I hope theres some photographers here.. because i need help.. its a really hard decision to either get the Cannon 30d or the Nikon D80, i currently have a pro-sumer Oly e-500 and have issues with low light focusing as well as focusing times aren't up to par.. i plan on taking pics at car shows as well as clubs... so fast focusing is a must...

what you guys think?

 

if your gonna spend the money on it get the nikon D80

 

i got the D80 about 2 months ago. The focus time is super fast and image quality is superior. My only beef with it is there is some noticeable "burn in" if you are doing a really long exposure night shot. Basically, it puts a purple haze in the upper corners of the frame. It is a known problem with the nikon. However, I would not let that deter you from getting this camera, I absolutely love it. Hope that helps.

 

wow great...the focus time is what i've been mostly concerned about and 11 focus points over the 9 on the canon leans me toward the nikon.. but every photographer i meet and see use a cannon and recommend it... but i've been hearing a lot of good things about the d80 and since the price is the same as teh 30d and d80 its a hard decision.. but i do love the menu system on the d80 over the cannon.

 

yeah, the menu system is great on the nikon, very intuitive. In fact, I think that the whole layout of the camera is very well designed, very ergonomic and comfortable. I think at this level, it really comes down to how you feel holding the camera. Which one feels better in your hands? Bottom line, they are both excellent cameras, I just happen to personally lean towards the nikon. Plus, just about every review I read online favors the nikon over the canon.

 

i think in the long run its all about preference... the nikon is simply an amazing camera, but im loyal to canon... i also have the E500 and kinda get what ur talking about... im trying to get rid of mine right now as well.. hahah.. best of luck.,. NIKON is def a better pick tho..

 

lol.. i guess nikon is sounding good.. but my dad has some old ef lenses for our old film eos, i think there compatible also i have a 540 speedlight for the canon that i've been using in manual mode in my e-500 so only accessories would be pushing me towards the cannon... but i don't want to regret getting a older camera when the nikon is a newer camera and from what everybody sez is a better deal.

also how much u selling ur e-500? i wonder how much i can get for mine..

any ideas what would be the best lense to match with it?

 

i'm preferably a Canon guy...

but in reality.. Nikon and Canon each have their strong and weak points... but all of it is on preference...

nothing about them are really bad in any way.. it's just what you prefer more as far as features, availability of lenses/accessories, etc...

imo, Canon has a very large selection of high quality lenses if you do alot of various shots... along with really good accessories in general

Nikon is more of a pro's choice, i think, due to more versatility of control for a shot on the camera itself.

typical shots, i would say a lense that can change anywhere in between 18-55mm is sufficent for day to day shots.

 

18-55 just happens to be the stock lense on teh canon ^^

i'm a canon *****, i admit. Their L series lense are just sex... in glass form. i like their bodies too. I've played around with my own 20d, a friends XTi, and a friends 1D MkII, and i've never been lost in the menu system. finding adjustments isnt hard or time consuming.

i admit to never playing with nikon dslr's, so i admit to some bias.

 

never had a problem with canon

 

^^ lol.. yeah... i know...

grrr.. i hate it how canon loves to make camera's obsolete... their technology advances quite a bit quickly...

i still have the digital rebel... 6.3MP... big body.. compared to the XT... and now the 10MP XTi which now cost as much as when i bought my camera... grrrr...

but nikons are realllllly nice for what they're able to do.

 

my Nikon D70 pwnz me....my vote is for the D80

 

If you're not 100% stuck on those two choices, you might want to look at the two newest Pentax models (K100D & K10D). I own the K100D and it has impressed me. It has excellent low light performance, 11 point focus and true optical image stabilization built into the camera body. That means any lens I use is stabilized without having to spend big $$$ on it. The camera has a full-auto mode, full manual settings, and several custom settings in between. The K10D is a higher version with a few extra goodies. Both are well worth a close look.