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That is the question.  When shopping for a dslr there are two major competitors in the market that constantly raise the bar in performance, value, quality and support–Canon and Nikon.  If you read my previous post you will remember that you are buying into a system.  When you buy canon it is very difficult to switch to Nikon once you have invested in all the accessories and glass.  The converse is true as well for Nikon switching to Canon.  In this post, I will try to address some factors that might help and review a few different models that I believe are noteworthy.  This post will focus on DX/ APS-C sensor size cameras.  I will have a follow-up post regarding full frame cameras.

You can ask a Canon person why it’s better than a Nikon and they will tell you a long list of reasons and you can ask a Nikon person and their list will be just as long.  It comes down to preferences and their personal needs.  In the entry level dslr market the competition is very fierce.  The manufacturers have made the current crop of DX/ APS-C amazingly feature rich with tremendous performance.  Just like computers they get better and cheaper all the time.  Do not try to keep up with the newest technology with every release–you will go broke buying camera bodies.  Get the best fit for you with room to grow.  Something that you will not out-grow for the next couple of years.

I suggest going to a camera store or local electronics store and get your hands on a few different models.  Hold the Nikon in your hand and then hold the Canon in your hand.  They both have different feels.  The entry level Nikons have a smaller, more compact body than Canons generally.  I personally like the dial lay outs on the Nikon better than Canon.  They are much more intuitive and better ergonomically positioned.  As you can see in the picture below:

Nikon's D90 mid level Dslr

Right below the shutter release (silver button on the top left hand side) and on-off switch is the sub-command dial.  This allows you keep you hand in place holding naturally on the camera while accessing different features.  It’s a small body which saves you arms when you have to hold the camera for extended periods of time and reduces fatigue.

Nikon D40 entry level Dslr

The Nikon menus for all their cameras are easier to understand and faster to access settings than the Canon menus.  You can change your white balance, saturation, ISO, drive, etc. quickly and there is not searching through different tabs in the menu like Canon.  However, with Canon you have more options and you can increase your saturation level more than Nikon.  Canon does give you more control but it comes at the cost of deep extensive menus that are confusing for some.  In my opinion I feel that Nikon is a better starter camera for someone who is lazy to learn all the different functions a dslr is capable of.  Nikon makes it easier for the beginner and Canon has a steeper learning curve but more options for control.

Another factor to consider is the auto-focus. or AF.  Nikons have a focus assist light that aids in focusing during low light situations.  You can see the LED light between the lens and grip–it’s a clear circular lens.  Canon has an AF assist as well for low light conditions, but it is a series of flash bursts.  I have not yet figured out how to turn this feature off and if you can actually turn this feature off.  It is very annoying not just for me as a shooter but for the subject as well.  If you are taking pictures in a dark environment it is very noticeable–sort of like being in a disco in the 70s with a strobe light.  However, I do find that the Canons focus faster than Nikons in the less expensive consumer cameras.  Nikons will not shoot if it has to search for focus–Canons will shoot but  you may have a soft image.

Canon Rebel XS

Where Canon excels past Nikon is the capture software.  Canon includes the capture software with every camera purchase.  Nikon’s capture software is an extra $100 and it does not work nearly as well as it’s competitors.  This software allows you to tweak all your raw files and jpegs files so that you have more control and a better image.  Canon’s jpeg file size also is more logical than Nikon’s system.  Nikon’s file sizes are almost all the same, whereas Canon adjusts the size depending on the situation and the amount of detail and image data in the picture file.

Mid-level dslr Canon 50D

Lenses are perhaps the biggest consideration to take into account when trying to decide which system to buy into.  For this post we are only considering Nikons and Canons.  There are other manufacturers for both brand (e.g. Tokina, Sigma, Zeiss, Leica, etc.)  The lenses range from entry level kit zoom lens to professional constant aperture zoom lenses.  Also, entry level fixed focal length lenses to professional fast fixed focal length lenses.  At the more affordable end of the market I prefer the the Canon zoom lenses over the Nikon.  Canons feel better constructed and made of higher quality materials.  Nikons are made of light weight plastic and have a cheaper feel.  Canon’s lenses are made in Japan and Nikon’s are made in many different countries which leads to inconsistent build quality.  I also prefer the Canon professional line of lenses over the Nikon’s line.  This is just my personal preference.  The L-series lenses are amazingly durable, sharp and fast.  For all you beginner shooter wishing to make this a life long hobby or a future profession consider lenses carefully.

We are a Nikon and Canon family.  We like having both systems for different needs.  They both produce wonderful images and work well for our needs.  I suggest you read further about the two cameras brands and do your research in the specific models.  The cameras in the post will have their own reviews coming soon.  I hope you enjoyed this post at profoto forum. profoto forum pro foto forum profoto forum pro foto forum profoto forum profoto forum pro foto pro foto pro foto profoto forum profoto forum pro foto forum profoto forum profoto forum profoto forum profoto forum profoto forum profoto forum profoto forum profoto

So you’ve decided that you need a dlsr, but which one is the right one for me? Well, only you can answer that question. I will help you try to find the answer since I cannot give you the answer. If a salesperson tries to sell you a camera before asking you questions like:

What is your skill level?
What type of photography or subject matter will you be shooting?
How large are you going to print or will you print?
How often will you shoot?
What is your budget?

These are questions that you have to answer for yourself honestly and realistically. First, I am assuming that you are a beginner if you are reading this post, but if you are a film person transitioning to digital you still may find this somewhat interesting. If not, then just jump to the product reviews. Now the hard part is determining what you will be shooting. What is it that you are interested in? Do you love going to sporting events? Do you enjoy nature? What are you passions that you can incorporate into your new photography passion? It can be any combination of the below:

Portraits
Action/Sports
Landscapes
Night/Low light
Macro/ Close-up

If you are interested in portrait photography, landscape or macro you may not need a camera that shots more than 3 frames per second–frames per second is simply the number of shots you can take continuously in one second. If you are interested in action/sports photography you will want a camera that can shoot 6 frames per second or more with a high burst number. This will help you capture more of the action. A high burst number is the amount of shots you can take continuously until your run out of memory buffer and the camera has to stop to write to the memory card.

If you are into night photography you will want a camera with less noise at higher ISO sensitivity and extended ISO range. ISO sensitivity expresses the speed of photographic negative materials (formerly expressed as ASA). Since digital cameras do not use film but use image sensors instead, the ISO equivalent is usually given. Noise is the digital equivalent of film grain. It can even look like grain, though more often it looks more like ugly speckles or color artifacts. It results from a variety of sources, including sampling errors in pixels, temperature-induced “dark current” in sensor elements, and signal amplification circuits.  A slower ISO will give you less noise and a faster or higher ISO will have much more noise.

Now ask yourself how much do you want to spend? Take into consideration that when purchasing a dslr camera that they do not always include a lens. This is to give you the option of selecting the lens that is proper for whatever application you need it for. However, most cameras have a “kit lens” available as a bundle with the camera body. It is not a bad option for those who want to save a little money and are not sure what they will be shooting. These kit lenses vary tremendously. You can find just about any combination zoom ranges. Figure out your total budget and save 20-25% for accessories that you will need and accessories to take care of your camera. You will need at least one memory card, you will want a UV filter to protect your lens/glass, lens cloth to clean your lens (do not use anything but a lens cloth to clean the smudges off your lens or filter–today’s coatings on lenses and filters are very easily scratched if mishandled), maybe a camera bag to store your new camera, tripod, flash, etc. Now, what is left is what you have to spend on your camera and lens package.

Megapixels is perhaps one of the most misunderstood concepts in the digital format for many beginners because they are used to market new cameras. Yes having more megapixels is a good thing, but you must take sensor size into consideration when you think about megapixels. You can get a better image with less megapixels with a larger sensor than you can with a smaller sensor with more megapixels.

I won’t get into technical details on why the larger the sensor the better, but with all things being equal [megapixels] a larger sensor size will have less noise and a greater dynamic range.  The illustration above shows the most common sensor sizes.  The full-frame sensor  is equal to that of a traditional 35mm film camera (e.g. Canon 5d mkII, Canon 1dx, Nikon D700, Nikon D3, etc.)  You will only see full-frame sensors on professional cameras and generally cost prohibitive for most beginners.  APS-C/DX is the most common size for dslr cameras because they usually cost less which means they are much more affordable for beginners.  With an APS-C sensor size camera there is a crop factor when using regular lenses, in other words, non DX or EF-S lens.  So, if you have a zoom lens that is 28mm-135mm on a full frame it will be 45mm-216mm on a DX/APS-C sensor.  Now the final word on megapixels (for now)…  If you’re not printing larger than 16×20 inches then anything with 8 megapixels or will work for you on a dslr camera.

Now that you have a bit of a grasp on megapixels, sensor size, fps, ISO, etc.  There is only one more subject I would like to address that will affect your final choice, lenses.  No matter what camera body you decide on invest in your lens.  The quality of glass in your lens will make the biggest difference in the overall quality of the image.  You will change your camera body and they get cheaper and better with each generation.  You can never keep up with the evolving technology.  It is too cost prohibitive, but your lens will hardly depreciate and in fact the lenses will only get more expensive.  When you buy a camera generally you buy into a system.  After awhile you will have a few lenses for different purposes and you are locked into that brand.  If you buy Canon lenses they only fit Canon cameras and Nikon with Nikon.  But, generally once you buy a specific brand you have a tendency to be loyal, sometimes not by choice, but because you have all the glass and don’t want to go through the hassle of selling them and buying all new glass.  I recommend buying non-DX/ non-APS-C lenses if you are eventually going to go full frame in the future.  If you are going to stay with the DX/APS-C cameras then buy the lenses that are made for them.  You won’t have to do math to figure out the focal length and you will save a lot of money since the glass is smaller and it cost less to produced.

So, after reading this post you’re probably ready to start making a decision on which specific camera you need.  Take a look at the specs on any camera that you’re interested.  Make sure it meets your criteria for what you are shooting and buy the possible set-up (spending at least fifty percent on your lens).  Now you’re probably either confused more or wanting to do some more research on specific brands and models.  In the next post I will do a comparison between the two major brands (Canon and Nikon) and their best selling cameras and their newest.  It’s a highly competitive dslr market and the winner is you the consumer.  I will have more in-depth reviews on the individual cameras at a later date.

I hope you have found this post informative and helpful.  If you have any comments to make it clearer or if I have skipped anything please leave a comment and I will try to address it.  Thank you and happy shooting.

This is for the person who is just starting out in photography and confused as to which camera to purchase.  The first thing that you must decide is what you want to accomplish, what your goal is?  Do you want to just create photos for your personal album, are you thinking about pursuing this as a hobby or do you want to become a photographer? For this post I will exclusively discuss only digital cameras.  I will leave film cameras for a later date.

canon sd970 point and shoot camera

If you want to just have some nice photos for your family album and you’re one a budget, consider a point and shoot camera.  It is simple to use and very compact so that you can take it with you in your pocket.   This allows you to conveniently capture just about any moment you wish to preserve without having to learn a lot of technical settings of more advanced cameras.  The quality of your photos will not be the best, but for a photo album it is more than adequate.  The newer point and shoot cameras now have great advanced feature such as facial recognition, video, etc.  This also gives you flexibility to capture the moment on video as well.  However, if you are looking for higher quality and you’re not a budget or you are thinking about making photography a serious pursuit then there are plenty of DSLRs you can choose from.

Canon 5d mkII and Canon Rebel xti

DSLR stands for Digital Single Lens Reflex camera.  These types of cameras use a mirror positioned behind the camera lens to direct light toward the viewfinder when you’re composing a photo. When you release the shutter, the mirror swings quickly out of the way, letting light from the lens travel straight to the sensor and momentarily blacking out the viewfinder. The viewfinder in an SLR incorporates a prism–usually a pentaprism–that flips the incoming image around so that you can see it right side up and bounces it onto the focusing screen where you see it.

The SLR design allows one camera to accommodate a very wide range of lens focal lengths, and that’s the biggest reason that SLRs dominate serious photography. The explanation? With a non-SLR camera, you have to match the angle of view of the “taking” lens with that of the “viewing” lens. That’s easy with a fixed lens or a short-range zoom, but it requires increasingly complex and expensive viewfinder mechanisms as you try to cover a wider range of focal lengths. With an SLR, you avoid this problem because the taking and viewing lens are one and the same.

Most dSLR models beyond entry-level models incorporate a Live View mode, which allows the photographer to use the LCD to compose shots the same way they can with a snapshot camera. The most basic implementations generally lock up the mirror, with the prism diverting the image to a small sensor that feeds through to the LCD rather than to the capture sensor. This does tend to hurt performance, however. Early versions required that you focus manually when in Live View mode, but current models use contrast autofocus.

As you can see, the biggest differences between the two types would be flexibility, cost, convenience, and quality.  If you have decided to purchase a DSLR then you should read the next article regarding what type of DSLR you need.  If you need a nice quality point-and-shoot then check out the product review section.  I will post some reviews of the point-and-shoot cameras that I have or have had.  I am a camera junky and have owned many types of cameras.

San Juan Capistrano Mission Cactus

Welcome to Profotoforum.  I started this blog and forum so that I could have a place to write and discuss everything photographic with my peers.  I am not a professional photographer yet, but I am making a go at it now.  I studied photography in school, but changed my major to film when my mother said I wouldn’t be able to make money as an artist.  All artists to her were starving.  I sent many years working in the film industry as a cameraman and producer, but now would like to make the transition back into photography.

I started to do a lot of research on what camera to buy, type of lenses, accessories, strobes, etc.  I kept finding conflicting answers.  I went into camera stores and talked to the sales people and they gave me answers based on trying to make a sale.  I asked my photographers that I hire for production and they all gave me different answers.  I looked all over the internet and was overwhelmed with a vast number of different sites I had to go to just to be able to find all info that I needed.  I was disappointed with all the different answers from all the different sources.  I wanted simple straight forward answers to my questions without having to hunt it down all the time.

After all this, I found that they’re all just opinions.  You know what they say about opinions…  everybody’s got one.

Well, Profotoforum.com is a place where you can educate yourself to make the right decision based on your needs, wants, and goals.  I decided to create a site that will try to aggregate as much information as possible to help you either start your professional career or just help you take better pictures of you pet.  I am doing this for the love of photography.

I hope you stay, enjoy the site and find it beneficial to you as a photographer.  Please, if you have any questions or would like to see something reviewed or even would like to help me make this site better I would love to hear from you.  This is my first blog of many.  Happy shooting.