use blindfolded, gives me a good lens lineup with focal lengths that work for me and I can use at high iso's without worrying about doubleing my workload in photoshop.

For me the 30d will give me everything I need....or at least it should do if its as good if not better (which it had better be!) than the 20d

mrk · 6 Mar 2006 at 19:43

it's not a major leap over the 20D so you will more than likely be dissappointed if you are spending more money on aesthetics over quality and performance. it is afterall the same as what nikon did to the d70s over the d70, some changes and bigger lcd.

glitch · 6 Mar 2006 at 20:01

jhmaeng said:
3. Viewfinder miles better (The D200 viewfinder is reputed to be on par with the D2X and the 5D)

It's actually slightly smaller than the 20D and covers the same area. The only difference is the frame of the D200 is ever so slightly larger than the 20D/30D.

However the 5D is streets ahead of the D2X and the D200 because of its full-frame sensor.

hoodmeister said:
The thing is, paper doesn't do these camreas justice...
It was a toss up between the 350D and the D70 when I was thinking about getting a dSLR. On paper the 350D seemed the better deal. I went into that high street photography shop feigning interest in buying one or the other, and immediately realised that whilst I couldn't stand the ergonmics / build quality of the 350D, the D70 felt instantly wonderful.

I did much the same with the D70 and the 20D. Canon won. But I know loads of people who love the 'buttony' exteriors on the Nikon range and dislike the more simplistic handling of the Canon. Horses for courses.

morgan; I really wouldn't worry about whether the Nikon range is 'better' than the Canon or vice-versa. The only person who is really going to know the difference is you, and if you want to sell prints your customers will buy whatever is put in front of them, regardless of what they were taken on. The difference between the two is going to be marginal at most, and only someone like yourself would be able to tell the difference.

mrk · 6 Mar 2006 at 20:05

I wouldn't say the 5d is streets ahead of the d2x, lol, If you have ever looked through the viewfinder of a Nikon F4 and see how big that view is you could use a manual lens and not worry about AF at all - that is what the d2x is like and that's only the start of it.

The full frame helps but the d2x has a huge viewfinder too.

Joe T · 6 Mar 2006 at 20:11

I found a 20d too small to hold comfortably; the d70 was soo much easier and comfortable to hold. Although far from being everything, the ergonomics of something you will be holding for several hours at a time is pretty important.

I cant really add much more to what's already in this thread.

divine` · 6 Mar 2006 at 20:16

mrk said:
I did the same too, ask divine madness for all the pokes and jokes I made in early months and look! I'm using a Nikon with Nikkor glass and liking it! who would have thought!

I still cry myself to sleep.

mrk · 6 Mar 2006 at 20:24

see sea si!

SDK^ · 6 Mar 2006 at 20:55

Have I missed something ?!?!? When did mrk become a Nikon owner/expert ?

How I see things.
There are two things worth considering - current cameras & lenses and the future position.

Canon make their own sensors and therefore don't have to reply on other manufacturers supply. This has many advantages but the main ones are reduced cost and control over development. If Sony decides to pull the plug on Nikon or supply them with last generation chips where will that leave Nikon owners?
Canon are well into developing their full frame sensors which are already offering more pixels and less noise than the 1.5x crop sensors found in other cameras.

So, going forward I think Canon are in the better position.
You can't keep switching system every 6 months when the opposition releases something potentially better.

…..and I wish people would see past the headline pixels figure, surely overall image quality matters more!

Joe T · 6 Mar 2006 at 20:57

SDK^ said:
Have I missed something ?!?!? When did mrk become a Nikon owner/expert ?

I didnt know either lol!

I guess he's found another photography forum, where he posts what he's up to!

mrk · 6 Mar 2006 at 20:57

Since I started using them several weeks ago

plus, where has quick reply gone on the forums :?

Joe T · 6 Mar 2006 at 20:58

mrk said:
plus, where has quick reply gone on the forums :?

Technical issues apparently. Hopefully it should be back.

mrk · 6 Mar 2006 at 21:05

ah!

I guess there is allways greasemonkey

jhmaeng · 6 Mar 2006 at 22:19

It's actually slightly smaller than the 20D and covers the same area. The only difference is the frame of the D200 is ever so slightly larger than the 20D/30D.

Just for the sake of completeness:

Code:

                 D200              20D
Sensor Size    23.6 x 15.8      22.5 x 15.00
Magnification    0.94              0.90
Coverage         95%               95%
Viewable Area    313mm2            260mm2

Since the 20D viewfinder has a smaller sensor and a smaller magnification, the viewable area on the 20D is smaller than the D200.

mrk · 6 Mar 2006 at 23:51

I really really really wish the 5D was cheaper, it is exactly what I was after coupled with the 24-105 f4 L - by the time I go for the d200 if by some magic the 5D drops in price or this new job enables me to stretch I will defo go 5D otherwise it's d200 =)

Canon EOS 5D camera - No startup time
Right after turning it on, the Canon EOS 5D is ready to take a picture. And when I say directly after activating the camera it actually means directly after activating the camera. Startup time is non-existing just as we were used to from traditional (analogue) cameras. Even from sleep-mode the EOS 5D is immediately ready to roll. Placing the camera in front of your eye makes you notice the large viewfinder straight away. The standard delivered matte glass performs excellently, you can put a different matt glass in the Canon 5D if desired. The viewfinder shows sufficient information. Pressing the ISO button, the ISO sensitivity value appears in the viewfinder. By the time you can find the ISO button blindfolded you can change the sensitivity without having to take the camera away from your eye. Just as handy.

mmmmmHmmmm.

jhmaeng · 7 Mar 2006 at 00:06

mrk said:
Canon EOS 5D camera - No startup time
Right after turning it on, the Canon EOS 5D is ready to take a picture. And when I say directly after activating the camera it actually means directly after activating the camera. Startup time is non-existing just as we were used to from traditional (analogue) cameras. Even from sleep-mode the EOS 5D is immediately ready to roll. Placing the camera in front of your eye makes you notice the large viewfinder straight away. The standard delivered matte glass performs excellently, you can put a different matt glass in the Canon 5D if desired. The viewfinder shows sufficient information. Pressing the ISO button, the ISO sensitivity value appears in the viewfinder. By the time you can find the ISO button blindfolded you can change the sensitivity without having to take the camera away from your eye. Just as handy.

D200 also has instant startup, a nice large and bright viewfinder as well as comprehensive information in the viewfinder display. Including the ISO.

In addition, it has a fairly sophisticated Auto ISO system where you can let the camera adjust the ISO when below a user-defined shutter time. So if you were going to take a shot at ISO200 but you set the Auto ISO to 1/60, when the lighting condition requires longer than 1/60 it will automatically up the ISO until the shutter time is 1/60 or faster.

Moreover, in the D200 you can place an upper limit on the ISO that Auto ISO uses. So if you were willing to up the ISO when required, but not past ISO1000, you can set it so that Auto ISO will up the ISO according to your minimum shutter time, until it requires more than ISO1000 at which point it will stop upping the ISO and slow down the shutter.

As biased as I am bound to be, sometimes I think that Nikon cameras are designed by obsessive compulsives who must think of every possible feature and ergonomic points (in a good way). Reading about the design process of the Nikon F6 really demonstrates how dedicated they are.

Johnny|lucidcomposure · 7 Mar 2006 at 01:54

Can I just say Robbie, It sounds to me like your hung up on the 5D. Wouldnt a D200 eventually result in (some) disapointment.

If theres a model you really want then you should really head for it.

What will you be using to mount your Canon lens's to a Nikon body also ?