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Canon camera, and therefore there's a good chance your loyalties are set. But what would you do if asked to give advice to somebody upgrading from a compact camera to a single-lens reflex model? With SLRs suddenly very popular, we decided to run a poll to see what the fans out there have to say. com Poll box, then weigh in with your opinion in the Talkback section below. Canon has dominated the digital SLR market, but Nikon is coming on strong.
Nikon's entry-level D40 and D40x models are relatively affordable, and it's putting image stabilization into even entry-level lenses. The image-stabilized 18-200mm lens has been Nikon's best-selling model ever, and Canon still doesn't have an equivalent for the folks who either want just one all-purpose lens or who are looking for a single lens to schlep on a vacation. Nikon's D80 and D200 were solid mid-range models, and the new D300 looks to be another strong contender. Canon SLRs Which of the big two has the better SLR camera line today?
D3, the first SLR to follow Canon's high-end lead with models featuring image sensors the size of a full frame of 35mm film. Most SLRs feature less-expensive, smaller sensors that, at least in theory, have lower sensitivity for a given number of pixels, and that make SLR lenses behave differently compared to the film era. The D3 emphasizes pixel quality rather than pixel quantity, with ISO levels reaching to 25,600 in a pinch.
Greg Wilson, whose side business is Tiger Aerial Photography and who just bought a D300 even though his D200 is relatively new. "With the D300, I can now shoot at ISO 400 or even ISO 640 and get the same quality image as my D200 at ISO 200," he said. "If I did aerial photography 40 hours per week, I'd jump at the D3."
EOS 40D has won favorable reviews for features such as revamped autofocus, a fast frame rate, weather sealing, and low image noise. Canon's solid base of professional photographers, built up through years of work, helps ensure a steady supply of high-quality new lenses. By designing and making its own SLR sensors, it's able to control some its destiny and tightly integrate technology. And it's adding image stabilization to lower-end lenses. Perhaps Canon's best competitive point against Nikon is its EOS 5D, its lower-priced full-frame camera. It currently costs about $2,100--not much more than a $1,800 smaller-frame D300 and a lot less than the $5,000 full-frame D3. The 5D is popular with enthusiasts, landscape photographers, stock-art specialists, and wedding photographers.
Stephen Shankland covers Google, Yahoo, search, online advertising, portals, digital photography, and related subjects. He joined CNET News in 1998 and since then also has covered servers, supercomputing, open-source software, and science.
jumpjetta December 4, 2007 12:27 PM PST Most decent photographers are really sick of the Nikon vs. A really good writer and photographer, Ryan Brenizer, writing on an Amazon blog said this: "I primarily use Nikon gear, because you have to use something, and it works well for me. I shot my last wedding with a Canon and Fuji body, and loved them both. ve ever used, which includes just about all of the major camera lines, and I find nothing more tedious than photography brand debates."
QuetzalcoatlUSA December 4, 2007 12:55 PM PST I would think most decent photographers are able to ignore debates they are sick of. But if not, OK, brand debates are - on their face - fairly uninformative. But to boil it down to "whatever feels good in your hand" is no more an informed way to choose an SLR than by brand alone. Seriously, though, if brand means nothing why do companies fight so hard to build and maintain them?
Shankland December 4, 2007 5:45 PM PST The genesis of this poll is the fact that so many people today ask me what brand of SLR they should buy. Sure, they're not going to go terribly wrong with either Canon or Nikon these days, but for somebody who's about to buy not only a camera costing hundreds of dollars but who is about to enter an ecosystem of lenses and camera bodies that it's expensive to leave, the question is important. So how about it: if your best friend was asking you this, and his or her respect for your expertise was on the line, what would you advise?
ewelch December 4, 2007 1:10 PM PST Yes, the long-term benefit of Canon designing and manufacturing their sensors is a good thing. But Nikon actually makes the steppers that physically create most sensors, and a lot of other ICs in various industries. So they're no slouches when it comes to know-how on sensor design and manufacturing. And it has paid off big-time for the D3, whose sensor is designed and manufactured by Nikon. The D3 and D300 both have CMOS sensors too, which makes a big difference. I saw a demo of the kinds of images the D3 would produce at ISO 6400 more than a year ago at a workshop sponsored by Nikon. Of course, we didn't know it would be called the D3 for sure, but it was a no-brainer to guess. As a long-time Leica users I was able to look at both systems from outside. Using Canon at work made it obvious I'd probably go Canon. But the 6400 ISO images were so good my personal camera system choice became Nikon. And I was right to choose Nikon considering how amazing the D3 has turned out to be.
lmasanti December 4, 2007 1:26 PM PST One of the things that always took in consideration was "my investment"... Nikon has the same mount system from long time ago, so --not taking into account other things-- I can still use my FE's lenses. But there is a point in the article that I want to remark: image quality. In the other hand, "pixel count" remains me of the times of the "megahertz wars" in computers. By example, take the new distribution of cells in the sensor from a recent Kodak patent. Normally, sensors has equal quantities of Red, Green and Blue pixels. So, choosing a camera is --at least for me-- like choosing a wife, a matter of many issues...
sberley December 4, 2007 1:41 PM PST It really is a non-issue. Which is better for YOU depends mostly on how it feels in your hand and what's on sale. As long as you go with either Nikon or Canon and use factory-branded glass you'll get a great setup.
RompStar_420 December 4, 2007 1:45 PM PST I bought the Nikon SLT D40x kit and I love it, I bought the kit at Cosco for $999 a few months ago, I seen it around I thinkg $900 a week ago. I used to own a film SLT from Canon, but I found the popup flash a little bit sloppy, everything fits well on my Nikon, solid construction. The software that it comes with is only ok, but who cares if you use the tools that come with OS X or others are way better, I don't even use the Nikon software. The camera is great, took a lot of great pictures and the image stabalization for the longer focal lenght lenses does help a lot and removes the camera shake, nothing better than just using a tripod, but if you don't have one and there is no tree around, this works well.
Penguinisto December 4, 2007 1:55 PM PST I bought a Minolta Maxxum SLR body (now owned by Sony) because I already had a shedload of Maxxum fixed and telephoto lenses, both AF and non-AF. They still happen to fit my film cameras very nicely as a benefit.
rcrusoe December 4, 2007 1:58 PM PST IMO, they've always had the best glass, and their pro line has survived everything I ever put them through - except for the one that was strapped to the outside of an aircraft during an extreme decent - but that wasn't Nikon's fault :) Reply to this comment This is like Linux vs.
davis bacon December 4, 2007 3:48 PM PST This is like asking what is better? I wish I could try a Nikon as some of the lenses they have look interesting, but honestly what amateur can justify a $5000 camera?
richto December 6, 2007 5:57 AM PST Is one of them full of security vulnerabilities like MAC OS and Linux then and the other one has hardly any, like Windows Vista?
iamotaku December 4, 2007 3:56 PM PST Currently Canon is far superior to Nikon. That may change, they've jockeyed back and forth for years but Nikon has fallen behind in the digital realm and has yet to catch up. Just look on the sidelines of any professional sporting event. I'...
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