Which DSLR to choose?
I’m a photography amateur and I’d like to explore beyond point-and-shoot cameras. I’m hesitating between the Nikon D60 and the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS. Which would you recommend? Also, I’m getting the 18-55mm lens kit – is this good enough for most situations? Thanks for all your help 
The short answer is that injanier is right. Between these two you will get a good product that takes good pictures and there is a usually friendly rivalry between Nikon and Canon owners. The kit lens will work well for most day to day photography but if you do nature, street photography or sports you will probably fairly soon want a longer lens.
Now for the long answer on my opinions
I would say the Nikon D40 Its an entry level DSLR. A digital SLR will give you a much larger sensor than any point and shoot camera. Larger sensor = more light to each pixel = clearer, crisper photo with better color saturation. DSLR will also let you grow and take more control as you learn more and you can change lenses when you have a need to. The sensor on the olympus is smaller than on Nikon or Canon
I am a nikon person and have had nikons since the 70′s I personally think the nikon D40 give you more for the dollar than any DSLR today. There are some that do more but you pay a good bit more. Do not let the lower megapixels concern you if you do not do very very large prints you will never notice the lower DSLR. My brother recently needs a DSLR for a class and I recommended the D40 to him So I would also say get the D40 not the D40X. The Nikon D40 does not have limited functions compared with other entry DSLR. Yes it has fewer funtioncas than a 1500 dollar camera body would. It is not a a cut down version its equal or above most any entry level DSLR.
There is a great article in this months Digital Photopro Magazine that is titled “Megapixels how much is enough” EVERYONE looking at buying a new digital camera can profit by reading this article. Its here
http://www.digitalphotopro.com/studio/megapixels-how-much-is-enough.html
I have a d300 and a d40 and when I am shooting for fun I grab the d40. Its weightless, a joy to use and gives good results
Since you have a bit more money the D60 give you a number of things you want. It has newer firmware and image processors, designed for the 10 mp sensor. It has an “Active Dust Reduction System with Airflow Control “. Nikon not putting a system on the D40 to deal with dust is one of the biggest drawbacks I see to the D40 ( though I think its still a great camera for the money) If you change lenses dust will get in and the camera needs a system to deal with it. With the D60 you get a VR lens. That will help with low light situations ( they may offer that now with the D40 but originally it was not) . The D60 has Adaptive Dynamic Range. Nikon calls it “Active D-Lighting,” it lets you save some highlights that my otherwise be lost. It has a newer better metering system than the D40. So you can get the D40 not the D40 x and spend the other money on lenses or a flash
Some people will want to make a big issue out of the fact that there are some nikon lenses that will not autofocus on these cameras. Right now there are “only” about 39 lenses that autofocus on these cameras. They cover the range of focal lengths. I doubt any photographer would be seriously limited with “only” this many lenses to choose from. If you want to manually focus you can more than double this and do so at a low cost. Manual focusing is easy and how we did things for decades before the advent of autofocus.
Cannon and Nikon chose to put the vibration reduction in the lens rather than the body. Somefolks put it in the camera and make of that. Yes that means you get stabilization only on lenses with that feature built in. In the body in theory it would work on every lens. But in fact image stbilization in the lens has proved to work faster and smoother with a lower impact on focus times than image stabilization in the body/ One problem with in body stabilization comes from the fact that the sensor would have to move different amounts for different focal lengths. A canon white paper says an in body system would have to move the sensor 1/4 inch to account for movement on a 300 mm lens.
Now a comment on liveview. Have you ever tried to hold several pounds of digital camera and lens steady at arms length while you look at an LCD screen. It not at all the same as holding a few ounces of point and shoot camera steady in the same position. One of the things we preach to new photogrpahers is to learn to hold the camera properly so the body mechanics give you a steady shot. You can’t really do that looking at the LCD. So liveview is really something that will have very limited applications in a DSLR. Usually only when its on a tripod. I have liveview on my D300 and have never used it. This is how a DSLR should be held
Nikon also has great service. I was just reading the other day on eyefetch in the Nikon forum where someone posted that they had dropped thier lens and broken it. It was not a fault of the company they messed up. The sent it to Nikon and Nikon could not fix it. Nikon offered them a brand new identical lens at half the price. They did not have to
In closing all major camera manufactures make good cameras get out and compare the features and how they feel in your hand. Go to places like kenRockwell.com and DPreview.com to compare them. Nikon and Canon have the largest market share and I personally think there is a very good reason they do. Not bashing other brands but photographers tend to be very demanding folks and they then tend to be loyal to what has worked for them well and consistently. That is not a pavlovian response anymore than it is a pavlovian response in my work at the fire department when I trust the brands of turnout gear and airpacks that have worked for me time and time again. Sometimes even going beyond the published specs. People in ANY demanding profession gain loyalty and trush from thier experiences. And if the product did not perform it would not be favored for long.
Canon EOS 60D hands-on video review: part 1
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CANON EOS D60 6.3 MP DIGITAL SLR CAMERA BODY W/ FLASH $102.50 |
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Canon EOS 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II EF-S SLR Digital Camera Lens 5D 7D 60D T3i NEW $188.00 |
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Digital Camera Case Bag for Canon EOS 1100D 1000D 600D 550D 60D 5D 7D 50D 1D SLR $19.99 |
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Canon EOS D60 Digital SLR Camera *** FOR PARTS ONLY *** $0.99 |
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Canon EOS D60 6.3 MP Digital SLR Camera – Black Body Only $56.00 |
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AC Adapter For Canon Digital Rebel Camera EOS T1i XS 20D 5D D30 D60 Power Supply $11.99 |
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Canon Digital SLR Camera Backpack for EOS 5D 40D 60D 7D $42.95 |
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Canon Digital SLR Camera Backpack for EOS 5D 40D 60D 7D $49.95 |
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Canon EOS D60 6.3 MP Digital SLR Camera – Black W/ LENS SHOWN $129.99 |
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Fast Charger for Canon BP-511 BP-511A EOS 50D 5D D30 D60 Digital SLR Camera $9.20 |
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Genuine Canon Ef-D Focusing Screen EfD for Digital Camera EOS 40D 50D 60D $40.58 |
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Genuine Canon Ef-D Focusing Screen EfD for Digital Camera EOS 40D 50D 60D $41.00 |
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Genuine Canon Ef-S Focusing Screen EfS for Digital Camera EOS 40D 50D 60D $40.58 |
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Genuine Canon Ef-S Focusing Screen EfS for Digital Camera EOS 40D 50D 60D $41.00 |
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Genuine Canon Ef-A Focusing Screen EfA for Digital Camera EOS 40D 50D 60D $40.58 |
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Genuine Canon Ef-A Focusing Screen EfA for Digital Camera EOS 40D 50D 60D $41.00 |
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Canon EOS Rebel 70-200mm f/4L USM Zoom Digital DSLR Camera Lens f/4 5D 60D NEW $708.00 |
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Canon Speedlite 580EX Flash EXCELLENT EOS DIGITAL CAMERA – 5D II 7D 60D Rebels $214.50 |
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Charger for Canon BP-511 BP-511A EOS 50D 5D D30 D60 Digital SLR Camera $5.99 |
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Canon EOS D60 6.3 MP Digital SLR Camera – Black (Body Only) $157.50 |
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2 Battery for Canon BP-511 BP-512 EOS Digital 20D 30D 40D 50D 5D 300D D60 Camera $11.89 |
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DSLR Digital Camera Case Bag for Canon EOS Rebel 550D 60D 7D 600D 500D 50D 1100D $21.98 |
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Canon EOS D60 6.3 MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) with Accessories $100.00 |
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Canon EF 28-135mm IS USM Lens for Rebel EOS 7D 60D T2i T3 T3i Digital SLR Camera $180.00 |
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Canon EOS D60 6.3 MP Digital SLR Camera with Canon Ultrasonic Lens $225.00 |
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Canon EOS D60 6.3 MP Digital SLR Camera – Black (Body only) $291.03 |
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Pro Camera Case Bag for Canon EOS 5D Mark II 50D 60D 40D 7D SLR Digital Rebel T1 $71.20 |
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LC-E6 Charger For CANON EOS 60D 60-D Digital SLR Camera $8.47 |
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Canon EF 28-135mm IS USM Lens for Rebel EOS 7D 60D T2i T3 T3i Digital SLR Camera $359.00 |
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Canon EOS D60 6 MP Digital SLR Camera Body D-60 207647 $4.99 |
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1600mm Mirror Lens for Canon Digital SLR EOS 7D 5D Mark II III 50D 60D Camera $219.95 |
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1600mm Mirror Lens for Canon Digital SLR EOS 7D 5D Mark II III 50D 60D Camera $249.95 |
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800mm Mirror Lens for Canon Digital SLR EOS 7D 5D Mark II III 50D 60D Camera $199.95 |
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58mm Hard Tulip Lens Hood For Canon eos 40D 50D 60D Digital Slr Camera $13.99 |
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Canon EOS D60 6.3 MP Digital SLR Camera – Black $200.00 |
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Canon EOS D60 6.3 MP Digital SLR Camera with 2 Lenses,Petal,case and Flash. $349.99 |
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Canon EF 75-300mm III Lens for EOS 50D 5D 60D 7D Digital SLR Camera $159.95 |
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Canon EF 75-300mm III Lens for EOS 50D 5D 60D 7D Digital SLR Camera $159.95 |
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Canon EF 75-300mm III Lens for EOS 50D 5D 60D 7D Digital SLR Camera $159.95 |
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Canon EF 75-300mm III Lens for EOS 50D 5D 60D 7D Digital SLR Camera $174.95 |
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Canon EF 75-300mm III Lens for EOS 50D 5D 60D 7D Digital SLR Camera $189.95 |
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Canon EF 75-300mm III Lens for EOS 50D 5D 60D 7D Digital SLR Camera $164.95 |
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Canon EF 75-300mm III Lens for EOS 50D 5D 60D 7D Digital SLR Camera $164.95 |
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Canon EF 75-300mm III Lens for EOS 50D 5D 60D 7D Digital SLR Camera $199.95 |
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58mm Close Up Filter (+1+2+4+10) Set F Canon eos 40D 50D 60D Digital Slr Camera $17.99 |
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Canon EOS Rebel 17-40mm f/4L USM Wide Digital DSLR Camera Lens f/4 5D 60D NEW $778.00 |
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Charger for Canon EOS 50D 5D D30 D60 Digital SLR Camera $8.48 |
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Canon Digital SLR Camera Case/Bag for EOS 7D 50D 60D $37.95 |
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digital SLR camera bag case for Canon EOS 1000D 10D 1D MarkII 1DS 20D 5D D60 D30 $29.99 |
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Vivitar 285 HV Zoom Flash for Canon EOS Digital 5D 60D 50D 7D Digital SLR Camera $89.95 |
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YONGNUO Timer Remote Cord TC-80 C1 for Canon EOS 30/33/50/300/300D/350D (Rebel XT) and 400D (Rebel XTi) /450D/500D/550/1000D / CONTAX N/645 /SAMSUNG GX-1L/GX-1S /PENTAX K10D/K20D/K100/K100DL/MZ-L/ZX-L/MZ-6/ISTD/ISTDL/IST $46.99 *1.Timer Remote Controller TC-80 is a remote switch with the following timer control and exposure count control functions. It is very useful for time-lapse photography of blooming flowers, astrophotography. *2.Features : -Self-timer, -Interval timer, -Long exposure timer, -Exposure count control, -Remote switch function. *3.Size: 40 x 20 x 143mm, |
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YONGNUO Timer Remote Cord MC-20 / C3 for Canon EOS 1V 3 1D 1DS 1DSMKII 1DSMKIII D30 D60 10D 20D 30D 40D 50D 5D 5DII 7D $25.99 Attachment method: lock screw Timer display: 7 segments/digit, 5 digits Mode display: long exp and time (normal mode) Electric beeper: emits sound during long-timer exposure or time mode LCD illumination button Battery duration: approximately 80 hours (when shutter release button is pressed) Power source: Lithium battery CR2032 Length: approximately 80cm or 31.5 inches Weight: 56g (without battery… |
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Sensor Swab Plus Type 2 w/Eclipse (Pkg of 25) $124.88 This Kit/Product Is Appropriate For The Following Cameras:Canon EOS 10D, EOS 20D, EOS 300D, EOS 30D, EOS 350D, EOS D30, EOS D60, EOS Rebel (original)Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D, Maxxum 7D Nikon D1, D100, D1H, D1X, D200, D2H, D2Hs, D2X, D50 Olympus E1, E300 Pentax *ist D, *ist DL, *ist DS, K100D[ ]Sensor Swab Plus are designed for cleaning CCD/CMOS chips and other delicate or hard to reach optical and… |
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Shoot Great Video with your Canon DSLR Camera (DVD) $29.99 REGION FREE DVD developed for new to intermediate photographers buying their first DSLR cameraIntended for the still photographer moving into video; learn skills and secrets to producing great videoCreates a solid understanding of the camera’s features and controls and helps to unleash its potentialSample subjects are: shutter priority aperture priority/depth of field focus alternatives metering a… |
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Canon NB-2LH Rechargeable Battery Pack for Rebel XT/XTi Digital SLR Cameras and VIXIA HV Series and ZR Series Camcorders (Retail Package) $46.95 The Canon NB-2LH Lithium-ion rechargeable battery that is compatible with the following cameras and camcorders: DC310 DVD Camcorder DC320 DVD Camcorder DC330 DVD Camcorder Digital Rebel XTi Elura 40MC Elura 50 Elura 60 Elura 65 Elura 70 Elura 80 Elura 85 Elura 90 EOS Digital Rebel XT HV20 High Definition MiniDV Optura 30 … |
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Vivitar Wired Remote Shutter Release for Canon EOS 30/33/50/300/300D, Digital Rebel/350D, Rebel XT/400D, Rebel XTI/450D, Rebel XSI/550D, Rebel T2i/1000D, Rebel XS/60D, Contax N/Contax 645, Rebel T3, T3i/600D, Pentax K110D, K100D, K200D, K10D, K20D, K7, ist, DS, DS2, DL2, DL, D and Samsung GX-1S, GX-1L, GX-10, GX-20 DSLR Cameras $3.99 Vivitar Wired Remote Shutter Release for Canon Pentax Samsung DSLR Cameras…. |
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Canon BGE2 Battery Grip for the EOS 20D and EOS 30D Digital SLR Cameras $120.00 The BG-E2 is made for both the EOS 20D & EOS 30D Digital SLR Cameras and holds up to 2 – (BP-511, BP-511A, BP-512, BP-514) Lithium-ion Battery Packs or 6 AA Batteries (using the included battery holder BMG-E2) to offer double-length shooting time. The vertical shutter release makes shooting with the camera in a vertical position just as comfortable as shooting horizontally…. |
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Wireless Remote Control for Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT, XTi, XSi, T1i, T2i, 60D 7D 5D Mark II EOS 550D 500D 450D, EOS 400D, EOS 350D, EOS 300D, Powershot G1 G2 G3 G5 G6 $3.99 Description: This IR Remote Control can trigger your camera shutter from a distance |
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CENGAGE David Busch’s Compact Field Guide for the Canon EOS 60D – 9781435459960 $10.42 Are you tired of squinting at the tiny color-coded tables and difficult-to-read text you find on the typical laminated reference card that you keep with you when you’re in the field or on location? Well throw away your cheat sheets and command cards! DAVID BUSCH’S COMPACT FIELD GUIDE FOR THE CANON EOS 60D is your solution. This new full-color spiral-bound reference guide condenses all the must-hav… |
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