Nikon to Canon, should I?

I've not used one but I'd be confident that the D700 would be a stunning camera.

It's basically a baby D3 which I have owned and the iso range is ridiculous, fps rate amazing etc.

Where Nikon couldn't compete for me though was on price.

Canon had the 5D1 out ages ago so 2nd hand prices were too good to ignore and for what I'd have been paying for the likes of a D200 (I had one, hated it) I was able to get a 1D2 as my 2nd body.

If you need the low light performance then maybe stick to Nikon and just save hard for better glass, otherwise I'd seriously consider making the swap to Canon.
 
Personally, I think most bodies leap frog each other all the time. Where I think canon win is their lens range. You'll hang onto a quality lens for a long time but will change a body every 2-3 years? Some seem to do it even more.
 
I went the other way which I know can be an expensive pass time, the main thing I found was how different the 2 systems could be with reference to how things rotate and where things are found, I've got used to the Nikon way now but it took a little while. I think probably the easiest route is to stay with what you know assuming you don't hate it of course!
 
Re. the whole learning a new system thing.
My DSLR kit used to be Nikon, it's now Canon, I also shoot with a sony NEX, Ricoh and Pentax compacts, a Pentax SLR, Konica SLRs, a Vivitar SLR and a Mamiya 645. I honestly have no problem going from one to an other and knowing which way I'm turning what menu to go into on which camera to get such and such.
The kit that's being talked about here won't have much of any importance tucked away inside menu upon menu, all the regularly used things will be a button push or a dial turn away.
Having gone from Nikon to Canon myself I'd say that certain things are easier and more intuitive on the Canons, like when you're in Av or Tv, the top dial does aperture or shutter speed respectively and the back wheel does exposure compensation, as I remember the D3 working - and correct me if I'm wrong - but exposure comp was at least a button press and wheel turn together, not as easy to use at all.
There's far more customisability in the buttons of the D3 - and therefor presumably the D700 too - which I used to spend ages playing with but I haven't felt the need for it since going to the Canon. I changed to back button focus and that's all I've needed/wanted.
 
Chris
Stay with Nikon my mate borrowed my D3s and 200mm the other week to do some skating and he said that combo at 4000 asa was better that his Canon MkIV at 400, if you want the unitmate setup go to a D3 they pick up the focus faster and track it for longer than the 700 but cost will play a part init.
I mainly do football and the amount of snappers that have switched from Canon to Nikon you would be amazed and I do know of one snapper thats gone from Nikon to Canon.
If u want to earn money from your images bite the bullet and get a D3
Hope thats some help
Howard
 
howardroe said:
Chris
Stay with Nikon my mate borrowed my D3s and 200mm the other week to do some skating and he said that combo at 4000 asa was better that his Canon MkIV at 400, if you want the unitmate setup go to a D3 they pick up the focus faster and track it for longer than the 700 but cost will play a part init.
I mainly do football and the amount of snappers that have switched from Canon to Nikon you would be amazed and I do know of one snapper thats gone from Nikon to Canon.
If u want to earn money from your images bite the bullet and get a D3
Hope thats some help
Howard
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I still think both systems do a perfectly good job but as a nikon shooter I really do love the D3, such a capable camera and the focus system is incredible. I have just received a D700 that I picked up from digitalrev online last week, apparently last one they had in stock they say. Hopefully this will be almost as good and keep me out of trouble until the D4 arrives. I'm pretty sure you would be very happy with nikons current full frame line up, let us know what you decide.
 
When I went digital I switched to Canon, as was having a through clear out anyway, hated them, couldnt get used to them, so 2 years later sold it all and went back to Nikon, never been happier. Stick with what you know.
 
Have you tried canon at all?

Some people really don't get along with the way different brands lay out there buttons and menus, it's worth trying stuff in field before making a costly switch.
You don't want to be wishing you'd stuck with nikon in a couple of years.

Personally I'm not that fussed between the two brands, they both have their ergonomic ups and downs.
 
I went the other way. From a 1d MkIII and MkII, pile of L glass to a high end Nikon set up.

The rest is purely my personal opinion.
The Canon ergonomics were better, it's been more than a year now and I still don't like the twin dials on the Nikon. Build quality of the kit however is much of a muchness. A MkIII is similar in quality to a D3.

The twin CF card slots on the D3 are a no brainer for me. Why on earth canon persist in having a CF slot and an SD slot beats me :thinking:

noise handling on the MkIII isn't that bad, I used to use it at 3200 regularly. It doesn't get near to the D3 though. AF on the D3 walks all over the MkIII.

The flash system on the Nikon is still a problem for me. The Canon system was far more intuitive and because of that I felt it performed better. My results with the Nikon are still hit or a miss, more practice needed I think.

Nikon lenses are strangely more expensive than their Canon equivalents, or at least they were when I was looking. The range isn't as good as the L range either. The quality however is very good, I'll not say better than the L range but there is definitely an extra crispness to the image that I like. At the same time I think the Canon glass produces a slightly warmer and preferable image.

So, would I make the same change again? Possibly. If the MkIV had been released at a sensible price initially I might well have gone for that. As it was I was totally sick of the results and performance I was getting so bit the bullet and changed. Right now I've no plans to change back.
 
ahh right, so was it the high iso that made you want to swap then?

For me at the moment Canon just offered a better system for a lower price than Nikon, hence the change, I never really had a big problem with Nikon apart from like you say the lens range is slightly limited.

Just a couple more things to sell now then I'll find out if its been worth it!
 
chrisphoto said:
ahh right, so was it the high iso that made you want to swap then?
Click to expand...

Yep, I do a fair amount of indoor work so good high ISO performance is desirable :)
 
Well the 1D mk III came in the post today . . . WOW!
This thing is crazy, just the speed alone is amazing! But the colours seem to be miles ahead of what I was used to with the D90. I've just got a nifty fifty on it atm which is pretty sweet, as I am abit short for the 17-40L but I cant wait for that!
The whole changing systems and controls being in different places thing seems abit over rated to me, I'm pretty used to it after a couple of hours playing with it. The only thing I do miss is the dual dials for aperture and shutter speed.
I'll just have to see how it holds up at a gig I'm shooting tonight now :)
 
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