Camera Labs

Hello everybody and especially Gordon,

I just want to congratulate you on an excellent website and reviews (especially the video reviews). It's a real delight to find this kind of information!

I'm currently going through all the different reviews as I'm considering replacing my 4-year old Canon IXUS V3. Photography has always been one of my interests so my new camera is going to be a DSLR.

It will be a general use DSLR but with that extra that I will also be using it for motorsports pictures (at Nurburgring in Germany). I guess for that kind of use lenses are more important, but still I would like limit the number of lenses I have to carry around and have a DSLR that's fit for the job... Difficult decision.

Any suggestions?

At this moment the Canon 400D with 17-85mm lens has a slight advantage over the Nikon D80. In any case, your site has been a great help!

Hi Yves,

going to the Nürburgring certainly needs a lens longer than 70..85mm. I've been there and I know how far away from the action/cars you are!You should at least go for a zoom with 200mm (equal to 300mm at 24x36mm film cameras).
So guess what I will propose? The Nikon 18-200mm VR!
You knew that I would say this

Plus you need fast shutter speeds to freeze the cars in action, which means (esp. in connection with a tele-lens) high ISO. So you should compare the noise pages in Gordons reviews to learn how the different cameras excel at 800ISO.
So guess what I will propose? The Nikon D80!
You knew that I would say this

_________________
Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

Thanks for the feedback tombomba2 (and great pictures on your site I might add ).

The D80 + 18-200mm VR is a great combo, but I allready checked prices here and I don't seem to find them under 1500€, which is well over budget...

There are other lenses available for the D80 body (offcourse), but lot's of them don't have the image stabilisation (which I think can be quite handy for certain ranges), or are too expensive.

Maybe I should consider the D40x? Or the (slightly cheaper) Canon rival.

I any case, investing in a proper lens will be essential for fast-action pictures...

Hi Yves, welcome to the Cameralabs forums!

If you need a longer reach but stay on budget, then you should probably be looking at a two-lens kit - a DSLR with a basic 3x kit lens for general use, and an additional 70-300mm for your motorsports.

You're right to consider one with quick focusing too. If you're going for a Canon, look for a USM lens and if you're going for Nikon, go for an AF-S model.

Gordon

As to the street price of D80 and Nikon 18-200 VR I can say this:
D80 can be found at and below 800EUR in trustworthy shops and the lens at around 700EUR at shops that I trust and they claim to have it available. That is including 19% tax and makes for around 860GBP without tax and transport...
That should be much closer to your budget-goals, isn't it?

P.S.: Even at amazon.de you can get it for 1620EUR (incl 19% tax) plus both pieces of gear are available (3 lenses in stock)

_________________
Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

If you are on a budget I will suggest you looked at Sony A100. With this you get image stabilization on all lenses (as you also do on Pentax/Samsung but those are pricier). Then you can look for a 1985 70-210 Minolta lens that goes for about 100-200€, the lenses from that era is top quality and only matched by far more expensive lenses today.

As you probably noticed, the A100 has more noise than Nikon D80, both using the same sensor. I have read that this is due to weaker anti-aliasing which means you should get a sharper picture with the A100 (higher resolution), which I could imagine would be good for tele-Nurburgring photography?

For everyday shooting my experience is that image stabilization really gets you a lot more good pictures, so I would prioritize that on a lens/body.

Thanks for all the information!

Tomorrow I'm going to check out the 3 above mentioned camera's: the EOS 400D, the Nikon D80 and the Sony A100.

A friend of mine (who is living in NZ for a year by the way, he is on the North Island close to Pukekohe. Check out his shots here: http://flickr.com/photos/lienensam/) has got a Nikon D70s and is very pleased with his DSLR...I suppose the D80 is even better.

The stabilisation-advantage on the Sony is also something to consider, the Canon/Nikor lenses with IS built in are quite expensive... On the other hand, Canon now offers some great discounts due to their "20 years EOS" action here in Belgium. I can get an EOS 400D with kitlens 18-55mm, zoomlens 55-200mm or 75-300mm and a 1GB Scandisk memorycard for around a 1000€.

I know these are not the high-end Canon USM lenses but i think I'll start out slow. I still have much to learn and I think with this type of bundle I can allready go a long way?

>> I think the look & feel of each camera is going to be the deciding factor...

Hello again,

I went to the shop this weekend and tested all 3 different camera's.

Now I'm even more confused.

Although the Canon was well within my budget, it didn't really do it for me. The overall look 'n feel just wasn't that good. The Sony scored better but the absolute star was the Nikon! Gordon you are indeed correct when you say the Nikon has far better build quality, the difference is remarkable.

A good friend of mine also has a Nikon (D70s) and he won't even buy anything else, just because Nikon is so good. This, in addition to the research I have done really makes me want one of those Nikon DSLR's...

However, I can't help but thinking the D80 is over budget for me. So now I'm considering another option: the D40x. Seeing I still am a beginner in DSLR world maybe the D40x is a good alternative?

What are your thoughts about the comparison D40x-D80? Should I just go for it and get the D80 or will the D40x be a good companion?

The review of both camera's here on cameralabs.com allready gave me some advice, but still I want to think this one through. We are not talking about €20 so I really want to make sure I spend my money on something that fits me perfectly...

Thanks again for all your help!

Hi Yves, the D40x is a great camera, but I personally found it frustrating when it came to changing things like white balance and ISO. Too many steps for me.

It's great for first-time DSLR owners, but you may find yourself outgrowing its control layout sooner rather than later. It's a personal thing though, so I'd advise going back to the shop and comparing the D40x (or D40 as they operate and handle the same) against the D80 and see which you prefer. Try and change the ISO and WB on both.

Gordon

Buying a cheaper body (D40) and spending a little extra on good lenses might also be a good option, and then upgrade the body in the future. The bodies have a lifespan at about 1-2 years whereas lenses last much longer.

Bonjour everybody and especially Gordon,

I discovered Camera Labs through a video on the Pentax K10D posted on YouTube. Adding a "real life" video is a great idea and brings more information, especially on how the handle the camera.

The printed reviews are also "in depth", with to the point comparisons with other cameras. This is especially usefull when someone is looking for data before purchasing a new camera!

Many thanks from France,

_________________
--- rei_vilo
Pentax K-5 + BG4 + DA* 16-50 + DA* 50-135 + DA* 60-250 + AF-540FGZ
reivilophotography.weebly.com

Bonjour rei_vilo, bienvenue a Cameralabs!

Thanks for your kind comments!

Were you considering the K10D yourself?

Gordon

Bonjour Gordon,

Thanks for your kind welcome.

Yes, I am considering a K10D. I bought a Pentax *ist DL a couple of years ago, after many years with a Canon S10 and a Canon A70. That's true photography! I eventually had to re-learn the depth of field...

The Pentax *ist DL is a great camera, despite somehow over-processed colours in automatic mode. But the main point is, I am using the manual controls more and more, enjoying the freedom of taking my picture and pushing the limits. So the K10D offers the big jump, also with the re-use of the classic Pentax zooms (18-55 and 50-200 mm) I already have.

I look around for advice and points of view, and the conclusion for K10D is positive. I hope to provide a feed-back after the first shootings!

Best regards form France,

_________________
--- rei_vilo
Pentax K-5 + BG4 + DA* 16-50 + DA* 50-135 + DA* 60-250 + AF-540FGZ
reivilophotography.weebly.com

After a lot of twists and turns, I finally made my decision: I'm going for the Nikon D40x with the twin lens kit (18-55mm lens and the 55-200mm lens).

I still think the D80 is the better camera in many ways, but I didn't really mind the major differences. Indeed the D80 has some more features, direct access to certain settings and a bit better build quality, but the D40x more than fulfills the needs I have regarding a DSLR. It's so much fun to use, has most of the settings I want at a reasonable price and the "feel" is also great.

Plus: Nikon offers a 90€ cashback on the D40 and D40x models here in Belgium, another extra reason to get the D40x.

My choice: a D40x with twin lens kit, a proper Lowepro bag, 2GB memory card and a second battery and it's still cheaper than the D80 with just one lens. I admitt, the D80 is another league but I don't mind, I just love almost everything about the D40x.


Thanks for all the help, hope I'll be posting my first pictures soon!

Hi Yves, you've certainly given it a lot of thought and you're well aware of the differences, so I'm confident you'll be very happy with your purchase.

Looking forward to seeing your photos - and also to hear what you think of it - once you've got to grips with your new camera, it'd be great if you had time to do a short user report for the Nikon section - it'd be really useful for anyone thinking of buying a D40x...

Gordon