Nikon to Canon - Logical or Mad?

iamchrisphoto

iamchrisphoto

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Chris Scuffins
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Hey everybody

In the last few days I have been really thinking about making the switch form Nikon to Canon, and I would be intrigued to find out other people’s opinions on it. And to make sure I’m making a logical decision.

I have shot two weddings this year, some second shooting lined up, with 3 more booked next year with hopefully more on the way. I know a lot of people say it, but this is something I seriously want to pursue. I have never had as much fun with a camera in my hand then while shooting a wedding!

I have only ever owned a single DSLR, my current D700 since Jan last year. I went straight to the camera (at the time) that was the best all rounder and I would grow into. In terms of lenses, I use only a 35mm f1.4 and 85mm f1.4 and a couple of SB900’s now and then. And I adore this setup for weddings and portraits so far.

As I’m shooting weddings, I of course need to invest in a second body, but I just can’t bring myself to buy another D700. As well as being discontinued by Nikon, it doesn’t offer me the resolution I need for the larger full page photo books that I want to provide to clients, and doesn’t offer dual memory card slots I want for that extra insurance on the day. I have no problem with the image quality or autofocus of the D700.

My upgrade path here seems to be either another D700 or a D800. And I want neither. The D800 is just too much resolution, and I don’t have the funds to improve my storage / computer to deal with the files, particularly at this early stage of my photography business. After using a D800 briefly, it is also a very different camera to the D700, in terms or ergonomics so would be more difficult to shoot together, not to mention the 3x difference in resolution. It just doesn’t make sense for weddings imho.

Finally, and this is the big one for me, is that Nikon offer very limited options for fast primes above 150mm. I like to shoot light, and a 70-200 isn’t an option. I’ve tried, it just isn’t for me. But I do need a longer lens for doing the speeches and ceremony, as this is where I have struggled so far. The AFD 135mm is an option, but it’s not long enough, I’m put off by the noisy AF, and the potential quality on the demanding D800.

But on the other hand. Canon have made my ideal camera in the form of the 5D MKIII. It’s the same price as the D800, but hits the sweet spot for AF, High ISO, duel card slots and just enough extra resolution without eating up loads of storage. My initial research seems to suggest that the Canon 35mm f1.4 is comparable to the Nikon, albeit with faster autofocus. The Canon 85mm is f1.2, also has great reviews so I assume could be a actually better than the Nikon. And finally, Canon offer a 200mm f2.8, for very little outlay that looks to be sharp, small and light with quick AF, which sounds perfect for me. I’m also keen on the fact that the 5D MkII and MkIII share the same battery, have similar resolution and button layout, making a MkII a good backup body/second body to use until I have earned enough to justify another mkIII. (as long as I have the work coming in to justify it)

Sorry for the long post, but I’m trying to approach this as logically as I can. As hobbyist, I don’t really care either way. But this is a lot of money/investment and going forward I don’t want to regret my decisions, and one that could affect the start-up of my business and ability to take on more wedding and portrait work.

So am I mad? Or does this make perfect sense? Does it even matter? :p

Love to hear your thoughts. :)
 
You could consider hiring the Canon gear for a week or so. Some might regard it as a waste of money, but I think it will help you confirm your decision.
Also, Nikon are rumoured to be launching the D600 soon. Might be worth looking at?
 
I shoot a D700 and from what you say it makes complete sense to me, use whatever tool is best for the job I say. If the Canon range better suits your needs, then just do it.

As john says, try renting one to see if you can get on with the Canon, remember if you're going to be using it all day long to make a living, then you have to be completely comfortable with how it works.
 
You've already convinced yourself so nothing that's written here will change your mind.

But there's a 180mm 2.8 for Nikon that's pretty good, and trivial to find so you can't have looked that hard for >150mm primes...

36MP is only about 70% more resolution than 12 (resolution is a linear measure, MP is areal), and 12MP is enough to make a very good A3 print (you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between an A3 12, 21 or 36MP print unless they were side by side and you did a careful comparison)

But as I said, you've already made up your mind (which is not a bad thing, the most important thing about a camera is that you enjoy shooting with it - any modern DSLR will be able to properly cover a wedding). :)
 
Ive had the same dilema for the.past few weeks. Im still torn between getting a d800 and selling all my nikon kit though.

My biggest issue is replacing my lenses with similar lenses and the amount of money i will loose.
Then theres the fact ive never used canon so not sure how i will get on with them after using nikon
 
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Like ausemmao said, it sounds like you've made your decision. You're not too heavily invested in Nikon either. Have you tried a 5D Mark III yet?
It's too bad that you find the 135 focal length too short, the 135L is an amazing piece of glass. The 35L 85L 135L is deadly combo!
 
Don't even consider it until you have used a 5d or whatever you want to get. The layouts are completely different, the ergonomics are completely different, the menus are completely different. I mean really tried it out, not just handled it in a shop for 2 minutes. Use one on a shoot, where you need to quickly change settings. On your d700, you will likely change anything you need to by touch and not move your eye away, or navigate straight to a certain menu. You need to be able to do the same thing with a new and unfamiliar camera.

No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't "get" canons. It cost me a damn fortune swapping from Nikon, and then it cost me even more swapping back.

There are still many wedding photographers on here using the D700 or D3 without any issues. 12mp should be more than adequate for even the largest album print.

Maybe consider a D3s if you do feel the D700 lacking.

I know how it is, I've been there and done it. You get something in your head and then almost start making up reasons why you need to do something. Just step back and really think about it. Write a list if you have too.. What does the d700 not do that anything else will.. Study it carefully and take your time to really think. Is it true, or is it just an exaggeration because a seed is planted in your head.

As has been said, it seems the idea is firmly planted and it's unlikely anything anyone says will change it now..
 
Maddness :D

The big thing is what do you think the Canon camera going to give you over,the Nikon.

The other thing is,if your going to do the swap,now the time before you invest to much in Nikon,if your going to be doing more wedding,for me you will need a 2nd body,plus some more lens 24-70mm F2.8 & an 70-210 VR F2.8.

If you turn out you want to stay with Nikon my money would go on an D3s body and use your D700 as a backup.

:))
 
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As if by magic, I just logged onto Facebook and the newest story to pop up was from teamwork digital...
Canon 5dmkIII hire. £110+VAT a day.

If you really are serious about doing it, this could either save you a whole load of hassle and money, or be a wise investment on equipment testing.
 
Nikon are about to announce a 24mp d600 if that makes any difference to you.
 
simonblue said:
Maddness :D

The other thing is,if your going to do the swap,now the time before you invest to much in Nikon,if your going to be doing more wedding,for me you will need a 2nd body,plus some more lens 24-70mm F2.8 & an 70-210 VR F2.8.

If you turn out you want to stay with Nikon my money would go on an D3s body and use your D700 as a backup.

:))
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Nope, won't be getting a 24-70 or 70-200mm. Just don't get on with them. Too big and too heavy. And the D3s is but of a beast too, and more expensive second hand than a new D800/5D III.


TCR4x4 said:
I know how it is, I've been there and done it. You get something in your head and then almost start making up reasons why you need to do something. Just step back and really think about it. Write a list if you have too.. What does the d700 not do that anything else will.. Study it carefully and take your time to really think. Is it true, or is it just an exaggeration because a seed is planted in your head.

As has been said, it seems the idea is firmly planted and it's unlikely anything anyone says will change it now..
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This is the thing. I don't want to be making reasons. I want it to be a sane and logical decision. Easier said then done. I'm not exactly unhappy with Nikon. And it also depends how much I can scrape together from the Nikon gear to fund the switch. Although even if I stick with Nikon, I still have a fair bit to spend on another body and telephoto lens, which at the moment is going to be a 70-200mm
 
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I'd have thought that the cost of upgrading your computer would be relatively small compared to the cost of getting decent glass.
And you may have to upgrade the computer anyway if you plan to do more weddings.
It's not a deal breaker...

Regards D800 v 5DIII.
I haven't read a single review that concludes the differences are worth swapping systems for.
Some people have changed, but there has been a feature that in their opinion was so strongly positive or negative that it superseded everything else.

As the others have said; you have clearly made up your mind.
If you can afford to make the switch then do it!
Welcome to Canon :)

P.S. I have both the 5DII and 5DIII and this year have been shooting with the 135 f2.
For people pics with that lens wide open I find the difference between the two cameras less marked than most people would expect.
Using the new fancy 5DIII focussing, I seemed to get an awful lot of sharp noses and soft eyes and have gone back to my 5DII focus setup.
The fancy focussing works great for other types of shots, but it wasn't the step up I was looking for with very shallow DoF images.

Having said that...
On the 5DII I always used the centre focus point as it was far more reliable than the outer points. The 5DIII works great with the outer points and when it locks focus it is always bang on.
The 5DIII focus points also move with camera orientation - woo!
Image quality and focus lock in really poor light is slightly better than the 5DII, just enough to make photography possible in the darkest of social situations without resorting to flash.
 
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Thanks to all of the suggestions for hiring a 5d to try. That's a good idea, and not one I had thought of. I think that will help a lot.

DuncanDisorderly said:
Regards D800 v 5DIII.
I haven't read a single review that concludes the differences are worth swapping systems for.
Some people have changed, but there has been a feature that in their opinion was so strongly positive or negative that it superseded everything else.
Click to expand...

I guess on paper/specs wise they are both equally capable and great cameras. But I think the question is for weddings and portraiture, which one is best. I think they are each tailored to a specific purpose.
 
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Agree with what most above have said, the control layout is key. I ditched Canon for Nikon a while ago and it never quite felt right to me, always missed the big wheel on the back of Canons. I have since swapped back to Canon and gone FF at same time (5D2) after finding a good 2nd hand deal.

I also dont think the IQ difference between 5D2 and 5D3 is noticeable, so maybe you could use some of the money saved to put towards the 85mm 1.2 L if you went 5D2 route.
 
As an all round camera I think the Canon just make,when I was buying my D700,I when for it over the Canon 5D mkII,am I glad I did.

But if it's was between the say D800 over the Canon 5D mkIII,I think it would be a harder choise.

:)
 
You will need 2 bodies anyway if you want to do weddings professionally so would mean buying 2 canons rather than one new nikon. Then factor in money lost when selling all the gear and if your selling on ebay there is another 15% in fees you will loose a frotune, it sounds crazy to me. Lenses between the 2 are comparable both have better models than the other for certain focal lengths its all swings and roundabouts.
 
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rjbell said:
Are you not convinced? I will put a wager on it if your interested?;)
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not completely...........it is still a rumour only at the moment, but Nikon wild guess is right sometimes. I'm not sure of that enough to wager. Of course it could be the long awaited d400 instead on the 13th (y)
 
boyfalldown said:
not completely...........it is still a rumour only at the moment, but Nikon wild guess is right sometimes. I'm not sure of that enough to wager. Of course it could be the long awaited d400 instead on the 13th (y)
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Its more than a wild guess with photos flouting around cyberspace (could be photoshoped) but i will defo put a wager on it not being a d400 on the 13th!:)
 
boyfalldown said:
not completely...........it is still a rumour only at the moment, but Nikon wild guess is right sometimes. I'm not sure of that enough to wager. Of course it could be the long awaited d400 instead on the 13th (y)
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When i was in a Nikon shop yesterday looking at camera boides, got chatting to the owner. He said that his rep had told him that by the end of the week, he would be getting information about the new body, but that is all the rep would say.

Hope it drops the prices down on current ones though (y)
 
TCR4x4 said:
As if by magic, I just logged onto Facebook and the newest story to pop up was from teamwork digital...
Canon 5dmkIII hire. £110+VAT a day.

If you really are serious about doing it, this could either save you a whole load of hassle and money, or be a wise investment on equipment testing.
Click to expand...

That plus lenses will run into thousands in just on week. Might as well buy it and keep!
 
I don't get it - the D700 doesn't offer the resolution for larger full-page photo books yet a D800 has too much resolution....
 
FWIW, I made the switch from Nikon to Canon, but that was many years ago when swapping from a 35mm film Nikon to a digital Canon. I agree with what lots of others have said about the layout of the controls, but I found it easy to adjust, apart from one thing, which frustrates me to this day! (And I am now on my third Canon DSLR.)

The Nikons always seem (as far as I can tell from looking at bodies belonging to friends) to have the on/off switch under the shutter release, so you can raise the camera to your eye, then realise you forgot to turn it on (yes, I sometimes am that stupid) and then switch it on instantly with your right index finger. Not so on a Canon, which (for me) means I have to lower the camera to turn it on. It may seem trivial, but it still annoys me a bit. Never mind.

I now have a 5DIII and a 7D. I've shot a couple of weddings recently and been very happy with this setup. I'm happy with a zoom on each, but I can understand that this doesn't suit everyone. The 5DIII really is awesome, IMHO.

Good luck with the decision.
 
A used D3s??

As mentioned Nikon do a 180mm 2.8, there is also [a stupidly expensive] 200mm f/2. Then of course there's the 300mm f/4 & 2.8 options.

What is restricting you about the D700? Besides video capabilities, it's every bit the match for a 5D mk II.

It's those tacky looking white lenses you want, isn't it? :D
 
Cagey75 said:
....It's those tacky looking white lenses you want, isn't it? :D
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Two can play at that game... :LOL:

565364458_3023a667b1.jpg
 
Ha, no Nikon user in their right mind would use that monstrosity :p
 
OK, let me admit that I don;t have Nikon and shot a 550D, so not even full frame. But..........

I work with a couple of blokes who have Nikon. One is very serious when it comes to photography and will do it professionally when he retires next year. He's just bought a D800 from the D700 and the other chap has a D700. What they both say, which might be relevant for your style of shooting, is the ISO performance of the Nikon's is far and away better than the Canon.

And like several people have mentioned - the D600 is a week or two away from launch. Should come in at about £1000 and 24Mp.
 
Utter lunacy, you have great gear already and the 'problems' are non-existant - get a used D3 and a 180mm 2.8 for less than the cost of one 5d3... as has been pointed out, the D700/D3 resolution is fine for big prints and full spreads, certainly nothing that you could put in an album is going to be a problem in terms of resolution.
 
Gary Coyle said:
Get a D800 and reduce the file size, you dont need to shoot at 36pm, shoot at 18mp, problem solved.
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You can't do that in camera unless you use the crop mode, making the use of fast fx lenses pointless. Might as well use a D7000.

QUOTE="Cagey75"]A used D3s??

As mentioned Nikon do a 180mm 2.8, there is also [a stupidly expensive] 200mm f/2. Then of course there's the 300mm f/4 & 2.8 options.

What is restricting you about the D700? Besides video capabilities, it's every bit the match for a 5D mk II.

It's those tacky looking white lenses you want, isn't it? :D[/QUOTE]

Heh, the exact opposite. Nikon or Canon, I won't be using anything over 200mm, photocopier white or otherwise. :)

The biggest issue with the D700, is resolution, video, one card slot, no like for like upgrade option and no AF-S lenses between 100mm and 200mm.

The Nikon 200mm f2.0 is an absolute monster of lens, I struggle with a 70-200, i would need a monopod for that, and the 180mm is a nearly 20 year old chainsaw motor driven chunk of metal. If Nikon did an AF-S 135mm f2 or 200 f2.8 I probably wouldn't be having this discussion!
 
The obvious one to bring up then, is the 105mm 2.8 micro VR. My current favourite lens, I'm shooting DX, but it's still razor sharp on my D90 and excellent for portraits/street as well as macro, obviously. You could use a 1.4 TC attached.
 
Cagey75 said:
The obvious one to bring up then, is the 105mm 2.8 micro VR. My current favourite lens, I'm shooting DX, but it's still razor sharp on my D90 and excellent for portraits/street as well as macro, obviously. You could use a 1.4 TC attached.
Click to expand...

See, now that's something I hadn't considered. Putting the 105mm on the D800 in DX crop would give me the focal length I need, plus VR. I'll look into it. Thanks!
 
Not sure what you mean about Nikon big lens,i can walk about all day with an D700 24-70mm F2.8,and i am not as fit as i used to be.

And lot of pros will be carrying around a couple bodies with 70-210 & 24-70 :)
 
iamchrisphoto said:
Nope, won't be getting a 24-70 or 70-200mm. Just don't get on with them. Too big and too heavy. And the D3s is but of a beast too, and more expensive second hand than a new D800/5D III.




This is the thing. I don't want to be making reasons. I want it to be a sane and logical decision. Easier said then done. I'm not exactly unhappy with Nikon. And it also depends how much I can scrape together from the Nikon gear to fund the switch. Although even if I stick with Nikon, I still have a fair bit to spend on another body and telephoto lens, which at the moment is going to be a 70-200mm
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Now you're really not making sense!!
 
specialman said:
I don't get it - the D700 doesn't offer the resolution for larger full-page photo books yet a D800 has too much resolution....
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Oh yes the D700 does. I have the albums to prove it.

I regularly print at 4 foot by 3 foot from 12MP as well.
 
PsiFox said:
Oh yes the D700 does. I have the albums to prove it.

I regularly print at 4 foot by 3 foot from 12MP as well.
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Must admit, I was surprised by this bit too as I cannot imagine a wedding print of any description that would test the resolution of a D700. Maybe something massively cropped but that seems unlikely.

That said, the other criteria, video, dual memory cards etc are more fundamental, it's a shame the D4 isn't much cheaper! The 5DIII genuinely sounds like the most suitable camera, D800 included.
 
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