Canon vs. Nikon and Nikon vs. Canon: A Perspective on a Mostly Pointless Argument.Jul 17 '04 Write an essay on this topic.
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America is the land of the free, the land of the brave, and the land of endless polarized debates. Democrats vs. Republicans. Pro-choice vs. Pro-life. My football team vs. my neighbor’s football team. Pick a side because if you don’t, then you must be indecisive. With choosing a side comes the danger of subscribing to everything that comes along with your side, whether or not you really believe in it. We forget about that which is most important – looking at both sides of the issues and trying to understand the perspectives of our fellow human beings. Strangely enough (or perhaps not), this type of mentality has worked its way into the world of photography and into some reviews of photographic equipment on Epinions. Note to reader: this is where you can stop reading if you’re not interested in photography. At some point, the world’s leading SLR camera manufacturers, Nikon and Canon, pretty much leveled the playing field with each other. In doing so, they inadvertently started the Canon vs. Nikon debate. Canon is better than Nikon because… (insert your favorite phrase here). Nikon is better than Canon because… (insert your favorite phrase here). The truth? Well, truth is a personally-constructed concept that is different from person to person. So, my opinion? Since I’m posting this on Epinions, I feel somewhat obligated. Here’s how I see it playing out: 1) Both manufacturers offer high quality compact digital cameras, pro-sumer digital cameras, professional digital cameras, pro-sumer film cameras, and professional film cameras. 2) Both manufacturers offer an extensive selection of inter-changeable lenses for digital and film cameras. Of these lenses, both manufacturers offer amateur-quality and professional-quality lenses that are compatible with most or all of their recent cameras. 3) Both manufacturers are constantly making significant contributions to technological innovations in photography (for example, USM motors and 3D color-matrix metering). 4) the professional models of both manufacturers are used by thousands of professional photographers around the world every day – you’re in good company with either. 5) both manufacturers have impressive lists of awards for their products from top reviewers. None of the above is really up for debate; I can’t see how anyone could realistically deny any of these points. Does this mean you shouldn’t think that Canon is better than Nikon or vice-versa? Of course not - you need to decide what works for you. But in doing so, don’t discredit the other brand and the photographers who have decided that the other brand works better for them! Does this mean that we shouldn’t compare comparable products or features between the two manufacturers (i.e vibration reduction vs. image stabilization)? Of course not - balanced reviews that attempt to objectively compare such products or features can be extremely valuable and even help to push the manufacturers to improve their products. Such reviews on Epinions need to have substantiated arguments. In other words, if you say that Canon makes poor quality lenses compared to Nikon, you better provide a lot of evidence to support your claim because I’ll be the first to give you a poor review rating if you don’t. I encourage other members to do the same – let’s put an end to this. So again, what’s my opinion, Nikon or Canon? Let me divulge in terms of what I’ve used and continue to use. My first real camera was a Pentax ME Super. Not designed for professional use and abuse, but a high-quality photographic tool that taught me a lot; it was a student’s camera. I shot with it for years, upgrading lenses as I learned more. Eventually, I did outgrow the ME Super, although it remained a back-up camera for several years. Now, it sits proudly in a display case above my father’s Honeywell Pentax Spotmatic. There’s nothing wrong with it at all, I just benefit from cameras with slightly more advanced feature sets for the work that I do. When the Canon Elan IIe was announced years ago, I was pretty excited. I went down to my local camera store to try one out when they arrived. Immediately, I was impressed with its ergonomics. It fit my hand like a glove and the controls were very intuitive. For years, it was my primary camera and again, I upgraded lenses as I learned. One day on a hike to a high summit in the Rocky Mountains, the main control dial broke internally and I realized that I might need something more durable for the type of photography I was doing. I had the dial repaired and continued shooting with the camera for over a year before I began looking for a highly-durable camera that could withstand the temperature extremes and the bumps and bruising of outdoor photography. I was disappointed to find that Canon no longer produces manual focus SLRs. The Nikon FM3A had recently become available and, not being too heavily invested in Canon lenses, I “made the switch” to Nikon. Of course, I didn’t really make the switch because my Canon was my backup camera. With my recent adventures into photojournalism, I’ve realized that auto focus does provide a significant advantage over manual focus in certain photojournalistic circumstances. Therefore, I went in search of a rugged, auto focus SLR. I very seriously considered the Canon EOS 3, but ended up with its counterpart, the Nikon F100. I still haven’t given you my opinion. Am I avoiding the issue? You bet. Why? Because as soon as I type “Nikon is better than Canon” or vice-versa, I think to myself, “that’s not right”, and for good reasons. So, let me say it like this: For the specific type of photography that I do, I prefer Nikon because they offer more camera body options and a better selection of lenses. Specifically, this means 1) rugged, manual focus SLRs that are compatible with nearly all Nikon lenses new and old, and 2) many fast (f2.8 or faster), high quality lenses available in more focal lengths, both fixed and zoom. A friend of mine who recently completed her bachelor’s degree in photojournalism shoots only Canon because she started with Canon and was able to find a group of Canon lenses that work for her particular type of photojournalism. Her photos are simply amazing. Another part-time photojournalist friend shoots Minolta and also has an impressive portfolio of images. The moral of the story is to choose an SLR system (Nikon, Canon, Minolta, etc.) that works best for the type of shooting you tend to do, as well as the way you tend to shoot. An informed decision requires research into the specifics of the lenses you’re likely to use and the features of the bodies you’re likely to use. You need to think this through and not be tempted by bells and whistles. It also requires a little hands-on experience with the different systems, and this usually means more than just playing around with them in the camera store. Borrow a friend’s or take a leap and buy the one you think will work best, then Ebay it if it doesn’t (Ebay really can be the photographer’s friend). Above all else, remember that the camera is just a tool for expressing yourself on a medium, which is the film. The most important part of all that is you – don’t get lost in the endless and mostly pointless equipment arguments. Happy shooting…  |
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