New Guy ... Nikon or Canon

[Prairie Hunter]

Hello All,

I have been checking out the great photos here for a few months and decided it’s time to get involved. I mostly shoot wildflowers, birds, dogs, some sports and family but not at the level of most here. Other than photography I enjoy hunting, fishing and running (it’s a bad habit ) I have been shooting with a Nikon D50 (18-55 and 55-200) for the last three years but I am think of switching to Canon. Good idea? Bad idea? Any thoughts?

Here are a few of my pics. No post processing but I'll save those questions for another thread

[JohnK]

Very nice shots, if it ain't broke don't fix it!

I like Nikon better, the bodies just feel better and easier to work with for me. There's no question the long lenses from Canon are cheaper though, the 500 and 600mm are thousands cheaper than the Nikon equivalents. Canon has a much better range of intermediate F/4 lenses, lenses that are sort of in between consumer and pro lenses, Nikon has more or less ignored that market.

If you want to upgrade your body I think you should go with the Nikon D300s...like I did.

[Dbl]

Welcome Prairie Hunter! Glad to see you here! You have some very nice work displayed. One thing that would certainly help folks, if you displayed your photos all in a row vertically instead of horizontally. It shows up fine on my large monitor but most folks here don't use large monitors and it requires scrolling.

Any reason in particular you are thinking of switching brands? Usually something will trigger that impulse.

Again welcome, I look forward to you sharing more of your work.

[OutlawTorn]

It appears you're not TOO heavily invested in Nikon to shy away from switching, but it certainly makes the choice more difficult.

It really comes down to how you feel about the body you have in your hands and how quickly you can work the controls - both manufacturers make a great product and you cant go wrong with either.

Having said that Ill echo JohnK on the prices on the long Nikon lenses - they are outrageous and there are really no other options if you want to get out to the 300-400-500-600 mm range.

You can get a Canon 300mm f4 L or a 400mm f5.6 L for a little over a thousand bucks. There is one comparable Nikon lens in the 300mm range, but when you get any longer your options are in the 5-8K range.

Most Nikon lenses are a little more expensive than their Canon counterparts, but the big differences lie in the long glass. Personally, I dont see any difference in quality so I went with Canon due to the cheaper system and the accessibiliy to the long glass for a person of my means down the road.

[Steve Foss]

Welcome, Prairie Hunter. Great to see you on HSO/FM.

I've been a Canon guy for a long time, and even though the mid-range and top Nikon bodies have Canon edged for now on a couple features, the differences are not enough to matter significantly for my styles of shooting. It's a chancy business to switch from one line of camera to another based on body performance, as Canon and Nikon have been see-sawing back and forth on who has the so-called "edge." You switch to the brand with the "edge," and a year later the other brand has that edge.

For me, lens quality/price/choices are key. I also prefer Canon because of the larger array of affordable sharp lenses compared with Nikon.

In the end, it all boils down to which feels better in your hands and which set of controls is the more intuitive to you. I gave Nikon a very strong tryout when I made the switch to digital about five years ago. This was at a time when Canon was well ahead on many digital performance issues, but I stuck with Canon not because of that, but because the bodies/controls felt best to me and the lens lineup was much better.

One point worth making in view of Nikon's high lens prices is the availability of other lens brands. Tokina, Sigma and Tamron make pro lines of excellent lenses for a lot less money than either Canon or Nikon. That's especially true in the wide angle to mid range zooms, but there also are options with those brands in the longer primes that are really good. So if you do stay with Nikon (or even if you switch to Canon), keep those alternatives in mind.

If you try both and settle on Nikon, you'll be able to capture gorgeous photographs, and the ones you've shown are really nice. If you switch to Canon, same deal. Either way, hope you keep sharing your work here!

[Prairie Hunter]

I am thinking of switching for many of reasons OutlawTorn mentioned. I am not heavily invested in my Nikon glass and basically I am thinking I could get more for my money with Canon. I know I can't really go wrong with whatever I choose to do. I really like the specs on the Canon 50D, especially the 6.3fps but the T1i is probably more camera that I need. Decisions decisions :-)

[mmeyer]

I was recently contemplating the same thing but decided against it since I AM pretty heavily invested in Nikon gear. I'm very very happy with my Nikons and I just bought a slightly used D200 that I am loving. I am concerned about when I want to get into the higher end Nikkor glass as now I have all Sigma except for my new Nikkor 50mm f1.4. The Canon glass is cheaper and they are both top quality. I agree with Steve, that with either brand you will get great images, it's just that with Nikon you will look cooler doing it. I mean, who wants a lens and camera that have colors that don't match! What were they thinking.

Good luck, you can't go wrong as long as you don't lose too much cash doing the switch.

[MARINERMAGNUM]

I will only add a couple of things-but to me,they are important.

From what I've read following the blogs of some of the top photographers on both coasts and in-between,none of them have anything positive to say about Nikon's customer service. These are folks with 10's of thousands of dollars invested in Nikon equipment-not hobbyists.

Someone like me,the average schmo,can call Canon anytime for free and talk to a factory technician. This can be invaluable when sorting out a problem with a body or lens. The technicians will often shoot the breeze with you and show a real interest in your photography.

I also think Nikon charges extra for their better photo editing software-Canon gives it away for free.