D60 v.Canon Rebel Xti

[phaither]

i have the opportunity to buy either of these cameras, used. which do you prefer and why?
faith

[dlambert]

Either of those cameras is fine to start (at least). Choosing your first DSLR is really more about buying into a product line than it is about the specific camera body you're looking at. Presumably, you're going to go on to buy some lenses, and at some point it's likely that you'll end up with some memory cards, a spare battery(s), a flash(es), a bag(s), tripod(s), and so on.

Some of that stuff is going to work with any camera, but some (like lenses) will work only if you stick with Nikon or Canon. If you decide later that you want to trade up to a D90 or a 60D (or whatever), you'll be able to keep any lenses you've accumulated, but if you want to switch from Nikon to Canon (or whatever), that's going to get to be a pretty expensive proposition.

Try to make your choice with this in mind. Are there lenses you've got in mind for either of these? Have you tried either of them out to see if you like the way they fit your hand, or the way the interface works?

[phaither]

what you say makes sense. i'm actually planning a trip to my local camera shop to do some recon... it's such a tough decision. i'm not sure if i even want to buy used. i'm waiting to hear about the # of shutter actuations later tonight.

[dlambert]

I'm not sure about the Nikon, but I believe that particular Canon has no way to tell the true shutter count unless you're a Canon technician. The 40D can do this, but I had the same problem with my 30D -- no way to know for sure. The image counter can be confused for an actuation count, but it can roll over or be reset, so it's not reliable.

[inkista]

The Canon XTi, because I have about $5000 worth of Canon EOS lenses.

Both are great cameras. The only drawback to going with the D60 is the lack of a built-in focus motor, so that you have to have an AF-S lens if you want autofocus. This is fine if you don't shoot fast action or you like zoom lenses (most of Nikon's zooms are AF-S). But if you intend to shoot fast action with (cheaper) fast prime lenses, it can become limiting. If you plan on shooting low-light fast action, such as children indoors, stage performances, or indoor sports and you don't have $1600 to blow on a 70-200 f/2.8 VR lens, then you may want to consider going up a step to the D70/D80/D90 tier instead.

The Canon XTi has no such issue and will autofocus with all the current EF and EF-S Canon lenses.

[ravncat]

But if you like manual focusing and older lenses - the d60 will mount with just about every nikon lens made.

[inkista]

Originally Posted by ravncat

But if you like manual focusing and older lenses - the d60 will mount with just about every nikon lens made.

And with an adapter ring, the Canon XTi can mount all the same manual-focus F-mount lenses the D60 can, can also mount all the pre-AI ones that will break a D90 and up bodies, and can also mount Olympus OM, Contax/Yashica, Pentax-K, M42, and Leica-R lenses, too.

AND will retain accurate (stop-down) metering, which the D60 won't have. The only advantage with the D60 is that you don't need an adapter ring. You need to get up to the D200/D300 tier of bodies to get metering back with non-CPU lenses.

If you really like the vintage MF glass, I still say Canon.


Canon 350D/XT, adapted pre-AI Nikkor 55mm S f/1.2.