What brand should I invest in?

[jrossh21]

Right now I have a Panasonic Lumix FZ20. I want to invest into either Nikon or Canon in the near future with a good amateur camera and then eventually go to a Pro line afterwards. Should I invest in Nikon or Canon and give me reasons for your choice.

I'm looking for around the $2000 range currently. I was either going to go with the Nikon D200 or the Canon 5D.

[Saralonde]

Both are great cameras. You will find plenty of people dedicated to one or the other. The best thing you can do is go to a camera store, hold the cameras, ask if you can take a few shots. Do you know anybody with either camera that will let you try theirs out? Check out the lenses of each, good glass is expensive and you'll want to be sure they offer what you want.
As you can see by my sig, I'm a Canonite, so I'll try to give you reasons for Canon. Someone else will have to do Nikon ;) .
Canon has a wider variety of lenses. 5D is a full frame body, not so sure about the NikonD200. I've read that Canon has less noise at higher ISO settings, but I have no personal experience with this.
Ok, any rabid Nikonian out there ready to tell him how wrong I am? :rolleyes: :D

[jrossh21]

Thank you for your response. Quick question; I did a quick compare on dpreview.com with the Canon XTi and the Nikon D200 ... they both seem to be pretty similar in features. Purchasing a 5D is a pretty big jump from the FZ20, not to mention a hefty price tag. If I were to get the XTi and then decided to upgrade to the latest model at that time ... could I take all the lens' I bought for my XTi and use them on my next Canon purchase? XTi seems like it's a pretty good buy.

[Nicole]

I won't say how wrong you are, especially since I don't have either camera that's being looked at here. What I will say is that with the Canon, there's a full frame sensor, which is good if you want to do a lot of super-wide angle shots. With the Nikon, it's weather sealed, so if you want to take your camera outside without worrying so much, that's something the Canon doesn't have. Personally, I like Nikon, but that's because I come from a Nikon family, so we've all got Nikon glass. Making sure that your glass can be upgraded is huge. The only thing I saw with the Canon was that the 5d won't use the EF-S lenses, while the XTi will use the EF and EF-S lenses.

But I sooo agree with Saralonde, go hold the cameras... you'll know which one you'll feel better shooting with ;)

Other than that, my response probably wasn't very helpful :p

[googlit]

you're looking at cameras outside my range of experience, but my opinion is to try out both cameras and go with whatever feels most comfortable and usable to you.

Any lenses you invest in will usually work fine with the next body you get (as long as you stick with the same brand for the body)... so as long as you like the camera's features and get some good glass, I think you'll be pretty happy, and you can always upgrade bodies as the tech improves.

[NaturesPixel]

lol ok well i have to say nikon...lol i am a nikon girl just liek Nicole. i do have soem bias.. but according to our Boss Darren the D200 is the best at this time plus the most popular more "advanced SLR" i do like the fact that it does have some sort of mild weather proofing...and can use any of the nikon glass.. unlike the Canon 5d as Nicole stated above me :) but yes i cant express how important it is to hold these puppies in your hands.. get a feel for them all :)

[Saralonde]

Thank you for your response. Quick question; I did a quick compare on dpreview.com with the Canon XTi and the Nikon D200 ... they both seem to be pretty similar in features. Purchasing a 5D is a pretty big jump from the FZ20, not to mention a hefty price tag. If I were to get the XTi and then decided to upgrade to the latest model at that time ... could I take all the lens' I bought for my XTi and use them on my next Canon purchase? XTi seems like it's a pretty good buy.

Probably not a bad idea, 5D is a big investment and you can always sell the XTi. Just stick with EF lenses as Nicole said. The EF-S will not work on full frame cameras. Keep in mind that the XTi is a smaller size body than the 5D. Not everyone likes the smaller size. You really need to hold one. If you don't want something that small and don't feel ready for the 5D, you can get a 20D or a 30D. The XTi is a good price. Then you have more money to buy a good lens which can move to a different body at a later time. So many options!
Check this site
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/

[jrossh21]

So, the general answer is they both capture the image with practically the same quality, whichever feels better in your hands.

Another question I have is why is it whenever I see a camera on TV, it's always a Canon. I don't ever remember seeing a Nikon on the sidelines of the super bowl. If they capture the photo the same, why aren't there Nikons over there. There's masses of Canon used by professionals, why do they choose Canon over Nikon?

I'm not sure if anyone knows the answer to this question, but since the Canon 30D has outdated innards, and the rebel XTi isn't quite professional enough, does anybody know when Canon will come out with the next model of ~$1500 (like a model up from 30D)?

[AZ4Runner]

I wouldn't say that sports photographers don't use Nikon. Yes, there seems to be a plethora of Canon shooters at sporting events but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. If you want a series of debates . . . go read the forums over at Sportsshooter.com (http://www.sportsshooter.com/). I think most of the people over there (and probably here) would arguy that its not the equipment that determines the quality of the picture but the person behind the camera that counts.

At one point or other, every photographer has had to make the decision about which type of camera they wanted to get. Some chose Nikon, some chose Canon (some chose other brands but the general feeling I get is the argument between which is better Nikon or Canon). There are always people that are looking for the next big thing. Both Canon and Nikon offer superb products (which also happen to have nice big $$ attached to alot of their really nice stuff). When trying to decide which route you want to go, you need to think about how you're going to be using your camera. Do you have a pile of lenses laying around that would bias you one way or other? Do you have access to more lenses (buddies, photo clubs, rental stores, etc)? How does the camera feel in your hands? How is the camera built?

These are just a few of the things you have to consider when you move up to the dSLR world.

[Saralonde]

So, the general answer is they both capture the image with practically the same quality, whichever feels better in your hands.

Another question I have is why is it whenever I see a camera on TV, it's always a Canon. I don't ever remember seeing a Nikon on the sidelines of the super bowl. If they capture the photo the same, why aren't there Nikons over there. There's masses of Canon used by professionals, why do they choose Canon over Nikon?

I'm not sure if anyone knows the answer to this question, but since the Canon 30D has outdated innards, and the rebel XTi isn't quite professional enough, does anybody know when Canon will come out with the next model of ~$1500 (like a model up from 30D)?

All I know at this point. http://digital-photography-school.com/forum/showthread.php?t=639

[alissasanderson]

I bought the Canon simply because it felt better to me than the Nikon. It was smaller and fit my grip better. I love it, but never having shot a Nikon camera other than in the store before I had any clue at all what I was doing, I couldn't compare for you.

I honestly think they're pretty similar. And I don't think you could go wrong either way. Go to a good camera store (not Circuit City where the teenagers will make you a recommendation!) and hold them both. Take a memory card and take some photos with each that you can take home to look at and compare. Compare lens prices and availability. And have fun!

[Seltzer]

Honestly I don't really know why I picked up a Canon, but I'm glad I did. I'd presume them both to be fairly similar but it's all up to the user. I don't think we can emphesise enough to read reviews and hold them in your hands and make your own decision here.
It worked out really well for me because a couple of the photography people I know both have Canon SLRs and it means I can borrow lenses until I can upgrade, as well as we can try out each other's stuff and see what we like. DPreview.com and steves-digicams.com are two places that I hit for the most info and good user reviews.

[jrossh21]

I think I'm going to go with Canon. Here's my wish list ... let me know what you guys think. I'll be taking mostly portraits, but some other things as well:

Camera:
-Canon EOS 30D (might wait til the 40D comes out b/c of the price drop)
Lens:
-Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
-Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
Memory Card:
-SanDisk 4 GB Extreme III

[Nicole]

Argh! The horror, not Canon ;) I'm kidding. Enjoy the camera when you get it. I'm pretty sure you'll love that 50mm :D

[googlit]

one note on the memory card: make sure the camera will handle it well. For my D50, for example, they recommend not going higher than 2GB in a card. The read/write time tends to be slower on the larger cards. Any of the Canon users have anything to say on this?

[Seltzer]

Sorry googlit, I only have a 2gb card for my Canon. Depending on price though I'd rather have multiple cards handy, if one 1gb card dies on me that's not so bad but if a 4gb card dies with all of my pictures that can get really bad..
As looking through prices, the 4gb is still more than 2x the cost of a 2gb card, saying to me that for the same amount of memory it's cheaper to just get 2 cards. If you don't mind "bulk packaging" and have one in your area, Microcenter has some really cheap CF cards for retail.

[stuart]

well heres my two cents worth both cameras are brillant im sure ive got the 400d canon these two brands were really the only two i was willing to look at ,when i was shopping for a camcorder a year or so back the salesman said he always recommends canon when i asked him why his reply made sence,he said because canon are primarily an optics company and could be said to be the best in the world that has always stuck in my mind so i opted for the canon 400d , then not long ago i was photographing my son at his kindy breakup party and one of the other mothers came up to me and said youve got the 400d thats the camera i wanted she then went on to explain she used to be the rep. for kodak and she had a huge respect for nikon but if you didnt want to break the bank on lenses, canon eos is it i think its a personal thing i think they are pretty much on par ,hope this helps

[jrossh21]

I was at Best Buy last night and stopped by the camera area. They had the Canon 30D and the Nikon D80. I held them both and shot them both. When I was holding them I was actually /trying/ to see which one felt best in my hands ... and I concluded with I honestly didn't care what they felt like. Whichever I chose would be good and I would get used to what it feels like in my hand. After holding and shooting the Canon, I'm even more excited about getting it ... I just hope it's soon. Thanks for all your help.

[inkista]

My advice? Look at the lens lineups. If you desperately need an all-in-one 18mm-200mm zoom, or you want to mount Zeiss glass without adapters, then Nikon's your only choice. If you desperately want a 50mm f/1.2 portrait lens, or a lightweight, handholdable 400mm lens, then Canon's your only choice.

The main reason you see Canon lenses on tv at sporting events is because Canon has the edge in fast supertelephotos. Nikon (so I've heard) has the edge on wider/portrait glass.

Camera body features are all fine and well, but realistically a camera body is probably only going to last you 3-5 years, if you are the type of shopper who "upgrades" to the latest electronic toys; and competition keeps most of the camera bodies on a level. Any glass you buy will probaby last you a lot longer than a single body, and it's the mount system that you're locking into. Get to know the lenses--think of the camera body as an accessory for your lenses, not the other way around. Personally, the ratio of money I've spent on lenses to what I spent on the camera body is hovering around five-to-one and rising.

[topslakr]

Well. I took the plunge recently into a DSLR and I went Nikon. I love my D40, I really do but what sealed the deal for me was that most of the people I know that have SLRs have Nikons. This is great for two reasons: They know how to use Nikon's and help me out and.. I can borrow glass.

It's also important to keep in mind that at the end of the day if you don't like the camera you won't use it.

Take a look at this link: Why the Camera Doesn't Matter (http://kenrockwell.com/tech/notcamera.htm)

Great Link, and a great site. The guy who runs it seems to prefer Nikon but is also the owner of plenty of Canon gear.


Robert