What's up with Nikon?

I've shot Nikon and Canon bodies for years professionally, and I can say with certainty that for what I shoot, Nikon has consistently offered better products.

Back in the 35mm film days, my Nikon F100 and N80 absolutely rocked the capabilities of the comparable Canon ELAN 7e that I also used in that time period. The Nikon bodies offered better ergonomics, faster and more consistently accurate autofocus, more accurate exposure metering under complex lighting situations, and faster shutter response/mirror reflex.

In the early DSLR days, the Nikon D1X was the first professionally usable DSLR in terms of resolution, ergonomics, and autofocus. It is still one of the fastest focusing SLRs out there, based on the venerable Nikon F5.

Nikon was not without its hiccups though... my D2H had the dreaded metering CPU meltdown and had to be refurbed by Nikon, but when I fell back to a Canon EOS 1D, the Canon flash system was a BIG disappointment compared to Nikon's nearly infallible i-TTL and wireless Creative Lighting System features. I got my D2H back and shot nearly 150,000 shots with it before moving to a D90 + D300 pair.

The D90 and D300 were two of the best cameras I've ever shot with, and compared to the sluggish 5DmkII and 50D (the then-closest-comparable cameras), the Nikon bodies were absolutely better for what I shoot.

When I got the D700, I stopped looking at what Canon was offering, because nothing could touch its image quality, durability, autofocus dependability/speed of acquisition/tracking capabilities (same as the D300 honestly), and of course high ISO performance.

The D7000 is a fantastic, professionally-capable camera for stills, and it's VERY comparable in terms of image quality to Canon's 7D with the exception of 60 FPS @ 720p and 30 FPS @ 1080p (which I'm expecting to see on the forthcoming higher tier replacement-for-the-D700 Nikon DSLR).

So... What's up with Nikon? They're sticking to their roots as a still-camera SLR manufacturer. They're releasing long-awaited fast primes, industry-leading constant aperture zooms, ambitious consumer-market 11x superzooms with image stabilization, market-changing full frame sensors, and they are continuing to lead the market in intelligent TTL metering for exposure and for speedlight flash.

Canon is doing a great job of challenging Nikon to raise the bar higher as always, and I think we'll see Nikon catching up to Canon in the video department very shortly. I'm hoping both companies release market-changing challenges to the Panasonic AF-100.

I'm invested in over $10,000 worth of Nikon F-mount glass, however... so I like it when Nikon releases new bodies that kick ass. That said, I'm not brand loyal... I use the best tools for what I shoot (studio portraits, photojournalism, event photography, and sometimes vacation snapshots). If Canon released a game-changing new body with lenses to match, I'd at least consider a switch.

Competition is good for consumers! Innovation is the byproduct of hard competition.
 
I am in a world of pain right now!

I own a D700 and I love it to death for stills. I shoot weddings and portraits with it and have a good range of lenses. The photographer I work with use the 5D mkii and it takes amazing stills as well.I also shoot wedding videos with an ex3 and an ex1r. The dilemma I have is that I need a second stills body and an hdslr for getting those shallow dof shots to put in the mix with the xdcam footage. A D700 with 1080p or new model would be perfect. I have been waiting for a long time now and I am going to have to consider switching over to Canon if Nikon don't get their act together.

I rang Nikon and they couldn't tell me anything at all. They just tried to get me onto the D7000 which doesn't have the full frame I have and am addicted to.
 
Sounds like you need a 5d. :)
Don't agonize over it. Identify you needs and priorities...throw out your emotions...make an investment...be prepared to change paths when something better suited to your needs comes along. I've shot Nikon and LOVED their color rendition. I've shot Canon and appreciated their video implementation (compared to other DSLRs). It was simpler for me to go with Canon so I could shoot vids and pics at an acceptable level WITH THE SAME CAMERA. I actually prefer the Nikon for photos...oh well! ...looks like I'm shooting Canon (for now.) Maybe one day I'll be back with Nikon. I'll wait for the "hot pixel" thing to get fixed...and be able to simply dial in ISO on video...we'll see. By then the 5D Mark III will be out...but...we'll see. BOTTOM LINE: make a logical choice and go with it...EITHER will work fine...just identify your priorities...and pull the trigger. (If you're not happy...EBAY is your friend!) :) Cheers!
 
Shocked by what? Go buy one, shoot some video, then you'll be shocked for real.

Yep, shocked at how bad it is at video. I bought one day they were released, kept it because it KILLS my 7D for picture taking, but for video, it was NOT ready for prime time and they never really fixed it.
 
The good news is both sets of gear are highly sought commodities, and if you need to switch, you can sell the old and recoup most of your investment.
 
I actually gave the D90 to my fiance because I bought her a really nice telescope and when we attach it to the telescope it takes AWESOME pictures, way beyond the 7D (as I tried both). Although I did have to send the D90 in and have the sensor replaced because for REALLY LONG timelapse, it had hot pixel issues (and something fierce at that).

She wont let me sell the D90 now as when I was getting money together for the AF100, I was looking at what was going. In the end I kept the 7D, but we'll see after I start shooting with the AF100.
 
until the 8D and 5dmk3 come out, and then switch back again?

One reason for a mirror-less body is the fact that one can take full frame lenses and turn them into tilt/shift lenses with an adapter.

Hey James0b57

Can you tell me which adaptors are you talking about and how the mirror affects them.

cheers
Pat
 
Hey James0b57

Can you tell me which adaptors are you talking about and how the mirror affects them.

cheers
Pat

Sure,

the lens adapters come from a few different companies, but I have only used fotodiox for Nikon lenses to Canon body.

They make tilt-shift adapter for Canon lens to m43: http://www.fotodiox.com/product_info.php?products_id=435



SLR and DSLR cameras have a mirror in between the back of the lens and the film/sensor. This requires the distance from lens to film/sensor to have quite a gap. Micro Four Thirds (m43) cameras do not have a mirror, so the back of their lenses are much closer to the sensor.

What this means when you put a SLR lens on a m43 camera, there needs to be a gap created (look at the lens adapter) to compensate for the difference in lens mount to sensor distance. Because there is all this extra space with the adapter, the adapter can easily be a shift mechanism.

Why shift lenses? Look up shift lens photography. There are many helpful topics online.
 
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