NIKON D50 or CANON REBEL

[msernak]

Hello,

For many years I have been loyal to my Olympus OM2N however with the increasing costs of slide film and development, I have opted to change to digital. I have used a Nikon Point and Shoot but cannot stand the shutter lag. I have heard nothing but good things about the Nikon D50 but have also heard that the Canon Rebel is good. I believe the D50 has 6.1 megapixels and the Canon Rebel has 8 megapixels. What is the difference and does it matter much?

Thanks,
Mike

[pgengler]

I believe the D50 has 6.1 megapixels and the Canon Rebel has 8 megapixels. What is the difference and does it matter much?

The number of megapixels doesn't really matter too much; basically, more MP means you can print at larger sizes without the picture looking terrible, and you also have the ability to crop more and still have high-res photos.

I'm a Canon person myself, but I've heard good things about the Nikons, too, and if you don't have anything invested in either system (and it sounds like you don't) then your best bet is probably to go to a local camera shop and try out both, to see which feels better in your hands, which has a better interface, etc. Those things are more likely to matter than any of the features, which are basically the same between cameras.

[Hudson Terminus]

I believe the D50 has 6.1 megapixels and the Canon Rebel has 8 megapixels. What is the difference and does it matter much?

your best bet is probably to go to a local camera shop and try out both, to see which feels better in your hands, which has a better interface, etc. Those things are more likely to matter than any of the features, which are basically the same between cameras.

Bingo. Trying out both is the best way to go, hands down. Boiled down, it's strictly a matter of taste. You can't go wrong with either. When I bought my D70s, it was more important at the time for me to have the slightly faster frames per second rate and buffer than the Canon I looked at in my price range. Just don't get sucked into the Megapixel war.

[RailBus63]

As information, Nikon no longer offers the D50 - it's been replaced by the D40 (6.1 megapixels) and D40X (10.2 megapixels). This camera has gotten very good reviews from Digital Photography Review and Photo.Net.

On the other hand, my son is learning photography with a Canon EOS Rebel K2 35mm film camera. I've been a Nikon user since 1981, but I really like this camera and the photos it takes, so I wouldn't hesistate to advise someone to seriously consider the Rebel digital camera models.

Jim

[umtrr-author]

I went from a Canon film camera to a Digital Rebel and I have been very pleased with it, but people I respect also say very nice things about the Nikon series.

My main wish about the Rebel was that I had bought it sooner.

[MEC407]

There really aren't any bad digital SLRs on the market right now. All of them are very, very good. Truly, you can't go wrong, no matter which one you choose. It's primarily a matter of determining how much money you want to spend... and if you already have a collection of SLR lenses, that plays an important role too.

The D40 and the D40x are excellent cameras. The only "gotcha" with those two is that they won't autofocus with most older Nikon autofocus lenses. The newer lenses, with the "AF-S" designation, will work perfectly, but older ones that are just "AF" will only work in manual focus mode.

The next model up, the D80, will work perfectly with any autofocus Nikon lens ever made. It also has a much better viewfinder and is larger and heavier (which may or may not be a good thing, depending on your needs and preferences).

Olympus actually makes a very nice, very compact, digital SLR. It won't work with your old OM series lenses (without an adapter, anyway), but they are slowly starting to develop a nice selection of Zuiko digital lenses. Check out this review:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympuse410/

If you're an Olympus fan, it's worth checking out. In terms of image quality, it is definitely capable of competing with Canon and Nikon.

[MEC407]

Here is the section of the review that offers side-by-side comparisons of the Olympus, the Nikon, and the Canon:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympuse410/page19.asp

[Conrail4evr]

It's definitely more up to what the photographer likes better. I looked at Nikon for a good, long time, but ended up with a Canon Rebel XT, which is a very good camera for the money!

[MEC407]

It's definitely more up to what the photographer likes better. I looked at Nikon for a good, long time, but ended up with a Canon Rebel XT, which is a very good camera for the money!

All of the digital SLRs on the market right now are good cameras for the money. It really just boils down to personal preference, unless you've got a lot of existing lenses you want to use.

Also, if you've got money to spend, it's often better to spend it on higher quality lenses than to spend it on more megapixels. Megapixels will only take you so far. A high quality lens, on the other hand, can make a much bigger difference in the sharpness of your photos.

[myfavscr]

The 4th of July is around the corner. If you are a first time buyer like I
was, look for the promotional sales in the Sunday paper. I was caught
between the Nikon and Cannon cameras myself so i decided to look
for the best deal. On Memorial Day I picked up a Rebel XT package
from Circuit City that included a 75-300mm lens ,carrying case, extra
battery,and lens cleaning kit for $850.