Camera purchase question

[goldenseal]

... Camera purchase question
...I am shopping around for a new dslr....I had pretty much decided on the nikon D90....then I had an idea .

I have my old canon AE 1 with several lenses. a wide angle and a 70 - 300mm telephoto and macro lens.

If I were to purchase a new DSLR canon camera would these old lenses be compatible with it? If so, I would probably do that. If not, I would stick with the D90 and buy the lens I wanted.

ideas????
or is there reasonably priced better cameras out there?

thank you.

 

[BlueCorn]

That camera used the Canon FD mount, newer cameras use EF (or EF-S). You can get an adapter that would allow you to use them.

My recommendation is that you pick a price point and then go physically handle all of the cameras in that range. Buy the one that feels the most intuitive. They really are all very good.

Cheers

 

[swjim]

I agree with Doug's recommendation to go with whatever brand feels best within your price range.

Also, since you're going to be manually focusing your FD lenses anyway, don't think that you have to stick to Canon. There are FD adapters available for Nikon mounts as well if you really have your heart set on the D90.

 

[goldenseal]

oh???? I had no idea you could adapt one to the other....yes I was hoping for the nikon..but I didnt want to shell out another 1K for the 300mm lens since I had one sitting here.....

thanks for the advice

 

[BlueCorn]

Can I ask why you were "hoping for the Nikon?" Just curious.

 

[xtm]

oh???? I had no idea you could adapt one to the other....yes I was hoping for the nikon..but I didnt want to shell out another 1K for the 300mm lens since I had one sitting here.....

If you're thinking about mounting your Canon 70-300 on the D90 using an adapter, let me just say that the D90 will NOT be able to meter with that adapter/lens combo. You might be better off just getting Nikon's 70-300 and avoid the hassle.

btw, the AE-1 is a great film body!

 

[goldenseal]

..Beerguy....I set my sites on the nikon D90 for a couple reasons. One was after reading reviews of all sorts it seemed to fall between the D90 and the D5000. I have a friend that is a pro photog, she has a 5000 ( if memory serves) and raves about it. she did a photo shoot for me with my horses a few years ago that was phenomenal, made some pics really huge and they were clear and crisp.

Yeah, I got my AE 1 in 1981 and it is a great camera. the price on those nikon lenses is crazy...not sure I want to invest that much in a cam and lens. I could buy some cool corals with all that money! LOL I DO have priorities yah know!

 

[BlueCorn]

Read the sticky up top. It's not the camera body.

 

[Almondsaz]

I would go to a local camera shop and look at the Nikon and the Canon. Get a feel for the features before hand by reading on the Web Sites that provide good reviews (like Steve's Digicam). Know the differences. Then go and get a feel for the camera at the LCS and check out the menu system in the camera and the control placement. I started out with Nikon and they are great cameras. I recently sold all my Nikon equipment and switched to Canon.

For some of the same reasons as you. I have a friend who is a pro photographer and he uses Canon and he teaches me quite a bit. There were certain things on the Nikon he was not familiar with but now, no limits.

I got the 50d because I wasn't looking for video in the same camera. I have to say, for me, I find the menu system more intuitive and natural. I miss my Nikon's ability to fire the flash remotely because the Canon requires a trigger to do that. I love my Canon and can't see swapping.

They are both great camera lines and it is really personal as to which is best. What features you want and what price point you need to hit. It is worth doing the research and then going to physically check them out. BTW, check out the prices at B&H or Adorama and don't forget to look for the coupon codes. B&H has the "Loyalty15" for 15% off the price at checkout.

Good luck and let us all know what you decided on and what swayed you.

 

[goldenseal]

Upddate !!

Upddate !!

im getting closer....lol here is what im thinking of....your thoughts?


Ive been studying for awhile and have narrowed my choices to.

1. canon ts1 or ts2...because of features and also I "think" my old canon AE1 75 - 300 telephoto lens is compatible, except it wont be auto focus, which doest matter to me. I am leaning more toward the TS1..due to cost, and im sure it will be as much camera as I would need.

2. the nikon D90...but really this may be more camera than I can appreciate, so maybe the d5000? ive heard it does not have as many features as the canon, maybe doesnt hold as nice?


any thoughts? this would be for mainly outdoor, flowers, horses, wildlife...my fish tank macro shots, some portraits, nothing serious.

 

[Dino]

1. canon ts1 or ts2...because of features and also I "think" my old canon AE1 75 - 300 telephoto lens is compatible, except it wont be auto focus, which doest matter to me. I am leaning more toward the TS1..due to cost, and im sure it will be as much camera as I would need.

Its not a matter of the lens losing autofocus, Canon completely redesigned their lens mount when they went from the old FD mount to the new EF mount (and even newer EF-S) mount. EF-S is compatible with EF mount on all newer crop frame bodies (anything newer than the 10D). FD is not without an adapter, and unfortunately from what I've heard from people that have used them the adapters aren't all that great. I've seen a very few people able to specially machine older FD lenses to be able to use them with their EF bodies but its not an easy task (if it was a lot more people would be doing it because you can find FD lenses for pretty cheap).

 

[goldenseal]

ahhh....thanks...

I knew about the adapter but I thought another issue was that the canon did not have the motor that could auto focus the old lenses even with the adapter. that didnt really matter to me as I manually focus anyway. I know the fd are way cheaper than the new ones. it looked like there were some generic models. whose name escapes me at the moment that had cheaper lenses..but I spose cheaper lenses mean cheaper lenses.. LOL

 

[Dino]

Nope, the motor you're probably confusing with Nikon. I'm a Canon shooter so I don't tend to muck up my brain with Nikon info but I believe their cheaper bodies won't autofocus with certain lenses. One of the Nikon shooters could give more info on that.

All Canon bodies can autofocus all EF mount lenses.

 

[goldenseal]

..I meant putting my OLD ( ok circa 1980) 300 mm lense on a new canon body with the adaptor....it wont auto focus due to no motor....is what i was trying to say lol

 

[xtm]

2. the nikon D90...but really this may be more camera than I can appreciate, so maybe the d5000? ive heard it does not have as many features as the canon, maybe doesnt hold as nice? any thoughts? this would be for mainly outdoor, flowers, horses, wildlife...my fish tank macro shots, some portraits, nothing serious.

You can shoot those with almost any camera. I think the Canon G11 is great for portability. Micro 4/3rds perhaps? As I get older, I find myself looking for lighter gear..

As for the D90 vs. D5000, my personal opinion is skip the D5000 and go for the D90. Their price difference is not that great. Reasons off the top of my head:

- D90 has 2 dials for easy manual operation. D5000 only has one.
- D90 has flash commander mode
- D90 has built-in body motor to drive older AF-D lenses.
- D90 uses En-El3e battery (higher capacity)
- D90 has better LCD (3" 920,000 dots)
- D90 has top LCD
- D90 has bigger and brighter viewfinder (very important for ME personally - since I do a lot of manual macro focusing) D5000 has pentamirror, D90 has pentaprism
- D90 uses MB-D80 grip, none for D5000
- D90 has way better ergonomics, to me at least.