nikon vs canon (from a nikon owner)

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Archive 2008 · nikon vs canon (from a nikon owner)

90 5.0
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p.4 #1 · nikon vs canon (from a nikon owner)

AGeoJO wrote:
roman.johnston wrote:

For me the Nikons our resolved the Canons...but then my test was with the 24-70 on the nikon....and that lens is good enough to get Canon users to purchase it and use it with an adaptor.

Roman,
Are you referring to a particular lens, let's say the 24-70mm or a body, let's say, a D3/D700 compared to a 1Ds MarkII or 1Ds MarkIII? If the later, I am afraid you are not correct.... BTW, the Nikkor lens Canon users are using via an adapter is the 14-24mm and not the 24-70mm.

No I have also heard of Canon shooters using the Nikon 24-70 with an adapter because they felt it was superior to the 24-70L. I am not saying either one is or isn't but it is a fact that there are people that feel that way and do in fact use the 24-70 nikon on canon body's

Nov 16, 2008 at 09:50 PM

Mike Yamin
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p.4 #2 · nikon vs canon (from a nikon owner)

I prefer Nikon's cameras, but Canon has a better selection of lenses, which seems like the only real difference at this point. Once Nikon releases their high-MP camera and updates their lenses to AF-S, they'll be even... of course, the "lead" will go back and forth, but at least Nikon is in the game now.

One thing that I wonder about, though, is the differences in dynamic range between the two brands. Could that be the difference in image quality that some people see?

This testing shows that the crop-sensor camera fairs well against the FX camera.
D700 dynamic range: http://www.diwa-labs.com/wip4/photo_compare.epl?id=253166&id2=

40D dynamic range: http://www.diwa-labs.com/wip4/photo_compare.epl?id=237594&id2=

Not to mention the old 5D: http://www.diwa-labs.com/wip4/photo_compare.epl?id=255456&id2=

Nov 16, 2008 at 10:12 PM

Kerry Pierce
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p.4 #3 · nikon vs canon (from a nikon owner)

I tend to agree with the OP. Canons are simply the best there is. period. Dunno why anyone shoots with a nikon. I wouldn't, but have too much stuff and nobody wants to buy it, so I tape over all of the nikon logos and write in canon. When someone asks, I tell them that I shoot only canon. I've gotten lots and lots more clients since I started doing that and much fewer people tell me how stupid I am.

I remember reading an article on this topic, a couple of years ago, where the guy was a famous PS and printer guy. Sorry, can't remember his name, might have been the guy that sells the Qimage program, but that could be wrong and sincere apologies to him if it is. Anyway, this guy claimed to have done a blind print test with a bunch of different cameras at some big conference. He claimed to have had all of the pros attending the conference, look at the printed photos and tell him which photo came from what brand. Then he stated that nobody could even come close to identifying the photos with the brand of camera and then made some silly remark about proper processing and printing being the key. Seems to me that the guy was either a complete liar or a paid nikon shill that used the same canon camera for all of the supposed test photos.

Nov 16, 2008 at 10:53 PM

Mike Yamin
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p.4 #4 · nikon vs canon (from a nikon owner)

So true, Kerry.

My take on the argument:
[sarcasm]This whole time, I thought I was making beautiful images with my Nikon, but I guess I was wrong...[/sarcasm]

Nov 16, 2008 at 10:58 PM

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p.4 #5 · nikon vs canon (from a nikon owner)

What if photogs taped over the camera logos or used a black paint stick over the camera logos?

Nov 16, 2008 at 11:13 PM

AGeoJO
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p.4 #6 · nikon vs canon (from a nikon owner)

90 5.0 wrote:
No I have also heard of Canon shooters using the Nikon 24-70 with an adapter because they felt it was superior to the 24-70L. I am not saying either one is or isn't but it is a fact that there are people that feel that way and do in fact use the 24-70 nikon on canon body's

You may have heard that they were considering but I don't think anybody ended up using the 24-70mm. You must have referred to a thread on the Alternative Forum where I also participated. I am probably one of the first people that adopted the 14-24mm on my Canon body before the Nikkor G to EOS was available and that was in December 2007 shortly after that lens became available. That's when hubsand/Mark Welsh mentioned that in his post, again in December 2007. Again, the 14-24 as well as the 24-70 are G lenses and as such they do't let you change the aperture from outside. I propped up or shimmed the aperture lever to whatever aperture I wanted to get, calibrated it with a Canon lens of the same focal length and off I went. You cannot change the aperture and you either rely on the AF chip or you just use your eyes to focus. If you set the aperture too small, smaller than f/8, the viewfinder gets dark. Well, I put up with that because two things, the Nikkor 14-24 is really a great lens and it is an ultrawide angle lens. So, focusing is less critical than let's say a standard zoom. Plus you have to put up with the quality of the adapter (wobbliness or uneveness), which finally made me decide to get a D700 instead. The inconvenience is too much that I don't think a single Canon user ended up buying the Nikkor 24-70mm. While the Nikkor lens is great but the Canon version is not slouch. Beleive me, I know. You get AF, auto aperture, no need to put up with adapter issues, bright viewfinder, and all that for $500.00 or 50% less. Sorry, I don't buy that

.

Oh, yeah, the adapter that let's you change the aperture by turning the lens barrel is not quite readily available after almost a year. Plus you have to add $170.00 to the price of the already 50% higher price of the Nikkor....

Nov 16, 2008 at 11:39 PM

DaveEP
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p.4 #7 · nikon vs canon (from a nikon owner)

I agree with AGeoJO, the Canon 24-70L is an excellent lens, and I very much doubt that on a print any one would be able to tell the difference between the Nikon and Canon lens when used within their respective capabilities.

The 14-24 is indeed the lens that many Canon users lust after. The Canon WA offerings are by far the weakest link in the entire lens lineup. I had a disappointing time with the 17-40L an a truly miserable time with the CA on the 16-35L. I sold both. I have not yet sprung for the 14-24, but it's pretty high on my list - although it's only going to get used on a Nikon body. Too much hassle with the adapters etc to use on a Canon. I like the equipment to be more or less an invisible tool that becomes second nature to use. I just don't like tools getting in the way or making life any harder than it needs to be.

Nov 16, 2008 at 11:57 PM

Andre Labonte
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p.4 #8 · nikon vs canon (from a nikon owner)

Marc Kurth wrote:
pr4photos wrote:
.........................
the conclusion i have come to is that the nikons handle much better than the canons (even the canon owners say so) but the image quality on the canons is much better.

has anyone else come to this conclusion?

After 35+ years of shooting, I can produce stunningly bad or good images with either system. I would suspect that this is true for most people. It comes down to what tools you are most comfortable with.

Marc

Marc,

You nailed it on the head. When people ask me which system is better, the first thing I say is, "Both Nikon and Canon are great; they each have strengths and weekness; I chose Nikon because it felt so good in my hand. Go test them out yourself and go with what you like."

Lately, I think do think Nikon has the edge, but the reverse was true not too long ago.

Cheers,
Andre

Nov 17, 2008 at 12:19 AM

Tom Conte
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p.4 #9 · nikon vs canon (from a nikon owner)

This is a rather silly thread, but thanks all for some fun reading on a sunday. Now, can I please have that hour back?!?

Nov 17, 2008 at 12:19 AM

gugs
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p.4 #10 · nikon vs canon (from a nikon owner)

Tom Conte wrote:
This is a rather silly thread, but thanks all for some fun reading on a sunday. Now, can I please have that hour back?!?
+1

Nov 17, 2008 at 12:32 AM

Avi B
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p.4 #11 · nikon vs canon (from a nikon owner)

Tom, you must be a slow reader

Nov 17, 2008 at 01:24 AM

dgenx24
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p.4 #12 · nikon vs canon (from a nikon owner)

Chris Langer wrote:
I am student at RIT and started shooting 3 years ago so I will tell you my thoughts on this issue...

First off, I went to the camera store to buy my first DSLR and I knew NOTHING about the cameras. It was solely based on some specs and most of all the feel of the camera. I felt the Canon's system is lightyears away from what Nikon has now. The Nikon fits so nicely in my hands and the menus and buttons are placed so nicely. So my first purchase was based solely on what felt "good".

Now here I am, with a D300 and I have used most if not all the high Nikon bodies and even some Canon cameras. I have shot so many various subjects to keep myself on my feet and try to shoot everything. For sports before the D300, I was using the schools Canon 30D and really liked the results. That all changed when I grabbed the 70-200 VR and used the D300 with it. The image quality was nothing like the 30D. Of course this is something subjective and to each his own on this.

But overall, the professionals I inspire to be like care about gear but not to this extent. I really feel this place is getting slightly ridiculous on these flaming wars between the brands. I am not going to school to be your average local highschool yearbook/senior photographer professional but rather a professional who works in NYC and from what I have seen, it really doesn't bother them too much what they shoot. They want to convey to their client a solution to the problem and if there solution is a Hasselblad camera or Nikon camera, who cares. As long as the client is happy then the job gets done.

We are seeing lots of movers towards Nikon which I am very happy for but seriously, to each his own reasons. I will continue to use Canon systems but if it takes me 4 seconds to get an option on a Canon and 1 second on the Nikon, then what could have I missed shooting? I really enjoy a camera that works flawlessly and works for me. I also enjoy Nikons Capture NX2 and see myself sitting less in front of the computer and doing more of what I enjoy.... SHOOTING!

Technology will always get better but if you need to justify your photography by going back and forth then do it. There will always be the people in the field of photography who just buy stuff to just to "have" and brag about then there are people who actually go out and use it.

These are my observations so far and who knows what will happen in the future.

Chris

Hey, Chris..
it's nice to see someone from the same college..
i think i'm the class of 2003 or something.. when 1vhs & F5 were the kings..
lived in rochester for 13 yrs.. dang!..

anywayz,.. it's top notch photo school,,(although it wasn't my major)
hope you get the best out of it!!..

Min

Nov 17, 2008 at 01:44 AM

dgenx24
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p.4 #13 · nikon vs canon (from a nikon owner)

when i started photography,
i started out with minola 500si.. my last minola was 800si.. dang.. i loved that camera and i loved minola lens.. but lacking ultrasonic motor,,
i had to change to quieter set up.. canon...

i grabbed 1vhs... holy sh*t... such a machine gun..

but then nikon came out with F100.. it was very tempting..

i couldnt' justify switching over to nikon because i was only student..
if i had the money, i think i would've..

but now, i'm working professional, invested only in canon. have used a lot of their stuff.. now i know how to get the best out of canon SYSTEM for my needs..
so nothing really seems to be tempting.. because I have the SYSTEM not just one camera and one lens...

canon isn't the best,.. nikon isn't the best either.. niether sony or pentax or....

I believe one brand becomes the best/better when you have the SYSTEM that suit your needs.

Nov 17, 2008 at 02:04 AM

Paul L.
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p.4 #14 · nikon vs canon (from a nikon owner)

I actually find this thread fascinating.

I currently own:
- 5d
- 24-105/4
- 50/1.4
- 85/1.8
- 135/2

But I'm considering moving to a D700, not because of the glass but because of the camera & flash. Specifically:
- high ISO performance
- better autofocus
- better flash system
- WAY better ergonomics

Also, recent releases by the two companies indicate to me that Nikon is aggressively innovating - granted that they might have been forced to because they were behind - while Canon appears to be resting on its laurels, bumping up megapixels every 18-24mo and that's about it.

But then I come over here and find this thread, and see that people are making the exact same arguments as those on the Canon forums, only in reverse. And it's like that at dpreview as well.

Now I'm at a bit of a crossroads, and I guess I'll just have to think about it some more. Selling all the equipment is a PITA, especially when you consider that the main reason for me to move is for the cameras and not the glass.

It's really amusing how you could basically swap Canon & Nikon, move to the other forum and feel right at home

Nov 18, 2008 at 06:02 AM

rjk55425
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p.4 #15 · nikon vs canon (from a nikon owner)

Nothing I have either read or seen supports this contention. I have used multiple Canon DSLR bodies since 2003, this includes 10D, Rebel variations, 20D, 1D and 1D MK II. I tested a D3 last summer and ended up getting a D700 with some of Nikon's best lenses. I have no regrets and have not taken a shot with my 1D MKII or 20D since I picked up the D700.

Nov 18, 2008 at 06:15 PM

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p.4 #16 · nikon vs canon (from a nikon owner)

I have 5D, mkIIn and D700. I have in no way challenged the limits of these cameras, but in my experience the results from the D700 have been very satisfying, more so than the 5D. There are probably a number of biases in this judgement based on preferred lens on each camera (typically ZF 35 on D700 and 24-105L on 5D) and also some biases in processing workflow (for many Nikon shots Capture NX2 gives much better results than ACR). I am keeping my 5D for the long term as I know it is capable of a lot more than I have been able to achieve from it. Maybe with the right lens and the right processing workflow I will one day nail it.

Interestingly I have had much more success getting results I am happy with from the mkIIn. Maybe there is a 1 series "signature" that I like.

Nov 18, 2008 at 07:48 PM

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p.4 #17 · nikon vs canon (from a nikon owner)

andrewd01 wrote:
There are probably a number of biases in this judgement based on preferred lens on each camera (typically ZF 35 on D700 and 24-105L on 5D)

That's a rather big difference right there. 24-105 is a good enough zoom, but is not known for smooth bokeh. If you are using the ZF 35, I suspect you would be much happier with the 5D if paired with the 35L or 24-70L.

I agree the default color rendition out of ACR has never been great for Nikon, and if anything it is worse for Canon. Historically I have preferred using DPP and Capture for "high value" files and have reserved ACR for quick proofs.

The good news is that Adobe's new beta camera profiles (available from AdobeLabs.com) substantially improves color rendition with both brands and also includes profiles to precisely mimic the camera vendor's built-in "picture styles".

Nov 18, 2008 at 08:23 PM

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p.4 #18 · nikon vs canon (from a nikon owner)

garyvot wrote:
andrewd01 wrote:
There are probably a number of biases in this judgement based on preferred lens on each camera (typically ZF 35 on D700 and 24-105L on 5D)

That's a rather big difference right there. 24-105 is a good enough zoom, but is not known for smooth bokeh. If you are using the ZF 35, I suspect you would be much happier with the 5D if paired with the 35L or 24-70L.

I agree the default color rendition out of ACR has never been great for Nikon, and if anything it is worse for Canon. Historically I have preferred using DPP and Capture for "high value" files and have reserved ACR for quick proofs.

The good news is that Adobe's new beta camera profiles (available from AdobeLabs.com) substantially improves color rendition with both brands and also includes profiles to precisely mimic the camera vendor's built-in "picture styles".

Fair comments. I actually have the adapter to use the ZF on Canon, but the 5D is terrible for MF glass (standard screen completely useless and no live view or focus assist). I know I can update the screen, but.....

For the 24-70 Zoom range the Nikon option appeals to me over Canon, This was a factor in choosing the D700 although I am still yet to buy that lens.

I have tried the beta profiles too (CS3) have these been improved even further with CS4? I need to do more testing with these.

I suppose I am in agreement that both brands can give superb results with the right lens and technique. For where I am now the D700 is the cam I reach for most when going out to shoot, but am still interested in keeping the 5D to one day learn to fully utilise its strengths. I will keep the mkIIn for sports shooting.

Nov 18, 2008 at 08:48 PM

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p.4 #19 · nikon vs canon (from a nikon owner)

garyvot wrote:
I agree the default color rendition out of ACR has never been great for Nikon, and if anything it is worse for Canon. Historically I have preferred using DPP and Capture for "high value" files and have reserved ACR for quick proofs.

The good news is that Adobe's new beta camera profiles (available from AdobeLabs.com) substantially improves color rendition with both brands and also includes profiles to precisely mimic the camera vendor's built-in "picture styles".

Yep, I like the beta camera profiles. Works great with my Olympus ORF RAW files too. Not a big fan of mimicing Nikon's built-in picture styles though, as I don't like the Nikon "red push". Anyone know how to create custom profiles with the DNG editor and profiler package? It's kinda confusing, although I haven't really tried to work it out either.

Nov 19, 2008 at 06:46 PM

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p.4 #20 · nikon vs canon (from a nikon owner)

I doubt it will contribute much to the debate, but I guess I'll throw my two cents' worth in anyways...

The last four significant cameras I've owned were the D300, D700, 1Ds Mark II, and the 5D. Out of all of those, the only one I'm still using is the 5D. The D700 is a very nice camera, but the images I was able to make with it just didn't satisfy me. I switched back to Canon for one thing - sharpness.

Now, allow me to elaborate a bit on this point... the sharpness difference I'm talking about has two components - lens and sensor. I didn't care for the Nikon lenses, because quite frankly, they're too sharp - at least the way they draw or render the scene was unpleasing to my eye. I suspect the real culprit here is actually contrast, but most people would express the way they feel about this sort of image detail in terms of sharpness. The Canon lenses seem to sacrifice a noticeable amount of fine image detail, but the trade-off is a much more pleasing rendering of the subject - at least to my eyes.

With regard to the sensor component, the Nikon cameras are handicapped by anti-aliasing filters that are simply too strong. Probably the best Nikon for rendering fine detail in landscapes was the D2X, and if I were to go back to Nikon right now, that's the camera I would pick. However, I would have to rate the EOS 5D, despite all of its other shortcomings, as delivering the best per-pixel detail (in a full-frame sensor) of any camera I've used to date. Again, this is a somewhat subjective point, but at the end of the day, I'm the one I most want to please with my images, so that's what I've decided to do... and now that used 5D's are relatively cheap and plentiful, it was an easy decision to switch back; I picked up a body and all three Canon TS-E lenses for not a whole lot more than the cost of new D700 body alone.

Now, I'll just have to learn to live with all of the other compromises that come with Canon ownership... and start ignoring all the infantile DP Review forum chatter, moronic Ken Rockwell comments, and the whining of all the blind measurebators out there...

Nov 19, 2008 at 07:19 PM

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