spin off: Canon or Nikon?

[moonsky]

I love taking pictures and will get a very good len for birthday gift starting next year(thanks to Dh). I have a very basic Canon DSLR(Rebel) and 50mm 1.8. Are Canon lens better than Nikon? How's about their price? I plan to spend money on lens first and perhaps upgrade to a nice body in the future.

What are your must have lens? Should I stay with Canon? TIA.

[bubbaray]

My FIL did the warranty repairs for Canon, Nikon, Hasselblad (sp?) and virtually all cameras sold for about 40 years. He's still doing some warranty work on the side even though he's retired.

He swears up and down that between Canon & Nikon, its just personal preference. He told me to pick the body I liked the feel of the best and stick with that.

[moonsky]

My FIL did the warranty repairs for Canon, Nikon, Hasselblad (sp?) and virtually all cameras sold for about 40 years. He's still doing some warranty work on the side even though he's retired.

He swears up and down that between Canon & Nikon, its just personal preference. He told me to pick the body I liked the feel of the best and stick with that.

I picked Canon at that time as it was made in Japan while Nikon wasn't. Perhaps the higher end Nikon are still made in Japan.

[codex57]

He swears up and down that between Canon & Nikon, its just personal preference. He told me to pick the body I liked the feel of the best and stick with that.

Pretty much everyone very knowledgeable about cameras I've talked to says the same thing.

So, I say go with the brand that all your friends/family have. So, it's easier for you to borrow equipment or ask for advice. :) Up here, BIL and our old neighbor shot Nikon so we went with Nikon. They let us borrow lenses and help us with our camera. If we were living down South, my friends and family down there all shoot Canon so we prolly woulda gone Canon for the same reasons.

[Ceepa]

Persoanl preference. If you can, go into a camera shop and handle both. Some people prefer one over the other for the way it feels in their hands, location of buttons, ease of switching settings.

[LarsMal]

I agree, it's personal preference. I considered getting a Canon this last time around, but in the end we stuck with Nikon.

[AnnieW625]

I always swore I would be a Canon girl, then I got a Canon S5is power point and shoot camera that I wasn't crazy about, and it just confirmed how much I didn't care for the settings and how hard the settings were on the Canon vs. some other camera brands so if I had to buy now and Canon and Nikon were the only two choices I would have to go with the one with the simplest menu to understand.

[m448]

I agree that it's purely preference. I shoot canon because it was what suited me best when I was scoping out gear.

Annie, those canon super zooms are trying to emulate the slrs without the lens changing thus the complicated menu. A canon s3 was what convinced me to go into shooting with an SLR and I still own it (designated as the "everyone else" camera LOL).

[JoyNChrist]

Persoanl preference. If you can, go into a camera shop and handle both. Some people prefer one over the other for the way it feels in their hands, location of buttons, ease of switching settings.

:yeahthat:

Canon and Nikon have both been making cameras for like a billion years and have excellent bodies and lenses. Some brand-obsessed people will tell you that one's better than the other, but it's really not true. Both will take amazing pictures. And prices are honestly comparable - some Canon things are a bit cheaper than Nikon, and some Nikon things are a bit cheaper than Canon, but it really all comes out about the same.

I shoot Nikon, because I prefer the way Nikons fit my hands and the menu setup, etc. Trying both out would be the way to go if you can.

[MMEand1]

I went into the store and picked up the camera. I played around with it a little bit and decided that the Nikon fit me better. I could "maneuver" the controls better and it did not feel as clunky in my hands as the Cannon. Three of my co-workers have DSLR's and they all use Cannon. One of the three wishes that he went with Nikon because it fits him better, but he bought his online and could not try them out.

I suggest you pick the one you feel more comfortable with. You'll be more apt to using it if ht feels right in your hands!