DSLR QUANDRY 3 in my price range

I have been looking at on line 3 10.+ MP DSLR cameras.
Sony alpha
Canon rebel XTi
Nikon D 40x

all with the "parent company" stock standard lens
also looking for a longer zoom lens to about 300MM or so
All cameras seem to be adequate and have the about the same
recommendations.

I have perused Dpreview and still cannot make-up my mind.
I have not been able to handle the SONY, but the other two feel ok to
me.

any major faults with any of the above listed ones

TIA, Howard

"fishfeeder@gmail(dot)com" wrote in message
oups.com...
I have been looking at on line 3 10.+ MP DSLR cameras.
Sony alpha
Canon rebel XTi
Nikon D 40x

all with the "parent company" stock standard lens
also looking for a longer zoom lens to about 300MM or so
All cameras seem to be adequate and have the about the same
recommendations.

I have perused Dpreview and still cannot make-up my mind.
I have not been able to handle the SONY, but the other two feel ok to
me.

any major faults with any of the above listed ones

Just one thing sticks out, and that's the noise on the Sony; it appears
somewhat worse at high ISOs than the other two. You're not going to go wrong
with any of them.


TIA, Howard

"Kinon O'Cann" wrote in message
...

"fishfeeder@gmail(dot)com" wrote in message
oups.com...
I have been looking at on line 3 10.+ MP DSLR cameras.
Sony alpha
Canon rebel XTi
Nikon D 40x

all with the "parent company" stock standard lens
also looking for a longer zoom lens to about 300MM or so
All cameras seem to be adequate and have the about the same
recommendations.

I have perused Dpreview and still cannot make-up my mind.
I have not been able to handle the SONY, but the other two feel ok to
me.

any major faults with any of the above listed ones

Just one thing sticks out, and that's the noise on the Sony; it appears
somewhat worse at high ISOs than the other two. You're not going to go
wrong with any of them.


TIA, Howard


Sony
For normal photography, the noise on the Sony is not really much of an
issue; sure if you are going to shoot rock music gigs and so on it might be
bad when you push it over ISO 400, but are you?
Its problems are (a) it is too big (for my taste anyway) (b) it is plastic
(c) it has a proprietary hot shoe.
Its good points are (a) Wide range of lenses (b) excellent user interface
(c) image stabilization (d) dust removal system.

Canon
Problems are (a) no spot metering (b) it is plastic (c)no image
stabilization
Good points: owners will need to tell you

Nikon
Problems are (a) no image stabilization (b) it is plastic (c) No dust
removal
Good points: owners will need to tell you

Although as Kit said "They are all good and you won't go far wrong with any
of them",

Roger

"Roger" wrote in message
...

"Kinon O'Cann" wrote in message
...

"fishfeeder@gmail(dot)com" wrote in message
oups.com...
I have been looking at on line 3 10.+ MP DSLR cameras.
Sony alpha
Canon rebel XTi
Nikon D 40x

all with the "parent company" stock standard lens
also looking for a longer zoom lens to about 300MM or so
All cameras seem to be adequate and have the about the same
recommendations.

I have perused Dpreview and still cannot make-up my mind.
I have not been able to handle the SONY, but the other two feel ok to
me.

any major faults with any of the above listed ones

Just one thing sticks out, and that's the noise on the Sony; it appears
somewhat worse at high ISOs than the other two. You're not going to go
wrong with any of them.


TIA, Howard


Sony
For normal photography, the noise on the Sony is not really much of an
issue; sure if you are going to shoot rock music gigs and so on it might
be bad when you push it over ISO 400, but are you?
Its problems are (a) it is too big (for my taste anyway) (b) it is plastic
(c) it has a proprietary hot shoe.
Its good points are (a) Wide range of lenses (b) excellent user interface
(c) image stabilization (d) dust removal system.

Canon
Problems are (a) no spot metering (b) it is plastic (c)no image
stabilization
Good points: owners will need to tell you

Nikon
Problems are (a) no image stabilization (b) it is plastic (c) No dust
removal
Good points: owners will need to tell you

Although as Kit said "They are all good and you won't go far wrong with
any of them",

Roger
With the "it's plastic" mantra, you sound like RichA. Get used to seeing
hi-tech plastics in cameras...it's the most cost effective means of
production now, and better than metal for some applications.

Yoshi

fishfeeder@gmail(dot)com wrote:

I have been looking at on line 3 10.+ MP DSLR cameras.
Sony alpha
Canon rebel XTi
Nikon D 40x

all with the "parent company" stock standard lens
also looking for a longer zoom lens to about 300MM or so
All cameras seem to be adequate and have the about the same
recommendations.

I have perused Dpreview and still cannot make-up my mind.
I have not been able to handle the SONY, but the other two feel ok to
me.

any major faults with any of the above listed ones

TIA, Howard

You may have to flip a coin, but you really can't go far wrong. Faced
with the same decision, I've chosen the XTi over the Nikon (the Sony
wasn't a contender), but it's an entirely personal choice based on
reading all the reviews AND handling the cameras for quite a while. What
sold me on the XTi may not be at all important to other people. Though
it has a dimmer viewfinder, the viewfinder image is much sharper over
the full field. The D 40x looks soft to me, and manual focus isn't as
convincing. I dislike a blurry image in a viewfinder, and three
different D 40s all looked that way. I liked the autofocus action, the
feel of how it behaved, better on the XTi. I liked the display on the
back better on the XTi. I think the images are better on the XTi, but I
am in a minority on this, and the difference is so slight that in
practice it probably would never matter.

There were things I liked about the Nikon better than the Canon, like
its brighter viewfinder, but in the end, for me, the bottom line went to
the Canon. I would never argue I am right and someone else is wrong or
one is a better camera than the other. I think you really have to play
with them for a while, imagine that you are using them in the field and
doing the things you would be doing, and see if that helps. If not, then
flip a coin. Also, it could be that if the cameras themselves won't lead
to a decision, maybe a specific lens that goes with one that really
appeals to you would decide it.

Joe

Yoshi wrote:
With the "it's plastic" mantra, you sound like RichA. Get used to seeing
hi-tech plastics in cameras...it's the most cost effective means of
production now, and better than metal for some applications.

Yes, and now even with jumbo jets: no more aluminum;
the new Boeing 787 is plastic!

Roger

On Jul 12, 6:57 pm, "Roger N. Clark (change username to rnclark)"
wrote:
Yoshi wrote:
With the "it's plastic" mantra, you sound like RichA. Get used to seeing
hi-tech plastics in cameras...it's the most cost effective means of
production now, and better than metal for some applications.

Yes, and now even with jumbo jets: no more aluminum;
the new Boeing 787 is plastic!

Roger

I bet RichA will never fly in one!

fishfeeder@gmail(dot)com wrote:
I have been looking at on line 3 10.+ MP DSLR cameras.
Sony alpha
Canon rebel XTi
Nikon D 40x

all with the "parent company" stock standard lens
also looking for a longer zoom lens to about 300MM or so
All cameras seem to be adequate and have the about the same
recommendations.

I have perused Dpreview and still cannot make-up my mind.
I have not been able to handle the SONY, but the other two feel ok to
me.

any major faults with any of the above listed ones

TIA, Howard

How come your not looking at the pentax k10D?

wrote in message
news
fishfeeder@gmail(dot)com wrote:
I have been looking at on line 3 10.+ MP DSLR cameras.
Sony alpha
Canon rebel XTi
Nikon D 40x

all with the "parent company" stock standard lens
also looking for a longer zoom lens to about 300MM or so
All cameras seem to be adequate and have the about the same
recommendations.

I have perused Dpreview and still cannot make-up my mind.
I have not been able to handle the SONY, but the other two feel ok to
me.

any major faults with any of the above listed ones

TIA, Howard

How come your not looking at the pentax k10D?


Cos its a Pentax I guess and not Nanon or Cikon.

Did you adjust the viewfinder?
"Built-in diopter adjustment (-1.7 to +0.5 m)
My D40 was adjusted to one extreme out of the box. It took me a few
minutes to determine what was wrong. But you are right about the manual
focus indicator. It's hard to see and very sensitive.
Glenn
Though
it has a dimmer viewfinder, the viewfinder image is much sharper over
the full field. The D 40x looks soft to me, and manual focus isn't as
convincing. I dislike a blurry image in a viewfinder, and three
different D 40s all looked that way.
Joe