Does anyone have an Canon or Nikon

[ATSF&DLRR]

I am thinking on getting a camera I need some information on these two a of camera.
The first is an Canon Rebel XT and the other is Nikon D70.
I had a Nikon 3200 Coolpix which I love it took great shots and had a Nightlandscape mode on it and the Nikon D70 has it too and Canon does not which helps on shooting those night shots.
So if anyone that has these camera and can help me chose the best one to get for me.
Tell the Pros and Cons on what you got or if you have one of the two cameras.
Thanks

[RU42]

I have the D70 - daddyb, xfkirsten, and cavemandon have the XT.

I suggest do a thread search as we have discussed the cameras several times. Not that I don't want to help it is just there really isn't much to add.

I tested both and I love both. Both are exceptional cameras. The 'night mode' is nothing a little experince can't replicate. What it came down to me was feel. The body of the XT didn't feel as comfortable in my hand as the XT. It really came down to just that. Quality, settings, etc are all a tie. In my opinion they are the 2 best cameras out there.

Again, do a search and you can find other things we have discussed.

RU

[DCA Fan]

I've used the Rebel in the past, and I love that camera. I never really had any problems with it, only when ISO settings got too high did graininess start showing.

[xfkirsten]

The only trouble I've had with the Rebel (and it's minor) is that the button to select the drive mode (single shot, continuous shot, timer) is right where my nose rests, so I've accidentally hit it with my nose before. Always confuses me when I keep hitting the shutter and nothing happens, only to realize that my nose has accidentally set it to timer!

[lorenisapirate]

canon cameras have a history of having lens malfunctions. my sister's canon camera got a lens malfunction, which she looked up online and was common between a lot of people.

if you do get a canon, get a waranty for it.

[RU42]

What Canon camera? That matters for this discussion. I haven't heard of any lens malfunctions for the Rebel.

RU

[ATSF&DLRR]

What would be a good len for the Nikon I know you get the 18mm-70mm if you get the kit.
that would be like a 36mm-140mm in the strandard len camera right?

Tell what kind of camera you have and why you like it...
Ru42 do you use the night landscape mode on your D70? if not what setting do you use to shot the night shots.

[xfkirsten]

What Canon camera? That matters for this discussion. I haven't heard of any lens malfunctions for the Rebel.

RU

I was wondering that, too. lens malfuntions seem an odd consideration for a camera with interchangable lenses.

I have heard that the point-and-shoots have this problem, though. Of course, now I can't find a link to the details for the life of me. I'll keep looking...

EDIT: found it! It was a CCD problem. Here (http://www.dpreview.com/news/0510/05100602canon_ccdproblem.asp) is a link to DPReview for details...

[RU42]

What would be a good len for the Nikon I know you get the 18mm-70mm if you get the kit.
that would be like a 36mm-140mm in the strandard len camera right?

Tell what kind of camera you have and why you like it...
Ru42 do you use the night landscape mode on your D70? if not what setting do you use to shot the night shots.

I never use any of the specialized modes. I use AUTO with ideal situations, I just let the camera do the hard work for me.

For trickier situations I use A, S, or M modes. For nightshots I am always in M where I can set the shutter and aperature manually.

The settings I use vary and most shots I will shoot with 2 or 3 settings depending in the effect I want. There are many variations but I will discuss shutter since that is the main concern.

In some night shots I will use the quickest shutter possible to stop action. Think of a picture where you see the lights down main street and everyone is frozen.

EXAMPLE (this is with a semi quick shutter speed)

http://www.visionsfantastic.com/forum/gallery/files/MSUSA_Gen_Nite_20.JPG


Other times I will let the shutter stay open longer and create a ghost effect.

EXAMPLE (this is a semi open longer, but I think you get the idea)
http://www.visionsfantastic.com/forum/gallery/files/MSUSA_Gen_Nite_24.JPG

In both of these shots I could have closed the Aperature (went to a higher number) and left the shutter open longer and the people would have disappeared more. Conversely, I could have used the widest aperature (with this lens 3.5) and could have fronzen people in their tracks.

Once i decide on the shutter effect how do I determine the f-stop (aperature)? I let the computer tell me. I will shoot with the computers suggestion on the meter in my eyepiece. I look at the result and adjust as needed.

LENS:
I have the kit lens. I also bought a 70-300 lens. I am about to add a 50m fixed lens with a lower f-stop of 1.4. This lens is for extreme dark locations.

I hope that helps!

RU

[DaddyB]

I've had the Rebel XT for about a month now. I love it.

Unfortunately I now have to go buy a MUCH bigger camera bag. I can't stop buying lenses!

The nice thing is that there are several very good lens manufacturers out there for canon and Nikon, so you don't have to spend the HUGE bucks for the name lenses, and in some cases the alternative lenses are better quality than the canon/Nikon branded equivalents.

I have a black Rebel XT with the 18-70 Canon lens (purchased separately), I also have a Sigma 12mm-26mm(?) lens (I'm at work, so I don't have the lenses in front of me)a Canon 50mm f/1.4 lens, and a Tokina 80mm-300mm lens. I also purchased the mac-daddy Canon 580ex flash. I love each of these lenses for what they do. I took some shots of Pirates with the 50mm f/1.4 lens (VERY low light capable) and got some really good shots. The camera focuses almost instantaneously even in the dark. I'm now going shopping for a wider angle low f-stop lens. Fixed lenses (aka "prime") usually have a lower f-stop than zoom lenses. But the lower the f-stop, the more crucial that the lens is focused exactly on what you want to focus on because the depth of field gets to be paper thin.

There's something SO satisfying to get the real 'click' of the mirror flipping up and down as you take the shot. Not just a sound effect, but you can actually feel the workings of the camera as well as hear it. Very satisfying, and I didn't even know I was missing it so much!

The 'lens multiplier' is 1.6 on the Rebel XT. It's 1.5 on the Nikon, I believe. So whatever lens you buy, multiply it's focal length (it's size) by that amount. So a 12mm Wide angle lens, is actually about a 19mm lens once attached to the Rebel.

I chose the Rebel because it's high ISO ratings are better than the Nikon's. This is the main reason I bought a Digital SLR. To get low light pictures.

I strongly recommend this excellent website for in-depth reviews and even side-by-side comparisons of the cameras in your price range. Also good to check in on once in a while to get the latest news, recalls or firmware updates on your purchased camera.

http://www.dpreview.com

+++++++++
note:
Of course some scientists have just announced that they've invented a new chip that can take (reportedly) spectacular high resolution pictures in almost NO light (1/10th of a 1 candle equivalent, or .1 lux). So when these first cameras come out, I'll probably be buying one of them.
+++++++++

[Cavemandon]

I also very recently purchased the Rebel XT and I absolutely love it. In fact I keep it with me all the time, even at work. I only have one lens right now and it's the Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM. It has a built in Image Stabilizer (IS) that is awesome. I did quite a bit of research before I decided what lens to purchase. Below are some of the reviews I found for this particular lens that made me buy it:


The autofocus is very fast and quiet, which is typical of the Canon USM lenses. I would not recommend a Canon lens that does not have the ultrasonic motor (USM) focusing. Optics are sharp throughout the focusing range.
The lens is fairly heavy and after a few months of use, you will likely find that the weight of the glass is enough to make the lens telescope out when it's around your neck. If you want a compact lens that will let you take great pictures in a wide range of settings, this is probably the best lens you could get for a Canon camera. If you're a pro, you'll probably have a backpack full of lenses and you're not reading this anyway, so I'm not talking to you. If you want something you can sling over your shoulder and not think about when you take the kids to Disney World, get a cheaper, lighter lens.
The Image Stabilizer (IS) makes the lens a lot more expensive (some lenses are offered with and without it), so you should know what you're paying for. Some notes about the Image Stabilizer:
The image stabilizer itself is basically a spinning lens element (piece of glass) that acts as a gyroscope. When the lens moves slightly, such as camera shake caused by your pulse, the gyroscopic element stays put while the other elements move. Because the gyroscopic element is no longer in line with the other elements, it effectively bends the light just enough to compensate for the lens moving.
Having the IS feature does not mean that you can take crisp photos with a 1/20 sec exposure while jumping on a trampoline. What it means is that you can often get away with not carrying a tripod in normal lighting, and in low light when your photos would be very blurry (assuming you're not using really fast film), the IS will make the images significantly less blurry. An obvious corollary is that you can avoid using a flash in many situations when a flash is undesirable or prohibited.
The rule of thumb to get crisp photos without image stabilization is that your shutter speed should not be longer than 1 over your focal length. So if you are taking a picture zoomed in at 135mm, your shutter speed needs to be 1/135 sec or faster, and since no camera I know of has a 1/135 setting, that means going up to 1/160 sec (on cameras with stops in 1/3 increments) or faster. The image stabilizer means that you can go 2 f-stops slower than you normally could using the rule I just explained. So if you're shooting at 135mm and you have the IS switched on, you can shoot at 1/40 sec instead of 1/160 sec. That means four times as much light goes past the shutter, or that you can get the same quality results with 1/4 of the ambient light you would normally need.
There are some times when you SHOULD NOT use the IS feature. You should definitely not use it if you are in a car, on a roller coaster, if you are walking, or in any other situation where the camera is moving or vibrating a lot. You will get blurrier than normal images because the gyroscopic element is constantly moving all over the place, trying to prevent the image from moving. Only have IS switched on when you are using the camera in a normal, stationary, handheld manner. You should also not use IS when you are using a tripod, or when you have the camera resting on a vibration-less surface for an image. The reason is that the gyroscopic element will be spinning even though it's not needed, and while this isn't really bad, the motion could decrease photo quality (I've never noticed this, but this is what Canon claims), and it is unnecessarily using battery power.I hope this helps...

[DaddyB]

In the quoted text above, I'm the nut with the backpack full of lenses.

[RU42]

My 1.4 lens came in and boy is it nice. I am going to have fun with it. I was testing the lens against my 18-70 3.5/4.5 lens.

Pointing tha the same spot in a room:

NEW LENS
50mm fixed/1.4 was able to get a shutter speed of 50

OLD LENS
At 18mm/3.5 the same spot was 7 shutter speeds slower (10)
At 50mm/4.5 the same spot was 10 shutter speeds slower (5)

YAHOO!

RU

[andrewilley]

I've been using a Minolta Dimage A1 for a while now and have never been as satisfied with the results as I was with my old 35mm Canon EOS-5 SLR. I find the A1's autofocus really slow, almost incapabale of focusing in low light, and it often fails completely on really innocuous pictures. I have a number of simple fill-in flash portrait shots of my daughter with characters at WDW which are out of focus - no idea how the camera manages it! I just don't trust it, and I was much happier with the EOS-5 autofocus as it used a proper focusing beam system which simply worked, quickly and reliably, which I guess is all you can ask. I also get a slight vignette effect in the corners of the picture when fully zoomed out if I have any filter on the lens (and I usually have a basic Sunlight/UV or circular polariser on.). Camera startup and shutter response times are very annoying too.

So I think for my next trip to WDW I'm going to get a Canon Digital Rebel XT (or 350D as it's known in the UK) as I've already got some lenses and a nice flashgun for it. I'm on a pretty tight budget, and some of the internet prices in the USA seem VERY good at present (less than $500 for the body only, or around $1000 with Canon's 17-85mm IS USM lens, which is currently the option I'm favouring rather than the 18-55 standard non-USM lens).

Does anyone have experience with some of the cheaper US Internet retailers, such as GeniusCamera.com, Royal Camera, USA Photo Nation, InfinitiPhoto.com or CCICemera City? I would need a full manufacturer's worldwide warantee as I would be bringing the camera back to the UK afterwards, but they all seem to state that this is included rather than grey-importing. (I've used B&H in the past, but they are a lot more expensive now)

I've tried this camera at a local store and love it already (what is it about the sound and feel of a real SLR mirror shutter flipping over that makes you feel so much more reassured than a pointleess electronic sample of the same noise?). I already have a Canon 50mm f1.8 lens and a Canon zooming-head flash gun, plus a 28-105 USM lens (probably not needed, as 28mm is just not wide enough for an all-purpose digital lens, hence the 17-85 above). The one disappointment is my nice Sigma 75-300 lens won't work with the newer digital models (it would need rechipping, and it's now so old that Sigma don't have the chips any more. They've offered to trade it up for me, but looking at the US prices I could get a new Canon 70-300 USM for not much more than the deal price that Sigma are offering on their non-USM lens).

Any comments from the folks here? It seems to be a very well favoured camera with Disney photographers - especially for low-light, time exposure, etc. photos, which I'm quite into.

[RU42]

Well, I guess my post will not be much of a help other then to say I have never used those retaielrs. I have been using B&H now for 2+ years and every purchase has been perfect. Ease of mind means a lot to me and I know I can order from them and get exactly what I ordered, quickly, and packaged well. To me that is worth some extra cash.

When I began looking for an online source I heard so many horror stories about the lesser known companies. Review/forum site after site there were stories of I was burned by xxxxxxxx company. If I am buying a $20 book I will take a chance, if I am spending $500-$1000+ - then I went with the company with fair pricing and great reviews.

I hope that helps in some way.

RU

RU

[ATSF&DLRR]

Thanks for all the information I thinking for getting the Nikon D70.

RU42 do you have any night or indoor shots in a galley?

[RU42]

All of the photos in the RU42 (personal) gallery have been shot with the D70. However, those are with my 18-75 and 75-300 lenses. I just got my 1.4 and have not taken it to the Park yet.

I hope to do some test shots with the 1.4 today here at my house.

RU

[ATSF&DLRR]

18-75 and 75-300 lenses


Which do you use the most. And which one you like the use the most.

[RU42]

Well, that is incredibly hard to answer - both lenses serve a purpose. The 18-75 is used whenever I am in a low light situation; Fantasmic, Fireworks, etc. (Or course, the new 1.4 will now be used more often in those night situations.)

I use the 75-300 very often for Character shots, this allows me to get a nice close up and not be right in their face.

Other then that, I switch lenses multiple times per day so I can get the shot I want.

RU

[xfkirsten]

Well, I guess my post will not be much of a help other then to say I have never used those retaielrs. I have been using B&H now for 2+ years and every purchase has been perfect. Ease of mind means a lot to me and I know I can order from them and get exactly what I ordered, quickly, and packaged well. To me that is worth some extra cash.

I gotta second the reccommendation for B&H. They're virtually the only place that I buy camera gear from. Their prices are extremely competitive even when compared to "bargain" stores like Best Buy. And their service is top-notch!

[ATSF&DLRR]

RU42 what ISO do you use and do you use M, P, A or S and what shutter speed and Aperture do you use.

[RU42]

Well, that is a tough question to answer too. I use Auto, A, S, and M depending on what I am shooting.

In good lighting conditions I will often choose Auto and let the computer do the work.

If I need to shoot at a particular shutter speed or aperture then I choose S or A respectively. I might want a small or large Aperature depending on what I want to do with the depth of field (do I want the background in focus or blurry.)

Many times the computer chooses a middle setting. If I am shooting with my big lens at 300, then i must have at least a shutter speed of 300 or higher in order to minimize camera shake. If the computer is choosing a middle of the road setting that drops the suhtter to slow, then I switch to S

Most of my night shots are at M and any specialized shooting is also at M.

When I decided to go back to 'real' photography from my pretty basic point and shoot camera, I asked a friend of mine who is a photographer 'if you could only recommend one book to me, what would it be.' He had only 1 response - he calls it THE guide to photography.

Hit your local bookstore and buy "National Geographoc Field Guide to Photography, second edition. Secrets to making great pictures."

Be careful, National Geographic has many books. And there is one that is similar that is called the field guide for digital photography - that IS NOT the one you want. I know that sounds crazy because we are using digital SLRs but you want the regular guide.

It is a great book and I thumb through it from time to time. It helps be learn (or relearn) new things each time I pick it up. I recommend it for everyone.

RU

[andrewilley]

Does anyone have experience with some of the cheaper US Internet retailers, such as GeniusCamera.com, Royal Camera, USA Photo Nation, InfinitiPhoto.com or CCICemera City?

Well to answer my own question, after a bit of online research DO NOT TOUCH any of the above even with a very long bargepole. They are all based in Brooklyn, and although they hide the fact, many are actually the same company - and all are allegedly "bait and switch" scammers. i.e. the sort of place that will offer you a great price on a camera, then once you've checked stock levels and placed the order you'll get a phone call to "security check your card details", during which they will high-pressure sell you very expensive addons, tell you that batteries and chargers are not included in their price (i.e. they've removed them from the manufacturer's box and you'll have to pay lots extra for them), etc.

And if you do hold out, suddenly the camera is out of stock and there's a 4-6 week waiting time for more deliveries... Also there are some (possibly completely unrelated, of course) stories of card fraud occuring soon after dealing with these sort of companies. Well, draw your own conclusions.

For more information, during my research I found a few very useful online resources for potential photographic purchasers (and a fascinating tour into the darker areas of human nature in some cases):

SheddingSomeLight.com (http://sheddingsomelight.com/buy-cameras/cameras-index.html) (company backgrounds and details of some of these 'dealers')

Don Wiss's Brooklyn Stores photo web page (http://donwiss.com/pictures/BrooklynStores/) (a heroic guy who cycles round Brooklyn taking photos of the real store-front addresses of these places)

ResellerRatings.com (http://www.resellerratings.com/) (perhaps best of all for potential purchasers of any electronic goods, gives impartial comments and ratings of hundreds of dealers based on direct consumer feedback. Just for the sheer fright-factor, try this one: CCI Camera City (http://www.resellerratings.com/seller1734.html), aka Royal Camera, aka The Camera Source)

I hope my research and some of the above links can help someone else out. Suffice to say I've narrowed my US purchasing options down to a few: B&H (obviously), Cameta Camera (lots of very good online reviews and decent prices & package options too), 17th Street, and maybe Adorama (although their ratings have slipped a bit recently). If I don't go with B&H, my leaning is towards Cameta at the moment.

Anyway, I'll let this forum know in May what eventually happened, and hopefully I'll be able to upload some photos from my new Canon camera. Unless it all goes horribly wrong in the meantime, anyway........

Andre

[RU42]

Thanks Andre for your work and the links.

Saving a few bucks isn't always worth the peace of mind. I use B&H exclusively now because I know they are a top notch A++ company and I do not have to worry about any order I make. I have also used 17th St without problems about 5+ years ago or so - before I switched to B&H.

Good Luck!

RU

[andrewilley]

I hope the links prove useful to someone, I certainly found them fascinating.

How long are you going to be in WDW for by the way? I'll be arriving Thursday 4th May, can't wait!

Andre

[RU42]

I arrive on 4/24 and leave 5/9.

RU

[disney's #1 fan]

i perfer digital camera. the pictures r way better than a regluar camera.all my pics i take is with my digital camera. the pic i have now is with my digital camera.

[RU42]

D#1F - You might not know that the D70 and Rebet XT that this thread are discussing are digital SLR cameras.

Side point - Digital cameras are not better then film in the final result. A camera is a good as it operator. A pro with a film camera can shoot everybit as good as a person with a digital. Convenience and some of the features of digital are pretty good - but it is incorrect to say the final result is better would be inaccurate.

RU

[disney's #1 fan]

canon cameras r not the best cameras on the market. hp cameras r way better then any other digital camera. i use the top of the line camera. i buy the best. digital pictures r better than film cameras.i used both n i perfer digital.

[RU42]

First - please type with proper spelling and not short cut lettering. That is per site guidelines. We require proper sentence structure, spelling, and grammer usage. Text Type is not acceptable in the forums.

As to the cameras - well, that is a matter of preference I guess. If you look at the professional photographers they use either Nikon or Canon. Go to a professional store and they will usually recommend Canon or Nikon. And Canon lenses are the worlds best.

About film vs digital - again that is a matter of preference. You may say I prefer digital to film but to say digital is better then film is inaccurate. I also use both, I made a living using film, and in the hands of someone eho knows how to use both can get equal quality pictures from both.

RU

[andrewilley]

You know what, our friend here hasn't quite managed to put me off those photographic also-rans of Canon and Nikon.... I'm sure disney's #1 fan is perfectly happy with his HP camera, which I'm sure serves his needs, but I (like you) am rather more interested in semi-pro gear. Mind you, I'll agree that HP's business equipment (especially printers) are the bees knees.

Anyway, in this particular case it might be best if we don't over-feed the trolls eh? :-)

Andre

[andrewilley]

Well, as RU42 knows, I did get my Canon Digital Rebel XT in time for my WDW trip.

I stuck with B&H in the end. Cameta seemed fine on the surface, but they were unable to process a UK credit card order for shipping to a US address in any easy way so I couldn't use them in the end. But B&H's prices had come down a bit in the meantime, and I knew I wouldn't have any trouble at all with them, so I stuck with the best rather than jumping through the hoops others wanted me to. For security, they did have to ship to a US residential address rather than my hotel (thanks very much to Bruce @ the MK for his help as a forwarding agent!) but that went very smoothly and the camera was waiting for me when I arrived.

The results I got are so much better than I ever got with my Minolta - especially in low light. They're probably better than I was getting with my old 35mm Canon EOS 5 even, mainly because I can play around with the settings and see the results much quicker than before, and take lots of bracketed exposures without wasting film after film.

All in all, I'm one very happy Canon and B&H customer.

... and now all I've got to do is figure out how to upload some pics to my gallery area - I keep getting error messages. Hey ho, I'll work it out. [I just did, the pics were too large - but instead of saying so, the site just gives a browser error message]

Andre

[andrewilley]

... and now all I've got to do is figure out how to upload some pics to my gallery area - I keep getting error messages. Hey ho, I'll work it out.

Having finally worked this uploading bit out :-) here's a photo taken inside the Great Movie Ride at WDW that shows how well the Digital Rebel XT performs in low-light situations. Shot with a 50mm fixed lens at f2.5, 1/125 sec, ISO 1600 (no flash):

http://www.visionsfantastic.com/forum/gallery/files/12677-GMRWizardofOzIMG_1028scaled.jpg

There are more pics in My Gallery (http://visionsfantastic.com/forum/gallery/browseimages.php?c=162&userid=) if you want to take a look.

Andre

[caggie428]

We are heading for our trip next week, and I am taking my new Nikon D50 with 18-55 and 55-200 lenses. The specs on this camera were pretty similar to the D70, but I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions, especially for low light situations, where a flash may not be available.

[xfkirsten]

Your best bet for darker stuff is to shoot on manual settings. Use the 1600 ISO setting, and open the aperture as wide as possible. Guesstimate the shutter speed, then adjust it quickly as needed once you're on the ride. Remember, too, that if you zoom in, the maximum aperture decreases, so it may benefit you to just stay zoomed all the way out in many cases. :smile:

[caggie428]

Thanks so much...we'll see how that goes.

[Mighty Unicorn]

That picture of the Movie Ride is AWESOME!!!

The colors are so nice!

[andrewilley]

Thanks for the compliment - I was rather pleased with the way that one came out too. It's even better full-size, almost no grain considering the shooting conditions.

Andre