Canon 30D or Nikon D200

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Neil
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Hello All,

First of all great site.
I am sure as regular members you are all bored of the 'which is better' camera, but I couldn't resist just one more go.

I have been a film user for a while now, getting lots of great images, but the time has come to change to digital, so I am looking at 2 cameras: 30d or D200

All my current kit is all Canon, but happy to change if the advice warrants it.
So please help me through this difficult decision:

Do I go for the cheaper option and keep all my Canon kit, or go for broke and switch completely to the Nikon?:help:

I love macro, Landscape and people - All sorts.

Really appreciate all the assitance you can give....:)


Cheers,

Chewyuk
 
since all your stuff is canon then I would go for the canon 30D. I have a 20D and its the best thing I ever got, but I have heard storys about the 30D (iso's sometimes not as clean, detail not as crisp) but its best for a 30D owner to answer these. The nikon is a good camera but not good enough to change all your equipment, what lenses do you have?

and of course welcome to the site :wave: :welcome:
 
It does depend a bit what lenses you have, they may not be the best option available for a digital Canon because of the 1.6 crop factor.

For example, if you have the 28-135 IS lens, this is a good choice for the 35mm format but on the 1.6 crop format of the 30D it becomes a 45-216 which is a slightly odd range you'll agree!

:)
 
what SammyC is saying is that all your existing lenses are in a format for 35mm film , and the image projected on that area in the back of the camera,
the digital sensor in both makes of camera is a different size to 35mm film and as such you need to adjust the perceived focal length by a correction factor of 1.6 for the Canon and 1.5 for the Nikon. that said, all your lenses will provide nice pics , and you can always ' upgrade ' to digital spec lenses as you go along,

at the end of the day these threads always end up with the same advice, get to a decent camera shop and test out both cameras along side of each other if at all possible,
get to grips with them , see how they work and feel in your hands , even though your used to Canon you may feel you like the layout and feel of the Nikon , or you may not......

peeps will say there are more lenses available for the Canon, this is sort of tru , as there are more ' new ' lenses for the Canon, but every lens Nikon has made with an 'F' mount since about 1982 will fit the Nikons, with differing amount of dedication to the controls,

so get out there and break a few in the camera shops, lol


hope this helps

MyPix


btw, i have owned both Canon and Nikon camera's in the past and am not ' loyal ' to either brand, its what offers the best flexability and value at the time of buying , and as long as i like the feel if it
 
As long as your Canon fit lenses are not FD they will be fine in fact more than fine since you can use them on ANY canon digital camera, whereas the EF-S digital range will not fit on all models. The only thing you 'might' want to buy will be a wider wide angle lens at some point.

Buy the 30D and spend the money you save on not having to swap all your lenses to Nikon on a nice quality wide angle. (Sigma 10-20 or Canon 17-40L kinda thing)


p.s. even if your lenses are FD fit they will work fine, obviously no autofocus etc.
 
Thanks All.
Have wandered around a local Jessops and asked most questions about the Canon 30d, have not really asked in store about the Nikon. I love the feel of the 30d, but have not held the d200.
I have not got expensive lenses; 75-300 Canon, 28-90 Canon, 28-80 (Macro) Sigma.
So am not adverse to starting again, if advised.
Is the Nikon that much better, The pixels are considerably more, I do print out a fair amount at a2 size.
 
The D200 should really be compared to the 5D, not the 30D.

Remember you can always part exchange your Canon lenses in against the D200 as well ;)
 
Well I suspect that the lenses you have won't be of much use to you if you're into landscapes unless you start looking at full frame bodies which the 5D is probably the cheapest.
 
I don't profess to be an expert, but a very keen learner. Have 'managed' on what lenses I have to date,but realise that I need a complete overhaul of my kit really. So am open to all advice. Hadnt even considered the 5d, but have about 2K to spend if I really had to push it to the limit, although would like to keep spend to 1.5K if possible.
 
:welcome:
Hi Chewyuk and welcome to the gang!!
IMHO you cannot really compare the 30D or 5d to the D200.
All these cameras have their strong and weak points:
Frames rate: 30D = D200

Sensor size (This will have a very real input on the performance of your existing lens collection and pending lens purchases)

5D is full frame and D200 not

Megapixel count is so close(8 vs 10 vs 12) that this should really not influence your decision too much- AGAIN IMHO:bonk:
Unless you CONSTANTLY print very big you will hardly notice the difference!!(read:Good lenses will outlast the body by a good margin!!

If I were you I would I would go down to the dealer and handle all three and preferably take a few test shots with all three too.
The camera that looks and feels good will most likely be the one you buy and this will be the right camera for you.
Off course if it is a Canon you would have made the best choice:LOL: :LOL: :LOL:
 
Well that's a sizable budget mate and you should not be dissappointed with your kit at that mark! :)

For the Canon 5D I think it cost around £1800.
Canon 17-40 L £525
Canon 100m f2.8 Macro £370
 
Fairplay. Thanks for all the great advice. From my perspective, as much as the camera that fits my hands and feels the most comfortable is the best way forward. I just wanted to understand the relative merits of each camera I had considered, before I fork out my hard earned/saved cash.
Will keep you all updated as to the way I go.
Now off to post some of my photo's from you to critique ;)
 
chewyuk said:
From my perspective, as much as the camera that fits my hands and feels the most comfortable is the best way forward.

Well that is the sensible way forward because IMO all current DSLR's will take very good pictures and, frankly, understanding composition and exposure and having a good eye, is more important than gadgetery. Handling is often forgotten about but being at one with your camera is very important and saves considerable frustration.

I like the D200 and could very easily get used to it if I fancied a change. There is nothing about it that I would criticise, tho' when I checked it seems the Nikon lenses are more expensive on average. May not be an issue if, like me, you are happy with third party lenses too.

I have a 30D at the moment and really it is more than enough camera for me. I cannot be more pleased with it. However, my shots are only as good (or bad!!) now as they were with my 300D and 350D before. The 30D handles better than both because it is very responsive and I don't need a grip to give the substance I prefer. Fits my hand perfectly.

So, in your shoes and with your budget, I would get the 30D and spend the money on decent lenses to replace or suppliment what you have already. A lot depends on what you normally like to shoot, but whatever it is then the extra £300-400 saved over the D200 will really add value to your shots because of the greater IQ from better lenses. I can't see where the D200 really adds significant value. Had they been priced the same then the choice becomes a more simple one of handling and/or specific feature preference.
 
The 8.2mp sensor used in the 20 and 30 d cameras has no problem printing poster sized images. pixel count isn't that much of a factor tbh.

I have the 20d and it's layout and feel is 98% the same as the 30d.

all considered, i'd go for the 30d and a nice wide lens for the cost of the d200.
 
Steep said:
p.s. even if your lenses are FD fit they will work fine, obviously no autofocus etc.

Did nobody notice this? FD lenses do not and never will work with an EOS system without either losing infinity focus (through use of an adapter ring) or using optics (ending in a 1.3x magnification factor).

If you want to use old Manual focus lenses on your EOS system, you have to look into third party lenses and adapter rings. As for the "I can use old F mount lenses with my D200" argument - thats a bit of a non-point, as I can too, and I can meter with my F mount lenses, while modern nikons are unable to.

All you need is an adapter ring. Obviously AF doesn't work. I can even use brand new nikons, but only in MF and only if they have a manual stop-down ring.

Leo
 
If you have a budget of up to 2k, then surely it's got to be a 5D? For what you want to use it for then full frame must be the way to go - that 28mm short end will give you a nice starting point for landscape work, although as and when you could afford to add something in the range of a 17-40 L so much the better. You are already "bought in" to a system with Canon - assuming that you're not utterly disgusted with every lens you own then I can't really see the point in starting from scratch.

I love my 30D, and for what I do the fast frame rate is essential - if I were upgrading now (not a chance!!) then it's be the 1D MkIIN for me, but if I were more into landscapes etc then I'd go for the 5D like a shot.
 
Have gone with the 30D - Jessops took my money yesterday :)
Was in the Cardiff store for best part of 2 hours, despite what some people say I got GREAT service.
Admittedly I have been a customer there for the past 3 years, but even so....
The 30D just felt great in my hands. Everybody made really good points about the kit I have so far so it made sense to say with Canon
Just wanted to say thanks ....now to start posting some pic's..

Couldn't resist getting a new tripod at the same time :)
 
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