I’ve decided which one I’ll get. After much internal debate, I’ve finalised on the Nikon D80. I’m planning on buying the body only and purchasing separately:
- Nikkor Lens AF-S DX 18-70mm f3.5-4.5G IF-ED; and
- Nikkor Lens AF 70-300mm f4-5.6G
According to Thom, the 18-70mm has far less chromatic aberration than the 18-135mm. So, while I’ll miss the extra 55mm on the top end, I’d rather have a good quality lens. I’m still going to have to swap it if I want telephoto, irrespective.
The 70-300mm is the Nikon cheapie - it’s not even the ED version. Still, it’s cheap, and the next step up is probably to the Vibration Reduction (VR) one, which is more than I really want to pay at the start. I’ve had a look through what Sigma has to offer, and again, if I really wanted to make a significant step up, I’d have to spend 5-10 times the money. If I were going to buy anything else, I think I’d rather get a good fast 50mm prime. Fast telephotos are just too expensive - maybe once I’ve actually learned how to use the camera.
I ended up going with the Nikon because it had:
- auto ISO;
- two control dials;
- better ergonomics;
- 11 area TTL (as opposed to 9, even though the difference is probably meaningless);
- spot metering;
- an always-on settings LCD; and
- the pentaprism (better viewfinder).
The Canon was really nice, I just primarily wanted a slightly more functional and full featured camera. I toyed with buying the D40 for quite a while and spending the difference on a better lens, but I decided not to because I didn’t really want to go down the point and shoot path again.
I’ve also decided to go with a grey-market model. I’ve found a few Australian businesses that import from Hong Kong and provide local warranty support. The price difference is very significant - we’re talking in the order of 30%+ below local lowest prices. When we’re talking $500 cheaper, I’m willing to take the chance. Plus, they’ll let you pick up in person.
Now I’m just waiting for travel approval overseas so I can claim back the GST on the way out. As soon as I get that, I’ll buy it and start taking photots!
Fast track of what else has happened (or not), and what I’m planning on doing:
- Completed Spellforce 2 + expansion pack and wrote the review. Not a bad game - very long though.
- Finished reading Uplift War by David Brin. Very good book. Probably going to pick up the first book in the next trilogy sometime this weekend.
- Haven’t bottled the beer yet. It’d be ready by now, but I’m letting it sit for another week yet. I’ll probably bottle it this weekend.
- Starting on Command and Conquer 3 - need to get the review finished ASAP.
- Going to Eminence: A Night in Fantasia this Friday night. Should be good fun.
Howdy,
I’m also considering the same option of getting the D80 from a grey import, it is good to know that someone else struggled with the same things. I worried about the warranty and something going wrong for a while and decided that these things are not made to break so there was little chance of that happening.
I also noticed that you have been on the trip to Japan recently, I’m going there later this year…any tips?
Thanks
FWIW, while the probability of any device dying is low, it’s still there. From my perspective, the key thing is making sure you get it from a retailer who’s in Australia, not from one in Hong Kong or Japan. At least that way you’ve got a door to bang on and someone else to carry the shipping costs if something does go wrong.
Practically speaking though, the one year warranty on most cameras is a serious rip. It boggles my mind that you can pay over $2k for something with only one year’s warranty.
Regarding Japan, I can only comment from the perspective of a gaijin who went there for three odd weeks. I do have a few friends who lived in Tokyo for a number of years though, and most of my opinions / observations were backed up by their deeper experience. That and I did / have done quite a bit of reading before / since. I’ve got another post that’s been in draft for a few weeks, I’ll finish it off and post it sometime this week.
Generally though, it’s pretty mind blowing. A very cool place and absolutely fascinating culturally, sociologically, and historically, but unless you’re Japanese, you’ll never belong. Not truly.
And thanks for the comment. I appreciate it.
I can’t wait to get the camera I’m just worried that I’ll be overwhelmed with the new functions and getting used to it and knowing it before I go is a worry to, but I’m sure I’ll get over it when I have it in my hands.
I’ll keep my eye out for your upcoming post! If you don’t mind (in either in the post/email/reply) what books did you read before going - not only travel or historical but novels as well?
I’m am fascinated by the country (for the last 10 yrs) and would like to know about it.