I'm new to SLR photography and was considering buying either the Nikon F80 or the Canon EOS Elan 7. Could you give me your opinion as to which camera is better as they are similar in price.

Thanks, Vu Pham

-- Vu Pham (phamfive@puc.net), March 28, 2002

Answers

As you are in a Canon forum full of Canon users, you are likely to get the answer "Elan 7". Not that we are biased or anything!

I am an owner of an EOS 30 (Elan 7), and have always owned Canon so I can't give you an unbiased opinion.

If I were to give you an answer I would say go for the Canon, but you expected me to say that anyway, didn't you?

: )

-- canonlover (canoneosd60@aol.com), March 28, 2002.

And don't get the kit lens (Canon 28-90mm), get it with the Canon 28- 105 f3.5-4.5 as it is a much better lens. It will cost more, but the increase in image quality outweighs the price difference.

-- canonlover (canoneosd60@aol.com), March 28, 2002.

Great, I will get the EOS Elan 7 and 28-105 Lens. Thanks for the help.

-- Vu Pham (phamfive@puc.net), March 28, 2002.

Much of it depends on personal preference, treat this as though you were buying a car. Look on the internet to see if there are any rental shops in your area or see if you can borrow a friends, this will help you get a feel for which one is more user friendly to you.in terms of specs and lens selection they are both excellent. good luck.

-- joe cap (joemocap@yahoo.com), March 28, 2002.

It might help to have more information on which to base your decision. Then again, it might not and nothing can replace how well the camera operates with your eyes and hands in the store.

In case this might be of any help, the Elan 7E group has a lot of links to specifications and reviews (both positive and negative).

-- Julian Loke (elan7e-owner@yahoogroups.com), March 29, 2002.

To be totally fair: either camera is a good choice, depending on which camera system you choose. Nikon makes excellent equipment, too, so look closely at any possible future lenses and accessories purchases.

-- Lee (Leemarthakiri@sport.rr.com), March 30, 2002.

They're both good cameras. But if you have any plans to go beyond a single camera with a single lens I'd suggest you don't spend your time comparing just the cameras. Look at the various camera systems available to you.

An SLR isn't just the body - it's the lenses, flash units, etc. that fit the body. So I think "does Canon's system or Nikon's system better fit your needs?" is a more useful question. Here's my take on this:

http:// teladesign.com/photo/why-canon.html

-- NK Guy (tela@tela.bc.ca), March 30, 2002.

I first bought the Nikon F80 at the recommendation of my dentist who owns the F90. I did not like the way the camera felt in my hands and the function of the camera itself. I bought the 7e and am very happy with it. It's more ergonomically suited to one's hands and it's functions are easy to follow and use. If I were to stay with Nikon I would switch to the F100 ... I would like, however, to upgrade to the Canon 3 since I can't afford the 1V. One hint...buy an external flash with either camera you purchase..the internal flash is only good up to maybe 15 feet (in reality) and with an external flash you have many more photo options and opportunities..

-- Chuck Lipton (chuxter31@adelphia.net), March 31, 2002.

p.s. DO NOT buy a camera kit...if you plan on just one lense for now...buy the 28-135MM IS....it's a great travel/all purpose lense..

-- Chuck Lipton (chuxter31@adelphia.netc), March 31, 2002.

there are some feathers available in either of them. like F80 has spot metering, accepts nikon's oldest manual lens, more custom functions (18 compared to 13 on elan 7e), 3D metering (said to be slighted better than canon's evaluative metering. somebody correct me). but i felt it to be too small. it didn't felt like a nikon to me. elan 7/7e doesn't have these features. but it has partial metering linked to all focusing points, all EF lenses are fully compactible with it (infact with all EOS bodies), mirror lock up, and the 7e version has Eye Control Function. other than this rest is more or less same in both bodies.

-- sajeev (chack74@yahoo.co.in), April 02, 2002.

The motor on the Elan is significantly faster than that on the N80.

-- Peter Hughes (ravenart@pacbell.net), April 02, 2002.

do you mean F80 or N80. or are they same. i heard that the autofocus in elan 7/7e is slightly faster than that of F80. but i never had any chance to check it.

-- sajeev (chack74@yahoo.co.in), April 03, 2002.

F80 and N80 are the same thing, depending on which part of the world you come from. I'm lucky enuf to have both Nikon and Canon system though not the pro stuff. I think Canon USM lenses focuses faster than Nikon. The IS system is a notch better than the VR. I use Canon for sports and action pictures and Nikon for still life and architecture. I suggest beginners shud sit back and consider what they would like to snap at five years down the road. People, still life or architecture, go for Nikon. Action stuff, Canon's the way. IMHO. Cheers

-- AL (AL_MAVERIC@EXCITE.COM), April 14, 2002.

Quite a decision to make, Canon offers a superior feature, functionality and price for their SLR camera bodies along with cheaper accessories and lenses ultimately resulting in overall lower ownership cost, however Nikon is considered by most to be the paradigm of professional SLR's and more so known for superior quality Nikkor lenses... So it depends on what you want out of your camera, if you want something that has cutting edge technology, and are not so concerned with ultimate lens quality then save a couple pennies and go with Canon, if you are looking for ultimate lens quality, and not so concerned with price go for the Nikon, even though i find the F80's camera body to be kind of fragile compared to it's elan counterpart (probably because it just does not have that weight normally associated with a quality SLR) if you go with Nikon, and want quality that will last a few decades with regular use, it starts at the F90X if you are willing to make that jump...

-- Canon & Nikon owner (twpiii@hotmail.com), May 21, 2002.

The Nikon F80 will not meter with Ai and Ais Nikkors which is a shame, since some of Nikons best performing lenses are non af's, so I don't see this as any advantage of owning this SLR. JC

-- joe cap (joemocap@yahoo.com), May 23, 2002.