Can't Decide ... 350D or D50

[Wild@Heart]

Hi guys and girls ...

I've searched the forum but can't seem to find the info I'm looking for ...

I've decided to take the plunge and invest in a DSLR (in line with my budget) ... and I have basically decided upon 2 but cannot make up my mind about which one to take.

1. I can get the 350D at normal price R8499,95 with Printer (which I'm probably never going to use in anycase or the 350D at R7999.99.

2. The 2nd option is the Nikon D50 for R9999,95 which includes the 18-55mm lense, 70-300mm lense, 256mb Memory Card and the Kata Camera Bag.

I've spoken to a few people and it seems the both camera's are more or less the same ... Where the one has something extra the other one has something else.

The technical aspects are greek to me, and I've never had a SLR or DSLR camera. I will mostly be using for Wildlife photography (not proffesional), so I'll never look at R60 000 lenses etc.

I am leaning a bit towards the D50 but I just want to know from the experts on the forum ..

1. For the Price of the packages I've mentioned ... which one do you think is the better one to go with ..
2. If I go for the D50 ... are there any 500mm Sigma lenses available for this camera?

I really appreciate your help ... and to the mods ... sorry if I posted in the wrong place or it was discussed previously ...

[erickza]

Hi,

Firstly topic noted no more Canon vs. Nikon and I am not against Nikon at all. Most the guys at work are Nikon fans and I doubt the duel will ever end which in a way I suppose a good thing.

Just to add my comments when I thought about going digital I wanted Canon as my previous SLR was Canon. So I looked at the 300D, time went by and out comes the 350D and the 20D. I looked at the 350D and was a bit scared to pick the "entry" level as I have been doing photography for a few years so I wanted a Jetta not a Citi Golf (if I can put it that way).

Long story short I bought the 350D due to budget constraints and I got the Selphy C400 free. Free printer, hmmm can't be any good so it slept in the spare room for over a month before I revisited it. Very impressive little printer I might add and love it to bits now.

The 350D has lived up to it's praize and more for me. Everything is so easlity accessible, like chaning ISO, white balance, focusing and light meter is a one button to access to option. I have heard from other DSLR's these take a few buttons through the menus. On the negative side she is a bit light and some DSLR owners say is too plastic. Well a F1 car is not all metal so the fact that the Canon is not chassis heavy did not make me think twice about buying it.

The lenses I think is a bit cheaper if you go for the brand name. I bought my 75-300mm USM III for just over R2000. I also bought a Canon BG-E3 Battery/Vertical grip for the 350D just last week from Hedrus and I must say it made a big difference for me. I have fairly large claws and without the vertical grip my little finger always seemed lost in the landscape position. Now with the vertical grip it make the world of difference. Camera is a bit heavier and I find more stable. I do a bit of plane spotting here in Durban and the winds can add that touch of blur. Also doing plane spotting I often find myself having the change settings from taking fast "action" shots of departing/landing aircraft and "portrait" stattic aircraft. This is where I find the one button access to the ISO, focus settings realy helps me switch quickly.

Otherwise I REALLY enjoy my little Canon. She aint so little when you look at the great pics. Good luck with your choice, either way digital is sooo cool. Take as many pics as your memory can handle and worrry about prints later

Cheers,
Erick

[Chris76]

Get the 300D second hand. I have seen these for R3.5k in the junkmail. Spend the other 5K on a good lens. Trust me the 350D will be worth half the money in two years time and the lens will still have all its value and you will have the shots to go with it.

Just my thoughts on the matter.

Both Canon and Nikon are good buys. IMO Nikon better flash and W/A lenses Canon better on the long side and better ISO handeling.

[Willem Semmelink]

My 2c:

Several on-line reviews, like at www.dpreview.com let you compare two cameras side-by side. Read the reviews as well, and decide what aspects of the highlighted advantages/disadvantages are important to you. If you don't understand all the technicalities, read the summary, but it may as well be good to learn the basic terminology. (read the reviews of the Pentax, Minolta and Olympus as well - it will help you to get a feel for the technology).

Draw a table with three columns. In column 1 list each feature that you would like to have (after reading the reviews of the cameras). Then in the next 2 columns, give each camera a score (1 = bad, 10=excellent) and then count up the scores to get the winner. If you really spend time with this, you will probably change the items and the scores a few times as you realise what is really important to you, and then you can make an informed choice on the camera.

Go back to the shop and play with the cameras. Take a memory card along, and ask permission to take a few photos with each camera in the shop.
How do they feel in your hand? How do you like the controls layout? the way it focuses and tells you the subject is in focus or not? how easy do you think it will be to learn to use and master this camera? Think back about those reviews you read: do thementioned drawbacks bother you? Are the so-called advantages really so important to convince you to buy the product.
Now go back and re-adjust the scores in your table

At the end:
Play eeeny meeny miny Mo and pick one - their scores will probably be quite close to each other ;-)

Regards

[Wild@Heart]

Thanks you D70, Erikza and Chris76 for your responses ... and too Hedrus too for all his info on the phone.

I think in the end it will have to be a case of eeny meeny miny ... Canon

Will just have to start up slowly and acquire the lenses as I continue ... Never thought buying a DSLR can be so difficult.

Again ... thanks too all for their assistance ... I shall have to come back to get my butt kicked on the photo ratings ...

And to learn some technical stuff...

Great site by the way Hedrus ... definitely worth visiting more often.

[Hedrus]

Sure W@A

Hope to see more of you here, As you no doubt have gathered there are lots of helpfull folks around.

[SimonDP]

The choice between the two cameras can be up to personal taste, do not bee fooled into the marketing hype of Nikon 6MP vs Canon 8MP, it does not make much of a difference, only if you print regularly to A0 size, and this from a Canon user!

But I think the biggest drawback from the Nikon engineers is not designing a vertical grip for the d50/70, and if you intend to use longer (500mm) lenses as per your question, like the Sigma 50-500, Sigma 135-400 and Sigma 170-500, in my order of preference without breaking the bank, you will probably wish you had a grip, it balances the camera much better, and makes general handling just so much more comfortable. Both those cameras have quite small/light bodies, if you have medium to large hands, you will notice the difference immediately. Makes shooting in portrait mode just that much more comfortable. Try the bodies without the grip, fit a grip to the 350D, preferably with a longer lens, and shoot in portrait mode, that should convince you.

Also try and get a 300D secondhand, there issome slightly used samples available, even some new ones (old stock) in certain shops as well.

[markthomas]

How about a 10D - get them with a grip for under R6000.00!

[Geurt]

How about a 10D - get them with a grip for under R6000.00!

Just got shot in the foot by my fellow contributor Was just going to offer mine in the classifieds, but the price, oh man.

Geurt

[markthomas]

I found one with less than 7000 actuations with a battery grip for R5500.00 for a friend of mine. Excellent value for money.

[JME]

Changing the parametres here a bit. Please excuse the poetic license.

Currently own together with my faithfull sony v3, a cannon 10D and a canon 350D, however looking to upgrade, and after reading many articles seem more confused than before.

Looking and trying to choose between the 5D or the 1Dmark11, can anyone please put me out of my misery, and give me feedback as to the best choice.
Will stay with current brand to keep current lenses.

[Hedrus]

Hi K
I would say it depends on your needs.
I view the 5D as a great camera for commercial ,wedding, portrait and landscape lens.
The 1DMkII i see as a fast action workhorse.

It also depends on you output, sit still a while and think what you will do with you photos. Will you print it out and how big will it be printed. Will you submit to image libraries on will you just make prints up to A2/A3.

In my mind I will still choose the 1D since it suite my style of work.

[JME]

Hi Hedrus

Will visit you next month, as spoke to you this week earlier to spend some money.
Do print some pics to A2 and A3, and most of pics will be in the kruger. also want to match cam with the new lense from cannon, 28-300 is usm..with a 2x or 1.4 convertor... your thoughts pls as will order through you.

[Hedrus]

Hi K

No you cannot stack converters to that lens.
Converters primary design is for faster lenses and telephoto lenses. Certain zooms do work well with converters but I will not do it on the 28-300.
Then on your print sized the 1DMkII will do that effortlessly not to worry about that.

[JME]

Thanks for honest fedback, at least I know I wont be sold something I dont want.

I have currently the following lenses. sigma 50-500, sigma 28-300, sigma 170-500, cannon 18-55.

What lense would you recommend for me if I bought the 1dmark11

[Hedrus]

My Honest opinion?

Drop the last two, you'll never use them again.Even the last three.
The 50-500 is fair to good and you might continue for some time.Canon produces lense that is marked with an L . Most of those leneses are supreme but are also expensive. There are other options before I get accused off being an L-coholic
Remember as it is often said. Always invest in glass. Even if you buy a smaller camera body and spend more on glass.
Maybe you would want to tell us more of what you think you will do mostely.Consider if you will be doing more birding, where will you do the most of the wildlife, bushy areas or more open plains like Kgalagadi.
Is protraits important? Lanscape.
You can also read the little section on equipment for Wildlife.

.http://www.outdoorphoto.co.za/forum/showthread.php?t=38

[JME]

Ha Ha Ha as you were posting this, I was reading that thread....

Sold the 170-500 today on this site.

Love the sigma 28-300, and never use the small lense.

Most pics are taken in the kruger. but have a 50-500, so dont need anymore distance.

Have seen 2 lenses I like, the 28-300 is usm canon and the 2.8 L 70-200, can that one use a convertor??

[Chris76]

Hi Keith,

If you have a MKII you should be using L lenses IMHO. Sell the wife and a kidney.

Trying it, feel it, love it....

[JME]

Hi Chris


Own a 10D and a 350D, only good lense I have is the sigma 50-500, wanting to buy a mark11 and want to match it to a good lense..
Lost both legs on the last cam lol.

[markthomas]

What do you want to photograph?

The rule is get the best glass you can with the money you've got. Good glass on a so-so camera will give you better results than a good expensive camera and bad glass.

My suggestion for tack sharp images: If you have money to burn then good glass is the way to go. Sell those other lenses, use the money for the 1D mk II and buy L glass. Get a good long lens for the Kruger - 500 or 600 f4 with 1.4 teleconverter. Use it on the 350D and you'll probably have better pics than the 1D mk II with the lenses you have. (Ask Geurt why he replaced his Sigma with Canon L glass). You will also need something shorter as well. Depending on your budget: 17-40 f4L (for landscapes) and 70-200 2.8L (can also use teleconerters on this one) would compliment the long lens.