Thanks for the comparison!

Yes, I am aware that I really do not want to buy the "S" or Digital only
lenses. Good points on the low light conditions, as I really like to
photograph using existing light and rely on the ability to crank up the ISO
with low noise. The lack of movies does not bother me.

Thanks!


"David J Taylor"
wrote in
message o.uk...
Robbie wrote:
I have a friend that has a Nikon - Coolpix 8400 camera. I have a DSLR
(20D). I was looking at all that his Coolpix offers, and it is pretty
close to what I have.
From what I can see, the difference, other than being able to swap
the lens: 20d vs 8400

Shutter speed of 8000 vs 3000
ISO up to 3200 vs 400
5fps vs 2.3
8.2MP vs 8.0MP
9 point focus system on both
35 metering zone vs 4 metering zone
4 focus modes vs 3
dof preview versus none
color adjustments versus none
no movie vs quicktime movies

I was surprised that the coolpix has Automatic, Aperture Priority,
Shutter Priority and Full Manual Settings. It touts a lot of bang for
the buck. In my comparison, am I missing other points? I am trying to
make a fair comparison, and I am a newbie in the DSLR scene, so I
hope I am not missing the obvious. Anyway, all feedback is
appreciated.

I have a Nikon 8400 and find it to be an excellent camera producing good
quality images. Of course, compared to the DSLR you can't change lenses,
so I bought a Panasonic FZ5 with an image stabilised 432mm f/3.3 lens for
telephoto shots. Compared to the DSLR, it has a limited ISO range, and I
need to apply software noise reduction on images taken at ISO 400. It is
also slightly slower in use than a DSLR, although it is fast for a point
and shoot.

It really depends on what you want to do, and what your aims are. The
slow lens and limited sensitivity of the Nikon 8400 would limit its use in
lower light conditions - will that matter to you? Movies add a lot to a
subject - is the lack of movies important? Do you think you will want to
invest a lot in the inevitable lens collection which you will gather with
a DSLR? Do you know that some lenses you buy today won't work on the next
generation of full-frame DSLRs?

Questions, always questions!

David