I think that not many of jumped ship from Canon to Nikon - we were flogged and thrown overboard just before they shot a few holes into the hull With the D3 Nikon finally had something that matched or bettered the Canon offerings and made a switch viable at a time when the 1D3 was still suspect and in my case none of my Canon cameras were reliable (1D2, 1Ds2, 40D).
Here in Australia the Nikon super tele lenses are something like 25% dearer than the Canons. That's a big difference on a big price. You do have the option of keeping some of your Canon gear and only replacing part of it with Nikon gear, but that could get confusing as you use two very different cameras. If the D3 was a left handed camera then everything would be the opposite of the Canons
I'm not a pro and I was not ready to throw money at a D3 because I was reaching a stage when everything I bought seemed to be going wrong. However, the D700 has impressed me a lot. It can even focus on static subjects in continuous focus mode - something my Canons up to the 1Ds2 could not do reliably.
The Nikkor 70-200 is an FX (full frame) lens built at a time when Nikon had no full frame DSLR. Given the lovely lenses they have released in the past year or so I would expect an update before long.
I have found that both NX2 and DPP produce slightly different results from what LR2 can produce with its beta 2 camera profiles. Adobe just haven't quite matched the camera manufacturers' output yet. Without the profiles LR is way off the mark. I don't have the latest PS and so I cannot use the latest ACR for raw conversions. NX2 is slower than DPP but it is worth having to let me know what Nikon reckon the images should look like, just as DPP is for Canon images. NX2 cannot utilise multi-core computers at all; just one core doing one thing at a time. And unlike DPP it has to be purchased.
I'll also second the comment that the Nikon viewfinder is easier to use for people wearing eye glasses - and add that the eye cup doesn't fall off because if you do get an accessory eye piece it screws on instead of clips on.
Nikon VR is a mixed bag for me. It knows whether or not you are panning and needs no switch between modes to handle it. That's good. However, it is less stable in the pre-shoot period supposedly to make you feel less giddy with the floating effect in the viewfinder. Load of cobblers of you ask me - it just seems like it is not working properly. It also re-centres itself just before the picture is captured but that has to shift the image slightly. I wonder what's the point of a 100% viewfinder on the D3 (which I do not have on my D700) if the lens VR is going to shift the image while the mirror goes up ? Still, it seems to work in the final result.
I do like the Nikon flash system. In part I think that it is better because it utilises a superior camera metering system - 1005 equal metering zones instead of 21 or 35 or 63 zones of various sizes and shapes. That metering system is also colour-aware and the AF system can use that colour info in the 51-point 3D mode when tracking moving subjects, but not in the other modes.
It's just a bummer that nothing but your screw-on lens filters are interchangeable between the two systems. If you really like the Canon 100-400 or 400 f/5.6 then keep a Canon camera. Nikon has no equivalents. Yet. They'll get a few more converts when they produce these lenses.
Thanks Tim! I got into low level aviation photography at the beginning of last year and am loving it, such a rush when a military jet comes sweeping across the valley floor at 200 ft and 500 knots.
Ysol, welcome to FM! Looks like you are another recent convert by the look of it as well, and no need to apologise about your English, it is far better than my German!
Raw Developer? I will have to have a look at that.
Alan, I know you have had exceptionally bad luck with both your 1D2 and 1Ds2 and it is good to hear you are enjoying your D700 and maybe starting to worry less about your gear and enjoy taking more photos.
Interesting comments about the VR, I will pay attention to this once I have my D3 and 300 VR demo.
I think it has to be an all or nothing switch for me, realistically I couldn't keep one foot in the Canon camp and one in the Nikon one, primarily because nearly everything I shoot is related, ie I need long fast lenses with fast moving subjects. If I shot half sports and half say weddings then it would be a different matter but that isn't the case.
Thanks again for all your comments everyone, I really appreciate the time you have taken to write these often long posts.
i was in the same boat as Preston Mack was. I switched to Nikon after using two 1Dmk2s and an 5D. I have never been as happy as I'am now. Two D3s and a D300 and the control layouts are so much better than the Canon 1D's. Come to the dark side!!!!
Alistair,
I have been a Canon shooter for >30 years. I didn't have any issues with my film Canon gear and more recently, nor with my DSLR gear. However, I bought a D700, my very first Nikon camera, last year mainly because I enjoyed the Nikkor 14-24mm lens for landscape. I also received a 200mm VR as a partial trade for my 1Ds MarkII. So, I started using Nikon with the two lenses and they didn't disappoint. I have been on both camps since. I started buying more and more Nikkor lenses and now, I am at a point of no return. I have three zoom lenses, 14-24, 24-70 and 70-300VR that perform splendidly. However, Nikkor prime lenses (105 f/2, 135 f/2, 300mm f/4, among others) do not turn me on. The lack of fast Nikkor prime lenses in the wide angle range leaves something to be desired as well. At this point, Canon clearly has the upper hand in that arena. Plus, I still enjoy my Canon long white teles. Since I never used long Nikkor lenses, I cannot say which one would be better in terms of IQ but for sure, Canon is better, pricewise that is.
In summary, if you like zoom lenses, Nikkor 14-24 and 24-70 are excellent. Canon doesn't have a 200-400 f/4 but Nikon doesn't offer a great and lightweight, 24-105 f/4 IS and 70-200 f/4 IS; Nikkor's f/2.8VR in that zoom range... oh, well. If you like fast prime lenses from wide angle to mid-tele, Canon's offering is definitely better. Both Canon and Nikon 200mm f/2 are equally outstanding, BTW. On the long end, they seem to be a wash but you have to fork out more dough for the Nikkors.
Cameras come and go but lenses stay longer.... Whatever you decide to do, good luck!
I didn't move but added (I use the D3 and 1Ds Mk III). The D3 is a much better general purpose camera than the Mk III I sold. The Nikon flash system is better too. But the Mk III still has the edge for sports because it's more specialized. There the 1.274 crop, smaller files and faster fps work for you.
I have the 3 Nikkor pro zooms but use the new Canon 200mm F2.0 with edge of the art IS (I can get 40/60% keepers handheld @ 1/5 sec) on my 1Ds Mk III. And, obviously, Canon has the best inventory of primes by a wide margin.
Canon must soon announce a Mk IV while Nikon has shot their wad for quite some time. So don't get faked out of your shoes by switching completely to Nikon.
SoundHound wrote:
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Canon must soon announce a Mk IV while Nikon has shot their wad for quite some time. So don't get faked out of your shoes by switching completely to Nikon.
I guess when it came down to it, it was not a lens or a body but it was the company behind the name. I felt lied to and let down while they tired damage control. Had they come out and said we have a problem and we will make it right what ever it takes I would have waited. What if this was a parachute or an air bag where your life depended on it working right every time would you put up with it? I tell you when I put breaks on my race cart I check and double check to make sure it is right. When I took pictures at an event and opened them up back home I never knew what I was going to get. (with the Mk3) I never ever had one problem before with body or lens and loved the gear.
Mistakes or accidents happen, it is how you deal with them shows the metal of the company.
And thinking about it, it looks like Canon are not going to announce a 1D3 replacement at PMA.
Which, given that I don't want a second 1D3, leaves me with a problem. Do I buy another used 1D2N or even get my current repaired (shutter & sensor), the former option would probably be cheaper anyway and limp through the summer/autumn which is my busiest time of year. Then even when the 4-series or whatever it is called is announced, after being cut my the bleeding edge once I am not going to be an early adopter again which puts my upgrade path at + 1 year.
One thing I learnt with the 1D3 incident is that reliable/proven gear is much more important to me than having the latest and greatest. And while I ran the 1D3 in isolation for the first year, I still had spent £3,000 on a product which didn't work and didn't work for almost 1 year. Luckily I continued using my 1D2N pair to do my paying work but still, it was an big headache.
Anyway, this is all a 'storm in a teacup'. I will await to hear from my dealer this week on a loan D3 and then I can see if I am happy with it.
I have set myself the budget of £4,000 for the move, after selling off all my Canon gear, which is about what a 1Ds3 would cost me right now anyway. Assuming this is possible and that I am happy with the Nikons then a move is distinct possibility.
Very easy if you sell yours and find good clean used it is a good trade. I think I got 3300 range for my two Mk3's and paid 3500 for bodies with under 5k clicks on them. Lens wise it was almost tit for tat. Traded my 24-70 canon for a 28-70 both were selling around 950ish at the time. Sold my 400 IS and got the 400 AF-S II. Did not need the is as I use a stick and usually shoot high enough SS. The only one I spent some bank on is the 14-24 but that is a great lens that I did not have before.
I have a feeling, but have not looked, that the Mk3 and D3 used price might be farther apart now. I know for a while for some reason the Mk3 was falling kinda fast. Then again the D700 sure is a great choice two. I could easily use 2 of those if I wanted to save a little on the bodies.
I know this is a couple days old, but will throw my experience into the mix as well.
Recently switched from Canon to Nikon for many of the same reasons as you all. I had an early MkIII that was total crap. Sent it back to CPS several times to no avail. When I was trying to work with CPS to test out a newer version to see if I just had a bad body, they gave me a lot of run around and made it almost impossible to ever get a body to try. It never happened. CPS treated me like it was all in my mind and continued to say to the day I got rid of it that as long as the sub mirror was fixed, my camera should work fine. I guess the examples I sent them didnt convince them either. On top of it, the final straw was CPS now wanting to charge us for the privilege of being a member. Forget it.
I, like you shoot motorsports mainly. Another photographer I know had recently switched to Nikon. At a race, I was able to try out his D3 and 500 f/4 right next to my MkIII and 500 f/4 on the same corner at the same time of day back to back.
After using his Nikon for 5 minutes and reviewing the resulting photos I knew right then and there I was over Canon and switching. EVERY single shot in every burst with the Nikon was right on focus. With the Canon, you could see the focus going in and out with every single burst. Some bursts did not have a single usable image out of the three or four in the burst. Some had one, some had couple, but all had at least one out of focus image. You could literally see the camera hunting for focus.
It was so painfully obvious I pretty much had no choice.
I hope you get to test the gear and use it side by side with your Canon stuff for comparison. One word of warning though, is you NEED to figure out the right combination of focus settings on the D3. When I first got my bodies, I was starting to think something was wrong because it was not focusing like I had remembered. It was just a matter of playing with all the settings and finding the right combination.
So dont immediately cast off the D3 if initially it doesnt seem to focus like you want. Its probably just a combination of the settings and you'll need to find the right ones. Once you do it absolutely out tracks the MkIII and you'll be nothing buy happy with it.
I must admit my experience with Canon and the 1D3 incident was very similar but I have a good 1D3 now, which I do like, but don't trust as much as my 1D2Ns. As I wrote in this thread, it is difficult to consider buying a 2nd 1D3 and there is no view yet of a new model coming out, and even then I won't be a first adopter again. To be honest, not wanting another 1D3 and knowing there is nothing else 'Canon' I would consider is what is prompting me to consider the D3.
Given that I have an indicative price from my dealer for the move, which isn't as bad as I first thought, I will pursue this investigation and try to get hold of a D3 or D3x for eval asap. I appreciate it will take a while to get fully comfortable with a new body and if I have any issues I can always turn to the experts here!
My experience was similar in deciding. Likewise, I did not want to buy another MkIII, whether they consider them fixed or not...just too risky. Also, with nothing on the horizon and not wanting to be a first adopter again, I was in the same boat. With the upcoming season starting, the switch either needed to be now or would be another season of Canon since I didnt want to try to do a switch and figure out the new system mid season when I'm really busy with races. So I jumped in.
Check with NPS over there. I know that NPS was REAL aggressive here in the states and was VERY willing to lend out kits in order for possible switchers to try. I know of one photographer that has been using one for months from NPS and they've let him keep it. They were also aggressive in getting me signed up, pretty much eliminating all the normal criteria such as getting another NPS member to sponsor you and things like that. Some of the larger camera stores in the country were also supplied with kits by NPS for loaners as well so you may want to ask about that.
In any case, I'm sure they can help you get started as they're very confident that when you start to compare, you'll make the move.
Good luck with whatever your decision turns out to be.
To the OP- I'm sort of in the same boat- I've used both systems extensively (I started out shooting NIkon film, and started digital with a D70, and then a D300, before getting some 1d's) and I have to say that despite the slower AF acquisition on the D700 and D3 (even a 40D seemed to snap into focus faster), the tracking focus on the D3/700/300 is very good. The Canon cameras have been really good for AF, especially the 1d2N, but the new D3 is really, really comparable too.
At this point I'm switching back to Nikon gear for sports and PJ use, but I'm probably going to keep my 5d2 for use with alt glass and video purposes. I'm hoping to get everything sorted out before March madness begins, so hunting for a 300 VR right now.
The 70-200 2.8 VR is a good lens, but I somehow always felt it wasn't as sharp in the corners as the Canon 2.8 IS. Maybe Nikon will release a newer version of the 70-200, so I'm going to stick to a AF-D 80-200 2.8 for the time being, especially since I don't need the VR for sports.
I think you'll be happy with the Nikon combo. The D3 is amazing, but the one camera I really like in the Nikon lineup is the D700, as it packs all the pro features into a small body, with weathersealing and pro build. This is what Canon should have released- but failed to do so.
Well, from all the really helpful responses to this thread, I am certainly not alone in either considering the move or actually making it, though I haven't got as far as making a decision yet. Should hear something from Nikon regarding the loan kit either tomorrow or Friday and I am still waiting for my dealer to produce me an authorised cost for the trade in and a 'cost to move'.
My biggest decision is the primary body actually, one which I thought would be fairly simple, the D3, but I am really really tempted with the D3x.
D3 14-bit NEF 9fps with 17 shot buffer
D3x 12-bit NEF 5fps with 25 shot buffer
With the D3 Nikon finally had something that matched or bettered the Canon offerings and made a switch viable at a time when the 1D3 was still suspect and in my case none of my Canon cameras were reliable (1D2, 1Ds2, 40D).
