Switching to Nikon a good move for me?

[ChrisAdval]

I only have 1 canon body with 1 kit lens, and 1 50mm lens... not much... and the full body sensor camera (5D mkII) on my list I've heard has many auto focus issues and a bit grainy on high ISO vs. Nikon I've heard is much better.... or should I hope for a 5D mkIII coming? I don't plan to get a full body sensor until the end of 2012 or early 2013 anyways so waiting wouldn't be the issue but if I were to get into nikon instead I would need to make a game plan on which crop or full frame sensor cameras to look into and lenses, etc...

[ravncat]

Originally Posted by ChrisAdval

I only have 1 canon body with 1 kit lens, and 1 50mm lens... not much... and the full body sensor camera (5D mkII) on my list I've heard has many auto focus issues and a bit grainy on high ISO vs. Nikon I've heard is much better.... or should I hope for a 5D mkIII coming? I don't plan to get a full body sensor until the end of 2012 or early 2013 anyways so waiting wouldn't be the issue but if I were to get into nikon instead I would need to make a game plan on which crop or full frame sensor cameras to look into and lenses, etc...

Nikon and Canon leapfrog eachother alot - it really is a grass is greener on the other side type deal. When you get the nice nikon that's better - suddenly there's a better canon, and then a better nikon...

I'd only switch if you like the ergonomics of one system better than the other, one of the two systems has something the other doesn't have (lens selection / lighting / accessories / etc) or you need the most current top camera for some kind of photography assignment, and nothing else will do.

I don't know enough about the auto focus system differences to give a recommendation on that since I haven't really used canon.

[RichardTaylor]

+1 ravncat's suggestion.

When shooting motor sport there are a lot of Canon (me for one) and Nikon shooters.
Some of the Canon guys look at the Nikon bodies and think hmmm they look good, however the Nikon guys look at some of the Canon lenses (especially the 100-400) and wish Nikon made one of those.

I also shoot with a group of, mostly, landscape photographers.
They use everything, and getting good results is mostly down to technique, including reading the light and being in the right place at the right time, and not gear.
Even there we sometimes are envious of the of the Olympus DSLR shooters as when they splashed by a wave they just continue to shoot after wiping their camera off (they clean them in fresh water when they get back home). The Canon/Nikon shooters are usually up for a replacement camera.

Personally, the Nikon creative lighting system appeals to me a lot (see Joe McNally's Hot Shoe Diaries book). However I don't to enough flash photography to justify changing.

[Tzetsin]

I ask you this quite simply:

Do YOU find you have problems focusing and do YOUR images have problems with noise?

If the answer is yes, and is debilitating, then ditch the canon POS and get a Nikon. If you haven't personally had any problems you've heard about, then ignore the B.S. you commonly hear on the internet and enjoy the equipment many would consider robbing you of.

The focus issue on the 5Dmkii isnt BS. It does exist. But only in certain situations, ie. very low light. ie, trying to focus on tree branches an hour before sunrise with no external lighting.

The grainy high ISO problem? I dont think theres a camera out there that can pull off high ISO shots without grain, so I guess this is true as well, but why would you want to shoot in high ISO anyway???

[NathanFranke]

+1 Tzetsin

Learn to use what you have. Get critiques, learn from them, try what the critiquers are saying even if it goes against "the look you were going for." If, after all that, the equipment isn't matching your vision, rent a different camera. See if that helps. If it does, buy new equipment. If not, keep using what you have and wait a few years for the technology to catch up. Or use film.

[Rentham]

Quite simply: no.

And it has nothing to do with the differences, real or perceived, between the two systems.

I have a friend who loves gear. He is constantly buying and selling gear, and messing with different stuff. In the three years I've known him, he started with a Canon 5D, then a Pentax K5, then a Nikon D700, then a Canon 60D, and now a Canon D7000 with a Sony Nex5 "just to play around with".

When I asked him which was his favorite, he said they all have their strong points and negatives. There is no perfect camera, or brand.

[WooD]

Originally Posted by RichardTaylor

+1 ravncat's suggestion.

When shooting motor sport there are a lot of Canon (me for one) and Nikon shooters.
Some of the Canon guys look at the Nikon bodies and think hmmm they look good, however the Nikon guys look at some of the Canon lenses (especially the 100-400) and wish Nikon made one of those.

Nikon AF VR Zoom-NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Lens 1996 B&H

Close enough, and it's black!

[SwissJon]

Originally Posted by ChrisAdval

I don't plan to get a full body sensor until the end of 2012 or early 2013 anyways ...

I suggest you ask this question in a years time, as the answer will probably change between now and then.

The real question is -- Does this make good MARKETING sense oh guru of the markets?!