XTi -vs- D80

[Carloswill]

I was just wondering what you guys thought the difference was between the Nikon D80 & the Rebel XTi?

Do you guys prefer you over the other and why beyond this being a Canon Forums...

[mxwphoto]

From a price point of view, the two cameras shouldn't be compared as equals. The XTi is about $200 less than the D80. If I had to compare them though, I'd prefer the D80's build, XTi's sensor clean and more intuitive interface, and some of the extra functions on the D80 that I'll probably never need but like it for the "ooooooh" factor. That said, the D80 is more comparable to Canon's 20D and 30D, in which I'd grab either of the Canons. If you want a XTi comparable from Nikon, D70s perhaps. I heard they're also making a D40 that somewhat fits the bill.

[coreypolis]

they each have their own advantages. the d80 has a imo, better metering mode, better af, better body etc.

the xti has its own great features which I'm sure you know of since you own it

[Billginthekeys]

both are very capable bodies. if i were just starting out and didnt have any gear or company preferences, i would take a long hard look at the D80. but being myself and taking into account the canon lens and accessory lineup, it is more to my liking and i would choose canon. if i did choose canon though for the price of the D80 i would probably throw a little but more in and buy the 20D or 30D. for a new photographer the D80 looks like a pretty sweet package though.

[Carloswill]

I have been a little complex'd with the XTi and it's lack of spot metering so the company offered me an exchange for little cost to a Nikon D80. I was told it was a better camera and have been consiering this.

[Billginthekeys]

I have been a little complex'd with the XTi and it's lack of spot metering so the company offered me an exchange for little cost to a Nikon D80. I was told it was a better camera and have been consiering this.

if you like canon you should look at the 30D. it has spot metering, and is better than the XTi and D80. there is also a rebate out for it right now, so you wouldnt have to pay much more.

[Carloswill]

The 30D has less MP so I was wondering what makes it better. Obviously from price, it seems to be better but the specs don't appear so...

[Jon]

Megapixels aren't all. It's got more frames per second, spot metering, ISO 3200, controls that many of us find more convenient . . .

[Carloswill]

Yes - It appears to be a nicer camera however my option is keep the XTi or swap it for the D80...???

[surfologist]

Just curious, why do you 'have' to get the d80?

Why cant you swap the xti for the 30D?

[StealthLude]

Megapixels aren't all. It's got more frames per second, spot metering, ISO 3200, controls that many of us find more convenient . . .


ditto...

Id get a 20D or 30D over a XTi any day. I can care less about 10 megapixles. Point and shoots have 10 megapixes. It doesnt mean its better.

[Billginthekeys]

or return it for money back?

[basroil]

they each have their own advantages. the d80 has a imo, better metering mode, better af, better body etc.

the xti has its own great features which I'm sure you know of since you own it

d80 has a more accurate wide af , not necessarily a better one. xti does have a crosstype sensor, and d80 has better nightime focus. xti should forcus faster with sub 1k usm lenses than d80 with sub 1k lenses. d80 is chunkier, xti has smaller buttons you won't hit with a big nose. stuff's like that. as for metering, d80 only has one extra point in metering, at the expense of a worse off partial metering

[ahmads]

I was going through the whole Nikon D80 vs Canon XTi vs Canon D30 debate myslef a few weeks ago. I have always liked the Canon brand for cameras, all my p&s ahve been Canon. In the end I bought the XTi because how much it cost relative to the Canon D30. From what everything I have heard both Canon and Nikon make top notch DSLRs. I personaly wouldnt even think of buying a sony DSLR, to me that would be like buying a Canon TV. :)
Btw, do you really need spot metering? The XTi is excellent value in my opinion.

[Tsmith]

I recently compared the two first hand and honestly felt the D80 was a nicer camera. Having owned an XT and now 30D the new XTi felt very smallish in my hands and I was one of the ones that found the XT's size very appealing at first, that was until I held a 20D.

Like others though the D80 needs to be paired against the 30D which I'd take any day between those two.

[farrukh]

Swap it for D200 if you want to switch Nikon.

[Tee Why]

I was just wondering what you guys thought the difference was between the Nikon D80 & the Rebel XTi?

Do you guys prefer you over the other and why beyond this being a Canon Forums...

I think Nikon overall may give you more for the money here.

[pushrod]

nikon = sd cards.... :mad:

[Billginthekeys]

nikon = sd cards.... :mad:
yea, that is a frustration i think a lot of reviewers overlooked. odd with how much they nitpicked the canon in compairison to it :rolleyes:.

[mxwphoto]

yea, that is a frustration i think a lot of reviewers overlooked. odd with how much they nitpicked the canon in compairison to it :rolleyes:.

If all things equal, I'd actually rather use SD cards instead. Smaller, lighter, and more swappable between electronics. But yeah, nitpicked.

[Marquis Photos]

the XTi is a very capable lil camera. It needs to be matched up with a vertical grip though, and then the camera has a really nice balance and hand hold. The XTi is very responsive, almost keeps up with my 20D. I use my XTi at weddings as my candid camera and is on my left shoulder on standby while I shoot with my 20D. It has a pretty easy custom WB feature too. Build quality is not that great on it. I hate the plastic grip that looks like rubber. I wish it were rubber. There is some inconsistancy in quality control from canon on the XTi. I am on my second body. If you get one make sure you test it thouroghly within the store policies return/exchange window. Usually 15 or 30 days. The auto cleaning cycle can get annoying everytime the camera goes on and off. I suggest turning auto off, especially if you are not changing lenses often.

I like Nikon, I owned a D1 and still have a D100. I seriously looked at the D50 and the D80 compared to the XTi. In my in-store play, it seemed that the xti was quicker to focus and expose than the D80. The xti seemes to have just barely less shutter lag. The D80 most definate, has a better grip and feel more substantial in your hands. Feels more solid and professional. It is heavier than the Xti.

What killed the D80 for me was two fold. 1) since I was shooting primarily with my canon bodies, I chose the XTi for consistancy of the look of the images and color. I do think, however, Nikon has better color balance presets. 2) the fact the D80 has no CF memory card slot. This would be a major pain for me having all my other equipment take CF cards. If this had been my first DSLR purchase, it would not have been an issue to me. But after using CF and getting used to it, the SD cards seem so tiny and fragile. I think I would loose them on my desk. And if you have big hands/fingers, CF cards are much easier to handle.

You can pic up new 20D's for just a little more than the XTi now too, which is a stronger camera.

[Jon]

If all things equal, I'd actually rather use SD cards instead. Smaller, lighter, and more swappable between electronics. But yeah, nitpicked.
Really? Tried changing SD cards with gloves (or cold fingers)? Plus the SD card slot's less robust than the CF slot based on my experiences with both. My A620's SD card is now held in place by the compartment door; open the compartment and it springs out. Never had a problem with any of my CF slots or their "big brother" PCMCIA slots, and I've used a lot of those in cameras, computers, PDAs, . . .

[goatee]

Canon & Nikon do this deliberately. One thing Nikons have is better flash capabilities (e.g. the built in flash is wireless master, bttl)

[evandavies]

There have been a huge number of posts about this question here and on DPreview.

Looking at all the examples and comparison images between the two I think the XTi produces better fine detail. The XTi also has less noise at higher ISO tho its not by much.

Colour is harder to compare because it depends alot on the lens. Besides, it isn't as critical because its easy to correct.

The D80 has some nice features but for me image quality is the whole point of going to DSLR.

[Billginthekeys]

Really? Tried changing SD cards with gloves (or cold fingers)? Plus the SD card slot's less robust than the CF slot based on my experiences with both. My A620's SD card is now held in place by the compartment door; open the compartment and it springs out. Never had a problem with any of my CF slots or their "big brother" PCMCIA slots, and I've used a lot of those in cameras, computers, PDAs, . . .
not to mention that SD cards are much easier to break and/or become corrupted. For a professional, or anyone serious about photography CF is defintly the better choice. its a DSLR nikon, not a P&S, i dont know what business they thought they had putting an SD slot in it.

[evandavies]

...i dont know what business they thought they had putting an SD slot in it.

Its a selling point for people upgrading from P&S because they can keep using the same cards...

[steved110]

The D80 is a better specc'd camera than the XTi / 400D and if you are entering the DSLR market with out a lens collection or pre conceived loyalties to a brand, the D80, is the better camera. But Eos is the better system, and copmparing the D80 with the XTi is not copmparing like with like.
If I had the cash i'd go straight to a 30D, if not I'd be very tempted by the D80 - but in the end I'd stay wedded to Canon.

[strmrdr]

The best reason to go canon is right here,,,
I haven't found a good nikon web community and iv been looking.
When I'm looking for gear that's the first thing I look for.
The support, help, and ideas you get from a good community are priceless.

nikon messed over their p&s line too which is another reason im avoiding them.
The L series is a serious downgrade from the older camera's.

[chows4us]

Im reading contradictory opinions here on both sides of the issue and this is something I am sorting out. I've read about every review I can find and the conclusion seems to be any pic taken by either will be a wash. The devil is in the details

D80 has

LOWER noise and 3200
Better body build
more fpsXti has:

lighter
better sensor cleaning system
quicker AFI know this contradicts what many said but reviews read differently.

As to D20 question. Bigger, bulkier, more weight?

I think since the devil is in the details, its what is important to you. I'm willing to be average joe smoe could not tell the difference between the cameras given the SAME lens (and Canon lenses seem to be built better)

[mxwphoto]

Really? Tried changing SD cards with gloves (or cold fingers)? Plus the SD card slot's less robust than the CF slot based on my experiences with both. My A620's SD card is now held in place by the compartment door; open the compartment and it springs out. Never had a problem with any of my CF slots or their "big brother" PCMCIA slots, and I've used a lot of those in cameras, computers, PDAs, . . .


not to mention that SD cards are much easier to break and/or become corrupted. For a professional, or anyone serious about photography CF is defintly the better choice. its a DSLR nikon, not a P&S, i dont know what business they thought they had putting an SD slot in it.

I stated 'all things equal' -ie reliability, speed, etc (probably sometime in the near future), I would choose SD. I've never had problems removing or inserting SD with gloves (I guess I have small hands?). Yes, you're right about the SD holder - the spring mechanisms are very annoying, making one wonder why they don't just leave the card partially stuck out so it doesn't need springs to remove (but that's an easy engineering block which can be overcome). But as for the card itself, if one uses the card and applies enough force to break it, then something is wrong on the user's part. One benefit of SD over CF is that CF requires a lot of pins and are easier to bend and break compared to the flat contacts SD uses. Preference-wise, I find SD to be also easier to carry. At the current stage, yes CF is more reliable and durable at the moment, but as trends go, SD is becoming much more commonplace and replacing many other larger format storages. It's also much easier to imagine having SD cards interchanging between phones, computers, cameras, and mp3/image/video players than CF. So with forward compatibility and the "all things equal" clause in mind, that's why I would choose SD. Either way, the use of SD in a camera for those who don't shoot for a living wouldn't amount to a make or break deal when choosing which camera to go for. :)

[vash]

There is a Nikon Community forum - its messy and they make you pay for a yearly subscription for some advanced features, like posting/sharing pictures. I also find that the layout is messy compared to here.
You can check it out here: http://www.nikonians.org/

I was about to consider picking up a used D80, but after visiting the above forums and looking over the lens choices - I decided to go look for an XTi instead. I don't like the way some lenses don't work well with different cameras. Canon is more straightforward. All you need to worry about with Canon is whether the camera supports EF-S or not. With Nikon, even though the mounts may be the same, you have to worry about Lenses with CPUs or for the D40 and D40X, AF will only work with AF-S lenses - http://www.popphoto.com/photonews/3543/update-to-nikon-d40-hands-on.html.

Check out these pages taken from the D80 Manual (buried in the end of the manual):

http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/1338/nikonlensd80agh8.th.png (http://img407.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nikonlensd80agh8.png)
http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/4285/nikonlensd80bvf7.th.png (http://img407.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nikonlensd80bvf7.png)

[19k82]

I feel pretty qualified to answer this. I just switched from the nikon side and I shot with a d80 along with some fuji stuff. I currently have a 20d and a XT.

Its important to remember that your buying into a glass / lens system. The bodies will be old and outdated in a year or two. Does nikon or cannon offer better lenses? For me the answer was canon easily, so an easy decision to switch.

here are my thoughs on each. I may be missing somet stuff, but its 12:30 here and im tired :-).

nikon side
flash setup is amazing. I miss this. You can do wirreless commander with the on camera with NO output. This is really cool. Generally I need + 2/3 on my 580ex and it provides pretty good rersults. NIkon was pretty spot on. The +2 megapixels was nice for cropping but little to no differnce. I see more of a differnce compared to my fuji. On Nikon the flashes seem better integrated, power off the camera so does the flash, same with backlights. Also turning the flash on sets a min of 1/60 in any mode (Av which is how I shoow), if you want lower there is a "slow sync mode". Canon has a custom function to do this but its only max sync speed. So I need manual which is annoying if I take the flash off I have to switch modes, where on nikon I would just keep on rocking.


The matrix metering on the d80 is horrendous. Without going into detail nikon makes it so its less balanced and gives more priority to the center frame/focus point (much like ettl verson 1). Nikon claims this is normal. But it makes it very very hard to expose a nice blue sky shot without EV compensation. The values seem to vary, so its not a set and forget.

Generally the AF was good. I was never able to figure out if there is a way to see actual focus points with the nikon setup, like you can with zoombrowser. So its hard for me to judge Af accuracy. Both miss more than I would like.

There are a lot of custom functions on the d80. Ive forgotten about most of them, and dont really miss them.

Nikons use the timer light as an af light. So instead of being blinded with a flash you are blinded with a bright bulb. They both suck. The nikon sucks less. I would never let either emit in a pro setting.

Canon

Their lenses are just simply better. They have more IS lenses. They are coming out with lots of new pro grade IS lenses. The 70-200f4 IS, the 24-105IS, the 17-55is. Nikon seems to be focusing on non fixed aperture consumer lenses. NIkons primes are old style screw focus. They also have no f1.2 lenses, and are generally more expensive.

The 20d and XT are FAST even compared to the d80. Really. Their AF tracking is great. I never got a nikon body to track like that.

Canon images are smoother. They seem to look sharper zoomed out, pixel peeping both are great. The nikon seems to be more saturated. The color was really vibrant on the d80, alomost too much. Fuji was better than both here.

For a non pro, I might be inclined to suggest nikon since they have a nice line of consumer lenses for reasonable $. Anything else I would do canon.

[jdizzle]

I wouldn't buy Nikon for the reason of high ISO noise. The Nikon brand always had this problem and I was a Nikon owner previous to this. I was so frustrated not being able to use a high ISO pic and even taking noise out didn't always do the job. Canon FTW!!