Please could you offer me some advice..

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AmandaLouise

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Amanda
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I have narrowed down my search to..

Canon EOS 450D
Nikon D60

I am going round in circles as to which one is the better camera.

I am reasonably new to all this, a year with an SLR.
I have a Pentax K100DSuper and have had fun with it.
A friend has a nikon and I can really see the difference in the sharpness of pictures (compared to the Pentax). I much prefer the sharpness to the 'warmth' of the Pentax images.

I take a lot of action photos; children, horses. I take a lot of scenic shots.

My querys really are;

Image Stablisation of the Pentax is lost on the Canon and Nikon, the lenses having the stablisation not the camera body.....which is better, body or lens?

Live Shooting - Canon EOS, what is this?

Auto Focus - is it better to have higher point auto focus for a beginner?

Not had any (apart from shop playing and I liked the feel) of Canons so not sure if the images are similar to a Pentax or a good sharpness like the Nikon.

So totally confused, really could do with some pointers and words of wisdom :)

Many thanks in advance..
 
Hi Amanda,

Whichever camera you get you will be pleased with it I imagine. I cannot answer most of your questions as I don't have the cameras you are looking at but am very happy with my EOS 350D and 400D at present and, with good lenses, I do get some exceedingly sharp images from them.

Live shooting - do you mean live view? This means you can treat the rear display as a viewfinder
 
Hi Amanda,

I have annotated below...

AmandaLouise said:
I have narrowed down my search to..

Canon EOS 450D
Nikon D60

I am going round in circles as to which one is the better camera.

I am reasonably new to all this, a year with an SLR.
I have a Pentax K100DSuper and have had fun with it. Just a thought, have you thought about the Pentax K10D as an upgrade? You could keep your lenses then. Or go Samsung and get the GX - 10 (same but cheaper and different badge.
A friend has a nikon and I can really see the difference in the sharpness of pictures (compared to the Pentax). I much prefer the sharpness to the 'warmth' of the Pentax images.

I take a lot of action photos; children, horses. I take a lot of scenic shots.

My querys really are;

Image Stablisation of the Pentax is lost on the Canon and Nikon, the lenses having the stablisation not the camera body.....which is better, body or lens?

Live Shooting - Canon EOS, what is this? do you mean live view? thats when the display shows whats seen in the viewfinder (near enough)

Auto Focus - is it better to have higher point auto focus for a beginner?

Not had any (apart from shop playing and I liked the feel) of Canons so not sure if the images are similar to a Pentax or a good sharpness like the Nikon.

As they are about the same in market level, perhaps think about going with the one that feels most comfortable to use?

So totally confused, really could do with some pointers and words of wisdom :)

Many thanks in advance..
Click to expand...

It really comes down to what your comfortable with and can afford. I have the GX - 10, and was in the same situation as you back in april. I went for pentax as so many second hand decent lens' are available for the K mount. I love the camera and would recommend it.

But go with what your comfortable using is the best advice I was told.

Good Luck and Enjoy what you go for!
 
1. The D60 will not autofocus with certain lenses, but from what i have seen produces some very nice sharp pictures, take a look at puddleducks photos on here.

2. Image stabilisation supposed to be better built into the lens.

3. i would think the more focus points the better, saves upgrading sooner.

4. Not sure about canons never used them
 
I would suggest you get along to your local Jessops or other photographic store and try them out. Try them with and without battery grips as they can make or break a decision too. Whichever one feels comfortable and has a menu and button system that you like can make all the difference.

Gary :)
 
AS a Nikon user I would say

buy the one you feel most comforatable holding, it's important.
 
I liked the feel of them both and have had practise shots with them both, but just in the shop and couldn't really tell which had sharper / clearer images of the two.
 
Hi,

Some issues you raise here will definitely stir things in here.
First of all, a Canonites will tell you to go for a Canon, while Nikonians will tell you that Nikons are the best.

People with Pentax and Sony cameras will tell you how good it is to have stabilization on the body, ie making all your lenses stabilised and saving money, on the other hand you will hear views like, stabilization on the lens is better because it gives better results for the situation (a 300mm lens needs different stabilization than a 18-50mm). On another note, canon seems to be ahead of the game when it comes to stabilization, what with their lenses being tripod compatible and the new generation of lenses claim to give 4 stops or more of stabilization.

As for autofocusing points, to be honest, I always use just the middle one. Lots of AF points are a must when it comes to motorsports of fast action, but for everyday shooting and wildlife (not for birds in flight though), I think the 9 AF points from the 450D are more than enough.

I think that whatever you choose you'll be more than happy, but keep it in mind that you do need to invest in good glass to see the sharpness you are after!
 
AmandaLouise said:
I liked the feel of them both and have had practise shots with them both, but just in the shop and couldn't really tell which had sharper / clearer images of the two.
Click to expand...


Well in that case buy the Nikon.:D

Seriously both will take good shots, it is you that makes them great.

So look at the system you will buy into i.e. compare the types of lenses available and their costs.

You will spend more on lenses in the long run but they outlast the body anyway.
 
I cant believe as a Canon user I'm going to say this but .. if you have a friend who uses Nikon, then I'd be tempted to go down that route as you will then have access to trying out their lenses before buying them yourself
 
stylgeo said:
On another note, canon seems to be ahead of the game when it comes to stabilization, what with their lenses being tripod compatible and the new generation of lenses claim to give 4 stops or more of stabilization.
Click to expand...

Eh? Do you mean tripod mountable? Thats not cannon unique. Or do Cannons now have a "tripod mode" on inmage stabilisation? Surely on a tripod image stabilisation would have a negative effect?
 
Either would be my answer as a Canon user. (I know, it's not helping much!)

If you took a memory card to the shop and took the same pic with either camera and took that home and blew it up to 100%..........................that would only tell you how sharp that camera recorded an image with that lens and with that aperture/shutter speed combination.

What this decision will influence however is what direction you take in the future. You say you like children/horses/landscapes.

Nikon (at the moment) has a better off camera flash system. (I'm thinking lifestyle kids shots here)
Canon has a better range of longer lenses for wildlife. (I'm thinking horses here)

Either is well equipped for landscape shots.

It's really down to what you feel and how easy you find the menus to navigate. Which could you see yourself using in the dark!
 
as a canon user i'd say go for the nikon .:whistling:
 
Hello Amanda,

Are you comparing JPEGs straight from the cameras?

Have you tried increasing the in-camera sharpening or (preferably) doing your own post processing of the RAW files?

Are you comparing the Pentax kit lens to something better on the Nikon?
 
AmandaLouise said:
I have narrowed down my search to..

Canon EOS 450D
Nikon D60

I am going round in circles as to which one is the better camera.
Click to expand...
They're both good. Don't sweat it. You should look at which one you feel most comfortable with, which one your friends/family have (so you can borrow lenses etc.), that kind of thing.
AmandaLouise said:
I have a Pentax K100DSuper and have had fun with it.
A friend has a nikon and I can really see the difference in the sharpness of pictures (compared to the Pentax). I much prefer the sharpness to the 'warmth' of the Pentax images.
Click to expand...
Umm ... I don't know how to say this, but it's probably not the camera that makes the difference. All DSLRs will delivery very shap pictures if the camera is used properly with a decent lens and the image is processed competently.
AmandaLouise said:
Image Stablisation of the Pentax is lost on the Canon and Nikon, the lenses having the stablisation not the camera body.....which is better, body or lens?
Click to expand...
Define "better". In-lens stabilisation is technically superior since the stabilisation hardware and algorithms can be tuned for each lens. Plus it has the big benefit that you can see the image stabilise in the viewfinder. (First time you see that happen, it's like voodoo.) But in-body stabilisation is more cost-effective since you only have to buy it once.
AmandaLouise said:
Live Shooting - Canon EOS, what is this?
Click to expand...
Live View means using the big LCD screen as a viewfinder, like a point-and-shoot camera. I wouldn't recommend using it handheld unless you have to, because you'll get a lot more camera shake holding the camera like that, but in certain (mostly tripod-mounted) situations it can be useful.
AmandaLouise said:
Auto Focus - is it better to have higher point auto focus for a beginner?
Click to expand...
The 9 or 11 AF points that most DSLRs offer these days is plenty, unless you're into photographing small fast-moving objects such as birds in flight.
AmandaLouise said:
Not had any (apart from shop playing and I liked the feel) of Canons so not sure if the images are similar to a Pentax or a good sharpness like the Nikon.
Click to expand...
See previous answer. All DSLRS are good these days.

One thing bothers me, AmandaLouise. You seem to think that a Nikon or a Canon would be a better camera than your Pentax and would give you better pictures. That probably is not the case. If you wanted to post some pictures you'd take with your Pentax which you thought were not sharp, we could robably help you get better pictures without a new camera.
 
Thats the thing. I can produce the same sharp image with the Nikon (my friend and I have compared) and then I read on reviews that the Nikons do produce sharper images.

I admit I am still an amateur but I know its not me when I have compared the same shots / used both cameras / same standard lens / same settings etc and got better results with the Nikon.

Don't get me wrong I've been pleased with my Pentax, I've got some lovely images from it. I have just come to prefer the sharpness of the Nikon. I have changed the settings to 'sharp' within the Pentax and tweeked elsewhere but it still is not capable of the same clarity. The shots look great, no blurryness, that not the problem. The K100, maybe Pentax in general have the 'warmer' sharp finish whilst Nikon the severe sharpness which is my preference.

I simply wanted to know if the Canons are more similar to the Pentax or the Nikons really. I loved the feel of the Canon EOS450D and was hoping it may offer the same clarity as the Nikon. If not I'd be buying the wrong camera!

Anyway, thanks for your help everyone...altho still not decided! :lol:
 
Rob.7wood said:
Eh? Do you mean tripod mountable? Thats not cannon unique. Or do Cannons now have a "tripod mode" on inmage stabilisation? Surely on a tripod image stabilisation would have a negative effect?
Click to expand...

Yeah, there is a tripod mode on canon telephoto lenses. It's quite useful because it eliminates such movements as the mirror slap, or breeze and you will need all the help you can get with stabilization even if on a tripod. My long tele isn't stabilized and to shoot at 420mm or 600mm (300mm with TCs) I must use mirror lockup and remote shutter release. It does make a huge difference to have stabilized lenses that are tripod compatible
 
There's really nothing in it between the two -they each do some things better than the other. If you are happy with draw up a list of each camera's pluses and minuses and see which best fits your needs.

If you are planning to upgrade at a later date then you need to consider which lens system you want to buy into as well....
 
This little bundle is for sale on a Volvo forum i use.

I can make enquiries about payment/collection/delivery etc if you like.

For sale & purchased this summer (hardly used) & he is looking for around
£650 but open to offers..................

Canon 450d Digital SLR Camera
Canon 18-55mm lens (kit lens)
Canon 55-250mm lens
Canon spare battery
Hoya Skylight lens filter
Lowepro Fastpack 200 (very versatile rucksack)
Lowepro TLZ1
Telescopic lens brush
 
bought a 450D a month or so ago, found it more comfortable to hold and use than the Nikon, haven't regretted it for a moment.

when it comes down to it there is little between them, so its down to which one you prefer to hold and which is easier for you to use.

Just a thought, where are you ? maybe there is a local canonite on the forum who can let you have the same experience as you had with your friends Nikon
 
Is it true though when they say whatever you chose you will generally stick with that name, i`ve owned nikon and for some strange reason wont even look at a canon lol.
 
AmandaLouise, Pentax are known for producing more understated images than other brands. Reviews of some models urge potential users to shoot RAW and post process. Many folks here wouldn't consider any other approach, including, dare I say, Nikonians. Unless money is no object, you ought to try your own sharpening of the Pentax images, even if they're JPEGs, before spending more. There's currently £100 cashback on the Pentax K20D (not body only).
 
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