Saturday, April 16, 2011

Nikon vs Canon

My first camera was a Canon AE-1 that I was dumb enough to pawn for dog food. The original plan was to just borrow enough to get by until my next paycheck. Well my payday came and went more than once and when I finally went back to get my camera I missed the deadline by one day. 




Some years later I bought another and then sold it to buy my first Nikon N90s. I remember how intimidated I was by all the extra buttons and gadgets it had on it compared to my Canon AE-1. In fact, I remember the guy I bought it from asked what camera I presently owned. When I answered he immediately asked, "Are you sure your'e ready for this one?" 

I took that camera and bought two lenses, a 28mm and 180mm. I was transferring to Ohio University to study photojournalism and they required that I had "one professional body, one wide angle lens and one long lens." Internship after internship, I added to my arsenal as my earnings afforded me. 

After university I freelanced with that same body and all of the lenses I had managed to amass. Let's face it, Nikon lenses are hands down built to take anything you can throw at them. Not to mention their optics are superb, but that's another story. 

Eventually, I became a staffer at a paper and after years of being a loyal Nikon man I was handed a Canon body and lenses as my tools for covering the daily grind. Honestly I really wasn't very happy with the switch. I had never been a fan, I never had any logical reasons, but I just didn't like Canon. 

As years passed and Canon's digital technology easily surpassed Nikon I slowly accepted the new deal. All the while I was hoping Nikon would catch up. Then I was punched in the gut when Canon introduced the full frame 5D. Argh! Any hope I had left in me was quickly lost. I knew Canon had it goin' on. What to do? 

Every now and then I'd blow the dust off of my Nikon gear and play with my old N90s or my wife's D200. It was nostalgic. 

Fast forward a few years...

My good friend, who pretty much has her own mini camera museum full of Leicas, Canons, Mamiyas, etc, bought a D700 I knew something was up. After she took it out on assignment and played around with it for a couple months I asked her about its performance. I also scoured over reviews I found online and asked other people who were shooting Nikon what their overall feelings were.

I was sold. 

Today, was my first day back in the saddle with a trusted old friend. On my way out the door to my son's friend's birthday party I grabbed my Nikon and headed out. It felt a bit awkward having shot with a Canon for so many years but the Nikon's body felt solid and welcoming. Not to mention all of the dials I once found intimidating years ago now felt intuitive and natural. 

Reunited and it feels so good! 






5 comments:

Mark Johnston said...

But why wait until now to buy a D700?

No hopes of what might replace it all too soon?

Anonymous said...
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RICH-JOSEPH FACUN said...

Hey Mark - good question, why now? I know, it's been out a while.

However, I've read a lot of forums claiming that a newer, better, improved version would be out soon. Funny thing is, many of the forums are dated over a year or more ago.

Obviously something will replace it eventually but who knows when. It's a gamble. So it is what it is.

That said, I'd been thinking of buying one for a while and the price just jumped from appx $2300 to 2700. I imagine some of that has to do with the circumstances in Japan. This being the case I decided to go ahead and pick a couple up before supply and demand became more of an issue.

Besides my local camera shop gave me a few hundred bux off.

Are you shooting with a D700? If so what's been your experience?

Best regards.

Mark Johnston said...

I'm on the other end of it, caught up with all this excitement on a new 5D hopefully this year. I once owned Nikon gear but sold it after being provided Canon by the paper I work for.

Haven't owned my own for years and now am getting close to finally buying this new release. Might have waited too long, putting it off for so long, waiting for the next best thing, that I may have passed up a lot of quality in my image making.

Good luck with the new D700. Minus the video, but plus the frame rate, lenses and image quality, it sure is a lovely camera.

RICH-JOSEPH FACUN said...

I agree Mark "...the new D700. Minus the video, but plus the frame rate, lenses and image quality, sure is a lovely camera."

There's a new 5D Mark II in the works?