Canon vs Nikon

[fischfan13]

Ok, so it seems that the majority of people here shoot with either a Nikon or a Canon...why?
The other day I was in Best Buy and I held a Nikon and Canon...why is one better than the other. Are there others who think that Olympus, Sony or Pentax make even a better camera?

[emartin]

Nikon and Canon are just very reputable brands and very well built, as well as world famous.

I never hear good or bad things about Olympus, I never heard anything at all about Sony, and I do know of a few people that use Pentax and love it.

I'd personally recommend you buy from BHPhotovideo.com though (you can visit their HUGE store in Manhattan if you want as well). They usually have the cheapest prices as a camera retailer, have every camera you'd need (they still sell bulb triggers for 35mm Film SLRs...!), and they sell used SLRs as well with I believe a 1 year warranty that you'd return it to them if it breaks, etc.

Personally though, now that Konica-Minolta went out of business, I'm a fan of both Canon and Nikon... Between the two, I'd just choose the model with the most features but cheaper than the other brand. I think Canon for example came out recently with a camera that shoots high speed photos WITHOUT a stroboscope or flash unit...

~Ed

[triscuit]

I'm no expert, and I've never owned a top-of-the-line camera, but...

My first digital was a Canon Powershot, and it was rugged, well priced, and took great pictures. My current camera is a Sony DSC-H2 that has the useability of a point-and-shoot but with enough bells and whistles to work well for aquarium photography.

My decision was based on price range, capabilities, having a view finder (many of the cams now just have the screen which is impossible to see in sunlight). The Canon version was my first choice, but Best Buy had an open-box discount on my Sony. After 2 years I still think it's a great camera.

So... thumbs up to both Canon and Sony cameras, if that's of any help to you.

[wayne]

Bill, I believe the two brands are competitive among their most common features. I personally prefer Nikon just because its lenses are generally more accessible in the secondary market than Canon, given the fact that lenses would the parts a photographer most likely spends the big $$$ on.

[maddog10]

Both makers have comparable models that are similarly priced. Buy the one thats 'fits' your hands better.

I bought a Nikon because the people I was going to pester with questions all shot Nikon. That way they could tell me exactly what to do. Worked like a charm!

[nick a]

I think those two brands are the most common because they are carried at most stores and they have the best quality/assortment of add on's like lenses and flashes.

I chose the nikon for the well researched and deeply thought out reason that I had a nikon 35mm and liked it, so..........

[Crowned]

Both makers have comparable models that are similarly priced. Buy the one thats 'fits' your hands better.


That's exactly what I did and chose a Canon. Only considered Canon and Nikon because of advice given by a friend.

[Greenhacker]

It all depends on what you are looking to buy; DSLR or Point and Shoot?

Nikon; the best lenses on the market
Cannon; IMO has some nicer bells and whistles both literally and figuratively. My friends Cannon can chirp like a bird when it goes to shoot and gets my babies attention every time.
Sony; very proprietary from batteries to media, but if you're looking DSLR then they have built in image stabilization rather then having to buy it in each lens. This is nice in some ways but not in others. -Extra weight all the time -their lenses are still really expensive but really good

Most people will tell you buy the lens not the camera and if that is the case then Nikon IMO is the way to go. I have a Nikon D70 and bought it the day it hit the market! It has been to over a dozen different countries and has shot w/o fail. I am looking to buy the newer D700 and would highly suggest it if you can swing it.

Gear to look at for shooting tanks
105 VR - http://www.adorama.com/NK10528AFVRU.html
Wireless Flash - http://www.adorama.com/NKR1C1.html

Which ever way you go any of these companies can and do provide a great product; just think long term.

[fischfan13]

Both makers have comparable models that are similarly priced. Buy the one thats 'fits' your hands better.

I bought a Nikon because the people I was going to pester with questions all shot Nikon. That way they could tell me exactly what to do. Worked like a charm!

I stopped in Best Buy today so that my son could play the new Beatles Rockband, look at getting a new IPod and check out video cameras.
In between all of this I was checking out cameras. The "fits your hands" idea seems to be the best. Having large hands I much rather have a larger camera and both the Nikon and the Canon had models that fit nicely. That being said, I might just have to go to plan 2...buy a camera that people I know, ahem, could help me with...Southern Maryland isn't that far away, is it?:becky:

[maddog10]

Not that far at all. :teehee: