BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

I know we (or we used to) have some photo aficianados on the forum, sooooo, I have a question for you. I just found out my wonderful mum is getting me the digital SLR I have been dreaming about for my bday next month. I'm so excited -- she works for a guy who teaches photography and deals in cameras so I'm sure he'll have lots of good advice too. But based on your experiences, would you choose

(1) Nikon D70 (i've always been partial to Nikons, although the D70 has been prone to some warranty problems)

(2) Canon 20d

If you've used either of these, share your thoughts!

Shadow,

I’m a keen wildlife photographer and use Canon equipment.
I own the 10D which is the predecessor to the 20D and Canon have also released the 30D which supersedes the 20D. This will now make the 20D a much cheaper purchase.

The 10D, 20D, 30D range is aimed at the Prosumer level. That is; these cameras do not have all the bells & whistles that a professional expects but they have more features than a standard consumer level digital SLR.

I don’t think you can go wrong purchasing either a Nikon or Canon, I’ve just used Canon equipment for years and have stuck with it as I can use all my lenses that I used with my film SLR on the digital SLR.

One thing you must be aware of is the cropping/magnification factor of these cameras.
The 10D and 20D have a magnification factor of 1.6 times. (I think Nikon’s D70 has a factor of 1.5 times.) If you want a 1:1 ratio in the Canon range you can get the 5D.

What this means is that the sensor is 1.6 times the size of the standard film SLR. So when you have a 100 mm lens attached it becomes a 160 mm lens. This has advantages and disadvantages depending on what type of photography you wish to do.

For me this is a huge advantage as my hobby is African wildlife where it gives me the extra reach sometimes required and at home in Australia with our magnificent birdlife where I can attach my 400 mm lens and it becomes a 640 mm lens. This enables me to get tiny birds filling the full frame.

As this is an OT thread I’ve attached some images from my last Botswana trip. let me know if you want to see some more.
Zach can get his Africa fix too

Hi, I love all wildlife photos, the Cheetah is so regal !!

Look at that lions mouth!!!!

Yep ive got a few a cannon, nikon SLR and olympus cause the kids keep losing them

nice pics

Thanks Geoff, that's exactly the kind of stuff I'm after. I do a lot of wildlife/animal shooting as well (would like to do more, but current camera not capable enough, my lenses suck). I've had a Nikon N65 SLR for about 4-5 years and got some good results, although most bugger-ups I blame on the Sigma lenses I have, they're not so sharp. Anyway, this is all pointless information, just to say that I'm hoping to get a little better lenses and the ability to actually learn on the spot what works and what doesn't with the instant digital "gratification." I've taken several photo courses, but since I'm not shooting a roll of film a week and developing it myself anymore, I can't learn much from pictures that don't turn out.

PS If you need anyone to carry lens boxes on your safaris, you just send me a message, I'll be happy to sacrifice my time!

giraffes.......

My husband got a nikon d80 for Christmas, he had a film nikon slr for a few years now and has been wanting a digital camera for a while now. We've had no problems with our Nikon. Canon is good also. The reason why my husband orginally bought a Nikon is Nikon is the only company that have kept the same lenses since they started making slrs, a lot of the other companys have swtiched sizes or something so that they aren't all compatable. I am not a camera person. But good luck with which ever camera you end up getting.

Geoff


I love the giraffes and cheetah. I almost signed up for a Cheetah excursion in Namibia this summer for school.

Zach, I hear they do giraffe burgers in that area, I bet those would be tasty! Have some if you go!

KW

Zach wrote::bow1: Geoff


I love the giraffes and cheetah. I almost signed up for a Cheetah excursion in Namibia this summer for school.

Almost?

Sure Kyle chuck us a kneck fillet on mate - ready to go and watch the Lions

I find that Cannon's SLR tend to be better for landscapes and action shots, not to say that your pictures are not extreamly impressive geoff, but i prefer the Nikons as they are not to expensive and have by far the best focusing system.

Some interesting information I learned from my photographer buddy -- Canon's DSLR's will accept all types of manual lenses, while Nikons will not. Canon also uses a much larger light sensor and much less noise above ISO 800 or so, so you do not have to do postprocessing. You can also make your Nikon lenses fit your Canon if you want.

www.dpreview.com has more information about digital cameras than anyone needs, so you might want to peruse there. I've got a Canon 20d, and have been quite happy with it. The D70 is not as good of a camera as the 20d in my opinion, but the more recent Nikons (D80/D200) are really excellent.

Having said that, SLR's should be picked for the lenses, not the body. You are more likely to upgrade the camera than a set of lenses. Canon has an edge in image stabilized long telephotos, Nikon has an edge in wide angle. Both are excellent systems and can produce excellent photographs. They have significantly different ergonomics, and you may be more comfortable sticking with the Nikon system if you've used it for a while.

Whichever one you get, take lots of photos!

Geoff, those are some really nice shots!

Thanks for the link!! Right now, I am leaning very heavily towards the Canon XT (older body but reputedly a very tough camera with the same sensors and components of 20d) because it will enable mum to include a much nicer lens, and since better optics are what I'm after, I think I'm going for that. Hopefully I'm not too old and stuck in my ways to adapt to the Canon thing, I never really did like how the controls and functions on my N65 were laid out, could never make it intuitive.

I have the Canon Rebel XT and the XTi, we just sold our old Canon Rebel. I've been very happy with the Canon line and the rebels are very similar performance wise to the 20D, just not as expensive. The bodies are made out of cheaper material and are smaller overall in size, but they are still good quality and I haven't regretted our purchases once.

I've always owned Canons, had two Rebel 35mm. I loved them.

KW

Those African pics are just beautiful. I'm so jealous that you got to get to see those animals in the wild - I'm jealous of your fabulous camera and I'm jealous that you can use it so well. I'm just bloody insanely jealous - but wow, what memories to bring home!!!!!!!!

I love my Rebel