Nikon vs Cannon decision... help please

[Peepers]

Hello, I am trying to decide on what type of camera I want. I started with a Nikon camera (film type) & went to a digial point & shoot. I loved my little digital Fuji point & shoot but was a little frustrated by some limitations. I later got another Fuji but didn't realize SLR-style & SLR are different. (Grrrrowl). There are things I like about my current camera but I want an SLR.

What I do? I take a LOT of animal pictures. We travel a lot & I like to photograph wildlife, landscape. I have dogs & horses & I spend a lot of time on the farm with a camera in my hand trying to catch a good shot of the critters & wildlife here on the farm. I also do family pictures & occassionally outdoor portraits of folks.

I'm no professional but I do not want to buy another camera that is going to frustrate me.

Now down to the question at hand.... I'm caught in that spot of figuring out what I want & need. In theory I think the Nikon 7000 sounds great but it's a little out of my comfortable price range. I've narrowed the field to Nikon or Cannon. Of everything I've read I think I've narrowed it down to the Nikon 5000 or one of the Cannon Rebels. I read somewhere that Cannons have the edge on a little brighter color but I've never seen a side by side comparison of photos of the same shot. I've been told the Cannon is more user friendly for a beginner but you can grow more with the Nikon. Since I don't know... I thought I would ask here in hopes that people here who know a lot more than I do can offer insight so I make the best choice for myself.

Thank you in advance to anyone who cares to share knowledge.

[oldwolf]

Go to a store that sells both. Hold both in your hands and see which feels right (i.e. button layout, weight, etc.).

Pick the one that feels right. Buying the body is only the beginning. The glass (lens) will help immensely in your image quality but use the kit lens first to figure out what your limitations are before you buy any extra glass.

Good luck with your decision and Merry Christmas.

[inkista]

If you hadn't put wildlife on your list, I'd have said go with whichever feels better in your hands. But with wildlife on the list, you need to know about one thing, that might change your decision, if you ever think you might spend more than $1000 on a lens.

The Nikon D5000/D5100 is an entry-level body without a focus motor. That means that only AF-S lenses will autofocus. If you plan to get a AF-S 70-300 lens for your wildlife shooting, you should be fine. But if you want more reach for things like birds (which are small and shy which makes it hard to fill a frame), and you want to go up to 400mm, then your choices are going to be far more limited with Nikon (the 80-400 is NOT AF-S, and the 400/2.8 is huge, heavy, and $9000). You're liable to end up with a Sigma 120-400 OS, 150-500 OS or 50-500 OS.

If you go with a camera at the D90 tier or above (D90, D7000, D300s), then this restriction is no longer there, and you could use an AF 80-400 if you wanted to and you'd have autofocus.

On the Canon side of the fence, any of the EF/EF-S lenses will autofocus on any of the dSLR bodies, regardless of whether or not it has a silent focus motor (USM). The 100-400L IS USM won't have any issues even on a 1100D/T3.

Now, all of these 400mm lenses cost in the $1000-$1500 range, which is why I put that qualifier at the top. If you aren't ever going to spend that much on a lens, then a 70-300 is likely the lens in your future, and all this doesn't matter. And Nikon might, at some point, update their 80-400 to have AF-S.

I'm only making the distinction, because I moved from a $200 Canon EF 75-300 III to an $1100 400mm f/5.6L USM for bird photos, and I've be thankful ever since that I went with Canon, because Nikon has no similar lens.


Canon 50D, EF 400mm f/5.6L USM. iso 800, f/11, 1/2000s.

[bigben6]

Everything said previously is legitimate. Another consideration i think is noteworthy, what do your friends/family have if anything? If you know alot of people with nikons then you can borrow gear.... if you have alot of friends with canon then you could borrow their gear.


I truly believe that either camera can produce great images, cannon does have some stuff that nikon does not, and nikon has some stuff cannon does not. I personally feel from talking and reading alot that nikon puts a little more time into a better sensor where cannon plays the megapixle game a little better. dollar for dollar the trend seems to be that cannon has more MP bu the nikon has better ISO without as much noise, better color depth etc, but i am also not sure a beginner or even an amature hobbiest like myself could really make out the differences.

I like to use this site for a STATISTICAL comparison: Camera Comparison - Snapsort
I emphasize statistical because in the end a better camera may or may not make a lick of difference, and i have shot comperable cannons and nikons with little trouble....


Hold them both, make sure there is not a key feature one is missing or the other has that is a MUST have, then decide...

[EmyB]

I agonised over this decision too because it really feels as though you're committing yourself to the brand for life!

In the end, after much much research I couldn't bring up any actual arguments to differentiate the two brands. I went to try out various models in my hands. The salesman was trying to convince me to buy the Nikon and was spouting off all these technical superiorities (probably got kickbacks) and I was agreeing with everything he said BUT I just didn't WANT the Nikon hahahaha. I just liked the feel of Canons more and I guess deep down inside I just had a crush on Canons!

[pjgoswami]

I would like to share my personal experience here

I agree with Madam Inkista. But would I like to add a few points with Madam as follow.

I am a Nikon user and tried to move to Canon in the middle of last year. But I had invested a lot in my Nikon gears till date so I stuck with Nikon for the time being and studied available web helps. I got lot of help from this forum but I send all seniors personal mails and got replies & thank to this forum as well as seniors for the help.

Now I am using a Nikon AF-S 300mm F/4 (Price: $1,369.95 B&H) lens with or with out Nikon 1.4x TC (Price: $489.95 B&H) for the birding. Most of the case I use it with TC. In this combination I am getting 420mm F/5.6 slight degradation in photograph. From review I came to know that it can be used with 1.7x as well as 2.0x TC. But with 2.0x TC image degradation will be more as well as no autofocus due to f-stop will be "8". One of my friends is using 1.7x TC and he is happy with the results.

I used Nikon 70-300mm VRII (Price: $586.95 B&H) for some time; it also is good but after 200mm it needs special attention regarding the f-stop selection as Nikon guru Thom Hogan says and I also experienced the same, it need to stop down one or two. But it is good for hand held operation. This lens is little bit unstable with tripod due to its weight.

I never got the opportunity to use Nikon 80-400mm lens. But reviews say that it is good for panning shoot.

I would also like to mention here that if you select Nikon than please do not opt for a body below D90, if you go for D90 (or above) than you will have the opportunity for a wider range of lens option due to in body motor facility.

[ravncat]

Originally Posted by EmyB

I just liked the feel of Canons more

That's important. I'd advise handling both canon and nikon cameras and going with which you like the feel of more, unless there is some specific system need (like a specific lens or lighting system or other 1st party accessory that has no equal).

[Peepers]

Thank you everyone for your assistance. You've given me more to think about & I am every so thankful for the wealth of information here. You've mentioned stuff that I hadn't thought of. There is a WHOLE lot more about lenses that I need to learn that I didn't know... thought I had an idea... turns out... I'm clueless But that's why it pays to ask first before buying.

[ccting]

If I am you...

I will analyze the requirement to have a DSLR
a) Functional requirements
- WILL i need 1/200s flash speed?
- Do i need flash commander?
- Do i need more flexibility in control?

b) Quality requirements
- Will I shot in rain / dust with protection
- Do I need more lifespan for shutter and sensor?

c) Constraint
- Do I have budget constraint to buy alternative lenses / other equipments?
- Do I have a motor which helps saving money for lenses?
- lenses compatibility
- speedlight compability especially YN.

Then, I usually use Open Close Principle to avoid "Wrong" camera and "redundant" lenses being bought. This principle is damn famous in Microsoft, Sun, Oracle, Google, and other big companies. It helps save you lots of money.

My experience and analyze is that, kit lens that usually come with camera body is seriously breach this principle. But, most of photographers are still encourage you buy kit lens for learning. I hope you can look out of the box for principles applied in other fields as well, when come to purchasing your future camera.

Note: You can learn IREB CPRE for requirement analysis. Even though it is more to software, but it can be adapted for camera as camera is a kind of computer ;D. it is easy to get the cert - pay USD2000, 3 days course and then exam.

[bigben6]

Originally Posted by ccting

Then, I usually use Open Close Principle to avoid "Wrong" camera and "redundant" lenses being bought. This principle is damn famous in Microsoft, Sun, Oracle, Google, and other big companies. It helps save you lots of money.

My experience and analyze is that, kit lens that usually come with camera body is seriously breach this principle. But, most of photographers are still encourage you buy kit lens for learning. I hope you can look out of the box for principles applied in other fields as well, when come to purchasing your future camera.

Note: You can learn IREB CPRE for requirement analysis. Even though it is more to software, but it can be adapted for camera as camera is a kind of computer ;D. it is easy to get the cert - pay USD2000, 3 days course and then exam.

WOW......

You're not really suggesting a 3 days paid course to help aid in the decision making process of buying a DSLR are you?