Canon or Nikon?? Opinions please

[rich83]

Cool... will look forward to seeing the pictures!


Steve that was for the OP really. A lot of people think "i want a DSLR" but actually a good PAS camera would be a better choice.

[scotta]

My tuppence!

I went with Nikon kit. purely because thats what i started with. My Mate lent me his D50 when i went to drive supercars at Croft. After a bit of playing i decided i was having one!

Off from that i started with a D60 and the kit 18 - 55 lens. Since my mate had nikon i borrowed bits off him as and when i needed until i have built my own kit up. Ive now got

Nikon D300s Camera + MB-D10 Grip
SB900 Flash
50mm F1.4 AFS
18 - 200mm F3.5-5.6
70 - 200mm F2.8
Manfrotto Monopod
Lowepro Fastpack 200 Backpack
Plus variouss UV and Polarising Filters

IMO the Nikon kit is excellent and the menu systems are very easy to use.

Comparisons - All my opinion based on my experience with the cameras

Ive had a quick shot of a 1000D Canon. I thought this was very plasticy and the build quality was not on par with the D60.  Additionally i found the menu system poorly laid out and difficult to navigate.

Likewise ive had a quick shot of a 50D which is comparitive in specs to the D300s. Thought this was a very solid body build quality was excellent and every bit on par with my D300s. I just preffered my Nikon for no other reason than thats what i was comfortable with.

Apples and oranges! As the others have said Go play and see what you and your wallet likes best!!

[Norbreck21a]

It's a slippery slope Scotta,

I always said I didn't need any more camera gear for my private business and hobby, but so far I've ended up with this:

DSLR's

Nikon D3
Nikon D2XS
Nikon D300
Nikon D200
Nikon D5100 ( new)

Compacts

Nikon P7000 (new)
Panasonic ZS3 (brilliant)

Lenses

Nikon 14-24 f2.8
Nikon 24-70 f2.8
Nikon 70-200 F2.8 VR II
Nikon 17-55 F2.8 DX
Nikon 10-24 DX
Nikon 24-120 F4 VR
Nikon 80-200 F2.8 (to be sold)
Nikon 300 F2.8
Nikon 50mm F1.4
Nikon 85mm F1.8
Nikon 105 F2.8 macro
Sigma 15-30 (surprisingly excellent)

4 off Nikon SB-800 speed lights
1 off Nikon SB-900 speed light
1 off Nikon SB-400 speed light
1 off SU800 wireless speed light master

Oh also have a Panasonic Lumix FZ50 and FZ28 which I can't seem to bear to part with.

I shudder to think how much it cost me, but I know their insurance value, and I have to sit down every time I see it.

To be fair, as I do weddings, portraits, social photography etc. a lot of the equipment has self financed though my own private business.

But as I said, it's a slippery slope......

[GTIStevie]

ok cheers fellas, currently my point n shoot camera is a nikon coolpix p100 its good cam and gets great photos but wanting a bit more options with lenses n stuff, will go shopping when i get home.

[Norbreck21a]

Some of my gear



and out of all of them, the one i enjoy using the most is the little D5100 in the front.

[rich83]

Wow... that quite some kit list! 

[Saint Steve]

Some of my gear



and out of all of them, the one i enjoy using the most is the little D5100 in the front.

[Norbreck21a]

To be honest it's too much.

My problem is if I spend £2.5k on a body, then in 3 or 4 years time, I can't seem to let myself part with it for a fraction of what I paid for it 

Think I'm just Scrooge 

I certainly only use the D3 for my main work, the D300 if I need the extra reach that DX gives you for the 300mm and 1.7 converter, and now the new D5100 for play

[scotta]

It's a slippery slope Scotta,

I always said I didn't need any more camera gear for my private business and hobby, but so far I've ended up with this:

DSLR's

Nikon D3
Nikon D2XS
Nikon D300
Nikon D200
Nikon D5100 ( new)

Compacts

Nikon P7000 (new)
Panasonic ZS3 (brilliant)

Lenses

Nikon 14-24 f2.8
Nikon 24-70 f2.8
Nikon 70-200 F2.8 VR II
Nikon 17-55 F2.8 DX
Nikon 10-24 DX
Nikon 24-120 F4 VR
Nikon 80-200 F2.8 (to be sold)
Nikon 300 F2.8
Nikon 50mm F1.4
Nikon 85mm F1.8
Nikon 105 F2.8 macro
Sigma 15-30 (surprisingly excellent)

4 off Nikon SB-800 speed lights
1 off Nikon SB-900 speed light
1 off Nikon SB-400 speed light
1 off SU800 wireless speed light master

Oh also have a Panasonic Lumix FZ50 and FZ28 which I can't seem to bear to part with.

I shudder to think how much it cost me, but I know their insurance value, and I have to sit down every time I see it.

To be fair, as I do weddings, portraits, social photography etc. a lot of the equipment has self financed though my own private business.

But as I said, it's a slippery slope......

You need to try harder my son  Ha ha

Seriously tho thats some kit list mate. I know what ive spent on my little lot you almost got enough there to buy a Golf R 

Some of mines has paid for itself. Ive done shoots for Practical Performance Car and Ford motor Company.

[scotta]

Sigma 15-30 (surprisingly excellent)

I had completely discounted SIGMA until i saw this http://www.sigma-imaging-uk.com/lenses/telezoom/70-200mmOS.htm I went to an open day at the local Calumet and got talking to the Sigma rep. Told him i was in the market for the nikon 70 - 200 2.8 and had looked at theirs but discounted it on the grounds that it wasnt stabalised. Ahhh he said then you havent seen this! Promptly thrusting the above lens in to my hand. Brand new he said only out a month! So i went off and checked reviews on it which were pretty damn good!.

Its smaller and lighter than the Nikon and i got it for £800 from Onestop Digital. Nikon was £1675. The more i use it the more i like it!

[garrardrj]

Budget has a great influence over what you can get.....Lenses are the most important part i would say and spend the money on the lens more than the body. At Jessops recently they had a £349 or was it £329 point and shoot with the same sensor as their dslr's (not the full frame ones obviously) i think it is called a S95. Great write up everywhere and they had a Canon employee in for the day. This also shoots in raw which helps. Also i am quite impressed with the new sony NEC5 and they have a newer one out now and can't remember the name

I say decide on a budget first then if you def want dslr i would say Canon....like i would reccomend VW 

Its like trying to decide on BMW or Mercedes , depends alot on how it handles and what it looks like.

[jonm]

Canon all the way for me....

[Norbreck21a]

Nice outfit.

Especially like the Sigma 10-300 F4 you have. Had one of these for years and it was one of the best lenses I had, until it and my old D2X it was attached to fell 30 feet from a tree hide onto the ground   

Not much left of it after that, although amazingly the D2X was repairable by Nikon UK !

My 300 F2.8 is slightly sharper but I do sometimes miss the convenience of a good tele zoom.

[markfive]

I decided to get back into photography as a hobby earlier this year. I've not been heavily into cameras for personal use for about 10 years, just been pointing and shooting with consumer Sony gear, but have been using Canon still (EOS 50D/60D) and video cameras (XH A1) at work for the last three years or so, not full time but standing in for our normal photo/videographers when needed.

So cue a load of research - online, forums, magazines etc. And a lot of visits to camera shops to compare handling etc etc. All of which is a good idea IMO when you are going to commit this sort of money.

Now I don't have the degree of experience that some do (at best I'm an enthusiastic amateur) but I do know that I wanted a camera that was going to last me for years, had reasonable aftermarket support, would stand up to some abuse and of course would take quality pictures with a full range of manual controls as well as sensible automated intervention when I want it.

The no-brainer choice for me would have been a Canon 60D, which is what I've had access to over the last few years. But the outcome for me was that I purchased a Pentax K-5. Every shop I went into was trying to sell me either Nikon or Canon but the Pentax won me over for a variety of reasons, not least of which was that it handled really well IMO. It's true that Nikon and Canon have a lot of support, and rightly so - they are great pieces of kit - but the K-5 just ticked so many boxes for me. Used it loads since I bought it and have never once regretted the choice.

[Hedge]

But the outcome for me was that I purchased a Pentax K-5. Every shop I went into was trying to sell me either Nikon or Canon but the Pentax won me over for a variety of reasons, not least of which was that it handled really well IMO. It's true that Nikon and Canon have a lot of support, and rightly so - they are great pieces of kit - but the K-5 just ticked so many boxes for me. Used it loads since I bought it and have never once regretted the choice.

Hello my friend. Fellow K-5 owner here. 

I'm on my 2nd thanks to Sony making a mess of the sensor on my 1st and looking to replace my K-7 with another one.