Cannonites vs. Nikoneers
Wednesday, September 12, 2007 at 12:20AM No we are not talking religion here, or are we?
This is a response to The Visitors question on Canon vs Nikon digital SLR's.
More specifically the EOS 400D vs the D40.
First, the EOS 400D (drool, drool, look at it on the shelf, more droooool)..
A thing of beauty and a joy for at least the next 4 years! (the only beauties that will be retained in my head longer will be the Mrs. and the little ones! There, that should improve the longevity of this blog!).
I digress, predictably. So far, the 400D has done a fantastic job of taking pictures. If the pictures are crappy, it is only because I forget to switch that little button from MF to AF or I have given the camera to someone else to take the picture. (if you are used to a slower digital camera, you better watch out.. all it takes is a feather touch to click the shutter). The pictures are coming out great (I dont use a Canon Lens but a Tamron Lens which was way cheaper than the Canon and which also happened to be a single lens that went from 18-200mm).
Now for the Nikon.
The noticeable absence of drool does not necessarily indicate a lack of love or respect for the Nikon. It is just that I have become a Canon loyalist for various reasons..
1. I am familiar with the Canon dial, the menus, the look and feel.
2. It is a coke vs. pepsi thing. On a blind test I would probably identify coke only 90% of the time but somehow I always ask for Coke. I drink Pepsi when Coke is not around. I would probably go for a Nikon if a Canon was not around. In short, if the Canon was my wife, the Nikon is like a long lost girlfriend. It is a "what if?", that is never considered (that should also improve the longevity of this blog, neh?). Once again, I ramble.
I know a lot of people who have a Nikon who are extremely happy with Nikon and would present the Visitor with a similar message with the two models reversed. The D40/D80 are definitely cost competitive and the Nikon lenses are amazing(Or so I have heard from other Daddy photographers at Daycare functions. We usually stand in a corner and talk about our cameras during fathers day, thanksgiving lunch, graduation parties for pre-kindergarten, etc. etc.).
Reviews say that the Nikon D80 has beat the next generation Canon because Canon has become somewhat complacent over the success of the Digital Rebel that it did not improve significantly on the Rebel XTi aka EOS 400D (you can read Phil Askey for the scoop. I use this site as my camera Gita, Bible and Koran.. not that I have read any of those books!)
So, dear Visitor, I can only offer you a one sided view and hence cannot give you an honest comparison, but dpreview can!
On second thought, Boo was got a D40 the same week I got my 400D. You can ask her about the D40 and compare notes!
.
Digital Rebel, EOS 400D, camera, canon, compare, nikon, photography
Reader Comments (8)
Hi Sundar,
Thanks - I think I'll go for the Canon 400. Are there any limitations with the availability of accessories (tele and macro lenses) vis a vis the two?
Sundar,
sssssssssshhhhhhhhhh Sundar.... talk slowly anything other than NIKON. I am a great user and believer of NIKON. I do not hate CANON. Shall write more in detail later.
I've a Nikon D50. Only reason I bought it was that it was the best I could get for the money at the time.
One thing about Nikon that I am not happy about is that they encrypt the white balance information in their raw format. This is an attempt to lock the customer in to purchase Nikon software, or else you would not theoretically be able to manipulate white balance after the picture was taken.
Enter the determination of the open source software community, and a solution already exists in the form of http://www.cybercom.net/~dcoffin/dcraw/" REL="nofollow">dcraw and its more user-friendly offspring http://ufraw.sourceforge.net/" REL="nofollow">ufraw.
It's great that there's a way around Nikon's mischief, but it shouldn't be necessary. I still like the D50. It's the first digital SLR I've ever owned, and takes the best pictures of any camera I've had before, but I can't endorse a company that tries to restrict my use of my own work in a misguided attempt to gain a software monopoly.
I am http://ericateatime.blogspot.com/" REL="nofollow">Erica's hubby by the way.
Visitor, there are a lot of canon zoom and fixed focus lenses. they were expensive. so I went for the Tamron. so far the only two lenses that I know that cover 18-200 or 28-300 for the EOS400D are a sigma and a tamron with comparable specs and comparable price. Canon does not have a single zoom that covers this range. they split it 18 or 28 to 80 and a 70-210 or 300...
Balaji Sir, will wait for your review.
Martin, did not know you had a blog!
thanks for the info.
:)
Hi Sundar,
It is a nice review about the Canon and Nikon. Thanks!
You really like Cannon as under the heading Nikon you have written most about Canon. LOL
Visitor,
As many would say and I would repeat, always look at the whole system and not just the camera but the lenses et all and prices.
I own a Nikon D80 (earlier, a Nikon F65 film camera) and one thing, is after using a xTi from a friend, I would still go in for the D80. Its just awesome, lenses are too good. But the body is a little on the heavier side.
But as they say, if you want a good body, go for Canon, if good lenses Nikon.
btw, Nikon D40 is whole lot different from Nikon D80. Also xTi from Canon is also supposed to be the best body among its class.
Methinks, Bodies come and go, lenses matter in the long run.
Nikon lenses are costlier than Canon lenses and so are the camera bodies.
Think about the cost of the entire system. And Tamaron, Sigma makes lenses for both Canon/Nikon mounts
swantantra, you noticed !!
:)
I realized that too after I hit the publish button!
Hello Pilgirm, glad to know your pilgrimage crossed this space..
you are right. I did have a 3 digit budget .. so it was tamron or sigma! and based on reviews and actual pictures taken with the two, I went for the tamron (especially the macro pictures)..
:)
the info you gave was a lot more specific, especially on the Nikon side. thanks
Well, Sundar, I actually didn't have a blog until a few days ago. Not much there yet, but should be posting more in the coming months. I'm still getting used to the whole idea.