Hopefully this is the right forum to ask this question. Basically I have been a Canon shooter for years, I have in the last 1 1/2 years turned photography into a business. I have the 10D and like it, but... I find it to be inconsistant in exposure. It is particularly inconsistant with under and over exposure when I am shooting weddings and using the 550ex flash. I have researched this topic extensively and have gotten mixed feedback... but the one thing most people agree on is that Nikon has better Flash technology.
Now I know the Canon/Nikon debate has been going on forever and I have sided with Canon, however I shot a Nikon D1 this weekend and realized that I may have to reconsider my side of this debate. Before I start buying the expensive lenses and a pro DSLR I was hoping for some more info to help me make my decision. SO basically what I am asking is for some opinions on the pros and cons of Canon vs. Nikon as far as an all around professional tool, which works better in sports, weddings, portraits, landscapes... if applicable... colors, speed, consistancy, flash, etc....
Everyone here has always been so helpful, thanks so much
The first question is, have you looked at the pro line of canon... or at least the 20D. Comparing the D1/D2 line of Nikon to a 10D is hardly a fair comparison. Maybe you should rent a Canon 1D series camera and see if it fits the bill.
Personally I feel that all equipment has advantages and disadvantages. Unless the disadvantages in a particular line of equipment have become unsurmountable, you are propbably better off with what you are already used to.
this may or may not help. When I first started shooting about 2 years ago ( I was 19 ) I was nieve and didn't really research much about cameras and invested alot of money into a Canon system because thats all I ever saw on TV in magazines etc. I shoot alot of live band photography so TTL is really important to me. I found that when using several Canon models and several canon TTL flashes I would get under and over exposure quite abit aswell. I didn't particularly enjoy this so I started researching, and it so happens a close buddy shot Nikon. I borrowed some of his gear to shoot a couple shows, one of the pieces being an SB800. I set the camera on "matrix" metering and the SB800 on TTL, I can honestly say when I got those pictures back I sold every single piece of gear I owned that said Canon on it ( Don't get me wrong Im not knocking Canon is was great and produced many great pictures for me and it was my first camera). In a roll of 36 shots on slide film shooting concerts there was 36 shots perfect and the lighting is tricky aswell maybe the odd roll I would have 1 - 2 shots that were under or over but the majority of rolls were dead on, and I couldn't believe it. I later invested into the digital world and I have experianced the exact same thing. Hope my opinion / experiances are helpful.
If you care to check out some of my concert stuff I have a deviant art site, browse around (all of the concert shots you see are with an SB800 on TTL)
For weddings, you want Nikon. Like you said, their flash system is way superior to that of Canon. Heck even the d70 beats the 1dsmkII in flash capabilities.
I used to have Canon for +30 years. They came out new model EOS which won't fit on my Canon F-1, EF (pre AE-1), Ft-b. Made me slow to switch into Nikon F4 (for short time) then Nikon F3 then D1h then D1x.
somehow lots of guys are making canon work for weddings, perhaps inquire how they are getting consistent results, the 20D is said to much improved in this regard?
It always amuses me when a Nikon/Canon shooter asks shooters of the other pedigree if their system can solve problems they're encountering. Gee, wonder what the answer is going to be?
I find it amusing how many Canon users lurk here. Do Nikon users just figure out how to make things work? That's what we're here for. My experience is that Nikon does have a more refined flash system, so if you are looking for an extremely easy flash system to master, Nikon is probably the best for that. The wireless remote with The SB-800s is really cool.
sorry to interrupt, but i'm interested in this thread since last week most of my canon gear got stolen. Anyway, broad strokes and ego slams are more suited to DPR.
The handling, flash, and af selection are things that i've already known were far, FAR superior w/ nikon, but after reading this review, and trying out a D2H:
The initial cost of Nikon lenses is higher than the equivalent Canon ones but the sharpness and vignetting bump make it worth it--I've always felt from day 1 that Canon L glass is really overrated and sometimes not even in the same league as ED glass (16-35L vs 17-35ED, 24-70L vs 28-70ED, etc)
What's not worth it is Nikon's slow repair turnaround and exorbitant repair pricing. Just one example from my personal history:
Torn lens collars via Calumet... Canon 10D = $275 & 1.5 weeks, Nikon D100 = $650 & 3 months
Has their service improved at all in the past 2-3 years? What are people's experience? This could be the make-or-break factor.
Thinking of switching back...
-m
Edited by mauriceramirez on Jul 10, 2005 at 06:54 PM GMT
I have always thought that both Nikon and Canon can get just about all your money . There is always something new coming out. Both systems are great and they offer more that any other manufacturers. I have been looking at the Canon forum and was surprised to see some users reporting the shutter system giving problems way before it was supposed to. I think the camera was the expensive 1D Mark II. Nikon has always had a good reputation for long lasting equipment. Even today the F2 goes for extremely high prices. I personally enjoy looking over the Canon system and really they offer more choices in the digital camera line than Nikon.
Maurice- Two things that I know. 1. Nikon offers a MUCH longer warranty than Canon. 2. My soon-to-be D2x has been at Nikon Melville for somewhere between 2-4 weeks now. The owner sent it in for a physical, waiting for him to have it returned so I can relieve him of his duties and turn over my backup 1d2.
Well as for $$, that's what capitalism is. Hey, if one can't afford the gear, one is probably not charging (or working) enough. More questions...
1. So it looks like this 2-4 month repair thing is still a problem. Too bad. How long does the Nikon warranty go for again? 2-4 months = 1/3 of the year... what's up with that?
2. How sensitive is the wireless remote on the sb-800, can it handle being out of 45 degree line-of-site from the camera (st-e2 + canon 550ex's can't). And can you ittl-fire them without the on-cam flash being part of the exposure?
3. How is the viewfinder compared the 1DII? Still a tunnel?
4. Can you adapt to fit SD cards into the D2X? I want their faster upload speeds for emptying during weddings.
5. Do the grips still peel off? That always *really* bugged me.
6. Is the body+lens just as watertight? Seriously, because I love shooting in the rain, or at the beach.
mauriceramirez wrote:
1. So it looks like this 2-4 month repair thing is still a problem. Too bad. How long does the Nikon warranty go for again? 2-4 months = 1/3 of the year... what's up with that?
I can't tell you any different. The last time I sent in my d70 for repair was the last time I sent in a camera of mine for repair with Nikon. They stole my d70 for 2 months, and only after 2 months told me they didnt have a part they needed, and it would be a minimum of 6 weeks until it arrived. Who in this world can actually afford to go without a camera for over 3 months? Stay away from Nikon's repair centers, and look for somebody locally that is a certified Nikon repair center.
mauriceramirez wrote:
2. How sensitive is the wireless remote on the sb-800, can it handle being out of 45 degree line-of-site from the camera (st-e2 + canon 550ex's can't). And can you ittl-fire them without the on-cam flash being part of the exposure?
The sb800's optical sensor is actually extremely sensitive. I remember using a sb800 on remote trigger, and leaving it somewhere across a room, perhaps maybe 50 feet away, and away from the camera. My 2nd sb800 on an sc17 cable, shooting my subject was able to trigger it! From 50 feet away! Your results may vary As far as I know the only way to use i-ttl without firing a trigger flash is to use a preflash on a master sb800 on your camera. I don't know how to set this up exactly, but I believe you set the flash to off using the flash menu? When I use the d70's popup flash to trigger, I set the flash power to 1/32, the lowest it will go, so that the pop up flash does not have an effect on the photo exposure.
Nikon repair varies as it does for all other repairs in this world, my d2h went down, 2 weeks , my d2x reapir was 4 business days , they shipped to the wrong return addrerss which added 2 more days but all in all things went OK
yep, and that D2h is going to need to see another little fix - the rubber on the CF door is coming off. The people here in Toronto, Canada are pretty fast with the repairs.. and they're close enough that I can drive it over to them, have it repaired and practically pickup the next day (depending on the complexity of the problem).
Now I just have to wait for the slow boat from Japan to come with the rubber piece.
lxdesign wrote:
yep, and that D2h is going to need to see another little fix - the rubber on the CF door is coming off. The people here in Toronto, Canada are pretty fast with the repairs.. and they're close enough that I can drive it over to them, have it repaired and practically pickup the next day (depending on the complexity of the problem).
Now I just have to wait for the slow boat from Japan to come with the rubber piece.
sheesh David , stop shooting the covers off stuff mro
. There is always something new coming out. Both systems are great and they offer more that any other manufacturers. I have been looking at the Canon forum and was surprised to see some users reporting the shutter system giving problems way before it was supposed to. I think the camera was the expensive 1D Mark II. Nikon has always had a good reputation for long lasting equipment. Even today the F2 goes for extremely high prices. I personally enjoy looking over the Canon system and really they offer more choices in the digital camera line than Nikon. 
As far as I know the only way to use i-ttl without firing a trigger flash is to use a preflash on a master sb800 on your camera. I don't know how to set this up exactly, but I believe you set the flash to off using the flash menu? When I use the d70's popup flash to trigger, I set the flash power to 1/32, the lowest it will go, so that the pop up flash does not have an effect on the photo exposure.