Digital SLR Recommendations.

[MT37]

I know there has to be a ton of these threads, but I'm looking for the camera that suits me, and my needs.

The cameras I have narrowed it down to are the Nikon D50, and the Canon Rebel XT.

I'll mainly doing still photography while doing still shots for my friends' band while they perform.

Also I won't need many lenses. I just want a good standard lenses for the still photography, and also I can use for the live band photos. Also I wouldn't mind a wide angle lenses. But I wouldn't be getting the wide angle lenses until maybe Christmas.

So anyone that has had experience with both cameras. I would like some advice.

I'm leaning towards the Nikon, but I don't know.

Thanks.

 

[Buschmaster]

If I were to get one of those I'd get the Nikon D50. I feel it's a better deal for the money.

But if I remember correctly there are more Canon people here than Nikon people.

 

[MT37]

Well that's where the snag is for me. The Rebel is only $30 more then the D50.

 

[Abstract]

Well if you're comparing just cameras, I think the D50 is better than the Rebel XT. However, what about lenses? I personally think they're about the same with regards to the quality of their lenses, but you should think about it.

 

[Abulia]

I just did a lot of research on this same topic.

It really comes down to the lenses. Two hard core photobugs that I work with both have Nikon but they advised I check out Canon as well. I liked the feel and usability of the Nikon better. Plus having access to the HUGE range of Nikkor lenses is another plus.

So I ended up going with the D50 w/ lens kit to get me started. I'm very impressed by it. You don't lose much going with the D50 versus the D70s, so no worries there. If you look a bit you can find some sweet deals, too (like I did).

Go play with the bodies and start from there. Feature-wise you'll be set either way, I suspect.

Good luck!

 

[shieldyoureyes]

A D50 is a great deal for its money. I couldn't be happier with mine. If you plan on shooting bands in low light, the 50mm f/1.8 lens is a must! I just used that same setup at a concert last night and got some great shots.

 

[AvSRoCkCO1067]

I'm a big fan of the D50 as well - the lens selection is more than adequate and the images it produces are fine:

http://www.peters-photography.com

Every picture on the site was taken with my D50

 

[MT37]

Thanks, everyone for responding.

I have heard Nikon have better lenses then the Canon's, but I heard Canon's have better bodies.

Also I have found a good deal on the Nikon comes with a book, camera bag, and 25 free prints.

But also I could get the Rebel for $30 more, but without the book, bag, and prints.

I will still have to buy a memory card anyways on top of everything.

AvSRoCkCO1067, nice gallery. I'm impressed with the D50.

I'm still torn between the two.

 

[JHacker]

Thanks, everyone for responding.

I have heard Nikon have better lenses then the Canon's, but I heard Canon's have better bodies.

Also I have found a good deal on the Nikon comes with a book, camera bag, and 25 free prints.

But also I could get the Rebel for $30 more, but without the book, bag, and prints.

I will still have to buy a memory card anyways on top of everything.

AvSRoCkCO1067, nice gallery. I'm impressed with the D50.

I'm still torn between the two.

Not sure what price you got for the Nikon D50, but in case you didn't know, the kit price just dropped to $629.99. Just picked one up at Circuit City with no interest payments until 2008!

 

[MT37]

I'm from Canada, and I haven't seen a Circuit City up here. I know Radio Shack is owned by them, but I haven't actually seen a Circuit City store itself.

But for the Nikon D50 it's $769.99. The Rebel XT is $799.99.

 

[bob5820]

Forget about the freebies, they should not enter into your choice. Nikon and Canon both make very good cameras and lenses, and these two are fairly evenly matched. If your still undecided go with whichever one feels better in your hands. Canon bodies tend to run a bit smaller and the difference in feel between the two is pretty noticable.

 

[Abstract]

Nikon D50 + my Sigma 24-70 mm f/2.8 is awesome for band photography. That's what I'll recommend because I don't like the feel of the 350D/Digital Rebel XT or 400D/XTi.

Here are photos of a single band I took with what I just recommended. I took photos only for around 15 minutes that night (3 songs was all I was allowed to take according to their contract to play), and took around 120 photos in that time (in RAW mode). I had around 22 photos that I'd consider "keepers" and a bunch of others that were either bad (the crazy red-green-blue-purple lighting made it hard to shoot ), or were good photos, but so similar to other photos in the set that I didn't keep them. Imagine what you can do in more time if you had more than 15 minutes in total, shot more concerts of this band, and took 400 photos at each concert. You'd have a lot more success than me with this camera + lens combo.

My friend has a Canon DRebel XT and a similar lens, and gets good photos as well. However, he has more experience at band photography and takes 33% more photos than I do in the same amount of time. I can switch settings on a D50 much faster than he can with his D Rebel XT simply because of the ergonomics of Nikon's cameras, which I think is better and faster than Canon's low-end.


If you're looking at concerts, then the Sigma I recommended + Nikon 50 mm f/1.8 is great as long as you can get up close. If not, then you'll need an expensive Nikon 70-200 f/2.8. If you're looking for a wide-angle lens, then Nikon's 12-24 mm f/4 is supposed to be excellent, although Tokina's 12-24 mm f/4 (which I own) and Sigma both have good wideangle lenses at a fraction of the cost.

 

[wisredz]

great shots! D50 is a great camera, better than Canon's equivalent products (eg.350d) If you want to shoot live band pictures you should get yourself a pretty fast lens because concerts are generally in a dim place and if you get a slow lens you will have subject and motion blur due to low shutter speeds.

 

[MT37]

Sweet, thanks. I'm pretty sure I'm going with the Nikon D50. Just need to see how it feels in my hands. Thanks, everyone.

 

[MT37]

Well I just got back from the camera store, and I bought the Rebel. I think it felt better in my hands then the D50. Now I just need to wait until it's fully charged.

Thanks, everyone.

PS. I know this is a double post.

 

[wisredz]

Congrats on your new purchase! I'd personally go with Nikon but hey, we're all different right? And I think that a lot of us are getting caught in equipment lust. I was in this state myself. We have to see and compose the picture to capture it, no matter how good a camera gets it will not be able to do these for us.

Congrats again! I'm sure you will make good use of it and before I forget to mention, send some photos!

 

[MT37]

Thanks, I will post pictures once I get overall perficient enough with the camera.