How Easy To Make The Switch From Nikon To Canon While On The Job?

[fjrabon]

So I recently picked up a part time gig at a photography studio. Good news: I will be using studio gear. Bad news: They're exclusively a Canon studio. (I think it's all pretty much 5DMkII and 5DMkIII)

I've shot a friend's Canon a few times and it wasn't that bad, but I also wasn't dealing with shooting manual exposure with multiple lights either.

Some in studio portrait work, some portrait location shoots, and some sports photography.

For people who have made that switch, what was the biggest thing? Just that the focus ring turns the opposite way?

 

[Big Mike]

The exposure meter/scale is reversed. On Canon (and everyone except Nikon) it is read left to right, going from dark to light.
Nikon reads right to left, going from dark to light.

Manual exposure is manual exposure. Those cameras have two dials, one for shutter speed, one for aperture and there is a button for ISO. Shouldn't be hard to get used to.

Another difference of note will be the menu system and how to navigate it. But that is an issue going from one camera to another, not only when switching brands.

 

[Alex_B]

... don't be afraid ... one can be bilingual in terms of camera brands.

 

[KmH]

Nikon reads right to left, going from dark to light.

Or, it can be reversed in the Nikon menus so it goes the other way.

Don't worry about it. Just do it.

 

[bhop]

I use the canon at the office sometimes. You'll get used to it.

 

[fjrabon]

great, thanks guys. Pretty excited to work with the 5DMkIII on some sports shoots.

 

[fjrabon]

... don't be afraid ... one can be bilingual in terms of camera brands.

Yeah, I wasn't really worried other than being expected to work with it on shoots pretty much right away, haha.

 

[sapper6fd]

I'm on the fence about swapping brands as well. I'm at the point where I can either stay with nikon and upgrade to the D800 (from my D90) or upgrade to the 5D mark III. Its a tough decision. Both exceptional cameras and absolutly love my D90. Large file sizes and the focusing issues that have probably been resolved if the D800 have made me look at the 5DMKIII. I fully believe Nikon has better glass for certain applications than Canon - and vice versa. Canon glass seems to be a bit cheaper for certain lense that I'm interested in, but I dont like the Canon menu system.

I think it all boils down to choice. If you have to go Canon - go Canon. If you want to go canon, go Canon. If you have the choice, go with what you feel is best for you (financial investment does dictate what happens in terms of Glass but leave the fanboys out!)

 

[Derrel]

You can adapt to any confusing, sucky system. No matter how poor the industrial design is, the human brain can manage to get around design flaws and idiocy. No matter how much of an "end-user"[ end-user being a synonym for 'idiot'] your were viewed as by the Canon engineers, you can overcome their lack of ingenuity and their multitude of silly concepts.

 

[o hey tyler]

You can adapt to any confusing, sucky system. No matter how poor the industrial design is, the human brain can manage to get around design flaws and idiocy. No matter how much of an "end-user"[ end-user being a synonym for 'idiot'] your were viewed as by the Canon engineers, you can overcome their lack of ingenuity and their multitude of silly concepts.

Yeah. A silly concept like having a light meter read left to right.

WHAT A CONCEPT! Having a meter be like reading a book! Who would have thought?

Well, I guess not Nikon.

 

[fjrabon]

lol, how did I not know this would turn into a Canon v. Nikon battle?

It'll be interesting to work with Canons if nothing else. I don't really have any plans on switching to Canon for my personal cameras for now. But I'm also not heavily invested in Nikon at this point either, and I could totally see working with a 5DMkIII every day making me jones for the switch, haha. But I'd probably do the same thing if I was working with a D800 as well, so...

 

[Big Mike]

You can adapt to any confusing, sucky system. No matter how poor the industrial design is, the human brain can manage to get around design flaws and idiocy. No matter how much of an "end-user"[ end-user being a synonym for 'idiot'] your were viewed as by the Canon engineers, you can overcome their lack of ingenuity and their multitude of silly concepts.

Yeah. A silly concept like having a light meter read left to right.

WHAT A CONCEPT! Having a meter be like reading a book! Who would have thought?

Well, I guess not Nikon.

Think about what country the companies are from...and what country they were designed in...and what direction they read in that country. :er:

Although, I do think that it's an odd incongruity that their meter is right to left, but their histogram is left to right.

 

[TCampbell]

On the back of the 5D II the on/off switch has 3 positions labeled "off", "on", and a third position with a line pointing to the rear selection dial. You probably always want to switch it to the line. The "on" position only allows the rear dial to be used to navigate menus. The position that points to the rear dial allows the dial to be used to set aperture while in manual mode. The front wheel operates shutter speed, the rear dial operates aperture. VERY easy to operate both while shooting and without having to pull your face away to inspect the controls.

I've been moderately surprised at owners of the 5D II who didn't know that (This falls into the category of: things you learn if you actually read an owners manual!)

BTW, you can re-map quite a few of the controls on that camera. Re-mapping the auto-focus off the shutter button and onto the "AF-ON" button on the back is very handy for sports shooting but you need to practice with it. In that mode it will ONLY auto-focus if you press the "AF-ON" button -- this was done at the request of sports photographers who'd get frustrated when someone partially walked into the frame and the camera wants to refocus on the person who walked into frame rather than on the action you were following. On a Canon, if you allow it to auto-select the AF point then it'll pick the AF point which can get a focus lock on the NEAREST subject. You can either pick the AF point you want to use OR you can switch auto-focus so that it only activates when you press that button with your thumb.

 

[fjrabon]

On the back of the 5D II the on/off switch has 3 positions labeled "off", "on", and a third position with a line pointing to the rear selection dial. You probably always want to switch it to the line. The "on" position only allows the rear dial to be used to navigate menus. The position that points to the rear dial allows the dial to be used to set aperture while in manual mode. The front wheel operates shutter speed, the rear dial operates aperture. VERY easy to operate both while shooting and without having to pull your face away to inspect the controls.

I've been moderately surprised at owners of the 5D II who didn't know that (This falls into the category of: things you learn if you actually read an owners manual!)

BTW, you can re-map quite a few of the controls on that camera. Re-mapping the auto-focus off the shutter button and onto the "AF-ON" button on the back is very handy for sports shooting but you need to practice with it. In that mode it will ONLY auto-focus if you press the "AF-ON" button -- this was done at the request of sports photographers who'd get frustrated when someone partially walked into the frame and the camera wants to refocus on the person who walked into frame rather than on the action you were following. On a Canon, if you allow it to auto-select the AF point then it'll pick the AF point which can get a focus lock on the NEAREST subject. You can either pick the AF point you want to use OR you can switch auto-focus so that it only activates when you press that button with your thumb.

Thanks Tim! I actually managed to get the studio to let me use one of the 5DMKII's over the weekend to acclimate myself. It's mostly been easier than I thought. Though I tend to not menu dive very much at all, so the menus being 'weird' to me isn't that big of a deal. Even after reading what others were saying, I have been reading the exposure meter backwards a lot, haha. Turn the shutter speed control and wonder why the meter is going the wrong way, haha.

 

[Solarflare]

I've configured my camera according to Ken Rockwell so everything is working the right way on my Nikon anyway.

lol, how did I not know this would turn into a Canon v. Nikon battle?

It'll be interesting to work with Canons if nothing else. [...]

Is there anything else to talk about ? Everything else can be learned by watching YouTube videos ... Canon vs Nikon, there is no final answer to this and we all have to justify what we bought.

Yeah, Canon has its advantages. I've seen quite a few pieces of Canon glass I would like to see for Nikon, too. Like f/1.2 autofocus lenses. Then again Leica has a 50mm f/0.95 for their cameras, how cool is that ?