I am new to this forum and am after some advice. I have been looking for a good all rounder with walk about lens (I think)? The two contenders are Nikon d90 with 18-105 or a Canon 500 with 18-200 lens. Both are just about in my price range and I have no real brand loyalty. Would either of these be good starters or am I wasting money? Should I be buying pre owned?
1st time DSLR buyer
- Thread starter fethers
- Start date
cowasaki
TPer Emeritus
- Messages
- 19,708
- Name
- Darren
- Edit My Images
- Yes
Like Andy says the best way is to actually hold them both and have a play. There are Canon and Nikon shooters on here. If one were really better than the other across the board then the other wouldn't exist. There are other brands too that might be worth a look.
If you have a look at 2nd hand then you can get a decent body for less of your budget and then spend more on glass and it is the glass that makes the difference.
If you have a look at 2nd hand then you can get a decent body for less of your budget and then spend more on glass and it is the glass that makes the difference.
- Messages
- 193
- Name
- Adam
- Edit My Images
- Yes
Stick with Nikon... Biggest flaw Canon has is the fact you can't put ff lenses on cropped cameras or vise versa. Will be a big problem if you buy full and cropped cameras... Canon does it that way because their lenses are cheaper to make that way... But you may end up buying two of the same lens for both cameras.
I recently sold my d90 and 2 lenses with a grip 2 batterys and 2 8gb memory cards for 700 so the d90 is a cheap camera but packed with quality for a cropped frame camera
Depending on what your doing depends on what you should buy, if your doing sports and other things where you want to get closer to the subject then the d90 is a good choice (cropped frame)
If your doing portraits or things where you want more of the subject in the frame then you'll want a full frame camera such as the D700 which I use. It's alot more expensive but in the photography industry you get what you pay for.
I recently sold my d90 and 2 lenses with a grip 2 batterys and 2 8gb memory cards for 700 so the d90 is a cheap camera but packed with quality for a cropped frame camera
Depending on what your doing depends on what you should buy, if your doing sports and other things where you want to get closer to the subject then the d90 is a good choice (cropped frame)
If your doing portraits or things where you want more of the subject in the frame then you'll want a full frame camera such as the D700 which I use. It's alot more expensive but in the photography industry you get what you pay for.
Last edited:
- Messages
- 8,400
- Name
- Andy
- Edit My Images
- No
I think the D5000 is more comparable with the Canon 500d. I have just bought a D5000 with 18-55mm VR kit lens and it shares the same brilliant sensor as the D90. The D5000 is quite small and chunky but feels better made than the xxxD range. The canons are easier to use initially but image quality is pretty impressive from the D5000. Also the D5000 has a very neat swivel rear screen. I bought mine from Jessops for £464 for the Kit.
So if you can afford a D90 I'd go with one of them or look at the D5000 and compare it to the D90 and see if there's anything on the D90 that you 'must have' that the D5000 is missing. You may be able to get a D5000 and 2 lenses or one really decent lens for the price of a D90 with 18-105mm lens.
So if you can afford a D90 I'd go with one of them or look at the D5000 and compare it to the D90 and see if there's anything on the D90 that you 'must have' that the D5000 is missing. You may be able to get a D5000 and 2 lenses or one really decent lens for the price of a D90 with 18-105mm lens.
- Messages
- 11,116
- Name
- And
- Edit My Images
- No
Just to clarify, you can put any Canon EF lens on any Canon DSLR (FF or Crop), but you can't put EF-S lens (specifically for cropped bodies) on a FF body.
I'm unsure about an "all in 1 lens", you have the advantage of the focal range, but you are going to loose out on the quality side - don't know by how much though. I used to have a Canon 28-135IS lens that was my everyday lens and that focal length suited me perfectly for the majority of occasions.
With regards to which body, as has been said, have a play and see which feels the nicest to you
- Messages
- 268
- Name
- Alex
- Edit My Images
- Yes
Further to this point, whilst you can put Nikon cropped lenses on full frame bodies they will only illuminate the centre of the image sensor, so you get drastically reduced resolution thus defeating the object of going full frame in the first place.
- Messages
- 2,370
- Name
- Lynn
- Edit My Images
- No
I'm in the same situation, though I think I have it narrowed down to Canon 550D, Nikon D5000 or D90. I have no brand loyalty either - I'm currently borrowing a D90 to try and I really like it so that might swing me towards Nikon, but I know any of the cameras would be an excellent starter DSLR.
Go into shops and try them out, see which feel more comfortable in your hand.
I am a Canon man so I can only put my advice forward regarding Canon equipment.
To anyone wanting to get into the DSLR market I would highly recommend the Canon 40D, certainly over the 500D.
The build of the 40D is far superior to the 500D, the 500D feels like a toy in your hand after using a 40D. The image quality is slightly better in the 40D also, all this cramming more mega pixels into cropped sensor is just an over kill and a marketing scam.
On paper yes you would think the 500D looks a better option, but if you had used them both for 6months I know which one you would be keeping.
To anyone wanting to get into the DSLR market I would highly recommend the Canon 40D, certainly over the 500D.
The build of the 40D is far superior to the 500D, the 500D feels like a toy in your hand after using a 40D. The image quality is slightly better in the 40D also, all this cramming more mega pixels into cropped sensor is just an over kill and a marketing scam.
On paper yes you would think the 500D looks a better option, but if you had used them both for 6months I know which one you would be keeping.
cowasaki
TPer Emeritus
- Messages
- 19,708
- Name
- Darren
- Edit My Images
- Yes
I would agree with the Canon shooters on the DX/FX front. You can put an FX lens on a DX body in EITHER camp. But although Nikon allow you to fit a DX lens on an FX body WHY would you? You get 5mpx and no advantages so I wouldn't do it anyway. You need decent FX glass on an FX camera or forget it.
- Messages
- 1,902
- Name
- Adam
- Edit My Images
- No
misinformation
You certainly can put full frame lenses on a crop body! only you can't put EF-s lenses on fullframe. And that's not a big downside because most people want proper EF/L glass on a full frame camera anyway!
I know it's already been pointed out, I just wanted to say again so you can't miss it.
Last edited: