Which is a better choice for Digital Cameras - Canon or Nikon.?

Question

I use a Nikon F6 with 2 lenses, 24 - 70 and 74 - 200. Now when i mean to go Digital...i am confused. I saw both the Canon EOS D400 & the Nikon D80 (comparable in their price ranges). Someone suggested a astronomically costly Nikon D2Xs. Lenses with Canon are costlier, Nikon cheaper. I've used Nikon and enjoyed using it. But digital is a different ball game. And in my peer group...its an aging fold. Help me (and honest answers from users please...I've photographed professionally for over 20 yrs now). i'll really appriciate help. Yes, we're into a mix bag of Reporting Photo Journalism on a daily basis for a News paper.

Answer 1

I had Canon SLR, now I jumped to Nikon D80, tought Canon Rebel XTI or 400D, comes with a not that god lens, it's very slow, to short and cheap plastic construction.

So, if you want better lens, the 17-85 IS, for example, you pay much more, but you still have shorter lens then the new Nikon 18-135mm.

The grip on Rebel, it's a nightmare, to small, if you to take a lot of pictures, you'll get very tired to hold this camera.
I love my new D80, the pictures are just great, the lens, I love it, it covers from 27-202mm on SLR and it is fast and good quality, the camera, no words, it is a great camera with the famous great construction from Nikon.

Take a look on this link, Nikon D80 vs Canon : http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-11396_7-6654246-1.html The D80 had won all the way, got 45 point out of 50 and Canon 37.

My suggestion, go for Nikon D80, you already some lens, don't lose your investment, you can use those lens, and if you have some extra to spend, get the 18-200mm VR from Nikon, that is the Mercedes of lenses right now. You might have some problems to get one, everybody wants one, so it is out of stock, but if you can get, do it, it will be much better then D200 with another lenses, but if have a lot to spend, then get the D200 with the 18-200 VR (there is a regular 18-200, don't take that).

God bells you.

Answer 2

If you intend to the new camera for (semi) pro work, I agree with the suggestions to look into the Nikon D200 and Canon 30D. These will give you 5 FPS vs. 3, faster and more accurate AF, better build quality, faster access to important features, MORE features... you know the drill.
The D80 is a great camera though. What sets it apart form your other $800-$1000 options is its large viewfinder (Not compared to an F6... just compared to the Canon 400D, etc.) When you also consider that the 400D has a tiny grip and lacks spot-metering, it seems like the Nikon D80 would be a much more pleasant camera to work with. The image quality is about equal, with Canon being a tad better at ISO 800+
Like everyone has already pointed out, with a D80 you can keep using your Nikon AF lenses. AI(S) lenses won't meter properly however - they saved that trick for the D200.
And all Nikon dSLR cameras magnify lenses by 1.5x. So your 24-70mm would effectively become a 36-105mm zoom. (The Canon 400D and 30D magnify everything by 1.6x) This might require you to get a new standard zoom. Nikon has a few nice ones, of course - they came out with a DX line for their digital bodies:
* the 18-70 is very decent for around $310 (effectively 27-105)
* the 17-55 f/2.8 is excellent, but $1200
* the 12-24mm is the new Nikon ultra-wide for digital.

Answer 3

Which car is better? Chevy or Ford? Porsche or BMW? Mercedes or Lexus? Nikon or Canon? These are all unanswerable questions as they are all "the best" in their class.

If you are into daily use of your camera, might I suggest the Nikon D200. It is much more of a workhorse than the D80, yet smaller and more affordable than the D2Xs. If you can't spring for that, though, the D80 has the same image processing as the D200, if I understand correctly. I own a D200 and D70s, and there is no question which one would hold up under daily use - it's the D200. The sensor and shutter life is longer, also, and this may be a factor in photojournalism.

To me, the simple fact that you already own two excellent Nikon lenses is reason enough to choose the Nikon, whether you get the D80 or D200. Your lenses ARE compatible with the digital cameras, assuming they are as new as your F6. CPU lenses, especially type G and type D lenses are recommended by Nikon, as well as the brand new DX series.

Answer 4

Oldest question ever.

There was a time when I asked myself the same thing, and it all boiled down to economics. I was ready to retire my F4 and F90x, at the same time clients were all asking, "do you have digital?...Deadline was yesterday. " I didn't buy at first, I just borrowed my friends D1X he had two.

Anyway the D1X was a bit heavy and it used up battery quite fast. I was considering changing the whole system completely and trying out canon. My budget couldn't cut it so I got a D100 then which was great for 6MP and a tight budget. Now am using a D200 its quite light compared to the D2X. In the field lightwieght and a low battery consumption goes a long way.

I use the same old AF lenses. The good thing was that because of the 1.5x factor, my 200mm became a 300mm. Great! But then 20mm became 30mm so much for my wide angle lens. I had to get a 12mm-24mm f4G to satisfy my wide angle needs.

Just to be practical if you have your old lenses, they work well. Also another thing to consider is that if you have buddies that have the same system, you can borrow each others lens if needed. Fujix uses nikon mounts as well.

But if you have the budget, go for it and find out. Change your whole system. If I had the chance I probably would, just to see.

The only thing that has disappointed me with digital is the fact that the whites tend to wash out at above 1.5 stops over.

Answer 5

People who like Canon and use them will tell you to go with Canon. The same goes for Nikon. So if you already are using Nikon, you probably won't get use to Canon. So I suggest you just stick with Nikon. Things are arranged differently between the two cameras so why waste time to learn a new system. It is not the camera that takes good pictures, it is the person who is holding it.

Answer 6

If you already have Nikon Lenses, then I would stay w Nikon.
The D200 is a good bet for pro use and cost less than the D2X.
The F6 is a great camera! And probably the last in a great Nikon line of film cameras :-(
Good luck!

Answer 7

Get the Nikon D40. I've read different reviews about it and so far all are good. I've also done research on the Canon Rebel and not all are good. Go to Dave's picks website to better understand the 2 cameras.

Answer 8

if you have nikon lenses, stick with Nikon or Fuji cameras. i have a nikon D80 as a backup, and i like it , but my main digital is a Fuji S3. i traded up from an S2 that I used for years...absolutely love it. the picture quality is as close to film as you'll see, i think the nikon is a bit fake looking in colors, not a big deal if you like to play on photoshop, but the fuji is almost always perfect right out of the camera. i traded digital from an F5 and N90 a few years back with a few doubts, but now would never go back to film

Answer 9

Nikon has/had been trailing Canon in the high-end digital SLR market for several years but has finally caught up with their latest offerings (resolution was several megapixels less)... If you're going to spend this kind of money on a digital camera I suggest finding a retailer that will let you try both brands out properly. When it comes down to it what matters most is your personal likes and dislikes and the only way you'll find out about those is to try them out for yourself.

Answer 10

WOW! I cannot believe u are asking such a thing! Canon lens are indeed costlier, but the quality u get with them is incomparable to Nikon. I'm not as old as u are in the field but i do have some experience and I've also tried both Canon and Nikon. Go with Canon. IT'S REALLY WORTH IT!