Best buy has the 30D packaged with the aforementioned lens and I'm wondering if it's a great deal. All of you guys who have a collection of SLR cameras and lenses help me out.

I'm actually wanting to compare the Canon 30D to the Nikon D200 and I can't quite make my decision. It seems that the Canons have the upper hand when it comes to high ISO images and the Nikons tend to have better software with more available features with a click of a button. There are, obviously, more advantages/disadvantages to each. I'm hoping some of you guys can steer me in the right direction.

So my questions are as follows:

1. Is the Best Buy package a great deal?

2.When comparing the 30D to the D200, which one should I buy?

3.What lenses do I want in my bag? I have read some reviews about the Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens and it seems that the "L" series lenses are the way to go. This is also a very large dent in the wallet!

4.Who has the better lenses? Canon or Nikon? Is there really an answer to this question?

I currently have a Canon Rebel 300D with the kit lens and a 70-300mm telephoto lens. I'm looking to make an upgrade and start working on photography a little more. I take a good bit of sports shots as well as landscape and still photo shots so I don't think there is a specialization that I would have. It's more of a variety of photography for me. I don't know much about photography just yet and I'm starting to learn more and more.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

That seems like a really good deal to me. The lens alone is probably around $400 new.

I have been happy with the Canon line. I've owned a Pro 70, D30, D60, 10D, 1DS, and 1D Mk II and a variety of lenses.

Many of my friends own Nikon and are happy. When I review their pictures, I always find dust spots. While this can be a problem with any digital SLR, I don't see this as much with Canon bodies (excluding the 1DS).

I have owned the 28-135mm lens twice. Both copies were excellent, dead on focus and sharp. I could easily hand hold this lens with IS down to 1/10th of a second. The lens is pretty slow for indoor shooting without a flash, but is a great outdoor lens for people and an all around great lens for landscape and nature photography.

I shoot as much as I can without a flash, so low noise at higher ISO settings is important to me.

I think you'd be happy with this 30D package.

Mark

I'm also a canon fan, however, I wouldn't really jump on that deal. Spend some time checking out the XTi. The 30D has been out a while, and it wasn't much of an upgrade from the 20D in the first place. The rebel series has improved dramatically since the 300D, the only thing I miss on mine is the rear control dial, but that certainly isn't worth the $500.

As to the lens, I've never used the 28-135, but I've used the 28-105 f3.5-4.5, and the 17-85 EFS, and the 17-85 is really a great walk around lens. I use the 17-28 range far more than I used the 85-105 range. The IS is supposedly better on the 17-85 also, and I'd certainly vouch for it being useful.

If I were you, I'd splurge on the XTi and the 17-55mm f2.8 IS lens, that's an amazing piece of glass. Only two hundred more than you're looking at with the 30D+28-135, and a much more versatile lens when it comes to low light situations. The lens will be worth far more than a 30D in a year.

As to the Canon vs. Nikon debate, it's not one I pay attention to anymore. Back when I picked a system, canon was usually ahead on the R&D front, slightly less expensive, and they had more options when it came to current lenses. Since then, I haven't looked back, as Nikon would have to be extremely compelling to switch systems.

Matthew

I keep forgetting about the 1.6x on the 10D\20D\30D. When I owned my 10D, my favorite lens was 17-35mm, then the 28-135mm.

Have you held both a Nikon and Canon? The feel, weight, controls, and viewfinder are things to consider.

Mark

If you ever get a chance. Try out a 1 series body from Canon - it's a totally different animal. Even though they are beasts to carry, they are amazing and fun. I'm really tempted to trade my 1D Mk II for a Mk III - the higher ISO and lens focus tweaking being the main features.

I too have a lot of money into lenses, but I have trimmed my collection a lot. I'm still kicking myself for selling my 200mm 1.8. The price has gone up $1000 since I sold it. The lenses on my wishlist now are the 50mm 1.0 and 85mm 1.2.

On a side note - I do like the sound of the Nikon shutter. It's very quiet.

This software is my favorite for processing RAW images http://www.photo-freeware.net/raw-shooter-essentials.php

Adobe bought Pixmantec and turned the software into Adobe Lightroom - which is decent, but I don't like it as much. RAW Shooter has amazing noise reduction and sharpening processing.

Take care...

A friend of mine bought a 5D. It felt really cheap, but it focused fast and took good pictures. I had the full frame 1DS and didn't like it. The white balance sucked, ISO noise even at 800 was pretty bad, and I had to clean the sensor almost every outing. The Mk III sensor cleaning is one more selling feature if it actually works.

I must admit, GIMP is really rough on the usability side.

Printers are so frustrating if you're not on Windows. My wife runs a Mac and support on OS X is pretty poor for a lot of brands. She also kills printers on a frequent basis. I finally just bought her a used HP color laser about the size of a dorm fridge. The lights dim when it starts up, but she hasn't broken it yet.

I'll check out the dcraw project. Sounds interesting.