Comments on: Which camera should I buy? Canon or Nikon?

By: Derek K. Miller

Derek K. Miller — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:04:04 +0000

One benefit with Nikon and Pentax is that all the lenses ever made for the Nikon F and Pentax K mount will mount (sometimes with minor modification first) on current cameras from those manufacturers, while Canon, Minolta, Olympus, and others have changed their lens mounts over the years.

Of course, since it’s now been decades since the Canon EF and Minolta Alpha mounts appeared, and since Olympus offers adapters for its old OM mount, that’s irrelevant for most people. But it’s nice to know. (Though it does keep prices for old Nikon lenses higher than they would be otherwise!)

By: VancityAllie

VancityAllie — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:32:24 +0000

Great post!

Wow, this could get heated in here ;) You know, I think that most of the big DSLR camera brands out there are really quite good nowadays.

I went with Nikon because I liked the feel of it, I preferred the menu system to what I saw on the Canon, and I found in some comparisons at the time that Nikons seemed to come out more vivid (not the case anymore). My dad also had some really old Nikon lenses that I thought would be fun to play around with.

5 years later, and I’m still with Nikon. I bought the D90 because it was the first DSLR with video, and now I’m hoping that Nikon comes out with a sweet super high end DSLR with video, that could perhaps top the Canon Mark 5 II.

In the end, I’m definitely glad for competition. It’s going to make all our cameras better.

I think with all the money I’ve invested into my lenses so far though, that I’m going to have to stick with Nikon.

By: Kenny

Kenny — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:21:18 +0000

Just adding this to the lens tip – I bought a Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS when it first came out. It was used on _FOUR_ different bodies over *6* years (Canon Elan7e, 10D, 20D, 5D) before I finally sold the lens.

Good lenses will keep on giving.

By: Tawcan

Tawcan — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:13:34 +0000

Great post, I’m a Canon guy hence for my decision to go with Canon. Nikon or Canon they’re both great brand.

By: Gillian Shaw

Gillian Shaw — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:33:52 +0000

Thanks John. That is a great starting point for my DSLR decision.

By: Derek K. Miller

Derek K. Miller — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:45:55 +0000

I use Nikon because, by chance, that’s what I bought back in high school when I got my first camera around 1983. While I have no Nikon gear left from that era (most of it got pilfered in a burglary in the early ’90s), I’ve always migrated within the Nikon line, usually using older lenses with newer cameras. (My oldest current lens is from 1995.)

Had I bought Canon or Olympus or Pentax or Minolta back then, I’d be on a different path. All make good cameras (though Minolta morphed into Sony for SLRs). Most enthusiasts use Nikon or Canon, true, but there are a lot of benefits with the other brands too.

Since I also get asked this question a lot, I wrote a post about it last year, with a similar conclusion: “Just don’t cheap out with your lenses to start, and you’ll be happier in the long run.”

By: Tyler

Tyler — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:41:03 +0000

yay for Canon and Nikon!

Why did I go with Canon? My first good digital camera was Canon (Powershot A60). Ever since I’ve been happy with them and I LOVE to use my Canon XSi. I have no quams about Nikon. I see an equal amount of Nikon and Canon uses. Rarely do I see Sony, Pentax, Olympus etc.

I agree with John about lenses. Buy the best lens you can afford, don’t cheap out. Lenses will stay with your forever (pretty much) and seem to retain their resale value too. Look at my 70-200mm f2.8L IS lens. Used ones still go for $1600

By: Tod M

Tod M — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:45:44 +0000

Thanks — awesome post. :)
(Jeez that sounds like a drive-by spam post, doesn’t it… )

By: Kyler

Kyler — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 02:55:12 +0000

Very well put John.