Nikon D90 vs Canon

[ncocave]

I am an "enthousiast" level photographer and have owned first a Canon AE1 and later a Canon A1 SLR. I am considering purchasing a Nikon D90 based on many professional magazine ratings. Please advise on its merits and whether a Canon in the same price range may be better.

[DougAxford]

That's a question that no one has a perfect answer for.

Most of us pros have learned to completely disregard what is posted or written in 'professional' magazines. What I (and we) listen to are constructive comments made by real working pros who use the equipment every day.

That being said, I do have a comment on the D90. To be fair, it's far from a pro or even a prosumer camera. Three weeks ago, our studio was booked for 4 simultaneous shoots. I had a choice of sending #4 (summer student) with an old Canon 10D or her new D90. Should be an easy job, so I preset everything on the Nikon myself. Preset exposure on manual and color temp at 5300 Kelvin and made all presets as 'normal'

Color was fine, exposure was fine, Saturation and contrast was absolutely gawd awful. I ended up adding 25 points of saturation and 25 points contrast to get even close to a salable print. The prints were still not great. The other 3 jobs were Canons (40D & 50D) with everything set to normal. Photos were perfect from the Canons.

I should add that the summer student thought I was gloating and she was very offended that I knocked 'her' Nikon. Hey, I sell photos, I could care less what the name is on the camera. I just want the best and cheapest that does a great job.

I posted a comment months ago on a hockey tournament I shot (with a 40D) with a friend who had a Nikon (300 I think) and we both hated using the other person's camera. Photos from one were measurably better (hmmm.... guess which one).

So, there's my comment. You can completely disregard it if you want. I would suggest that you email those reviews you mentioned and ask them if they get anything from either Nikon or Canon? Lots of 'pros' get the free use of equipment for reviews. I don't - that's for sure.

Just to be fair. I bought a 50D a few months ago and it's relegated to 3rd camera status. I like the 40D's a lot more and I sure don't need the extra file size except on rare occasion.

I should also add that i have no 'brand' patronage. If Nikon comes out with a better camera at the price I want to pay when I need one, I'll buy it. So far, IMHO, the differences between the two are personal taste, the rest is pretty close. I like photos with decent saturation and contrast because that's what my customers want.

[ncocave]

Doug, thanks very much for the information; that is the sort of thing I am looking for.

[Noel_Carboni]

At some point, one accumulates so much experience - and investment in lenses and accessories - that one can't really consider switching camps without it being a life-changing event. And so I am and will be a Canon man, from my first A-1 outfit so many decades ago to my current 40D to... ???

I'm glad there's competition. What it's done is keep the manufacturers on their toes and stress them to build better and better gear, to keep ahead of the "other" guys. We all win.

I doubt you can go far wrong with either brand, but I CAN say this:

The Canons have tremendous potential! From shooting JPEGs on default settings and getting great results to tweaking hundreds of parameters and developing your own Raw workflow the Canon will deliver for you. The cameras and lenses are simply excellent. Any of the models - even the lowest-end Canon dSLRs - will support your growth as a digital photographer. And price/performance has never been better.

It's worth keeping in mind that each new model of any brand today is a better camera than the offerings just a few years ago.

I just sold another big 44 x 66 inch print of the moon I made with my Canon 20D (now 3 generations old). Currently I shoot with a 40D and it's more camera than I need.

Best of luck with your choice.

-Noel

[Matt Ballard]

I guess I'm going to be giving an alternate opinion.

I've owned and shot the Canon 20D, 30D, 40D, XTi, and 5D.

I've owned and shot the Nikon D100, D70, D80, and currently shoot with a pair of D300's.

While I've liked my Canons, the current crop of Nikon DSLR's are the best available at the moment. I switched from a pair of 40D's to my current D300's and the improvements were HUGE.

Focus is better, faster, and more accurate on my D300's, and on Nikons in generals.

Nikon is in an entirely different league than Canon when it comes to Quality Control. There is just no comparison. QC is one area where Canon drops the ball badly.

(see my article Have You Had Problems With Your Canon and Neil Van Neikerk's The Best Camera In The World where he lists the incredible amount of Canon repairs he's had to do in the last few years.)

In short, I'd totally recommend the Nikon D90. It's a better camera than the Canon 40D or 50D for almost every application.

I'd also consider the D5000 if it fits for how you shoot. Scott Kelby and several others own and love this little beauty.

You can make good photos with any DSLR on the market today, but some will give you better value and be easier to work with. Currently, the Nikons are the best on the market, hands down.

I'm sure Canon will catch up again, but they'd better also bring a whole new level of Quality Control to the game.

See you behind the camera!

Matt
Art of the Image

[Matt Ballard]

Forgot to mention, Nikon's warranty is twice that of Canon on DSLR bodies (Nikon is 2 years, Canon is 1 year), and five times that of Canon on lenses (Nikon is 5 years, Canon is 1 year).

This speaks volumes IMHO.

Matt
Art of the Image

[Dennis_Vied]

A series of poor experiences with Nikon Service/Warranty issues caused me to sell my 4 Nikon bodies and 14 lenses and purchase Canon equipment two years ago. Since then my service and warranty experience with Canon has been fabulous. I was a 25 year Nikon user. So, Nikon may look better on paper, but it's where the rubber meets the road that counts.

Having said that, one may never have the occasion to make that service call, in which case it doesn't matter. You pays your money and takes your chances.