American Photo magazine named the Nikon D3 as their top pick for pro SLR bodies, citing blazing performance on a full frame unmatched by any competition, phenomenal image quality, and a feature set that rivals the 1DsMIII (which was included in the also-rans, along with the D300).

I don't make my living shooting. I just take on engagement/wedding/portrait/sports shoots to pay for the hobby and to pressure me into learning new techniques, so the accolades thrown to the latest and greatest pro bodies don't mean much to me. And I'm a brand loyalist only in so much as my investment in this hobby is too great for me to justifiably incur the expense of switching. Though I've always been impressed by Nikon's cameras, I started with Canon (because of their selection of OEM glass) and I'll stick with Canon until one of us is no more. But I do wonder what kind of weight the professional community gives these types of awards.

I see a lot of people here switching, selling off their Canon gear and going Nikon. Are you on the fence? Would an award like this help to sway your decision, or do you feel it's just one group's opinion? What are your thoughts?

freaklikeme wrote:
I see a lot of people here switching, selling off their Canon gear and going Nikon. Are you on the fence? Would an award like this help to sway your decision, or do you feel it's just one group's opinion? What are your thoughts?

This sort of information would influence me if I were just starting out or in the market for a whole system. Just based on bodies, it is just a matter of time before Canon catches up with the latest fads.

I'd be crazy to sell all my lenses to start anew and for what use, bragging rights on a gear forum?

Ruy

No award would sway me... they regularly go to the latest and greatest, plus who knows what goes on behind the scenes wrt advertising.

But the D3 is unmatched by anything canon has, period. Now, it might not be everyone's cuppa tea, but there's no denying it's a damn good camera for the money, as it should be considering it's so new.

I would buy one in a heartbeat if I had more money -- money not only for the D3 itself but also for Nikon's generally more expensive pro glass.

A 12MP FF body with all the latest bells and whistles is just about all the camera I really need for the forseeable future. My 1Ds2 is great but does lack some useful features, namely a better LCD, liveview and a few nice touches like on-demand viewfinder grid, auto-ISO etc. All would make my life easier and 12MP is really all I need.

I'm in the process of switching from Canon to Nikon. But I have to admit that There isn't much great selections available for telephoto side for full frame. For now I'm sticking with dual system because I just can't sell these fantastic 70-200s and 85L II. My eyes are on Nikon's answer for telephoto and prime, or Canon's answer for improved updated bodies.

All I can say is "wow, good for the consumer today" when the 1Ds3 and D300 are considered "also-rans"!

Seriously, it's such a good time to be a buyer no matter which of the two big camps you end up in. They both have their strengths as we discuss ad nauseum in forums like these, but in the end it's pretty hard to go wrong with the state of affairs with either Nikon or Canon. I think the best decision-making comes from selecting the system that fits your needs better, because if you try to keep up with the "who's greater right now" sweepstakes you're going to end up losing money. Buy a system and learn it inside out. Very few people will benefit from jumping ship every time one camp comes out with a new machine that's one minor tick better.

Having said that... the D3 does rock doesn't it?

Being that I've seen some awful crap get "Awards", no, it wouldn't influence me.

I switched from Canon to Nikon because Nikon worked better for me. If I were rich, I'd have Canon and Olympus stuff too.

Such awards are nice to read about, but since everyone has different needs, wants, means, and perceptions, it means little. This isn't to say it's not a great award for Nikon to put on the mantle, or the D3 isn't a fantastic camera. (Or that I wouldn't want one

When I went digital in 2004 I bought a D2H and compared to the top Canon bodies of the time I was outgunned in terms of high ISO capability and more importantly resolution. The Motocross magazines I was shooting for were just adjusting to the digital workflow, no more drum scans etc - so they felt they needed MORE MORE MORE resolution which the Canon delivered and my D2H with its 4 MP's did not.

I endured a few years of that until I got my first D2X body but by then, the magazines had figured out how to get the most out of an image. during that time I had complaints with the system I was using ( the D2H had weird greens and reds at times ) but the flash system was heads and shoulders above anything else out there (my opinion)

when the D3 and D300 came out I thought about what I needed, I still have 2 D2X bodies so I didnt really need to spend the money on the D3 just for ISO capability since the D300 was almost as capable and 3 thousand dollars less.

So I got it for Supercross and it performed as expected ( maybe even a little better ) and thats what is important to me and my clients. so I guess my answer to you is, having the best gear that is judged the best by my peers doesnt always mean you are going to sell the most shots, it might mean you will sell 1 here or 1 there less and lose that sale to a Canon shooter or Nikon shooter, but who is to judge that its because of the brand of camera? I say its dependant on the photographer. his skill, his creative mind and what he sends to an editor is most important.

Im sure the D3 deserves the accolades its getting and being a gearhead I would like to own one, but does the award influence me? Nope...I researched the D3 long before it got any awards and I was already convinced of its ability. the award just says the camera is capable which all of us pro's already knew - so if a "pro" is influenced by an award, he/she is both behind the times on their research or not paying enough attention to the gear releases.

For those interested the link

Having professionals choosing the D3 as the best Pro DSLR over the 1Ds3 (much more expensive) influences me, as I only owned Canon DLSRs so far.

I would say that this award confirms the good image I have of Nikon (vs Canon) since their D200, while I never owned one Nikon DSLR... so far. D700 you said?