Canon or Nikon

[redbears]

OK all you photographers out there... show you face and let us know if you are a Canon person or Nikon person.

At this stage I am thinking film SLR or digital SLR....

[nsu]

Which level of gear you are talking about? For Pro levels, Nikon is behind and I think it is not easy for Nikon to catch up unless Canon makes a strategy error. There are still plenty people out there who will defend Nikon based on some perhaps unimportant facts, but the real fact is Canon sells more DSLR bodies than Nikon. More bodies means more lenses, more lenses means more people getting stuck on Canon brand...

Canon makes other products other than Cameras. Digital cameras use a lot of technologies that are not found in the traditional cameras. So Canon has more advantages over new technologies, industry contacts and personnel are two examples.

For consumer and pro-sumer levels of cameras, I don't think anyone can make long term impact based on the simple fact that they do not have legacy issue, ie. no lenses to keep.

[redbears]

Sorry, forgot about that, OK, lets talk cameras under $6,000 if digital and $1,500 if film. That should remove the professional element.

So I am talking DSLR's like Nikon D70, Canon 300D, 10D, D30, D60 etc etc and film bodies like Nikon F80, F65, Canon EOS 33, EOS 50 etc etc... ;)

[nsu]

Sorry, forgot about that, OK, lets talk cameras under $6,000 if digital and $1,500 if film. That should remove the professional element.

So I am talking DSLR's like Nikon D70, Canon 300D, 10D, D30, D60 etc etc and film bodies like Nikon F80, F65, Canon EOS 33, EOS 50 etc etc... ;)

Is the price for body only? It is perhaps better to divide SLR and non-SLR. "L" lenses can simply cost more than the body itself even for somthing like 1D Mark II. Other than the 300D, D30, D60, D10 are basically the same model, different generations.

[headrippa]

There is 4 new Canon digital cameras on their way out, I also suspect Nikon has a few ready to release too.

[redbears]

Is the price for body only? It is perhaps better to divide SLR and non-SLR. "L" lenses can simply cost more than the body itself even for somthing like 1D Mark II. Other than the 300D, D30, D60, D10 are basically the same model, different generations.

Yeah dude...

When the D30 came out it was about $6k body only, an EOS 5 or 30 was over the $1k mark awhile back too.

Do you have any L glass? I am trying to get a 70~200 but the boss keeps knocking it back :(

[nsu]

Yeah dude...

When the D30 came out it was about $6k body only, an EOS 5 or 30 was over the $1k mark awhile back too.

Do you have any L glass? I am trying to get a 70~200 but the boss keeps knocking it back :(

I have 2 Ls.
70-200 is great, I think 70-200sL + 2x Extender should cover your long side of need, especially for non-fullframe bodies. Buying a good lense is like buying a good monitor. They last a long time, and you get your money worth during all that time. Forget about traveling with 70-200SL though, they are simply too heavy to carry! You would also need a huge bag if you were going to put it into the same bag as the rest of the gear. They do come with a thin skin bag which I use. I have not got any good result of shots when I put the 70-200 on the tripod...

[redbears]

Cool! What is the other L?

I am using a 35 f/2 and a 28-135 IS USM at the moment, seems to cover most needs. The boss has a 75-300 USM as well, but the optics in this lens aren't quite as good as the other two, but if you need length it does the job.

[dvdude]

I'm planning on going DSLR before the end of the year.
Have used both a 300D and D70 briefly.
I prefer the D70 for feel, and also for the continuous shooting being faster than the 300D. An additional bonus is a friend has Nikon lenses I can borrow, whereas if I went Canon, I'd have to buy them all from scratch :(

I'll be using a D70 on Friday during the Premier State Rally at Eastern Creek, and also at Oran Park for the Open Race Meeting. I've only borrowed the 70-300mm f4-5.6 lens for it though.

I wouldn't mind a Canon 20D if I had the money though! :)

FWIW, I currently use an Olympus C-700 2mp camera.
http://www.nathanwong.com/gallery has photos from it. I feel I've maxed out as far as the camera can do quality wise. The optics are not great, but it has 10X optical zoom, which allows some good angles. I've had photos published in Fast Fours magazine, as well as various motorsport websites and in press releases. Hoping to be published more if I have a decent resolution camera! :p

[redbears]

If you wait a couple of months the pressure on prices may bring down the cost of the D70.

What is the current going rate of a D70?

I think the D70 is a better camera for feel than the 300D. There is nothing like a magnesium chassis camera for solid feel though, not sure if the D70 has this. The 10D feels nice and solid like a 1V or 3 film body, by the sound of it the 20D will be the same. If I had the cash I'd certainly upgrade to the 20D.

[dvdude]

I've heard that the D70 can be found for under $2k now.
Getting lower by the week. If I wait a few months, I may be able to afford it, plus a couple of big CF cards, spare battery or two, some filters, maybe an external flash...... argh! :eek: :dD

[redbears]

Before you know it the camera outfit is worth more than the car ;)

[headrippa]

If anyone is planning on buying a camera from Dick Smiths, and is willing to drive down to geelong, I can get 5% off for them, which isnt much but on a 2k camera its half decent.

[nsu]

Cool! What is the other L?

I am using a 35 f/2 and a 28-135 IS USM at the moment, seems to cover most needs. The boss has a 75-300 USM as well, but the optics in this lens aren't quite as good as the other two, but if you need length it does the job.

What else? 24-70mm f/2.8L.:)

35mm will be nice for 1.6 crop sensors. I do not find my 50mm 1.4 much use. I think all I need is a full frame or near full frame body, then my gear bug will die, I will be a good boy after that, I think.

[JamesHill]

Which level of gear you are talking about? For Pro levels, Nikon is behind and I think it is not easy for Nikon to catch up unless Canon makes a strategy error. There are still plenty people out there who will defend Nikon based on some perhaps unimportant facts, but the real fact is Canon sells more DSLR bodies than Nikon. More bodies means more lenses, more lenses means more people getting stuck on Canon brand...

I'd have to agree here, Canon is speeding along in the DSLR stakes, which translates to more sales, which in turn means more glass, which in turn makes those who want FSLR choose canon because they have more lenses. atleast this is what I have observed being in sales in the marketplace.

However, there is very little difference between the glass in the top of the line Nikon and Canon lenses. Many pros will shoot canon in the tele range, and have a F100 w/ 17-35mm f2.8 Nikkor for the wide angle.

Personally I own a EOS3, EOS10D, 16-35mm, 50mm 1.4 but i'm no way bias towards canon, I purchased the gear because it suit the application at the time.

[nsu]

I'd have to agree here, Canon is speeding along in the DSLR stakes, which translates to more sales, which in turn means more glass, which in turn makes those who want FSLR choose canon because they have more lenses. atleast this is what I have observed being in sales in the marketplace.

However, there is very little difference between the glass in the top of the line Nikon and Canon lenses. Many pros will shoot canon in the tele range, and have a F100 w/ 17-35mm f2.8 Nikkor for the wide angle.

Personally I own a EOS3, EOS10D, 16-35mm, 50mm 1.4 but i'm no way bias towards canon, I purchased the gear because it suit the application at the time.

I failed to mention that my comparison was based on DSLR. I think most of the pros would have already been using DSLRs, other than studio and large format of cause.

I used (did not own) Nikon F3 with a numbers of lenses in the mid 80s, boy isn't that a great camera?

http://www.nikon.co.jp/main/eng/society/rhnc/rhnc03f3-e.htm

[JamesHill]

Yep, prior to purchasing my EOS3, I was working solely on a Nikon FM2 w/ 50mm 1.4, that was such an awesome camera, Love old nikon cameras, they definatly knew how to make them then.