I regularly get questions like: “Is it better to buy a Canon camera or a Nikon? Because I'm a user of Canon, I’ll always advise purchasing Canon equipment and of course as a bird photographer, you wouldn’t like to be associated with Nikon...
During bird trips, along with other photographers, we like to drink a beer together and discuss topics like birds and photography during our bird trips. A subject that always comes up is ‘Canon vs. Nikon’. Each group is divided into two camps: the Canonboys and the Nikonboys! The discussions are not only fun, but also endless and of course at the end of a trip a user of Nikon will not change his equipment to Canon nor vice versa. Generally speaking, the older photographer uses Nikon and the newer generation use Canon.
I personally think that the one brand isn’t better than the other. It would be the same as having to choose between Messi and Ronaldo or between a BMW and a Mercedes. Luckily I’m not a car enthusiast but as far as I know, car brands are associated with terms like sportive, classical or innovative. Both brands surely fabricate good cars.
It is the same with both big camera brands. Of course there are differences (for example sharpness, flash use, colour, noise reduction and stabilization), but it’s still a choice between two winners. Of course Canon was better when the period of digital photography started and therefore a lot of Nikon users switched to Canon, but that’s history. Nikon soon get their act together and now offer at least the same level of quality. It’s interesting to see that both brands need each other to achieve extremely good products. Through competition, they push each other to the limit.
But what do I recommend; Canon or Nikon?
Some considerations:
- which brand is used by your peers? It’s helpful if you can borrow a lens or extender from a photography buddy;
- beside Canon or Nikon there are other good brands, like Olympus, Sony, etcetera;
- a picture is created by the man or woman behind the camera, not by the camera itself;
- follow your feelings: choose whichever brand appeals to you most;
- rent a camera for a few days, so you can figure out if this is what you are looking for.
Have fun with your photos!