10D or D100?

[perfectpixel]

It might be heresy (to some of you) to ask this question, and asking in this forum might influence the results, but I am stuck deciding between a canon 10D or a Nikon D100.
I have no lenses that would fit either body, so that deciding factor is out.
After weeks of research, both cameras seem to be comparable in image quality (at least I don't think this point is debateable).
I'd appreciate your thoughts on the following points regarding these cameras.
Which camera has: (in no particular order)
fast buffer times (ie smallest shutter lag, and shot-to-shot lag)
higher fps capability
better low light capability.
better suited for action photography (outdoor sporting events).
be suitable for IR photography.
better battery life. And fewer "must have" options that don't come bundled with the body.
better (= less expensive) choices for lenses. (since my decision now would be a long term commitment to the brand)

You'd think there would be a site that would list all these in a head-to-head comparision, but if there is I sure haven't found it and would greatly appreciate your input.
thanks!

[lziering]

Nikon has been left in the dust by Canon in the digital arena. The 10D is better in every respect. The D60 was a better camera than the Nikon D100 so when Canon released the 10D (which is a much better camera than the D60) the decision became easy for new buyers. Nikon has only two advantages that I am aware of, first, it has a variable self timer, second, it has a slightly fast start up time. Most important, images from the 10D have far less noise.

Just hold the two cameras in you hand and you will see that the Canon is built like a pro camera and the Nikon is built like a $300 consumer camera.

[wildbill]

obviously...

However, shooting both, here's a couple quick things I've discovered:

--D100 has actual Spot Metering. 10d does not. If you do low-light theatre work, where the performers have dark clothing this makes a difference.

--10d has a much easier, more common-sense Menu. and with the new zoom capability on the playback, it matches the D100 (in my use)

--BG-3ED grip (Canon) feels much better to me than the MB-100 (Nikon)...after a day of shooting, the Big Ed is still firm on the camera, while I find myself continually reaching down to tighten the MB-100.

--Canon has edge in affordable, quality lenses. Nikon is catching up, but still not nearly the selection available for Canon

--finally, I prefer the color straight out of the 10d to that of the D100 -- but this is a very personal choice:

by design, the Canon shots are slightly more saturated, the Nikon a bit more neutral. Some like the saturation, others like what Nikon calls the "authentic reproduction" of the scene.

with either camera, you'll quickly become a pro at using PhotoShop, Elements, or whatever your favorite software is.

Hope that helps a bit.

Scotty B.

[perfectpixel]

thanks.
that does help a bit.
I take it both cameras are comparabale when it comes to action photography.
Trouble is, I havent found a place in town that carries both cameras to get that "hold em at thesame time" feeling. So comments fom folks that have experience with both really helps.
thanks

[scotknight]

10 D by far...Have tried them both, same day same condition. The shutter of the D100 is a nightmare. Gives the impression to be set on 1 second all the time.
Alos the canon lenses (I have have the 28 -200 3.5) is a dream compared to my nikon ( used to have a Nikon F4 with 28-105) Soft and accurate. With the conversion rate of 1.6 it makes a 48-320..... Get a wide angle and you are all set. Also the menu is made for unintelligent people like me so it is easy to understand without falling asleep on the manual.

[CyberDyneSystems]

Unstuck,

I ,. like you,. was faced with this same question and have been debating it since the D100 came out. I had no lenses at the time. ( I was first attracted to DSLRs by the d30 but could not afford it.)

Between the D100 and the D60,. I was ready to buy the D100. This despite the fact that my research on the lenses led me to lean towards the Canon camp. The D100 was a little cheaper,. and its low light and overall autofocus performance seemed to be better.

But I still did not buy....

Then the 10D came out. Now the only reason to buy the D100 is if you have an investment on Nikon lenses.

The 10D is better in allmost all testable specs,. and it is less expensive. Its color rendition is spectacular.

[davekone]

I went through the exact same decision! I over analyzed this. I had no lenses for either type of camera, I'm sure that would have swayed my decisions a bit! What really got me was the time the cameras took to cycle when taking pictures.

Nikon d100 .47/1.48
Canon 10d .42/1.12

First time is until the cameras internal buffer filles, the second number is cycle time after the buffer is full. The Canon is quite a bit faster faster. This was cycle times for Fine JPEG mode.

In RAW mode 10d and TIFF mode Nikon the cycle times are:
10d .34 Buffer clears in 37.13 seconds
d100 .35 Buffer clears in 74 seconds

There are several places the d100 is simply slower than the 10d. That sold me, I wanted quality pictures, but I wanted speed as well. That tipped the scale. By the way make sure you compare the numbers correctly if speed is important, there are two columns sometimes one for a slow CF card, and then a column for a highspeed card like the Lexar 32x.

These numbers are from www.imaging-resource.com
10d
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/E10D/E10DA7.HTM

100d
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/ND100/D10A7.HTM

Hope this helps.
David Kone

[perfectpixel]

thanks guys!
Now I wonder what I would hear if I find a similar BB for Nikon cameras :D
But seriously I do appreciate it.
My only point of reference for a DSLR is a Nikon D1x I borrowed for a couple of hours. A 3MP camera, but very fast and sharp. If the 10D is anywhere as good as that I won't have any complaints.
It's nice to be avle to track and shoot off 3-6 frames while the kids swing at the ball.
Looks like I'd need two lenses though a 28-200 and the wide angle 17-40 f4. Too bad there's no 17-200, or is there?
thanks again

[daveh]

unstuck wrote:
... A 3MP camera, but very fast and sharp. ... Too bad there's no 17-200, or is there?

Keep in mind that the lens has something to do with sharpness too. ;)

BTW for an opinion from a salesman last week - quoting from memory: "I'm a Nikon shooter but I wouldn't buy a D100 now. I'd wait for Nikon to come out with something competitive or at least to drop the price on the D100 substantially. On the plus side, I can sell you a D100 today and I've got a 5 week wait on the 10D."

I usually don't place a lot of faith in what sales people say, but usually they lean strongly towards pushing what they have in stock.

[lluscombe]

Hi,

If this helps, I am an amateur and had a fairly comprehensive Nikon system until the 10D was available several weeks ago. I sold everything: Nikon D1, F100, FA, 80-200 2.8 AF, 20mm AF, 50mm AF, 28-105 AF, 24-85G AFS, and a host of other Nikon stuff just to get the 10D. The 10D is so far advanced from anything that Nikon has (and I am a Nikon not a Canon fan) that I bought the 10D and several lenses (70-200L, 100mm USM macro, 24-85 USM) without ever having seen or handled Canon equipment in my life. I have no regrets. Noise, even at 400 ISO, is absent (D1 was horrible), the battery lasts almost as long as a film SLR (D1 lifespan was only a couple of hours, and the battery is 3 times the phisical size). Images are great right out of the camera, if you know what you are doing. The CMOS sensor is far less prone to dust, and any dust that is there is far less noticeable. And last, but not least, the 10D has a rugged metal bod, the D100 feels terrible. As well, the D100 seems to have a small, dim finder; the 10D seems nearly as large as a 35mm and is super-bright. As I said, I am a Nikon fan, and had all the lenses, etc. but this was certainly worth the switch.

If you are looking for a Nikon digital message board, try this:
http://www.nikond1.net/

The folks there are great, and will give you their side of the story. Actally, none of them even contest the fact that Canon is far ahead in technology, but are hoping that Nikon will catch up. I wished this for a while, but Canon has a much larger R&D budget, and are releasing models at a much higher rate and selling many times more units than Nikon, so I think they will have a difficult time keeping up to Canon, at least for a good while.

Hope that helps. And if Nikon does make good progress in their digital products, I may be tempted to switch back. Until then I will enjoy the 10D, which (overall) is the greatest camera I have yet used.

[martcol]

unstuck wrote:
asking in this forum might influence the results


Hmmmm, looks like you were right.

I moved from G2 to 10D and have been bowled over. I almost bought the D100 as pre-10D all the research I did made it look like the one to go for. The 10D seems to have turned that on its head and it looks like Canon did a good job with price, timing, spec et. Oh, I can't say it's a good thing that a camera body costs 6 months "disposable income," but you know what I mean if you've come this far!

Anway, there are it seems, problems with Autofocus, and one or two other things but though I haven't looked I imagine there are similar debates in Nikon/Sigma/Fuji gangs. This forum is fabulous, but at times opinions can be a littel scary. I suppose, it tends to attract the slightly geeky end user, I should say enthusiast, :D but on occaisions the views expressed need to be errr, balanced out a bit.

Anyway, I predict: if you buy a 10D you will love it, you will take it to bed with you (it's not a sex thang; it helps to have it near when you read the manual) and you will feel smug when others ask you about it. It happens.

Martin

[perfectpixel]

just when I think I got my mind made up, I read something like "focus problems"....
I'll probably end up waitng a couple of months a see if the dust settles. Although I can't wait to take one to bed NOW.
sure could have used it for the lunar eclipse tonight.
thanks for all the comments.

[Pekka]

unstuck wrote:
just when I think I got my mind made up, I read something like "focus problems"....
I'll probably end up waitng a couple of months a see if the dust settles. Although I can't wait to take one to bed NOW.
sure could have used it for the lunar eclipse tonight.
thanks for all the comments.

If you need a camera now get it now. All cameras have and will have some problems, and 10D problem (if you happen to be one of the rare unlucky ones) can be fixed in repair under warranty.

[mdao]

I debate the same things too, I used nikon stuff before, but I sell every things to buy a 10D.


Pretty much everythings have been said, but the only things that canon 10D do not have is spot meetering. I can be handy at times.

Canon have partial metering and if my memory is correct is cover ( 9 degree vs 1-2 degree for spot)