How do these DSLR compare?

Canon 350D?
Canon 20D?
Nikon D50?
Nikon D70?
Nikon D70s?

 

www.dpreview.com

 

Also see steves-digicams.com

Do you already own any good lenses? That is a bigger deal than the difference between those brands.

The D70 and D70s are not substantially different (I own a D70s). The biggest perk of the D70s, to me, is using a wired remote shutter release (vs. wireless IR only-from-the-front for the D70).

I've been exclusively a Nikon digital user but I wouldn't hestitate to recommend Canon. Several friends use them and I like them. Handle the cameras in a retail store. They do handle differently.

What are you using for a printer? You might not be as impressed with more megapixels unless you step up the plate with a nice printer.

Planning on buying a grey-market import? Avoid Nikon because they are extremely pissy on warranty and service of grey imports.

Last I heard, the D50 was the cheapest entry into dSLR's. My only advice if you go that way would be to skip the D50's kit lenses and buy the D70's 18-70 mm kit lens, an absolutely stunning lens for the price (or check out the newest 18-200-ish super-zooms if that's your thing).

Want to go wider? Check out the Tokina 12-24 mm f4. I love that lens (a bit heavy). Too many choices to shout one out but when you go longer avoid the common cheap 70-300 mm f4-ish zooms (<$200 prices). You may never be satisfied with its image quality. I have one of the best of the breed (Nikon's ED version) and it still sucks.

 

the bang for the buck camera would be the canon rebel xt. the only thing i dislike of the rebel xt is its more compact size compared with all the other DSLRs you listed. personally, i'd go for the canon 20D. it's quite a bit more than the rebel xt in price without offering significantly more than the rebel xt in features, but i just prefer the full sized DSLR feel. also, imo, canon makes some of the better lenses out there...and of course if you want to get your hands on those lenses, be prepared to spend an arm and a leg.

 

 

I have a Canon digital Rebel (not XT)... it's 6.5 mp I believe... While I love the camera, I had a Nikon film SLR previous to this one. The only drawback to the Canon compared to Nikon is that the Canon autofocus is a little slow, especially with aftermarket lenses. Tamron especially. Nikon AF appears to be faster/more accurate.

edit: check out www.beachcamera.com, I have ordered 3 cameras from them, and their packages are a pretty good value. Also, fast shipping and great service.

 

I'm not a fan of Canon's interface, the Nikon one is a bit better on the D70. I like the Fuji S2 Pro a whole lot, even though it's an older model.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujis2pro/

 

D70S FTW

 

my friend had 2 of those break down on her.

 

Surprising. The only thing that has broken the S2 I'm familiar with was a ~60mph collision with a guardrail where the camera flew off the seat of a car and into the dashboard. The place where the camera was bought serviced it for free, even after that.

I guess the point of my post was more to encourage you to try a few different models to see how you like the button layout and general interface of the camera. The S2 is most intuitive to me, but I'm sure some prefer the D70 and maybe even the digital rebels, though I found them quite clumsily laid out.

Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks.