Switching Brands

[bentcountershaft]

Have you ever made the big switch? Say from Canon to Nikon or from whatever to whatever? How big was your kit? How much did you lose? Why did you do it? Do you regret it? Tell your story here.

 

[peter27]

Why would anyone switch from Canon to Nikon, or vice versa? They're much of a muchness, aren't they? My equipment is a mix of Pentax and Chinon, which are compatible through the K bayonet system and (like Nikon and Canon) are about the same notch I would say. The only other brand I would consider investing in now (neraly 30 years in) is Leica.

 

[SCraig]

I tend to agree with Peter27. I shoot Nikon and honestly see no reason to switch to Canon. Look at virtually any photograph made in the past few years and odds are good it was shot with either a Nikon or a Canon, but I defy anyone to tell me which without looking at the EXIF data.

I tend to generally disagree that the person behind the camera is what makes the photograph, a good camera body and good optics are just as important, but it is a scale of diminishing returns. At some point the body and optics reach a point where there is so little difference between them that it truly boils down to personal preference, and I am of the opinion that Canon and Nikon have reached that point with much of their equipment. Shoot what you like, like what you shoot. I really don't think it will make a lot of difference in the final images.

 

[Derrel]

Back when Canon was so far ahead of Nikon sensor wise, and before NIkon had any full frame cameras yet, I ADDED a two-body, two-zoom (24-105-L and 70-200) and multiple prime 50,85,100 macro,135 S.F., 135/2, 580 EX-II kit to a much bigger Nikon kit and used it for a few years. It had some advantages; Canon EOS bodies can easily accept m42 and F-mount lenses via adapters, so that was handy to get some wide-angles and some big glass on the Canon without additional expense. I never did like the way Canon's body controls and buttons were set up.

I really loved the Canon 5D's full-frame sensor and the way fulkl-frame brought all my prime lenses back to their normal angles of view, and brought me back background control and DOF that I was used to. The 24-105 f/4 L with IS was a nice walkaround lens, with a great range. I shot the 5D Classic up until last year for most of my 'serious' pictures until I bought a used D3x, and the Canon immediately went into retirement. I prefer it and its files to the 5D by a huge margin.

I think a lot of people could make the switch without losing "all that much" money; I think that might be overstated oftentimes.

 

[bentcountershaft]

It wasn't that long ago that a some Canon users I know switched to Nikon for the better high ISO handling and better focus system. I wouldn't say it was the norm, but it happens.

 

[bentcountershaft]

Derrel, I created you're very own poll option and you either haven't voted yet or didn't use it. I'm disappointed.

 

[jaomul]

I considered moving to nikon because of the latest camera reviews. Then I realised I am not even much good with the canon kit I have. It does not hold me back so to say. I read a lot, possibly to many reviews and am slightly techno nerdy. I think whichever brand is top, the others are not ever as far behind as lab tests imply when used in real situations.

 

[imagemaker46]

I used Leica SLR's for awhile and then bought Canon gear, have used Nikon and considered a switch but the cost was too high. Have been using Canon digital since the EOS 1D, would like to switch to Nikon now but again the cost is the big factor. It would mean having to buy a 70-200 2.8, 300 2.8 and a 400 2.8 as well as the bodies, so somewhere over 30k.

 

[tirediron]

I used Leica SLR's for awhile and then bought Canon gear, have used Nikon and considered a switch but the cost was too high. Have been using Canon digital since the EOS 1D, would like to switch to Nikon now but again the cost is the big factor. It would mean having to buy a 70-200 2.8, 300 2.8 and a 400 2.8 as well as the bodies, so somewhere over 30k.

Would you even be allowed into the press enclosure with a black lens?

 

[imagemaker46]

I used Leica SLR's for awhile and then bought Canon gear, have used Nikon and considered a switch but the cost was too high. Have been using Canon digital since the EOS 1D, would like to switch to Nikon now but again the cost is the big factor. It would mean having to buy a 70-200 2.8, 300 2.8 and a 400 2.8 as well as the bodies, so somewhere over 30k.

Would you even be allowed into the press enclosure with a black lens?

During the film days there were more Nikon shooters than Canon, then Canon took over with the 1D digital series, now a lot of the big agencies and wire services have been switching back to Nikon. When Canon rushed to put out that piece of crap 1D mklll, Nikon jumped all over the pro market. Canon is playing catch up again, and then they released the way overpriced 1Dx, to compete with the Nikon D4. As I mentioned if I could I would dump Canon. Their pro services in Canada are terrible. Nikon treats professionals as professionals, Canon treats professionals by charging them a fee to be "members" they charge for loan gear. The worst part they have a list of gear which is acceptable to them as pro gear, and it has a shelf life. I have 3 1D digi bodies, but because they are over the "accepted" year, they no longer count as pro cameras, they have lenses that no longer apply as well. What they want is pros to update all their gear every few years or risk being dropped from the pro service. I was a Canon pro member since 1983, three years ago I was no longer eligible because I was still using older gear, including a 400 2.8 and a 300 2.8 and 3 1D bodies. Nikon came to me and asked if I would like to use their gear, they gave me brand new gear on a trial for a month and have since loaned me gear when I asked, even though I'm not a Nikon pro member. As I said Nikon treats pros like pros.

 

[Sw1tchFX]

I have a few kits. Some are better than others, depends on what you're shooting.

 

[Buckster]

Back in my film days, I mostly shot Nikons, with a Yashica on the side. 15 years ago I got a Sony digital P&S, then another a couple years later, and they were fun and got me introduced to the digital side of photography. When I decided to go DSLR about 10 years ago, Canon's gear at the time really appealed to me, so my current DSLR kit is built around Canon.

I think either brand would be fine for my needs, tbh. Sometimes one or the other pulls ahead in the battle for DSLR supremacy, and it'd be nice to have those new features as they do. But really, the bottom line for me is that my gear makes the photos I want to make without stressing me out, and I think that'd be true no matter which system I was currently in bed with, so I really just don't think about it much.

lately I've been thinking of picking up a used D7000 just to play with it, but I've no aspirations of making any big switches here, and no regrets.

 

[Greiver]

Used Sony for P&S cameras then went Nikon when I jumped into the DSLR world.

 

[TCampbell]

It's not that I wouldn't switch brands because I think one brand is "better"... it's that there's a point where the gear is capable and no longer holding you back. At that point, if the photos don't turn out well... the problem is YOU!

 

[bratkinson]

I'm of the 'school' that still belives in product allegiance. Whether it's cars, tires, or even computers(which I build), once I find something that 'works for me', ie, I like it, I will stay with that company until I drop dead, or am proven wrong, etc. But I DID have to change banks when I married a VP at a competitor bank 25 years ago...

So, when I made the move from a 35mm Minolta viewfinder camera to SLR about 40 years ago, the camera store I was shopping at put me into a Canon AE-1...that turned out to be defective, no less! After 2 round trips to repairs, when the camera failed again the owner gave me full credit on another camera. He 'steered' me to the older EF model, which, in my mind, proved itself better than the AE-1 in both capability and durability. Within a year, I was really hooked and had a 2nd EF body and a quantity of lenses that kept growing. Ever since, my cameras and lenses have all had the name Canon on them.