Canon System or Nikon System , how and why did you choose?

loupgarou · Mar 5, 2004

ok: not a troll post, but mainly to understand the advantages of each system, I read up an article on the net but it was based on old info (ie: film bodies and old lenses).

inspiration from: but it needs updating..
http://www.geocities.com/yosemite/rapids/5137/canon-nikon.html

so:

a) assuming you have an UNLIMITED budget to buy only ONE system. which would you choose and why? give specific reasons.

b) unless there is a particularly strong selling point on a photography type (ie: landscape, wildlife, portrait, macro, birds, etc), it can be assumed that you choose the system for ALL of the possible types of photography.

so this is not a 300D/D70 thing, in fact, go beyond the body.

talk about lens/accessories/flash etc.

loupgarou · Mar 5, 2004

incidentally my reasons for buying 300D is:
a) it was available first
b) friends were using canon...so borrow lenses/info/help/tips etc.

if it were today, I might have gone D70 route, but only if I'm looking at the body, I'm unaware of how to choose between the systems. other than the fact canon has L lenses.

bmvmadeira · Mar 5, 2004

well with unlimited budget the canon or nikon would be used only when a MF camera with digital back wasn't appropriate/practical

But in 35 mm SLR (you say one system only) Canon without a doubt. 1D mk ii and 1Ds.... L lenses... more telephoto zooms and primes.... mora IS...
In the standard focal lenghts area in think both systems have excelent lenses
only in the wide angle zoom area in think Nikon has a advantage

Canon even has some special lenses like tilt and shift that the Nikon line-up fails to meet

loupgarou said:
ok: not a troll post, but mainly to understand the advantages of
each system, I read up an article on the net but it was based on
old info (ie: film bodies and old lenses).

inspiration from: but it needs updating..
http://www.geocities.com/yosemite/rapids/5137/canon-nikon.html

so:
a) assuming you have an UNLIMITED budget to buy only ONE system.
which would you choose and why? give specific reasons.

b) unless there is a particularly strong selling point on a
photography type (ie: landscape, wildlife, portrait, macro, birds,
etc), it can be assumed that you choose the system for ALL of the
possible types of photography.

so this is not a 300D/D70 thing, in fact, go beyond the body.

talk about lens/accessories/flash etc.

Max Fun · Mar 5, 2004

I think one day, the price of a 1.3x or a FF DSLR will come down to the consumer level, and we'll have the lenses for that... there is not even any indication that Nikon will release anything besides the DX sensor, and we know what happens when you squeeze too many pixels into a small sensor

Actually, my new temptation is the Minolta Maxxum 7 Digital come Fall... it will be the ultimate available light camera I think...

bmvmadeira said:
loupgarou said:

ok: not a troll post, but mainly to understand the advantages of
each system, I read up an article on the net but it was based on
old info (ie: film bodies and old lenses).

inspiration from: but it needs updating..
http://www.geocities.com/yosemite/rapids/5137/canon-nikon.html

so:
a) assuming you have an UNLIMITED budget to buy only ONE system.
which would you choose and why? give specific reasons.

b) unless there is a particularly strong selling point on a
photography type (ie: landscape, wildlife, portrait, macro, birds,
etc), it can be assumed that you choose the system for ALL of the
possible types of photography.

so this is not a 300D/D70 thing, in fact, go beyond the body.

talk about lens/accessories/flash etc.

Click to expand...

--
The Secret to Life is... Calcium!!
http://max-fun.fotopic.net
http://www.pbase.com/supperman

SFJP · Mar 5, 2004

Well, one of my reasons to have chosen Canon, besides quality,was considering potential future. It's clear on the DSLR side that Nikon is more of a follower of Canon than a precursor. Look at the DCéH versus the D& MII... Kodak which is using Nikon lenses and was a precursor is a bit out of the race now. Fuji is also in the distance in spite of its very interesting SuperCCD concept. If you look at he statistics in these forums, you'll see that the battle to dominate the field of Digital camera is between two big companies, Canon versus Sony, with a pretty good score of Olympus on the non-DSLR side. Except if Sony decides to go on the DSLR market, Canon might be the only survivor of SLR manufacturer in a few years, and the collection of Canon lens I am gathering will be a very valuable asset to move on newer bodies. I hope I am wrong and that Nikon, Pentax, Fuji, Minolta, Olympus, Sigma, Kodak, etc will fare well in the future on the DSLR side but I have doubts.

loupgarou said:
ok: not a troll post, but mainly to understand the advantages of
each system, I read up an article on the net but it was based on
old info (ie: film bodies and old lenses).

inspiration from: but it needs updating..
http://www.geocities.com/yosemite/rapids/5137/canon-nikon.html

so:
a) assuming you have an UNLIMITED budget to buy only ONE system.
which would you choose and why? give specific reasons.

b) unless there is a particularly strong selling point on a
photography type (ie: landscape, wildlife, portrait, macro, birds,
etc), it can be assumed that you choose the system for ALL of the
possible types of photography.

so this is not a 300D/D70 thing, in fact, go beyond the body.

talk about lens/accessories/flash etc.

--
SFJP
http://www.pbase.com/sfjp

John Campbell213236 · Mar 5, 2004

SFJP said:
Well, one of my reasons to have chosen Canon, besides quality,was
considering potential future. It's clear on the DSLR side that
Nikon is more of a follower of Canon than a precursor.

That sums up about 70% of the reason I've all but settled on getting the 300D over the D70. I'm just waiting for D70 reviews and samples to basically settle my mind on the matter.

I really approached this from a "buy into the system" point of view first and foremost--and I have no glass or equipment whatsoever from either company, so it's a big question to consider.

I've concluded that Canon is a faster-moving company that will probably always be more profitable and put out more cutting edge camera bodies in the future than Nikon. From what I've seen they make comparably great lenses, and the cost of the lenses and other accessories is pretty much the same. I can just imagine years from now having tons of Nikon glass looking longingly at some new Canon camera with cutting edge technology at a low price that has everyone talking...sort of like the Digital Rebel did.

One question for you guys that I'm not clear on:

Is there any noticeable price difference between Canon accessories and lenses than Nikon? Could I expect to have to spend more under one company in the years ahead than the other?

Thanks!

CanonKen · Mar 5, 2004

I am set on Canon. Done. No more question. I love Canon.

My third EF lens is on the way, and I have a 420EX flash, so money-wise, I really need to stick with Canon.

I have faith that Canon will continue to make good stuff. All I want to know (and it has been answered pretty much) is if the crop factor will change. I am pondering getting a SUPER wide lens to fit the 1.6X crop factor (however, I will start investing now, at 19, so I need cash to start)

Reguardless, I like Canon, and I am sure they will continue to offer what I want and I will buy.

Max Fun · Mar 5, 2004

Most people agree that Canon lenses tend to be slightly cheaper, probably about 10% or so, which is not much, but whether or not it's significant, it just depends on your financial situation.

durandel said:
Is there any noticeable price difference between Canon accessories
and lenses than Nikon? Could I expect to have to spend more under
one company in the years ahead than the other?

Thanks!

--
The Secret to Life is... Calcium!!
http://max-fun.fotopic.net
http://www.pbase.com/supperman

loupgarou · Mar 5, 2004

so far, no specific reasons yet.

Nikon flash has distance info, but ETTL II has met that challenge I believe.

Canon has no ultra wide angle zooms, but sigma is available as 3rd party alternative
Canon is strong in telephoto range

Nikon is supporting the DX lense range which is for 1.5x crop only. so nikon unlikely to move to FF sensors.

any others?

Stan · Mar 6, 2004

Flash. The 1D II has the new Canon flash system which emulates what Nikon has been doing. Supposedly it's better than the present Canon approach, more accurate and more consistent. Most likely it will show up on the rest of the Canon line. With any luck the next Drebel will have it later this year.

Stan

Max Fun · Mar 6, 2004

At least according to this article:
http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-6269-6292

It seems that i-TTL maybe just an update of Canon's e-TTL.

Stan said:
Flash. The 1D II has the new Canon flash system which emulates
what Nikon has been doing. Supposedly it's better than the present
Canon approach, more accurate and more consistent. Most likely it
will show up on the rest of the Canon line. With any luck the next
Drebel will have it later this year.

Stan

--
The Secret to Life is... Calcium!!
http://max-fun.fotopic.net
http://www.pbase.com/supperman

NormanAllen · Mar 6, 2004

a. Canon. I prefer them because of their innovation and the fact that more of my friends seem to have Canon. This creates an instant knowledge-base, if you will.

b. Accessories. There are so many accessories for Canon it's overwhelming. Not only are they cheaper (due to a larger selection of choices) but they are more available. Go to B&H or Adorama or any of your favorite places to shop and they will have a ton of Canon stuff. Nikon is harder to find (as well as its accessories).

I bought into Canon and I'm happy I did. I don't have any major gripes about Nikon, but after years of research, I decided that Canon was right for me.

Stan · Mar 6, 2004

I'll have to read the article. Note that Canon claims they are now incorporating distance info into the flash calculations...this is what Nikon has been doing. If you look at the flash capabilities of the Nikon D70, it's flash is more capable than that of the Drebel. Most likely Canon will copy Nikon and make their next Drebel more capable and fuller featured in general.

Stan

rono · Mar 6, 2004

I have always used Nikon cameras in the past - both film and digital. I purchased the 300D back in November for a trip because it was the only realistically priced DSLR available. I have subsequently added enough lenses that I am committed to Canon-just like their marketing staff planned, I'm sure. If I was doing it now, I think I would chose the Nikon D70. Over the years, I have found that Nikon service is better if you have a problem and I like the Nikon "look" to photos (actually, Leica is the best in film but not yet in digital so a moot point). I won't go into a lot of details, but Canon service is not the greatest, especially if you have a product that requires several repair cycles and ends up out of warranty with most of the time spent in repair or not in use. Nikon typically just replaces the item for free - Canon tells you tough luck.

loupgarou said:
ok: not a troll post, but mainly to understand the advantages of
each system, I read up an article on the net but it was based on
old info (ie: film bodies and old lenses).

inspiration from: but it needs updating..
http://www.geocities.com/yosemite/rapids/5137/canon-nikon.html

so:
a) assuming you have an UNLIMITED budget to buy only ONE system.
which would you choose and why? give specific reasons.

b) unless there is a particularly strong selling point on a
photography type (ie: landscape, wildlife, portrait, macro, birds,
etc), it can be assumed that you choose the system for ALL of the
possible types of photography.

so this is not a 300D/D70 thing, in fact, go beyond the body.

talk about lens/accessories/flash etc.

loupgarou · Mar 6, 2004

rono said:
Nikon typically just replaces the item for free - Canon tells you
tough luck.

yeah. but would that be local to your area or is it across the globe standard ?

medvidek · Mar 7, 2004

Stan said:
I'll have to read the article. Note that Canon claims they are now
incorporating distance info into the flash calculations...this is
what Nikon has been doing. If you look at the flash capabilities
of the Nikon D70, it's flash is more capable than that of the
Drebel. Most likely Canon will copy Nikon and make their next
Drebel more capable and fuller featured in general.

Stan

That calls for speculation... can we stay to facts?

ioannis · Mar 7, 2004

I would actually be very interested to hear a real high-end pro telling me their prints from the 35mm Canon or Nikon cameras would look very different because of the camera/lenses. Aren't the "looks" something people get used to after using one or the other for sometime? Of course on the digital market Canon is ahead with the 1Ds but that seems to be at least in part because their censor is noise free, the new D70 has to get a dark frame after the shot and subtract the noise from its Sony 6.1MP CCD. So it is the technique and the feel of the photographer, not that of the camera that seems to be the decisive quality about the success of a photograph.

Yiannis
--

Dignity consists not in possessing honors, but in the consciousness that we deserve them. Aristotle

Max Fun · Mar 7, 2004

Well Erik, Stan might be right about the distance information thing. I think that Nikon, and then later Minolta, incorporated distance information into the flash metering, and now E-TTL II will use it as well:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1031&message=7904345

Erik said:
Stan said:

I'll have to read the article. Note that Canon claims they are now
incorporating distance info into the flash calculations...this is
what Nikon has been doing. If you look at the flash capabilities
of the Nikon D70, it's flash is more capable than that of the
Drebel. Most likely Canon will copy Nikon and make their next
Drebel more capable and fuller featured in general.

Stan

Click to expand...

That calls for speculation... can we stay to facts?

--
The Secret to Life is... Calcium!!
http://max-fun.fotopic.net
http://www.pbase.com/supperman

Stan · Mar 7, 2004

Fact: Canon incorporated some of Nikon's Flash concepts into their latest DLSR, the 1D II.

Fact: Nikon's latest DSLR the D70 has a much more full featured and adjustable / expandable Flash system than it's chief competitor.

There are other things too. Both companies make capable products. I certainly hope that Canon improves the Drebel flashes. The best option at the moment is to go with a Non-Canon flash, the Metz 54. That unit is most effective when you DON'T use the Canon modes, according to many.

Stan

Stan · Mar 7, 2004

..and note that Canon themselves call their new system much more accurate and consistent than their old one leading to better exposures and control.

Well....it can only be an improvement if the old system left something to be desired, right?

Interestingly many on this forum claim that the Drebel flash is not so hot and that you need to spend about $350 to solve most of the issues. And others think that there are no flash related issues of any kind, period.

Stan

Canon System or Nikon System , how and why did you choose?

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