Canon EOS 450D vs Nikon D80

[Eeden]

I'm a beginner in Photography but I want to invest in a good camera, although I'm on a budget.

I'm looking at the Canon EOS 450D and the Nikon D80. What do you guys think is the best choice?
I want to use the camera mainly for landscapes, sports and portrets.

And then their is the choice which lenses I should get. Are the kitlenses ok? for example: CANON EOS 450D 18-55 mm IS kit + Tamron 70-300 Di LD Macro

Or is it better to buy a body and lenses separate? (maybe you have some advice which lenses are good for beginners?)

I will try to buy the camera second hand.

Thank you so much for your help

 

[Yoursh]

I personally bought the 450D(XSi here in the US) about 2 months ago. Though both cameras are very good. I mostly went with he 450D because I preferred the grip as apposed to the Nikon's offerings. I would suggest handling both and see which you prefer. Ergonomics is an important factor in something you will be using a lot.

As for kit lenses, I can't tell you anything about the D80's but the 18-55 IS that comes with the 450D is a fine starter lens. It's not perfect, but it's the best value if you buy it with the camera. Locally it comes out to about $75USD with the camera versus $150USD on it's own. As for quality, here is a shot I took last night while I was playing with long exposure settings at 18mm...

 

[840quadra]

Nice Picture of Saint Paul MN

The kit lens being good or usefull is a matter of opinion. I try to look at it in the following light

- Will I use the focal range the kit lens provides?
- Will the cost savings of going body only make enough of a difference in cost for the lens i really want?

Depending on your personal answer to those two questions, it can provide catalyst to a long string of decision making. When buying into a system, look into both bodies and lenses before purchase. If you can go to a camera shop with a good demo selection, I recommend playing with everything from camera menus, to lens mounting / operation. You may find that one camera may be better (in your opinion), but hate the entire system that goes with the body you like slightly more.

 

[wheelhot]

Wow, that's pretty clear.

Well me too considering EOS 450D and some other one, probably Nikon D80 considering the lower price point. But most likely I might go for Canon? Due to my dad bought a Canon lens for testing something, Hmm...though I need to confirm with him if he bought a Nikon lens before he bought that Canon lens though.

The bad thing is I heard about the 450D is the quality issue? There is a guy posted that his 450D broke somewhere near the center of the body, its mirror or something like that. Cuz I'm thinking of bringing this camera to certain mountain bike places where I usually ride (nothing too serious).

 

[DaveTheGrey]

may I suggest the 40D? All adjustments can be made with 2 jogwheels it's really a pleasure to work with this body!

 

[Westside guy]

If you have friends who are into photography, an important consideration (in my opinion) is what brand they shoot. Having the same brand of SLR can be useful when it comes to getting advice, and also maybe borrowing lenses on occasion.

As far as brands go, it's hard to go wrong nowadays no matter what you buy. I prefer Nikon, but other people prefer Canon (and still others prefer other brands - I'm sure they'll be chiming in soon).

 

[Eeden]

may I suggest the 40D? All adjustments can be made with 2 jogwheels it's really a pleasure to work with this body!

I considered the 40D because of its size. Think I prefer the bigger body of the 40D over the 450D (and it is of a higher quality) . But it is expensiver...

Any suggestions for a good lens with this body? (especially for landscapes)

 

[sfwalter]

I personally bought the 450D(XSi here in the US) about 2 months ago. Though both cameras are very good. I mostly went with he 450D because I preferred the grip as apposed to the Nikon's offerings. I would suggest handling both and see which you prefer. Ergonomics is an important factor in something you will be using a lot.

As for kit lenses, I can't tell you anything about the D80's but the 18-55 IS that comes with the 450D is a fine starter lens. It's not perfect, but it's the best value if you buy it with the camera. Locally it comes out to about $75USD with the camera versus $150USD on it's own. As for quality, here is a shot I took last night while I was playing with long exposure settings at 18mm...

I'm fascinated by your photograph. I really like the sky color. Can you please tell me what your camera settings were? Aperture, ISO, shutterspeed?

What time of the day was it shot? Was it on a tripod?

Thanks Scott.

 

[Yoursh]

I'm fascinated by your photograph. I really like the sky color. Can you please tell me what your camera settings were? Aperture, ISO, shutterspeed?

What time of the day was it shot? Was it on a tripod?

Thanks Scott.

Glad you like it. I really like how it came out. Here is the breakdown for you. I shot this early Sunday morning(~1am local time) while I was out running around doing some errands. I work night shift so I'm up at odd hours. I was experimenting with long exposures. This shot was with the kit lens at 18mm. Exposure was set at 3.2 seconds, ISO 200, Aperture was almost wide open at f/4. I did use a tripod. At the longer shutterspeeds, I can't keep it steady enough hand held to get shots. Even the tripod I have is old and wobbly. Had to brace it keep it steady. Definitely need a stronger tripod and remote release.

Anyways, the sky color comes in part from my post processing. Where I shot had a lot of street lights giving a yellow tint to everything. I had to correct the white balance afterward in Aperture 2. Here is a shot without the white balance corrected...

That night was heavily overcast due to rain moving in.(it's rained yesterday and today) This caused much of the city light to reflect off of the clouds and make the sky much brighter. The white balance change made it more blue instead of orange. Here is another shot from the other direction with 50mm lens (.6 sec, f/2, ISO 200)...

And here is a shot from a few weeks ago I did of the state capital with my 50mm lens. (2.5 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200) Much less extreme WB correction...

 

[wheelhot]

wow, your pictures taken look great all shots are taken on XSi?

 

[tonyl]

I considered the 40D because of its size. Think I prefer the bigger body of the 40D over the 450D (and it is of a higher quality) . But it is expensiver...

Any suggestions for a good lens with this body? (especially for landscapes)

No matter which system you go, invest more money on lenses. The price of D80 is really good now, new one about $600, less for used ones.

 

[DaveTheGrey]

I considered the 40D because of its size. Think I prefer the bigger body of the 40D over the 450D (and it is of a higher quality) . But it is expensiver...

Any suggestions for a good lens with this body? (especially for landscapes)

I bought this kit and this lens. All my pictures on my flickr site are made with these. Check it out.