szuberi

wide aperture owns

Cynikal.Mindset

yes it does but be careful with it as the wider the aperture goes the smaller and more shallow the depth of focus becomes

kwyze

haha the ingrish has rubbed off on me. also, lack of sleep owns me.

Brett

Cruise Ships in the Harbour Last Weekend...






I took these pics using the flourescent white balance @1 sec exp, but now im wondering if it was the right choice... Any suggestions for making them better???

Whiplash

they'd look a lot better with bombs going off and SWAT team guys rapelling down from the top

jokes..
ya, the overexposure of the lights really takes away from the ships
tho to catch the Rotterdam i can see you having to do something along those lines anyway


k, my question.
what's the best comparative site out there?
looking at a package deal..looks like Canon Rebel XTi vs. Nikon D40x
all i can really find out atm is that comparing these 2 entry level cameras the XTi is a better body, but the D40x has better lenses
and i can get the D40x with 18-55 AND 55-200 for around $1500 out the door

hook me up please

imported_SilverSleeper

Here's two I use for reviews.

http://www.imaging-resource.com/

http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/

In reference to the XTi vs. D40x.

XTi body is better in terms of noise, Nikon is better in terms of color.

Kit lenses: Nikon wins. Sharper and faster and longe range (if you get the 18-70)

Overall lens selection: Canon wins in terms of variety and overall speed.

It's a toss up. I don't think you could go wrong with either. I'm surprised though Marty, I thought you were a Canon man through and through.

szuberi

i would recommend checking www.dpreview.com. one of the most comprehensive digital photography review site i have come across.

i am a canon fan (using the XT and an A710 at the moment) so would recommend the XTI. Having said that, D40x, in terms of resolution and sharpness is at par with the XTI and other DSLRs in the 10M group. The issue i see is that there is no lens motor in the body so non-af-s/af-i lenses will be MF only..which eliminates teh possibility of the you getting some of the best Nikon lenses out there. There are also no dedicated ISO and WB buttons on the body...however you can set these features up through the FN button.

If you compare the D40X with the D40...you will find that the main difference is a bit more resolution...plus a few other things but not a whole lot.

On the plus side....the D40x body feels better in your hand vs. the canon models..they somewhat feel a little cheaper in construction.

Check the following links for individual reviews on these two.

D40x review

D40x, XTI and E410 compared side by side

imported_SilverSleeper

DPreview is highly biased, its one man with an agenda. People in the Olympus camp are crying foul over his comparison which they felt he criticized the E-410 unfairly. Both sites I listed are based around multiple opinions which allows for variances and biases to be cancelled out. Furthermore sites like dpreview et al, tend to be to technical and some of the faults that they point out have no real world effect.

Resolution has nothing to do with megapixel count. The sharpness is also highly lens dependent. For example, I shot with the kit lens on the XT and I found it to be soft, even when stopping down. When I shot with several primes they were much sharper. Same body, different lens. Criticisms made against ISO/WB accessibility are unfounded. Nikon's have Auto ISO which compensates the ISO depending on the shutter or aperture preference selected by the user. Once this is in place, the button become redundant. WB is also a tricky thing to be messing around with. Unless you know what your doing with it, a novice can do more harm than good with it. I can see why Nikon left it off. Same goes for the screw-drive af lenses. It's a consumer camera, most people for ease of use will want a zoom. Most Nikon zooms (if not all) are AF-S which works for the intended goal. Nikon doesn't have the widest selection of primes and what they do have represents the very best, fastest lenses they can make. This also makes them expensive and more than likely out of the target market's budget.

cibs

^^ you seem biased too... anyone that writes a review is biased... after all it's their opinion~!!


XTi body is compatible with all canon lenses, from what I hear the D40 is not compatible with all Nikkor lenses....

that ended my debate just because i want the ability to upgrade in the future - not saying that i'm going to.

If i was going to go Nikon I would go D80 - no D40...


^^ matt the lens 75-300mm lens was $250 off or something like that

- salman still haven't forgot about your request for pics - i'm gettin there gettin there lol... been a busy weekend

imported_SilverSleeper

Your right. I am biased but not to Canon or Nikon. I'm an Olympus fanboy .

Can't wait to see the reviews for the E-510.

Whiplash

appreciate the feedback guys..

i am pretty much a Canon guy Rajiv, but not to the point that i won't buy better for the same price

but hey, looks like i could get the XTI with 18-55 AND 75-300 for close to the same dollar so maybe i'll stick with Canon after all..

and hey, if i could get the 30D or even the 5D i would
or can anyone say MarkIII?? damn!!!

szuberi

werd

i agree completely on the lens compatibility part....secondly, the d40s and the xtis of the world are basically targetted towards the first time dslr buyers...so the features and options need to be relatively simple and straight forward. this is where i find the canon a bit better. lets keep in mind that this is i guess the first time ever that we have so many dslr cams available at or under one grand and lots of buyers are typically the first time dslr users.

again personally..when i checked both the canon and the nikon...i found the xt to be more easy to use..this was in addition to the reviews i had already read. having said that...i just wanna be clear that im not saying nikon is inferior to canon in any way cuz in the end...it all comes down to personal preference and these two models are probably head to head.

rajiv..even the guys at henry's told me to check dpreview and that first website you posted hardly has any expert reviews. it has some user reviews and forums only.

marty....i would also consider looking into the D40 instead of the X model, saving up around 300 bucks there and then getting a better lens...i recommend you closely look at the differences b/w the two...cuz in the future....you will keep the lenses and upgrade the body. so

p.s - calling cynikal on this discussion urgently.

imported_SilverSleeper

Salman...The first site is newer but they have individuals who test both lenses and bodies. My main reliance for information comes from Fred Miranda where the individuals who are there come from the photography field itself and the reviews come from those who have use the equipment extensively instead of having it for a few weeks. I define those people as experts. I don't see the point in a bunch of MTF charts and the like. Your own artistic eye should tell you whats good and not a bar graph. What I do find useful are systematic pictures dealing with noise. But much like the Nikon vs Canon debate its all about preference. If your choice is toward dpreview then by all means use dpreview. However because it is owned by amazon.com rather than being fully independent and impartial further clouds my impression of them. Taking into account what I mentioned before and I'll look to two sites above as well as photozone.de for my info.

I can't wait till I get a working camera again.

Cynikal.Mindset

d40x and the d40 are basic units...if anything find a d50 its more professional or heck even a d70s...but to be honest all the "new" "pro"sumer cameras are just filled with bells and whistles that are really not needed or really add anything to the camera other than points on the specs sheet.

my D200 is pretty basic but has all the essential elements (quite a few) but no silly frills that sound cool to the everyday consumer...but then again the D200 is way outta the price range we're workin with here haha

I dont like the way the canons feel in my hand nor am I a fan of the scroll wheel they use and like salman said they feel "cheap"

bottom line is, dont waste money on the D40(x) its an oversized point and shoot camera...xti is okay, just not my cup of tea

Whiplash

appreciate all the feedback guys..
opening my eyes to other possibilities

Matt..
Henry's doesn't presently sell the 50
it's shown on their DSLR page but when clicked it says "don't carry"

peace!!

Cynikal.Mindset

well they dont make them anymore thats why...they might have some new old stock downtown tho and even some bestbuys might have some new old stock kickin around...the price would for sure be "right" on those units

Whiplash

will check it out, thanx
be good to get some kinda deal that includes a lens or two tho

Cynikal.Mindset

shoulda bought mine while it was available...Chris Viera bought it and is making marvelous use of it...if you arent afraid of ebay there are always great package deals with lenses, bags, etc for great prices

LIKE THIS

cibs

yeah... ebay is alright - i'm in love with bricks and mortar stores for stuff like this... but that's just me maybe i'm old school... if i wanna put in for a warranty claim or return something or whatever it's easier when you have someone you can go back and talk to face to face rather than calling 1-800 numbers in the US...


they have deals running off and on all the time, you just have to catch 'em when the time is right...

Cynikal.Mindset

also...pin vist e k and henry's against each other for the best price haha...one always has something on sale while the other doesnt