Prizefight: Nikon D80 vs. Canon EOS 400D
By Lori Grunin, CNET.com
26/10/2006
URL: http://asia.cnet.com/digitalliving/tips/0,3800004921,61962466,00.htm
Nikon D80 vs. Canon EOS 400D
JUDGES: Lori Grunin and Phil Ryan
A mere three years ago, Canon launched the EOS 350D upon the world, not only creating the budget dSLR category but enabling a whole new generation of hobbyist photographers. And for the past three years, it's held onto its leadership position in the hearts and minds of digital photographers. Time after time, other models--many excellent cameras--have tried and failed to match the 350D's elusive brew of speed, power, photo quality, and affordability. But is 2006 the year that the EOS loses its crown? We pit this year's likeliest contender, the Nikon D80, against the reigning champ.
About the judges
Senior editor Lori Grunin spends much of her free time documenting the purrs and perils of shelter cats in New York City. She welcomes suggestions for cleaning noseprints off the lens.
Senior editor Phil Ryan joined CNET from Popular Photography. He remains very popular and into photography. You can often find him at concerts and clubs, sitting in the dark, shooting at high ISO speeds--only where legal, of course.
Round 1: Design
Look and feel, ease of operation, ergonomics, style
Shooting with a serious camera should feel fluid, without any which-control-does-what-where pauses interrupting your creative flow. Loads of design decisions go into achieving the perfect combination of control layout, functional obviousness, and physical balance. Our individual judge's ratings are based on a 0-to-5-point scale, which results in a final score of 0 to 10 per round.
| Player |
Lori |
Phil |
Total |
Canon EOS 400D |
4
Canon sticks with the tried-and-true design of its dSLR line, making it instantly familiar and comfortable. My only complaint is that it might be too light, so serious lenses overbalance it. |
4
While the overall design feels comfortable, Lori is right about the weight and balance issue, and I was irked by the elimination of the status LCD. |
8 |
Nikon D80 |
5
I find the D80 ideally designed, with easy-to-understand controls and a sensible layout. It also feels extremely well made for a consumer model. |
5
With above-average build quality for its price range, an ergonomically sound layout, and easy-to-use controls, Nikon has made a winner. |
10 |
Winner: Nikon D80
Round 2: Features
Resolution, exposure and metering modes, image parameter controls
Just because they're inexpensive doesn't mean we'll accept any skimping on features. Amateurs learn to be pros by using the same set of tools, albeit at a different proficiency level and without some of the capabilities needed only in production environments.
| Player |
Lori |
Phil |
Total |
Canon EOS 400D |
3
The 10-megapixel resolution is a decent perk, but I'd settle for 8 megapixels and a spot meter. |
4
Canon includes some nice features, such as white balance bracketing, but it still won't give us a spot meter. |
7 |
Nikon D80 |
4
The D80 doesn't skimp on features to keep its price down. And I like that it uses SD rather than CompactFlash as a way of attaining its compact size. |
5
The D80 has so many features, Nikon should be worrying about its own D200. There's nothing to complain about here. |
9 |
Winner: Nikon D80
Round 3: Accessories
Lens, flashes, and adapters: how many, how useful, how good?
When you buy a dSLR, you're not buying a camera, you're buying an entire digital photography system. Unless you've got a choice of great lenses, flashes, and other essentials, the camera is just shooting blanks.
| Player |
Lori |
Phil |
Total |
Canon EOS 400D |
4
Since it works with a huge variety of Canon accessories, no complaints here. |
4
It's hard to argue with Canon's vast array of lenses, flashes, and other accessories. |
8 |
Nikon D80 |
5
It, too, works with a huge variety of proprietary accessories, but it also supports the use of multiple wireless flashes, a great extra. |
5
Nikon's lenses are similarly impressive, but the D80's wireless Commander mode lets you make more of Nikon's lighting accessories. |
10 |
Winner: Nikon D80
Round 4: Performance
Speed, subjective responsiveness, and accuracy
When you pay US$1,000 for a camera, you shouldn't have to worry about missing the moment or unusably blurred photos.
Shooting speed(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
|
Flash shot-to-shot time | |
|
JPEG shot-to-shot time | |
|
Raw shot-to-shot time | |
|
Time to first shot | |
|
Shutter lag (dim light) | |
|
Shutter lag (typical) | |
Continuous-shooting speed(Longer bars indicate better performance)
|
Maximum continuous-shooting speed | |
|
Typical continuous-shooting speed | |
| Player |
Lori |
Phil |
Total |
Canon EOS 400D |
3
Though the EOS's performance is pretty solid, overall, the D80 is faster. |
3
The 400D's performance is definitely impressive, but it just can't quite keep up with the D80. |
6 |
Nikon D80 |
4
The D80's weak spot is flash recycle time, but otherwise it equals or bests the EOS. |
4
Lightning-fast start-up, and equally impressive shot-to-shot times give the D80 its edge. |
8 |
Winner: Nikon D80
Round 5: Photo quality
Exposure, color, dynamic range and tonal separation, sharpness, noise, digital and optical artifacts
This is where the rubber meets the road. All the rest means nothing if the camera can't take stunning photos.
| Player |
Lori |
Phil |
Total |
Canon EOS 400D |
4
Excellent photo quality for a sub-US$1,000 model. |
4
Wonderful images for its price range. |
8 |
Nikon D80 |
4
Likewise, excellent photo quality. |
4
Beautiful images, even at high ISOs. |
8 |
Winner: TIE
The winner is...
Nikon D80
Total points
Canon EOS 400D: 37
Nikon D80: 45
Winner: Nikon D80
What an upset! The Nikon D80 might be a bit more expensive than the 400D, but it's clearly worth that extra couple of hundred bucks. Though they're evenly matched for photo quality, the Nikon delivers enough extra oomph across the board to claim victory. But the EOS ain't the EOS for nothing--we're sure it'll be back for a rematch next year!
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