Home Forums Gear Photography Camera Question, NIKON D80 or D300 vs Canon 40D

Ok,: hands-on report.. I went to National Camera Exchange in St. Paul, MN., yesterday.. Started out by telling the guy that I was considering a new camera and I had narrowed the choices down to Nikon and Canon. I said a couple of camera gurus on this site recommended the canon 40D and the 5D, and that I also had heard about the new Nikon D300, and that they all said I should compare physically the bodies and actually do a 'hands-on' test..

He brought out all three and went over the features/benefits of all. I held all three. Of them, the D300 felt more comfy and closely resembled the feel of my Minolta A-1. I now (thanks to all who educated me) know that I would only fully appreciate the full-frame body IF I was going to be making very large prints/posters etc., but if the max size was going to be 8X10, a crop sensor wasn't going to hinder the image vs. a full-frame..

Quite frankly, the vast majority of prints I use will be 4X6 or 5X7, tops..

I got to try them all out in-store.. Spent the better part of two hours fooling around with them all. Sorry, Canon, but the D300 wins out... This body should last me the rest of my camera-shooting lifetime and the appropriate lens will do whatever I need and more.. For now, I'll invest in the 17X55 F2.8 ED from Nikon and obtain the 70X200 F2.8 VR at a later date..

I know the 40D is cheaper, but budget's not the main concern.

BTW, the 5D in that store was $2,459.00.. The D300 was $1699 on sale this weekend.. But I'm still going to buy from Doug at Cameraland...

Wise, very wise.

Any of the top shelf models from Nikon or Cannon, will take outstanding images. Were I starting with a clean slate, I'd choose whatever body was most intuitive for me to operate, and one whose ergonomics were most compatible with me. The top quality gear is all so close, performance wise, that it all boils down to the same determining factor as most every other endeavor.....the user! Just as a center hit with a .250-3000 is better than a gut shot, with a .458 Win Mag; a well composed, properly exposed/focused image taken with a cheap point and shoot, is better than an image made with the finest equipment in the world, using sloppy technique. Don't sweat the whole brand thing. Buy what you like, and then, most importantly, learn how to use it, and go out and have some fun!

My two pennies.

Jeff

Well, I went into the local shop--local for me was the 3.5hr trip into Anchorage--and ended up doing the same. I admit, I really liked the 70-200L lens of Canon, but did not like the slide function of the 100/400L. I really enjoyed playing around with the 80-400 VR of Nikon. As for the bodies, I just couldn't get comfy with the controls of the 40d or 5d. I ended up with the D300, kept my 18-135, and bc I purchased the body, got $150 off the 70-300VR, but am lusting for the 80-400. The D300 was $1749, but the way they did the exchange, I got my D80 and the 18-135 lens as a combo discount and when they just returned just the D80 body, it ended up giving me an extra $100 towards the D300. So all in all, very happy, saved a nice chunk of change, and am neck deep in learning the new functions etc.

Will

You guys and your Nikons.....

Good luck

VTi, I'll hopefully have some elk pics for you today through the Sigma 300/2.8 with the 1.4 TC.

I know it'll be hard to stomach the Sony images but I'll put 'em as soon as I get 'em RAW converted.

Awesome! Yea, lets have a look.

WillAK,

Congrats on the new camera! I'm in the minority here, and am a fellow Nikon user. Used there film bodies for many years, and stuck with them, when I transitioned to digital. As I posted earlier, I don't really think brand matters, anyway.

Just wanted to comment on your desire for the 80-400VR. When I went to VR glass, I weighed the pros and cons, and went with the 70-200 f/2.8 instead. When I need more reach, I pop on a 2x. The Silent Wave auto focus of the 70-200 is far superior to that of the 80-400, which uses the motor of the camera body. It's slow, and a power hog. Once you get into the telephotos, and are shooting action/critters, auto focus speed is a very nice thing to have. That's my opinion anyway. Good luck, and enjoy your new SLR!

Jeff

"I now (thanks to all who educated me) know that I would only fully appreciate the full-frame body IF I was going to be making very large prints/posters etc., but if the max size was going to be 8X10, a crop sensor wasn't going to hinder the image vs. a full-frame."

Say what? FF benefits have little to do with print size. FF is exactly that. A full field of view. So if you use a 17-40 lens the camera is actually seeing 17-40. On the D300 which is a 1.5 crop if you use the same 17-40 lens the result is 25-60.
No matter which brand you buy if you think that you are going to buy any body at this juncture that will last you your camera shooting life time I think you are going to be sorely dissapointed in the future. No matter what you buy understand that you need to invest in glass. Bodies will come and go.
BTW The 5D with code PS1107QZIZF is just a hair over $2,000 at B&H. You might also want to see how many used D300's they have for sale Vs 5D's.


http://www.scribd.com/doc/397024/Understanding-Crop-Factors-and-Nikon-DX-Lenses

Which is exactly my thoughts, and again the D300 had controls that weren't far off my Minolta, so the transfer should be fairly easy, even for an old geezer like me... Those are good, new and shiny pennies...

Hey, I'm lucky if I last another ten years.. You youngsters will need more investments in camera bodies. No kidding.. That's been the rule of thumb since I bought my first SLR in 1967.
That's 'cause you have more cameral dealers around.. Severely limited in these parts.. There's like, two stores; three tops... They figger they have you by the short hairs.. Well, since the 5D's been around since 2005 or so, and the D300 is new, I can't believe anyone would have any of those used, now would they??

I didn't explain properly what I meant by my words 'hinder image'.. I meant to explain that image quality would not be noticably different between FF and the D300 (or 40D, for that matter).. Quality was the operative word there....

Thanks for the link to that article on image sizes and explanation of 'cropping'.. A good read.

But for the record, most FF sensors do produce a better quality image than a crop sensor. Larger photosites = better control of over/under exposure and dynamic range (all other things being equal). This is why the 5D is widly regarded as producing the best image quality attainable with a dSLR. The new 1Ds3 and D3 (even though they are in to totally different leagues) are probably going to end up taking that title now.

I would expect to see a lot more used 5D's than D300's. A body that has been out longer should see significantly more used available, not less. To me it says a lot when THE biggest dealer in the US doesn't have one used 5D body available. Not a very promising sign to see a lot of used D300's for sale when they have only been on the street a few months. I have no idea why you wouldn't think they would carry used 5D's. The 5D is still a current production body. FYI The 5D wasn't even announced until fall of 2005 much less put in production and on store shelves. With reference to Camera dealers I think I missed your point. Who cares about local shops when you have every major camera shop available right at home on your PC?

+1
Many independent pros use the the lower end of both Canon and Nikon.

Yup, you missed the point.. No matter... Used your reference to B&H and perused the reviews of both the D5 and the D300.. Only 2-3 minor beefs with the Nikon while the D5 had many more; although not with image quality, it was more with other items..

Sorry.. I know you're a die-hard Canon fan.. But after handling both and operating both, the D300 just seems to fit my needs/wishes more than the Canon.. I did not scrimp on glass; the 17X55 ED II Nikkor lens has been touted by everyone I've talked to as being excellent. Can't do the D3 which would be GREAT... Too much bux..

Now I just have to learn the proper techniques and experiment like there's no tomorrow.. Cameraland's sending me a rather large box posthaste..

No doubt you'll love your D300 Redneck, you just could have done better by investing in the Canon system that's all. I'm glad you went for the Nikon though, since you had your mind made up already a long time ago, even against the *experienced* advice from Stetson, myself and some others here on the board.

You can read and compare all the specs and reviews you want, and it'll go back and forth forever - Canon's better, Nikon's better... - depending on whose review your reading. Like I always say, the proof is in the image pudding. Let your images do the talking for you. You've seen mine, let's see yours

Rob

With regards to brand loyalty I think it was said best on the Luminous Landscape;

"I have no loyalty to either brand.(Canon Vs Nikon) All I care about is features, functionality and performance"

I think you could have made a wiser choice but that has nothing at all to do with brand in this case. Clearly you were sold on Nikon before you started shopping. I'll look forward to seeing some of those 14 bit RAW conversions.
Happy shooting!

WELL---did a 180 degree turn. Got home, long drive back to Kenai from Anchorage and found a had a dud of a D300 body, it wasn't recognizing the lenses and they had a little play when locked in, the display would read F0, then when you turned a bit more, even while already locked in, it would register the correct F-stop and the AF would work. Completely miffed, so another long 3hr drive through the mountains back again, and now have a Canon 40D, 38-135 kit and 70-200/2.8 lens. Very happy, battery on charge and praying no issues. I was so on the fence between the two that when the Nikon had issues, figured it a sign and went with Canon. Made for a long weekend with two road trips squeezed in however. Will report after a bit of use. You Canon folk better been telling the gospel, I simply do not have time for another Anchortown trip. LOL.

Oh, swap out and had the camera store check out the body, they hadn't experienced it before, said it would be going back to Nikon. Good service with me though.

Thanks all.

Will

Bummer.. Yeah, things like that can happen to all brands. On the Fredmiranda site there were two guys who bought Canons and they had issues also.. One guy figured he was just unlucky and bought another Canon.. He had more problems, got rid of it and said he wouldn't buy another.

But everyone has to understand that any manufacturer of something as complex as this (and cars/trucks too) can turn out a lemon.. It happens.. That extra 3 hour drive though had to be frustrating for you. I wouldn't be happy either. Now I just hope that Canon gives you good service.

Stetson, I'm not going to be doing any RAW conversions.. I'm just not that into all the minutae of serious photography, not yet anyway.....

VTi, you will no doubt provide better pix than I will simply because you know what you're doing. I have tons to learn yet before I can get a shot worth really looking at. But at least the machinery has the potential and I cannot blame the camera anymore...