DSLRs are still in their infancy as far as development goes. Our workhorses are Canon 10Ds besause they were the best (IMHO) at the time I needed to buy a bunch. I too was a Nikon guy for many decades. At the time, Canon was better at capturing good skin color and that's what we sell - people photos. Why upgrade when they still make great shots for what my customers buy!!! Since 3 years ago, I've seen some great skin colors out of Nikon, so the field is pretty even.
As stated in the other posts, the camera is simply a tool, not the creation. I buy whatever happens to be the best for the buck at the time I need it. One of the problems with digital, most of the job is now in the photographer's hands, as opposed to shoot and send to lab, with film. As posts in this forum clearly show, some photographers have trouble making a decent 8x10 on the same equipment that others are getting great 30x40s - goes to show that the camera is the least of your worries. Personally, I'd go with what you are comfortable with. Whatever you do, there will be better equip available in a few months-that's just life
Doug
White Balance so easy, even our 5 year old can do it.- Melissa Strickland
When I consider equipment I look at utility: will it do what I want it to do? I also look at reliability. I often buy used, or new that has been replaced by something with more features. And then generally I use it to death. However, I am permitted to have fun! Recently I bought a Leica IIIa and a Summar 5cm f2 lens as my walkabout camera. My return on investment will be fun, and sometimes that is not a bad deal.
Dan
White Balance so easy, even our 5 year old can do it.- Melissa Strickland
As others have said, put your efforts into learning your art and craft. We're in the stone age with regards to digital and in 10 years we'll look back fondly at this period wondering how we ever managed to get images and prints.
There are specialized photography fields where the gear can make a real difference but I doubt that's where you or your fellow students are.
__________________ Ron
White Balance so easy, even our 5 year old can do it.- Melissa Strickland
Thank-you all for responding! All of you have reconfirmed my opinions on the brand wars. It's not the camera, it's the person holding it! I guess as a student and still being a little unsure of myself, I got unnerved when a few Nikon shooters at school went over to Canon. I believe the reason for their switch was the old APS vs. Full Frame sensor debate, which I don't want to wrestle with. Besides, if I want super high resolution, my school has an equipment lab where we have access to a Hasselblad 503CW and a Phase One P20 digital back. Which will smoke anything Nikon or Canon makes anyway!
Happy shooting all, and Thanks again.
White Balance so easy, even our 5 year old can do it.- Melissa Strickland
Changing brands is suitable for certain people, like myself. I had very old Nikon equipment, 1970s. When I decided to go digital it made no sense to use my old lenses because they would not hook up to the new bodies (auto focus etc). The decision to go Canon was painful, and still is. I knew two facts: Canon is a much bigger company than Nikon, and therefore has more resources. Second, I met the head of one of Canon's divisions (not photography) and he said that at a board meeting (early 1990s) Canon had a goal of putting Nikon out of business. Then, every photograher who had gone digital recommended Canon. So, there I went. Mine was a special case, I started over from scratch. I have never lost my love for my old Nikons, however. They were my dependable pals during those early, exciting, formative years when I learned serious photography. The move taught me not to have that emotional attachment to equipment. Equipment is just a set of tools to get the job done. "One screwdriver is as good as the next." So, Scott, pay close attention to what the bright, experienced people have told you in this forum! They are absolutely correct. Oh, two of my most successful friends use Nikons.
__________________ Robert Hall
White Balance so easy, even our 5 year old can do it.- Melissa Strickland
I was in a similar boat as nantucketbob when I switched to digital - a long time Nikon user, but also frustrated with the fact that Nikon was very slow coming to market with new lens designs, and that they adamantly refused to put mirror lockup in any but their top-of-line camera, which at the time was the F4, a beast of a camera that did not fit any of my needs. Whereas Canon was bringing very innovative designs to market, especially those with Image Stabilization, and even their entry level SLRs had MLU. So I switched when the Canon D30 hit the market and have not regretted it. Canon continues to provide MLU on all it's bodies, and continues introducing innovative IS lens designs. I have gotten the tools I need sooner from Canon. There were good reasons for me to switch that may not apply to all or even many photographers!
Andrew
"A camera without mirror lock-up is not a camera" - John Shaw
White Balance so easy, even our 5 year old can do it.- Melissa Strickland
It's quite amazing that A lot of old Nikon shooters still have those old Nikon's even though they don't get used much anymore.
Andrew brings up a good point about changing brands when your current system does not have what you need. I spoke with one of my instructors about changing brands as he changed from Hasselblad to Contax a number of years ago. He believes that you should only change a camera system if the current one can't do the job and renting is not a viable alternative. He went on to say that because I want to get into sports photography I may be faced with a decision of moving to Canon because of greater availability of the Super telephoto's which have IS. Nikon availability of super telephoto's is not as good here in Calgary and they don't have VR.
However I won't have to make such a decision for some time and I would not be surprised if Nikon adds VR to the super tele's by that time. Hopefully Nikon Canada will bring in a huge load of them.
White Balance so easy, even our 5 year old can do it.- Melissa Strickland
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