-

Canon Vs. Nikon - Who is the best and does it matter

5d3vsd600

For those of you who keep up with the never ending war about which manufacture is better, you might have seen some recent attention from Scott Kelby about his switch from Canon to Nikon. His switch has also generated some negativity as a result of Canon’s recent sponsorship of his company. But let’s explore some of the details of his switch and find out if there really is a better camera.

5d3vsd600For those of you who keep up with the never ending war about which manufacture is better, you might have seen some recent attention from Scott Kelby about his switch from Canon to Nikon. His switch has also generated some negativity as a result of Canon’s recent sponsorship of his company. But let’s explore some of the details of his switch and find out if there really is a better camera.


As someone who shoots with both Canon and Nikon without being sponsored by either, I’ll try to lend a little light on my opinions without starting a comment war. And really this task is not entirely difficult because the fact remains that both Canon & Nikon make great cameras. Yep, this is boring answer but there is a ton of truth to that statement. I have seen AMAZING images taken with everything from just about every Canon camera and the same holds true for Nikon. I know professional photographers that swear by Nikon and others that wouldn’t touch them. On the flip side, both Canon & Nikon have made some mistakes and released cameras that were plagued with issues (Nikon D600), virtually unchanged (Canon T5i), and others that really never got off the ground (Nikon 1). Thankfully, this is usually the exception to the rule and more often cameras (Nikon D3s & Canon 5D Mark II) have changed the landscape of what is possible with photography and videography.

No camera is created equal and each has unique abilities and each new model presents a new opportunity for each manufacturer to prove it is best. So while a Nikon D7100 may be better for you, a Canon 70D may be better for me. And this brings us to Scott Kelby’s decision. Scott Kelby shoots sports and his most important needs were fast shooting and great AF. The Canon 1DX has the most advanced AF system and fastest shutter of the Pro cameras from Nikon and Canon. Does that make the D4 bad? Of course not. However, Canon may offer slightly more to those who shoot sports. So what if you shoot landscape photographs? Currently Nikon’s D800 set a new standard for resolution, detail, and dynamic range in a DSLR. Does that make the Canon bad? Of course not but the D800 might be the best camera for you if you shoot landscape.

Should you switch? Probably not. While Scott Kelby has both the finances and sponsorships to make the heavy investment in another camera manufacture, most of us don’t. The small gains you would see from a different camera would be difficult to justify and there is no guarantee that a new camera will arrive the following year that would make you want to switch back again. As we have just seen, Nikon has released the Nikon D4s with a 30% improvement in processing power. This release allows the Nikon D4s to compete on a higher level with the Canon 1Dx on speed and AF performance. For this reason, it may have been foolish for most of us to sell our Nikon gear, upgrade to the 1Dx, only to have Nikon match it in many ways only 6 months later. Because of this, it is usually not in your interest to switch manufactures for a single camera body. The release cycle is often too short and cameras are often too similar though there are some exceptions to this rule.

How do you know what to shoot? Cameras are tools and sometimes one tool may be better at one task than the other and knowing what tool you need starts with knowing the job you need it for. Do you shoot weddings? Sports, Landscapes, Video? Do you just need something around the house to take pictures of your kids growing up and life’s important moments? This information is imperative to knowing the camera and brand that may fit you best. Make sure to also watch critical reviews that show the good and bad aspects to each camera. Not every camera will do everything perfectly and knowing how a camera’s strengths or faults affect you is key to picking the right camera. If you shoot sports, you will likely hate the Nikon D800 no matter how awesome of a camera it is. But if you shoot landscapes or macro work for example, the D800 will likely be the best camera you have ever used. Sometimes this requires navigating through a ton of B.S. manufactures love to add to the feature list of featureless camera upgrades. Two recent examples of this are the Canon T5i and Nikon D600. The Canon T5i has a feature filled spec sheet even though the only additions from the T4i were some ‘creative modes’. Similarly, the Nikon D610 stemmed from a faulty shutter mechanism in the D600 and the Nikon D610’s only improvement was a fixed shutter mechanism.

For most of us, our dollar is very valuable and we want to ensure that the money we spend on a camera system is well worth it. For those of you who have asked me gear advice, I attempt to navigate you in the right direction to get the best bang for your buck without sacrificing quality and features. My reviews will also be focused around those principles because that is how I personally want to be advised. Please feel free to ask me any questions (i’m a gear nut anyway) and keep in mind that along with my reviews, I post the full resolution JPEG or RAW files for you to download so you can see the differences yourself. I know most people recommend the camera system they personally use but just because I shoot Canon more often doesn’t mean that every Canon cameras take better images. Use your judgment, read up, navigate through the manufacture posted ‘features’, and maybe even test the camera yourself before purchasing.

Support

Enjoy the site?

Help support this site as I continue to provide product reviews, tips & tutorials, as well as the hottest deals in tech by shopping at B&HAmazon.comAdoramaBest Buy, & Ebay

Check out My Gear & some Amazing Deals on Camera Gear  

Thank you for your support.

Follow us for the latest information about products, reviews, and DEALS!

 

Price Checker

Latest Reviews

Top Articles