Canon -> Nikon

November 6, 2009 10:33 AM

Switching dSLR systems, going from Canon to Nikon?

I'm curious if anyone has done this. I've been photographing with a Canon Digital Rebel 350D for about 4 years now. I'd like to get a little more resolution for larger prints and better nighttime sensitivity. Recently, my father bought himself a Nikon D90, so I figure if I upgrade in the near future, I might as well upgrade to a compatible system so that we may share accessories (flashes, expensive lenses). I'm not heavily invested in Canon. I have a Tamron 17-50 f/2.8, Canon f/1.8 50mm prime and the crappy kit lense. Oh and a flash. Over the years I've gotten used to Canon's menus and ergonomics, so I'm never fiddling with settings; equipment almost never interferes with the process.

I'm concerned that I may hate "the Nikon experience", although truth be told my initial Canon decision was somewhat arbitrary. At some point in the near future, I will borrow my dad's D90 to play with, but I'd appreciate hearing about your experiences.

Thanks

posted by aeighty to sports, hobbies, & recreation (18 comments total)

I heard a professional photographer say every time he changed systems he lost a year. There really is no reason to switch between them, they are very similar in their capabilities.

Honestly, I shoot Canon and have thought a lot about switching to Pentax, or possibly to a micro-4/3 camera. The smaller manufacturers have come up with some cool, relatively inexpensive innovations. Canon and Nikon really are slow in picking up new features. The only thing they have going for them is full frame cameras. I think the 5D and 5D mark II cameras are great image making machines, but they lack some features that much cheaper cameras have, and that can be frustrating when you are laying out big bucks.

Their flash systems are pretty similar, I think both have advantages.

Just for the record, what are you doing that you need more resolution for? 8MP is quite a bit, unless you are making a lot of prints over 8x10 I think you would be hard pressed to see a difference. Even then, it's definitely going to be the quality of your lighting and your technique that's going to make a difference.
posted by sully75 at 10:50 AM on November 6

I love my Canon gear and my 5d, and I personally have one hell of a time with my buddy's Nikon's controls (I literally cannot figure them out), I've seen people cotton to Nikon pretty quick. My experience notwithstanding, objective reviews find the Nikon line to have better ergonomics and controls.

For what it's worth, my Nikon friend chose Nikon so he could borrow his dad's gear, as well.
posted by notsnot at 10:50 AM on November 6

I shoot Canon at home and Nikon at work. The Nikon experience never ceases to frustrate me. The controls are counter intuitive.
posted by sanka at 10:55 AM on November 6

The controls are horrible, but it only took me maybe half a year to get the hang of it.
posted by lockestockbarrel at 11:04 AM on November 6

At the end of the day, it seems like your decision is going to be motivated by the personal decision to borrow equipment from your dad rather than the real pros and cons of the two systems. There are real differences between the two--I think Canon generally has better lenses and (the last time I checked) more megapixels at the same price points (that's why I bought my 350d back in the day), whereas Nikon has better AF and flash systems. Whether that means anything to you is for you to judge based on your own shooting.

By all means, try out the Nikon--based on the equipment you've got, there's no real cost to abandoning Canon.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 11:13 AM on November 6

When I went from a Nikon D50 to a Nikon D300, it took me some time to get used to the controls because there was a huge difference. But I was already familiar with manual settings in general. If you already know what you want to do and you're just trying to figure out how the camera will let you do that, it just takes a few seconds to look it up in the manual or online, and then you're fine.
posted by aabbbiee at 11:30 AM on November 6

Have you considered renting and testing to see how the cameras feel to you? There are lots of rental options both online and face to face store contacts depending on where you live. I find that I have problems just switching between the D40 and D80 Nikons that I use. I carry the pocket Canon too and finding its menus is pretty easy. I've never worked with the higher level Canons but they're certainly fine cameras from all I've seen.
posted by X4ster at 11:38 AM on November 6

These pro-Canon comments are fascinating to me.

I have a Nikon D200 and have used a D70, D90, and D3 extensively. I find the interfaces on all of them to be highly intuitive. In fact, on my D200, everything felt so natural that I was shooting really well in a matter of weeks.

Now, at work, we have some top-end Canons for vision research, and I like their interface a lot less. I find it slower, and there's a lot of double-clutching what would be one button or switch on my Nikon. At least on the 1DS Mark II..., and the Rebel (don't know which one) that I'm always tutoring our secretary on. And I think the Canon does not feel as good in the hand, any of our Canons, when compared with my D200.

IMHO, if you are competent with a camera generally, the basic controls are the same and the bias you see here is just experience. People get used to one way of getting through a menu and don't like change. Having spent a lot of time with both systems, I really prefer the Nikon controls but get by fine on either platform.

I say switch. My dad, brother and I all have Nikons and being able to loan lenses and flashes has really helped all of us.
posted by fake at 11:41 AM on November 6 [1 favorite]

Everyone prefers whichever interface they learned first. That forms their intuition, and so using a different system is 'counter-intuitive' regardless of what system it is. It's not because of the systems themselves.

Sharing gear is nice, especially if you can coordinate with your father and, say, you get a nice ultrawide and he gets a nice telephoto. It might take a little while to get used to the new interface, but as long as you're not depending on it for income, that's not a big deal. Speaking as a Canon shooter, I'd probably consider switching if I were in your place. Although I would've tried to talk my dad into buying the same system I have beforehand.
posted by echo target at 11:52 AM on November 6

Go to a store and play with the Nikon you are thinking about buying. Or better yet, rent one for a day. Or use your Dad's, if it is the same model. The experience will be worth it, especially if you decide not to make the switch.

If you are going to have access to a much larger range of lenses or you will be shooting with him a lot, I think it might make sense to switch. However just know up front that there will be a transition period and in that time you might miss a shot you would have gotten had you been shooting with your familiar camera.
posted by Silvertree at 11:53 AM on November 6

I came from Canon to Nikon. I prefer Nikon, though unfortunately, I find Nikon in general slightly more expensive. Lenses, Nikkor lenses are perhaps a hair better technically (arguable) than Canon, but they are generally more expensive, and there are fewer of them (there's a lot more Canon glass to choose from). Camera build quality - Nikon is far better than Canon. Nikon is a kind of Apple of the camera world, if one can make such comparisons at all: fewer choices, more expensive, but a unique system you either love or hate. It's a personality issue - I'm a Nikon and Apple person, but not dogmatic about it. Truth be told, both Canon and Nikon are comparable - at the level you are likely to shoot (i.e. not highly specialized sport photography etc.), there are zero effective differences between the brands. If your dad has Nikons you want access to - go for it.
posted by VikingSword at 12:55 PM on November 6

I switched from Nikon to Canon many years ago. It just wasn't that big a deal, and I really don't think there's much difference between them for quality. (Except possibly for some specialized applications.) Ignore anyone who says one is clearly better than the other, it only depends on how much money you're willing to spend on lenses. Of course it may take a couple of months before you're as comfortable with your camera again, but so what? I think that being able to borrow lenses etc. from someone with more money is a big win. (Just make sure your father only buys the expensive lenses and flashes!)

PS: the singular is lens, to trailing 'e'.
posted by phliar at 1:16 PM on November 6

I understand you can get adapters that let you use Nikon lenses on Canons and vice versa, if that helps your decision any..
posted by Laen at 3:21 PM on November 6

When I moved from working at one paper to another, the biggest thing that threw me with the switch from Canon to Nikon was that the zoom and focus on the lenses was backwards. Everything else, all the buttons and whatnot, was easy to get used to, but my intuitive twisting for zoom and focus took forever to overcome and retrain.
posted by msbrauer at 4:04 PM on November 6

If you do decide to switch, inquire with Tamron as to whether you can convert that 17-50 lens to a Nikon mount. They sell their lenses for four different camera systems, but I don't know whether it's feasible to convert a Canon flavour to a Nikon.
posted by Nelson at 4:47 PM on November 6

In my experience, switching between different cameras made by the same manufacturer can be just as difficult as switching from one system to another. My 40D has been a real joy to use right from the start, whereas I've found the Rebels to be just frustrating the few times I've tried to shoot anything other than simple snapshots with one, as I just can't find any of the controls I need. If anything, I expect the Nikon to be easier to use, especially if you're planning to get the D90.
posted by daniel_charms at 12:02 AM on November 7

Thanks everyone, I had similar thoughts, so I'm just going to jump in at some point.
posted by aeighty at 2:03 PM on November 7

Lots of Canon shooters complain about Nikon specifically because the scroll wheels operate in the opposite direction. Its just a learning curve. If you want to switch so you can share equipment, you will be fine, thousands of Nikon shooters are perfectly happy with their comparable models. Just expect a bit of a learning curve.
posted by kenbennedy at 9:47 AM on November 9