Swapping from canon to nikon!

jamesoliverstone

jamesoliverstone

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Well, after some heavy use this weekend with the 20D, I got to play with a 5D and 1D. I was enjoying using them, until I used a nikon D3 and a D700.

I just found them so more useable than the canon as it felt better laid out ( I was really starting to hate my controls on full manual trying to use the 2 jog wheels together whilst looking throught the viewfinder), and the d700 is an absolute corker of a camera! While I was struggling with my 20D with remote flash cables to a 550ex speedlight, using 2 SB900's with the nikon was so effortless it made the sale for me...

I have decided now rather than going for the 5dmkii I am going for a Nikon D700 with the 24-70 and 70-200 2.8 lenses as I think it will suit my needs perfectly (y)

So looking forward to playing around with the new lenses and 2 SB900's :D
 
I recently made the same jump, but from a 5D to a D700 (and blogged about it). The D700 is a joy to use, with more direct access to important controls. Low light capability is just stunning!
 
No he's serious...he WILL sleep better at night knowing Nikon makes better cameras than the one he owns...
 
It's something I considered doing a while ago, as the low light quality of the D700 is supposed to be amazing. However, I have too much invested in lenses for it to be a realistsic proposition and I did read one review that said the 5Dmkll was just as good in low light, so I'm sitting tight at the moment. I don't really need full frame, so I am hoping the soon to be released Canon 60D will have good low light qualities and be easy to use! :)
 
All joking aside - and I do like to poke fun at Canoon-users like the rest of us...at the end of the day (it gets dark!) - as long as you are happy with what you are using, it matters not what other people think - let your images do the talking...
 
Same here, I did try out the Pro Canons a few years back but just couldn't get to grips with the controls...even though back then Canon had the edge on image quality by a very big margin over Nikon...
 
Arkady said:
Same here, I did try out the Pro Canons a few years back but just couldn't get to grips with the controls...even though back then Canon had the edge on image quality by a very big margin over Nikon...
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And I'm the other way round! lol

I cannot fathom Nikon's menu system, might as well be heirogliphics as far as I'm concerned. It's odd because I can use Leica, Mamiya, Hasselblad and Olympus film cameras and I'm fine with all of those, but give me a Nikon and nope, just not happening.

Must be something about being left hemisphere dominant or something. Some of us use one side of the brain more than the other and Nikon must, in my case, definately be the dark side. In my hands a D3 would be a very expensive paperweight.
 
If it was intended in a jovial way then it would have been fine. The content of the post suggested it wasn't.
 
AliB said:
And I'm the other way round! lol
I cannot fathom Nikon's menu system, might as well be heirogliphics as far as I'm concerned. It's odd because I can use Leica, Mamiya, Hasselblad and Olympus film cameras and I'm fine with all of those, but give me a Nikon and nope, just not happening.
Must be something about being left hemisphere dominant or something. Some of us use one side of the brain more than the other and Nikon must, in my case, definately be the dark side. In my hands a D3 would be a very expensive paperweight.
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It's why they give us a choice...lol
 
I recently switched 20D- D700, its like another world!
I'm not saying its better than the 5D2, chances are the technology difference between a 2004 camera vs a 2008 camera would be unreal anyway, but like the OP I just prefer the feel and handling of the D700 (D3 would be nice)

To the OP, enjoy the D700, the CLS and autofocus alone were well worth the cost of changing! Lucky you with 2x SB900's
 
Got rid of my 40D and L Glass and got a D3 + 70 200 F2.8 some time ago and never looked back.
 
I love it when people go Nikon, it all helps bring down the price of Canon ( well I like to think so :LOL: ), enjoy your new gear. ;) I always look through the viewfinder to adjust controls before a shot unless on a tripod where I use the lcd on the top of the camera, not sure where you were coming from with that point do you not have to use 2 controls on the D700 to change aperture and shutter in manual?
 
Good luck and enjoy your new camera let us know how you get on you can always come back to the sunny side of the street lol(y)
Bob
 
Arkady said:
Same here, I did try out the Pro Canons a few years back but just couldn't get to grips with the controls...even though back then Canon had the edge on image quality by a very big margin over Nikon...
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Funnily enough I can never get to grips with Nikon's. There's nothing logical about my argument though... it's just that I'm used to the way Canons handle and Nikon feel alien to me.

The bottom line is that it doesn't really matter at all... use whatever gets the job done and you feel comfortable with. But the Nikon / Canon fanboy thing is always good for a laugh!

cheers
 
I love it when people jump ship. Welcome aboard! ;)
 
I can't get on with the layout of Nikons, to me it's like the location of the controls have been placed at random. I imagine the designers with a mockup of the camera body and a load of parts loaded in in a shotgun, fire the gun at the body and where parts stick is where they end up. :)
 
When I started as a teen (photography that is...) it was with a Canon AE-1 Program and an FD 50mm 1.8, the jump from that to a Canon T-90 was a massive step.

I then started on the papers when the Nikon F-4 had just come out and after handling an F-4E, the Canon gear was quickly sold. 35-70 and 80-200 f2.8's were fantastic on the F-4E balancing out a heavy load evenly with all the controls exactly where the felt they should be.
 
I can't get used to Nikon's system either, from the most basic thing of taking the lens off ! It's a clockwise turn.....totally counter-intuitive !!!

I really wanted the D700, for the fast AF and good low light, but after the weekend shooting a full day's wedding in all sorts of conditions (indoors, cloudy, sun, night indoors (high ceiling/low ceiling), really put it through its paces...I LOVE the 5Dii, I absolutely LOVE IT. :D
 
Its just like any other "kit" when you swap manufacturers - like getting out of one make of car and moving to another, it feels strange to start with but you soon work it out once you've used it for a bit.

I made a few mistakes with forgetting to flick the focus mode switch and focus point switch but after a few goes I was up and running and its all second nature now, just like it was on my Canon gear before.
 
Raymond Lin said:
I can't get used to Nikon's system either, from the most basic thing of taking the lens off ! It's a clockwise turn.....totally counter-intuitive !!!
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Wouldn't you think the same of Canon though if you had only used Nikon previously?

Horses for courses, change takes a while to get used to. :)
 
Actually I think by saying that you cant work out how to use it, you cop out. The fact is that both brands are a delight to use and being honest, a skilled photographer should get to grips with either format within hours.

Of course, saying the ergonomics are rubbish can validate your buying decision without regret. :)
 
I just can't get on with the layout of Nikon's either. I turn dials, press buttons but still seem to take c**p photos. The manual focus is rubbish as It seems to always take OOF shots. I't not my ability of course it's the camera for sure :LOL:
 
Diego Garcia said:
Of course, saying the ergonomics are rubbish can validate your buying decision without regret. :)
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Yes. And I'm sure that generally there's a great deal of self-validation involved for some people when it comes to their choice of camera (or car, or clothing label, etc) and it's a pity for them that so much is invested in the opinion of what someone else is using. It's pathetic when it results in obnoxious comments in a forum that's otherwise noted for being friendly and insightful.

For on-topic content: The original poster has gone into some detail on their blog about their reasons for moving to Nikon. While much of it's subjective I found it interesting reading.
I'm at the stage now where it would take a great deal for me to even consider swapping systems - and that's regardless of whichever I was thinking of moving to - although I'm sure positive that after an initial period of needing to take time to find my way around a new camera it wouldn't make all that much difference to me in the end.
 
I use a D700 as my main and luckily a 5DMKII is always in reach as it's my brothers main. When choosing the D700 I umm'd and arrr'd between the 2 cameras and ended up actually ordering the 5DMKII but sending it back for the D700, for me the Nikon felt better in my hands and seemed more logical, even though I was coming from a 30D. (Plus it was cheaper!)

Having said that there are times when we switch body's and both like points of each other's, whichever one you get they both make incredible pictures.

D700 has fantastic speed, especially when using the grip, and the megapixel bonus with the Canon means you can crop anywhere you fancy and still get a decent sized image.


Oh, first post, hello! :)

(If anyone fancies a trade for a D700 to 5DM2 let me know, I'm considering it purely to save on lenses to share with my brother :) )
 
EmZee said:
Yes. And I'm sure that generally there's a great deal of self-validation involved for some people when it comes to their choice of camera (or car, or clothing label, etc) and it's a pity for them that so much is invested in the opinion of what someone else is using. It's pathetic when it results in obnoxious comments in a forum that's otherwise noted for being friendly and insightful.

For on-topic content: The original poster has gone into some detail on their blog about their reasons for moving to Nikon. While much of it's subjective I found it interesting reading.
I'm at the stage now where it would take a great deal for me to even consider swapping systems - and that's regardless of whichever I was thinking of moving to - although I'm sure positive that after an initial period of needing to take time to find my way around a new camera it wouldn't make all that much difference to me in the end.
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Not sure if that is a pop at me, if it is then why as I agree with you - I too have switched back and forth and enjoyed the OP's blog as I agree with it all.

Sadly buyers remorse plays a part in camera purchasing/swtiching. :)
 
I've been eyeing the D700 for it's AF - but I'll never be able to give up my 50L and 24L lenses.

When they make an EF mount D700 or a 5D mk III with usable AF, I'll be all over it. Until then, it's 5D mk I for me.
 
With so many swapping from Canon to Nikon, and an equal number swapping from Nikon to Canon, perhaps we should be lobbying Canon and Nikon to get together!
Andy.
 
Diego Garcia said:
Not sure if that is a pop at me, if it is then why as I agree with you - I too have switched back and forth and enjoyed the OP's blog as I agree with it all.

Sadly buyers remorse plays a part in camera purchasing/swtiching. :)
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Not a pop at you at all - I was agreeing with you entirely. Sorry for the confusion.

Yes, buyers remorse often comes into play at some point. That's one of the reasons I'm glad I've figured out what I need and that I'm definitely going to stick with it. I think. :D
 
EmZee said:
Not a pop at you at all - I was agreeing with you entirely. Sorry for the confusion.

Yes, buyers remorse often comes into play at some point. That's one of the reasons I'm glad I've figured out what I need and that I'm definitely going to stick with it. I think. :D
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:D Was worried I had upset you, but was not sure! :)
 
OneTen said:
I can't get on with the layout of Nikons, to me it's like the location of the controls have been placed at random. I imagine the designers with a mockup of the camera body and a load of parts loaded in in a shotgun, fire the gun at the body and where parts stick is where they end up. :)
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Hmm, I would have said the same about Canon layout ;)

It is of course personal and a ,atter of what you got used to, but the layout of the buttons on Nikon (at least on the upper right side of the back of the camera) has a very distinct goal. If you are a right handed and will take a camera to your eye, then you will find that your right hand can easily access all the crucial exposure control buttons blindly (i.e. without you having to take the eye off the viewfinder). Even more so, most of the exposure functions can be accessed by thumb only keeping index finger on shutter. This basically tells me it was designed to be used whilst looking through the viewfinder.

For me personally that was more intuitive and useful than any other camera - when I bought my first DSLR (having before used only old manual rangefinders) I tried both Canon and Nikon at that time. Nikon felt natural to me and a revelation that I can actually control all the exposure settings without taking my eye off the viewfinder.

I do try Canons every now and then and quite liked 5D when it came out but the layout of the buttons is still alien to me ...
 
I've got a D700, having switched from Sony/Minolta and must say that the Minolta 7D had some of the best controls of any camera I have tried and the Sony A700 was more intuitive than the Nikon.

I'm enjoying the Nikon and it's worth the switch just to be able to use the 14-24 2.8 on a full frame, but I miss the Minolta/Sony controls.
 
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