EOS 350D or Nikon D50

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Hi all,

With the Canon 400D coming out soon, I reckon there should soon be an influx of 350D cameras appearing on ebay as people upgrade (well I hope!).

What camera would people say is the best for an amateur photographer, but also contains the best features to progress?

So far looked at the 350D and the Nikon D50. Are there any other Digital SLRs people would recommend?

Thanks
 
Just remember that it's not just about the specs of the camera you're looking at.
If you stick with this hobby, chances are you'll be buying what could turn out to be quite expensive glass, some of which will cost more than the body you're looking at.
You may also think about upgrading your camera body in a year or so. The implications being that it's worth considering where you will go to post your entry level unit. Sony has the new Alpha, and Pentax the *ist, both of which are also good bodies, but there really isn't anywhere to go post that.
Nikon and Canon are the two obvious candidates, as both groups have strong mid and upper range cameras to upgrade to, along with a wide variety of glass and add on toys. At the moment (IMO), Nikon have slightly better bodies at the lower end of the scale, with Canon having the edge on glass options and bodies at the top end of the scale (just see what the pros use, mostly Canon 1 series).
 
The camera body should always be the second choice. Think long and hard about what you will be shooting 95% of the time as the lens' are the most important thing. Both Nikon and Canon offer a wide variety of lens' but some are more suited than others.
 
Have you held both in a shop? Both cameras have totally different handling. The 350d is very small, and feels like a toy to some people. To other people it feels fine. This I believe is a key consideration (in addition to those above). I recommend you go to a shop and try them both out. After all, you will spend a lot of time holding the thing, and it you arent comfortable, then thats not good. :)
 
Joe T said:
Have you held both in a shop? Both cameras have totally different handling. The 350d is very small, and feels like a toy to some people. To other people it feels fine. This I believe is a key consideration (in addition to those above). I recommend you go to a shop and try them both out. After all, you will spend a lot of time holding the thing, and it you arent comfortable, then thats not good. :)

That's the problem i have.
Had a look at the 350D and D50 yesterday.
The 350D felt tiny in my hand whereas the D50 felt pretty comfortable and more suited to a larger hand.
 
Shoei said:
That's the problem i have.
Had a look at the 350D and D50 yesterday.
The 350D felt tiny in my hand whereas the D50 felt pretty comfortable and more suited to a larger hand.
Buy the D50 then. Unless you can stretch to a D70 (feels even better)
 
Theres a lot more to it than just the body. Its the system your buying into.

If you do buy Nikon then get the body only. I got 2 lens' fo sale here . Could save a few bob in the process,...

King
 
i was in the same predicament as you a few weeks back. after a fair bit of review reading and shop visiting i settled on the 350D, i have small hands and it just felt much better to hold where as i found the D50 a bit to big. and after reviews i found that the lense options seemed a bit more for the 350 and final decider was i had two canon lenses already from my 35mm 300V. if ya go to a hight street store you can play for however long ya wont deciding, i did was in there for 2hours and came back the next day to get the one i wanted
 
Buy the 350D with a battery grip. You'll need the extra battery if you want to shoot events or the like.

But as good as the 350D maybe the lenses that are supplied in the basic sales kits are very poor indeed. With a decent lens the 350 can produce stunning results. Having had to use a D50 & D70 at college i'm not liking thier menu system, but I've found the nikons to be a tiny bit better at exposing difficult situations.. but as i say it's tiny. I'd do for the Canon.

As far as i know you cannot buy a battery grip for the Nikons that has any functionality ie buttons. It is purely a battery grip which does not improve handling or ease of use.
 
I went for the 350D liking it's ergonomics
then whacked a great battery grip on it
it's stays on 99% of the time
love it
 
King_Boru said:
Theres a lot more to it than just the body. Its the system your buying into.

If you do buy Nikon then get the body only. I got 2 lens' fo sale here . Could save a few bob in the process,...

King


How good is the sigma lens you have there?
Does it have the equivalent to the Dx'ness in nikon?
 
DX is nothing but a reduced image circle to fit the APS-C DSLR standard.

Ill upload some shots when I get home tonight :). Its a nice allrounder. Will come with Skylight and Hoya UV filter as well.

King.
 
ISO-100 or ISO-200 this is also another consideration to the decision, if you are going to be doing a lot of Landscape photographs then ISO-100 is superior to ISO-200..

/me waits for the barrage of retorts ;)
 
ICE Master said:
How good is the sigma lens you have there?
Does it have the equivalent to the Dx'ness in nikon?

Couple of samples:

No post processing.

D50_0001.JPG


D50_0001_1.JPG
 
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