Canon or Nikon?

Canon or Nikon?

  • Nikon

    Votes: 86 52.8%
  • Canon

    Votes: 53 32.5%
  • Both

    Votes: 10 6.1%
  • Other

    Votes: 25 15.3%

  • Total voters
    163
I voted for Canon and Other.

I've been a Canon user since 1974 when I bought a Canon TLb. Finances kept me from really investing in FD-mount lenses and what I had was all stolen in 1982. When I got back into photography a few years later, I dived into the Canon EOS system with an EOS 630 then an EOS RT (pellicle mirror) and a handful of lenses. My interests waned until I bought an EOS 50D a few years ago that, sadly, only gets used a couple times a year.

I think Canon builds good stuff. The EF lens mount for the EOS line was innovative at the time and left the Nikon fans making excuses though Nikon is certainly on par with or better than Canon in some areas. Both companies have extensive systems of bodies, lenses, flashes, and accessories. All that said, I am very tempted to dump all my Canon equipment and go to Sony mirrorless. Conventional single lens reflex designs are starting to look like dinosaurs.
 
I have a Ricoh (Pentax) XR-10 and a Pentax ME-Super (needs repairs, though) 35mm cameras that use the Pentax P/K mount, and I have to agree that you can get great quality lenses for very little cash from eBay. I don't shoot film that often, but when I do the images are always as sharp as freshly sharpened steak knife :)

I don't do much film photography any more. When I do, I use Ricoh SLR bodies (an XR-2 and an XR-7), Pentax prime lenses, and Tokina zoom lenses. I've never had any complaints about image sharpness, and the Ricoh bodies do a great job of metering and finding the right shutter speed for the aperture I selected. I also like the control layout and the fact the viewfinders display both the aperture and the shutter speed. Some day I'll make the switch to digital, but for now the old Ricoh and Pentax gear works well for me.

I also have a couple of working antique cameras that I occasionally shoot with. The last time I took my Argus Model 21 (Markfinder) to Greenfield Village, I was amazed at how much attention that little camera got. Shooting with it is definitely a step back in time, since it's scale focus (no rangefinder) and has no meter. I got some great images that day by using the Sunny 16 rule to set aperture and shutter speed.
 
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I will buy a Nikon, Kodak or Brownie before I buy a Canon simply because of the appalling service that I received, or didn't receive, from Canon. I had a three year old very seldom used laser copier that still had the original toner cartridge installed in it. It was a $500 light commercial desktop machine. A failed automatic firmware update bricked the machine. Many, many attempts to resolve the problem resulted in frustration and failure. Their best solution was to send me a $50 rebate coupon on the purchase of a new copier. I scrapped the machine and swore never to buy anything again from a company that turned their back on me and treated me so poorly. I also swore to let everyone that was in the market for one of their products know about it. So now you know too. Don't count on Canon.

I do have my eye on a Nikon DSLR but I have not yet settled on a specific model. It may be a year or so down the road before I make that purchase.
 
All the high-end audio gear and no one mentions Leica?

Just sayin'...
Rangefinder?

I always looked at those cameras like I'd have to be an old British gent, taking photos of people on my walk to have tea at a sidewalk cafe.
 
I've noticed that there is a few photographers here, but even if you aren't a photographer, what brand of camera do you use? I, personally, like Nikon because they've kept the same lens mount for decades, so you can take almost any Nikon lens and put it on almost any Nikon camera.

Also... if you want to, tell us what camera you use. I use a Nikon D90 as my main body, and a D5000 as my secondary body (for my other lenses), or as a backup. I also have a Panasonic Lumix LX3 that I use for my grab-n-go camera, or for street photography. I also have a 35mm film camera collection, along with some cheap point & shoots.

Both terrific cameras and Sony now joins the serious camp, though they don't have the breadth of lenses - yet. And really, that's what it's all about. The glass, which was why I chose Canon when switching from film to digital in 2004 (I'd been shooting Minolta prior to then). Generally speaking, Nikon cameras have the edge at this moment with best low light performance and best auto focus.

Put me in the highest tech kitchen in the universe and I wouldn't be able to produce much above a decent grilled cheese sandwich. My wife's grandmother on the other hand... the quality of the kitchen wouldn't matter.

Give a piece of crap camera to an artist and you'll get great results. Give a great camera to an imbecile and even the highest tech most expensive camera and greatest lens money could buy wouldn't improve the results, though it might be sharper... which would only serve to better reveal how bad the photography truly is.

That said, I shoot a Canon 5DmkII camera (which replaced a Canon 1DsmkII) and Canon 40D backup. Lenses are Canon 24-105mm f4L, Canon 16-35mm f2.8L II, Canon 135mm f2L, Canon 50mm f1.4 and Sigma 8-16mm f4.5-5.6 DC HSM.

Happy Evening!
 
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I voted for Canon and Other.

I've been a Canon user since 1974 when I bought a Canon TLb. Finances kept me from really investing in FD-mount lenses and what I had was all stolen in 1982. When I got back into photography a few years later, I dived into the Canon EOS system with an EOS 630 then an EOS RT (pellicle mirror) and a handful of lenses. My interests waned until I bought an EOS 50D a few years ago that, sadly, only gets used a couple times a year.

I think Canon builds good stuff. The EF lens mount for the EOS line was innovative at the time and left the Nikon fans making excuses though Nikon is certainly on par with or better than Canon in some areas. Both companies have extensive systems of bodies, lenses, flashes, and accessories. All that said, I am very tempted to dump all my Canon equipment and go to Sony mirrorless. Conventional single lens reflex designs are starting to look like dinosaurs.
I have pretty much the same feeling. The problem with Sony is that they have fewer lenses and the prices of what they have are much more expensive than Canon. You can use a Metabones adapter to attach Canon lenses, so I feel that even if I bought a Sony body, I will be using Canon lenses for a long time to come.
 
All the high-end audio gear and no one mentions Leica?

Just sayin'...
Nikon d3100 with af-s 18-55 lens and a Sigma 70-300mm .Funny,the Nikon lens is Thailand made and the Sigma is made in Japan.Plenty for this amateur. DREAM camera would be a Leica m-9 I believe .Approx 20g,s range ?I would like to get an old Leica 35m and a East German or Russian 35mm.
 
Nikon D600 with Nikor 60mm macro, 105mm macro, 35mm and 16mm fisheye in a Nauticam dive housing. Ikelite DS200, 150 and 50 strobes. My favorite camera by far though is the Nikon FM followed closely by the Canon AE1. Both of which are virtually indestructible.
 
Nikon d3100 with af-s 18-55 lens and a Sigma 70-300mm .Funny,the Nikon lens is Thailand made and the Sigma is made in Japan.Plenty for this amateur. DREAM camera would be a Leica m-9 I believe .Approx 20g,s range ?I would like to get an old Leica 35m and a East German or Russian 35mm.
I've had several Zenit Cameras in the past. Built like a tank and twice as tough. If I remember correctly, they were the E series. Some with a built in light meter, some without. I remember leaving one in a taxi in Kabul and dropped another in the water.(don't stand-up in a rubber dingy :dunno:) My third one is sitting among my collection at home. Another option if you like range finders would be a Zorki. A direct knock-off of a pre-war Leica, even built in the Leica plant after the partitioning of Germany.
 
It's strange to read this poll in 2016, when both Canon and Nikon are about to extinct in the next 10 years due to rapid advance in mirrorless cameras in last few years.

It's like people seriously asked few years ago - Film or Digital camera?

Goodbye Canon and Nikon cameras.
You are too slow to react to revolutionary innovations, now you are way behind, joining Kodak and Polaroid soon.

For instance, small (pocket size) Sony a5000/a5100/a6000/a6300 cameras are much smaller and already better in many categories/specs than bulky dinosaur DSLR.
And Sony started mirrorless cameras just few years ago.
 
It's strange to read this poll in 2016, when both Canon and Nikon are about to extinct in the next 10 years due to rapid advance in mirrorless cameras in last few years.

It's like people seriously asked few years ago - Film or Digital camera?

Goodbye Canon and Nikon cameras.
You are too slow to react to revolutionary innovations, now you are way behind, joining Kodak and Polaroid soon.

For instance, small (pocket size) Sony a5000/a5100/a6000/a6300 cameras are much smaller and already better in many categories/specs than bulky dinosaur DSLR.
And Sony started mirrorless cameras just few years ago.

You may want to look again dude. 10 seconds on Google brought up dozens of models of each.:whip:
large_nikon[1].jpg canon-mirrorless-camera-len[2].jpg
 
P.S. Panasonic invented the mirror less interchangeable lens camera in 2008, not Sony.
Seriously!!
 
I was hoping people understand my English.

1. I never said Nikon or Canon don't make mirrorless cameras.
Maybe they do. Just no one cares.
Because they are way behind of leading cameras (Olympus, Fuji, Sony, Panasonic, etc.). 10 second of Google reveals that.

2. I never said Sony invented mirrorless cameras.
How you got that? Seriously!!
 
Goodbye Canon and Nikon cameras.
You are too slow to react to revolutionary innovations, now you are way behind, joining Kodak and Polaroid soon.

I'd be very surprised to see this happen.
I guess time will tell but i think you're way off on this prediction
 
I was hoping people understand my English.

1. I never said Nikon or Canon don't make mirrorless cameras.
Maybe they do. Just no one cares.
Because they are way behind of leading cameras (Olympus, Fuji, Sony, Panasonic, etc.). 10 second of Google reveals that.

2. I never said Sony invented mirrorless cameras.
How you got that? Seriously!!

And Sony started mirrorless cameras just few years ago.
 
I was hoping people understand my English.

1. I never said Nikon or Canon don't make mirrorless cameras.
Maybe they do. Just no one cares.
Because they are way behind of leading cameras (Olympus, Fuji, Sony, Panasonic, etc.). 10 second of Google reveals that.

2. I never said Sony invented mirrorless cameras.
How you got that? Seriously!!
I have an Olympus mirrorless, but I don't think the future is in a 2x crop factor and 16 megapixel files. I use mine when I only care about weight..like at amusement parks or when I want to sneak a decent, small camera into a concert. For most everything else, I prefer my Canon full frame.

As I mentioned above, many people using Sony ( and Olympus for that matter) bodies are falling back on third party lenses. Sony lenses are severely lacking at this point in time, and overpriced, especially when compared to Canon lenses. I have considered buying a Sony body, but I would definitely end up with a metabones adapter so I could still use my Canon lenses.

I believe Canon (and Nikon) have plenty of time to get into the full frame mirrorless market because of their vast line of lenses and the number of people already invested in their ecosystems. I would love to see Canon introduce a full frame mirrorless option, but I don't think they are too far behind either. The day they come out with a full frame mirrorless, many of the people using adapters with Sony bodies will go back.

As a side note, Adorama lists their top selling cameras in 2015 and the DSLR faired better than mirrorless:

http://www.adorama.com/alc/8358/article/10-best-selling-digital-cameras-2015-plus-4-pro-best-sellers

"1. Despite the popularity of mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras (MILCS), digital single-lens reflex cameras dominate this listing, with only two superlative MILCs making it."
 
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