Canon 40D or Nikon D90. Help needed

Yardbent said:
seems we had this before...:LOL::LOL:

remember whatshisname buying/selling/buying/returning/trading/dropping/buying/selling everything [but didn't]

ah heady days and nights on TP indeed...(y)
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PS ...Anthony....its Nikon all the way.....................:)
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Yeah I remember him, Koolpc. Very entertaining in a car crash kind of way :LOL:

Come to think of it I'm sure his name was Tony....;)
 
Well, definitely going to buy a D90 if i can get my hands on one.

Would people advise to get a 2nd hand one with a camera shop as the warranty would be a good fall back? Would be looking for a body and a prime, maybe a 35mm or a 50mm.
 
hm ok :) K-5 definitely does not feel like a toy, didn't think the k-r felt much like one either, better weather sealing on it than D90 (and prob 40D too), better sensor, VR/IS/SR on the body some stunning lenses, about half the weight.
 
vrapan said:
hm ok :) K-5 definitely does not feel like a toy, didn't think the k-r felt much like one either, better weather sealing on it than D90 (and prob 40D too), better sensor, VR/IS/SR on the body some stunning lenses, about half the weight.
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What you say is true, BUT, I think system wise if you're starting out, it's wise to go Canon or Nikon (IMO of course) for the long run.

That said, I do like the look of the K5...
 
odd jim said:
What you say is true, BUT, I think system wise if you're starting out, it's wise to go Canon or Nikon (IMO of course) for the long run.

That said, I do like the look of the K5...
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I don't believe that anyone can credibly argue that for a photography amateur/hobbyist/enthusiast any single brand is significantly better than others. If anything the leading two brands lack certain user friendly features on budget models that other systems offer.
 
I've owned and used the 50d, used the 40d and owned and used the D90.

In terms of IQ. There is very little between them. I couldn't get on with the canon ergonomics and when I use my friends 40d to try show her something, I still feel completely lost trying to find the right button even though I used a 50d for several months. I can pick up a nikon, new or old, budget or top end and just do what needs to be done. They are much more intuitive IMO.

The d90 also has video, albeit pretty poor if that is of interest.

Canon do have some lenses Nikon dont, but nikon have some great glass canon don't. I still maintain the canon 100mm L IS macro is the best lens I've ever used, and I've had a hell of a lot of lenses from both.

It really is a flip a coin job. Don't worry about the tales of the shutters failing. It can happen to any camera at any time.
 
TCR4x4 said:
I've owned and used the 50d, used the 40d and owned and used the D90.

In terms of IQ. There is very little between them. I couldn't get on with the canon ergonomics and when I use my friends 40d to try show her something, I still feel completely lost trying to find the right button even though I used a 50d for several months. I can pick up a nikon, new or old, budget or top end and just do what needs to be done. They are much more intuitive IMO.

The d90 also has video, albeit pretty poor if that is of interest.

Canon do have some lenses Nikon dont, but nikon have some great glass canon don't. I still maintain the canon 100mm L IS macro is the best lens I've ever used, and I've had a hell of a lot of lenses from both.

It really is a flip a coin job. Don't worry about the tales of the shutters failing. It can happen to any camera at any time.
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Thanks.
 
I have two 40Ds, never owned a Nikon (although I have used one) so I am biased. All I can say is the 40D is a fantastic camera in terms of IQ and handling. The key things you would miss compared to a more recent (and much more expensive camera) are video and better high ISO performance (and possibly screen resolution). I didn't bother upgrading to 50D or 60D as there was little improvement. About 6 months ago I went for a 1Dmk4 - and yes that is a definite improvement for my professional work, but when I go out and about to take pictures for personal pleasure I generally take the 40D and leave the 1D at home - it is smaller and lighter and does the job! I can still choose from any of my L series lenses, these make more difference than the body.

Don't get fixated on the kit, I would recommend either Canon or Nikon as either of these two systems you are buying in to will take you as far as you want to go. Just get the camera and lens and then concentrate on getting out and taking pictures!
 
I used to have a 40D and a friend of mine had D90. Have you considered or tried the joystick on the 40D? Its a real joy to use, and I like the single handed operation of the other controls. What I didn't like about the 40D is the screen was carp. It;s difficult to judge image sharpness. I've tried my friend's D90 and I didn't like the controls. and you need to press two buttons eg: zooming on a pic.
To me, the controls on the xxD series are intuitive.
If you can stretch to the 50D, then I suggest you go for it. It's got better screen and microadjustment to name a few upgrades to the 40D.

Please don't get me wrong, I'm not being biased. I was in a position to jump ship last month as I sold all my Canon gear. I contemplated getting a Nikon D700, but no matter how I tried to convince myself, I can't get on with the controls etc... of the Nikon bodies. So I'm back with Canon.

Lenses are generally cheaper on the Canon side but they are fantastic!
 
I agree the 50D is a nice camera but very costly when you add on a lens
 
vrapan said:
I don't believe that anyone can credibly argue that for a photography amateur/hobbyist/enthusiast any single brand is significantly better than others. If anything the leading two brands lack certain user friendly features on budget models that other systems offer.
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I think you missed my point about the 'system', not brand, though the two go hand in hand.

The fact is Canon and Nikon have more, cheaper used items than the others. An enthusiast or amateur (such as me) should be just as interested in that as a pro, and that's why I mentioned it as without a doubt, anyone starting up and buying into a system should consider this before parting with their hard earned cash!
 
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cam1986 said:
I agree the 50D is a nice camera but very costly when you add on a lens
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You've been offered one for a very good deal, not much more than the 40d really...

Get a used 50d and a new or used Tamron 17-50 non VC. You could get both for just over £600 if you buy right. That would give you a fantastic platform to start with.
 
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odd jim said:
I think you missed my point about the 'system', not brand, though the two go hand in hand.

The fact is Canon and Nikon have more, cheaper used items than the others. An enthusiast or amateur (such as me) should be just as interested in that as a pro, and that's why I mentioned it as without a doubt, anyone starting up and buying into a system should consider this before parting with their hard earned cash!
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Which is a fair point, but with pentax/sony/olympus you get more "bang for buck" in the camera body (just look at the K-5, fully weather sealed, state of the art sensor, fast performance and all for the price of a used 7D), which can make up for at least some of the difference of having to buy more things new because they aren't often available on the second hand market.
 
odd jim said:
You've been offered one for a very good deal, not much more than the 40d really...

Get a used 50d and a new or used Tamron 17-50 non VC. You could get both for just over £600 if you buy right. That would give you a fantastic platform to start with.
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You are right i know.
 
squishy said:
Which is a fair point, but with pentax/sony/olympus you get more "bang for buck" in the camera body (just look at the K-5, fully weather sealed, state of the art sensor, fast performance and all for the price of a used 7D), which can make up for at least some of the difference of having to buy more things new because they aren't often available on the second hand market.
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Very true, certainly with the K5 (this is the only non Canon body which has ever tempted me!). But possibly not so much other bodies... Even so, each system has it's unique lens line up, so it's always worth looking ahead and looking at what you might like in the future.
 
I was mainly pointing to the fact that You can't go wrong with any camera nowadays and even the less popular brands have plenty of lenses to cover all non specialised needs.

I have a k5 now and there are plenty of s/h lenses and flashes grips and filters. What I will agree with is that the s/h stuff are not that much discounted but that probably reflects quality as much as it does quantity :) a small price to pay for what is probably the best aps-c camera at the moment
 
Well, its a D90 i have set my targets on. Add to that a nice prime and i will or should be happy! Just got to find a decent one now.
 
Went into my local camera shop today to handle a 2nd hand 50D and a 90D. They both felt similar and i liked how they both felt in my hands. The salesman was really good and knew his stuff too which was good.

The 50D was on offer to me for £480 body only and the D90 for £430 body only.

The guy said he would hold both for me until monday. I didn't want to jump in and say a or b at the mo. The wife was with me so i felt intimidated!! lol.

I will go back on monday on my own.

I have used Canon all my life but friends have Nikons too. I guess i am dithering a bit but want to show the wife i can buy the right camera as it is a lot of money for us.

So, lots of candle burning as i look at both cameras on the net until monday!!
 
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Are your nikon friends willing to lend you lenses?

If so, that would tip it in favour of the D90 for me.
 
squishy said:
Are your nikon friends willing to lend you lenses?

If so, that would tip it in favour of the D90 for me.
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In my personal case, it would be the opposite. I hate lending my stuff because I'm very carefull with them. I also don't like borrowing peoples' stuff because "in case" I break anything, I still have to pay, so I'd rather buy in the first place.
 
Mates have Nikon but only kit lenses i think. Never seen them with anything different or talk about other lenses.
 
I have a 40D and it is a great camera with no problems.
However most newer cameras have better high ISO performance and added features like being able to adjust for front amd back focusing.
That being said up to ISO400 you will find no difference. The High ISO performance on the 50d is very little improved, but the added features are useful.
Both cameras are heavy and solid but not so large and heavy as a Nikon D300
 
Terrywoodenpic said:
I have a 40D and it is a great camera with no problems.
However most newer cameras have better high ISO performance and added features like being able to adjust for front amd back focusing.
That being said up to ISO400 you will find no difference. The High ISO performance on the 50d is very little improved, but the added features are useful.
Both cameras are heavy and solid but not so large and heavy as a Nikon D300
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Thanks. Low light performance is high on my list but that could also be controlled by having a fast lens?
 
D90 can go up to ISO 3200 and is usable, not too sure about the canon. With fast aperture glass and D90 i can't see you can go wrong, otherwise just get a flashgun .........
 
Terrywoodenpic said:
I have a 40D and it is a great camera with no problems.
However most newer cameras have better high ISO performance and added features like being able to adjust for front amd back focusing.
That being said up to ISO400 you will find no difference. The High ISO performance on the 50d is very little improved, but the added features are useful.
Both cameras are heavy and solid but not so large and heavy as a Nikon D300
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The high iso of the 50d is very much improved over the 40d.

The 40d is very noisy at 800 iso, whereas the 50d is very good at 1600 iso and useable at 3200 iso (which the 40d doesn't go to).

That's why I bought the 50d over the 40d as I need good high iso for indoor sports.
 
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odd jim said:
The high iso of the 50d is very much improved over the 40d.

The 40d is very noisy at 800 iso, whereas the 50d is very good at 1600 iso and useable at 3200 iso (which the 40d doesn't go to).

That's why I bought the 50d over the 40d as I need good high iso for indoor sports.
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I that case both D90 and 50D is good enough on the ISO performance in low light. 3200 ISO is alot actually ......... wit ha f1.8 prime glass i don't even need to push to ISO 2000 on my camera. Usually 1600 will be fine in indoor ......
 
odd jim said:
The high iso of the 50d is very much improved over the 40d.

The 40d is very noisy at 800 iso, whereas the 50d is very good at 1600 iso and useable at 3200 iso (which the 40d doesn't go to).

That's why I bought the 50d over the 40d as I need good high iso for indoor sports.
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I disagree, while I don't consider the 50D more noisy (like some people do), it's not any better until you get over ISO 1600.
My 40D certainly isn't very noisy at ISO 800.

I don't want to start an argument about this (it's been done too many times before), but if you want over ISO 1600 the 50D is better but there isn't really much to choose between them bellow 1600 (indeed many people who've used both say the 40D is better at controlling shadow noise in the 100-400 range).
 
squishy said:
I disagree, while I don't consider the 50D more noisy (like some people do), it's not any better until you get over ISO 1600.
My 40D certainly isn't very noisy at ISO 800.

I don't want to start an argument about this (it's been done too many times before), but if you want over ISO 1600 the 50D is better but there isn't really much to choose between them bellow 1600 (indeed many people who've used both say the 40D is better at controlling shadow noise in the 100-400 range).
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I'll agree to disagree then. The 40d has the same sensor as the 400d. Enough said!

I use my bodies for indoor sport. I could not use the 40d over 800 iso. Even processing with DPP left me with unacceptable results.

The 50d I could keep clean (via DPP but without any nr) at 3200. Again, enough said!

As a low light performer the two are night and day. If not I'd have kept the 400d.
 
odd jim said:
I'll agree to disagree then. The 40d has the same sensor as the 400d. Enough said!

I use my bodies for indoor sport. I could not use the 40d over 800 iso. Even processing with DPP left me with unacceptable results.

The 50d I could keep clean (via DPP but without any nr) at 3200. Again, enough said!

As a low light performer the two are night and day. If not I'd have kept the 400d.
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Same sensor maybe, but not the same electronic behind it (which is a big factor in noise performance)

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EOS-40D-Digital-SLR-Camera-Review.aspx

Scroll down a little way on that page, there is a comparison of 400D/30D/40D/1DIII noise levels. The 40D looks definitely better than the 400D, pretty much the same as the 30D when you take into account the slight resolution difference.
 
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squishy said:
Same sensor maybe, but not the same electronic behind it (which is a big factor in noise performance)

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EOS-40D-Digital-SLR-Camera-Review.aspx

Scroll down a little way on that page, there is a comparison of 400D/30D/40D/1DIII noise levels. The 40D looks definitely better than the 400D, pretty much the same as the 30D when you take into account the slight resolution difference.
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Yeah I'll give you that, the software and hardware is tweaked with the xxd bodies.
 
Quick question, sorry! People have mentioned on here the number of shutter accentuations. Is that the number of times the shutter opens and closes? If so how can you tell how many times it has worked?

Is there a guide to how many times it 'should' last, and is there any way to extend its life??!?

Back on topic - I bought my 40 d second hand 20 months or so ago and I love it. My wife and I shared a 400d before that, which was also good as a first SLR, but I haven't used any other makes.
 
Yes, that's the definition of shutter actuations.

The 40D's rated life estimation is 100,000.

That doesn't mean it'll break on the 100,001st, or that it shouldn't break earlier, it's just a rough guide to how long an optimum shutter will last.
Nothing you can do to extend it, though something that has been observed in the flickr 40D group is that intensively used shutters tend to last more actuations than shutters on 40D's that only get light use. Probably just that keeping the mechanism moving regularly stops parts getting stiff.
 
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50D 40D D90, all great cameras from what i have read. Choosing one of them can be hard as as others have said you are buying into a brand. For me, 6 months warranty is better than none at all. This is why i am aiming to buy locally. Going to check out the D90 and 50D tomorrow!! Again!!

Musn't tell the wife how much i would be spending though!!
 
Squishy - sorry to sound thick but how can you tell how many actuations a camera shutter has had?
 
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