Canon Rebel XTi or Nikon D40x

[pilotkid]

I'm moving up from my Sony Cyber shot H1 to a digital SLR. I have pretty much narrowed it down to these two camera's (but am still open to ideas on others) and would just like your guys opinions. I have taken beginner and advanced photography classes in school, if that makes a difference. Thanks everyone!
Canon Rebel XTi or Nikon D40x?

 

[Lovesong]

I think the answer that you will get from everyone here is to go try them out, see which feels better (more ergonomic & intuitive), and go for that one. There really is no difference in tems of image quality. Also, look into other glass you might want to get down the line. If you MUST have that 70-200 f/2.8 by Canon, or that 200-400 Nikkor, then your choice is relatively simple.

 

[0007776]

go into a store and try them, also the body doesn't matter as much as the glass, so look at which lenses you like better and chose the body based on that.

 

[Westside guy]

All of us Nikon fans are going to say "D40x", of course; and all of the Canon fans are going to say "XTi".

I think you would benefit by going to a camera store and holding both, seeing which set of controls feel "right", etc. They are both great cameras.

If you go Nikon, and you don't think you'll be buying additional lenses for a while - I'd suggest you look at the D40x package that comes with the 18-135mm lens rather than the 18-55mm, which I think is the default. But definitely, whichever way you go, get a lens that is 18mm at the wide end. This is the equivalent of (roughly) 27mm on a film camera, which many/most people want available.

 

[Lovesong]

I rest my case.

 

[JDN]

I recently went into a local camera shop to look at these two exact cameras. I played with both, got a feel for them. The only reason i chose the D40x is because it was more comfortable in my hand. It felt more natural. The menu's on the D40x are very easy to navigate and the info help is excellent.

Go to a camera shop and play with them. The one you prefer is the one you should buy.

 

[reallybigafro]

Pilot Kid...

Pilot kid...

I was in costco today and noticed that they had both modles so I spent a little time messin with the two. Costco had a deal for the Nikon D40 for $999 and it came with the 18-55mm and the 55-200mm lense, a case, 1 GB card, and some other stuff. I don't know the pro's and con's of the two but I just wanted to give ya a heads up.

I'm also in the market to upgrade my Canon Powershot 3.2 mp camera, and either one of these would be a great upgrade.

Good luck man.

 

[Karpfish]

The D40(x) is exceptional at High ISOs, much better than the xti. The Nikon feels much more ergonomic, and the menus are amazingly good. The only drawback is that it will only autofocus with AF-S lenses(which have a built in motor), but if you don't already own an lenses it isn't really a problem, and learning to manual focus is good anyway


Did I mention I shoot Nikon?

 

[nutmac]

The D40(x) is exceptional at High ISOs, much better than the xti.

Much better? I am a Canon shooter and comparing it to ISO 1600 images from my frenemy's D40x, it's pretty much a draw. Comparing it to D40 is not entirely fair since D40 has 6 MP image sensor (vs. 10 MP on D40x and XTi).

I will tell you this much, he much prefers D40x's grip and I much prefer XTi's less rubbery controls (donno what but D40's knobs feel cheap to me). But ergonomics is highly subjective so one needs to audition them both in person.

There are number of reasons to choose XTi: better lens selection (especially in terms of focusing and image stabilizer), minimalist no nonsense UI with quicker access to important settings out-of-the-box (D40/D40x requires customizing to change ISO speed with 1-click for instance), 9-point auto focus, self image sensor cleaner, RAW+high JPEG option (IMO, D40x's RAW+BASIC is useless), and generally faster operation to name a few.

Of course, D40x has sufficient number of lenses to choose from (although they tend to be more expensive), better kit lens options, better grip, better metering, etc.

Frankly, I think D40 is a better choice than D40x. Do you really need 10 MP? The price difference may buy you a better lens and/or other accessories and unless you are heavily into cropping or very large prints, all you will get are larger file sizes.

 

[MovieCutter]

I've shot with both and have no allegiances either way. Aside from picture quality, which to the eyes of 99% of the people seeing my pics, look nearly identical, I made my choice based on ergonomics and feel of quality. The Nikon wins this hands down for me. I have large hands and the Nikon feels sturdier, better built, and much more comfortable in my hands. The Canon feels like a cheap plastic toy in comparison.

 

[stcanard]

All I can do is echo the sentiment here -- go to a store and handle them. Shoot some test photos.

A month ago I walked into our local camera store intent on buying a Rebel XTI and walked out with a Nikon D80 -- In my case, after playing with the different options, the Nikon felt much better in my hands, I liked its low light focus better, and I thought it had a significantly better kit lens (the 18 - 70).

And yes, I know XTI -> D80 is an upsell, that's the danger of actually playing with them

Its very much personal feel -- I'm sure that had I bought the same level Canon my pictures would be just as good (or bad...)

 

[fall3n]

All I can do is echo the sentiment here -- go to a store and handle them. Shoot some test photos.

A month ago I walked into our local camera store intent on buying a Rebel XTI and walked out with a Nikon D80 -- In my case, after playing with the different options, the Nikon felt much better in my hands, I liked its low light focus better, and I thought it had a significantly better kit lens (the 18 - 70).

And yes, I know XTI -> D80 is an upsell, that's the danger of actually playing with them

Its very much personal feel -- I'm sure that had I bought the same level Canon my pictures would be just as good (or bad...)

Haha. I'm the same too. I walked in intending to look and compare the d40 and the xti and walked out planning on buying the D80. Haven't gotten it yet, but I know that's the one I want. It felt so much better in my hands and far more sturdier. The cheaper cameras are too small and plasticy for my liking.

 

[atari1356]

Don't let the people saying the XTi feels like a cheap plastic toy put you off of Canon.

A few days ago I knocked my 350D out of a car onto the pavement - a two foot drop. There's not a scratch on it, and even the cheap 50mm f/1.8 lens survived. It's been through other falls/drags and has survived without damage.

The Nikons are nice too... as others have said, go to a camera shop and try both out and see which you like better. While you're there try out the Pentax K100D too.

 

[cgc]

Like others have said, look into the lenses and accessories each offers. You're buying into a system not a camera. Do you need tilt/shift lenses, macro, telephoto, flash, remote release, etc.

I'd say the Rebel and D40 are nearly identical and spectacular (although I'm partial to Canon and have an EOS 3 which needs to be digitized...)

 

[Abstract]

A few days ago I knocked my 350D out of a car onto the pavement - a two foot drop. There's not a scratch on it, and even the cheap 50mm f/1.8 lens survived. It's been through other falls/drags and has survived without damage.

If the Rebel XTi suffered no damage, I'm sure other brands would have suffered no damage either. It DOES have a cheaper feel than the rest, but the images that come out of that camera are quite good.

A while ago, when I was looking at getting a DSLR, I was also set on getting a Canon (so far my family has owned 5-6 Canon point and shoots), but the Nikon D50 simply felt better in my hand. It wasn't just the uncomfortably small size of the grip on the Canon Digital Rebel line that I didn't like. It just had a lower quality "feel" to it. I get the same thing when holding a Canon 30D and the Canon XTi. The 30D feels like a "real" camera while the XTi feels like a fake knockoff that just happens to take really good photos.

I went with Nikon because even at the low end, I didn't feel like I was getting a cheap toy. Admittedly though, The K100D feels better than the D40, and I'm sure the photo quality will be around the same as the Canon XTi and Nikon D40, particularly when shooting RAW.