Nikon or Canon?

[Soocom1]

I am now seriously considering changing formats because of the white elephant known as Sony.
Yesterday after careful thought, I have been going around to the various stores in my area, and asking questions about Canon and Nikon. During this time, I have discovered that NONE of the stores in my area will even think of carrying any Sony product. All their Minolta stuff will be let go, and that will be the end of that. So forget about what Sony may bring up to offer, who will carry it? In all likelihood, I find myself having to special order items that I want. What use is that?
So what I want, is for all you Canon and Nikon folks to tell me about the various cameras, and how they perform.
Is it true that Canon has twelve gazillion mounts? Which one works with the current system?
Why doesn’t Nikon make a lower end camera with an ISO slower than 200?
Does Nikon have a full frame, or will it be Canon only there?
Which will be better in the end?

 

[magicmonkey]

hmm, you've just opened the biggest can of worms going, I'm staying out of this!!!


*edit* try having a look on http://www.dpreview.com/ You can side-by-side compare cameras on tech specs etc if that's what you're after and they have very in depth reviews on a wide range of cameras. Still nothing like getting your hands on one and trying it out though...

You'd think I was their PR man or something eh!

 

[Don Simon]

AFAIK only Canon has full-frame. But then you may not need full-frame. Canon doesn't have that many mounts, it just has less compatibility with older Canon lenses than a Nikon will with older Nikon lenses. On the other hand you can mount Nikon lenses on a Canon, which according to a lot of people on this board works very well.

Personally I prefer the look of Nikons, but from the DSLRs I tried I preferred the images from the Canon; they just seemed to be slightly cleaner, especially at higher ISOs. However that's just my experience from playing around with them, I don't own one of either brand. I think the majority of people here do, so they're better qualified to say, although I think at the end of the day the best thing is to try using them (either in the shop or borrowed from a friend); that will give you a better idea of what's more suitable for you than comparing specs.

 

[Digital Matt]

I'm a Canon guy, so that's what I'll recommend, but Nikon also offers a great product. Canon and Nikon are the top two. You should just go and check out some of the different models for yourself and hold them. See which one feels best.

FYI:
Canon has two mounts you need to worry about. FD, and EF. All of the modern lenses are EF, and there is a HUGE selection of them. You won't be missing anything in that lineup.

What type of photos do you plan to take, and how much are you willing to spend?

 

[usayit]

Choosing is such a personal choice.... dpreview and try out each model at a camera store.

I too am a Canon guy, so I will not hesitate to recommend them. At the time I made the decision, Canon's lenses were what convinced me to go with them. I have to say though... Canon's consumer lenses have not impressed me much lately. I would rather look towards Sigma, Tokina, or Tamron if I wasn't willing to spend the cash on a higher end Canon lens.

 

[tekzero]

u will do well with either.

 

[airgunr]

Both are excellent choices. I personally went with Nikon because of the backwards compatibility with the older lenses so I can use all my lenses on my old manual FM2n as well as the newer F5 and a DSLR if I decide to get one down the road.

I also liked the feel and ergonomics of the Nikons. Nothing against the Canon line I just liked Nikon better.

Since you are starting fresh you don't have to worry about compatability and Canon has a HUGE selection of fine lenses to choose from.