My Experiences Switching from the Nikon to the Canon System

Hi Folks,

I've posted the first part (of 2) of my monster article "My Experiences Switching from the Nikon to the Canon System."

http://wetpixel.com/module-pagesetter-view...-1-pid-62.phtml

As usual - all comments appreciated.

I'm still working on Part 2 which describes how I sold all of my camera equipment on Ebay and bought into the Canon setup, how much it cost, as well as my perceptions of the system differences, etc.

Cheers

James

James,

Your article helped me, as I am going through the CP5000->DSLR upgrade now, myself. So, great, now I can go ... on the third hand... and be more conflicted than ever!...

One question (or group of questions):

For those of us who segregate ourselves into the sub-1DMarkII price range (a D70 SETUP WITH LENSES AND IKE HOUSING is less than the price of a 1DMarkII !!!!), is there an incentive to go Canon in terms of camera upgrade path? That is, is there any reason to expect the 20D replacement will be any more compatible with the a 20D housing than the D70 replacement will be with the current D70?

Put another way, do Canon have an advantage in the low- to mid-level DSLR's that many of us limit ourselves to (versus the upper range many of Wetpixel's finest buy)?

I'd like someone to help me decide!! Or make me decide, before my wife kills me! Still leaning D70 for wide glass and price, even though I reckon I'd be giving up some on surface telephoto glass and (current) sensor quality.

Thanks again!

There really isn't much precedent for new cameras fitting into old housings. Aside from the pro bodies and the Olympus P&S's (for a while) it doesn't happen. Canon has a faster product upgrade cycle than Nikon which works to its disadvantage from a housing standpoint.

Hi Chris,

Good question! Is the 20D "better" than the D70? Yes, in my opinion, but is it $500 better, and in the areas that you care about? That's up to you to decide.

Many believe that Nikon will be introducing two new cameras the D90 which will be above the D70 and the D50 which will be below it. Of course these are only rumors and no one knows when they will actuall appear or IF they will appear - only that Nikon has registered the trademarks. Based on Nikon's track-record it could be a while before these guys appear.

Cheers

James

Thanks for the article James! It is very interesting and is along the same path I traveled over the last year moving from film SLR to DSLR, though it has taken me a whole year from start to finish. I just did my first two dives with my set up and though some things are familiar like shooting manual and adjusting aperture and strobe to subject distance. Other things like being able to review results in the LCD/histogram are truely a quantum leap forward for the UW photog.

I am curious about your Seacam housing set up, are you able to use either Ikelite or Inon strobes with your housing? If so which conectors are you using?

Looking forward to part two.

Regards, Keith

I enjoyed the article James - read it sitting in the sun in Grand Cayman. I was speaking to my Father about cameras recently. He knows nothing about cameras - but from everything I told him about Nikon and Canon he said he would switch to Canon because they just seem a better company to ally myself with.

I think I would temper the article by stating that it is cheaper to improve the quality of our underwater images by improving our underwater photography techniques (than constantly upgrading). I can certainly understand photographers wanting to switch from a Digicam to a DSLR. But I don't believe that everyone needs to upgrade as regularly as you do.

For most people underwater photography is a hobby. And what is the point of going to work to earn money if you can't spend it on your family and your hobby. Underwater photography has always produced a range of special equipement. And getting the latest and greatest has been part of the fun of the hobby. Afterall few of us spend everyday of the year in the field. Saving up and finally getting that new camera/lens/strobe etc is our way of enjoying the hobby when we are not actually in the water taking photos.

Alex

Good comments guys, thanks. I had hoped to write the article as a narrative about what I have done. It's not meant to read as a "this is what you should" do type of piece so if you can suggest any changes that would reinforce that theme - I would appreciate it.

One of the main themes that I want to strengthen is that fact that digital "film" has evlved GREATLY in the last few years and since we can't change the "film" in our cameras, we are stuck upgrading instead...

I'm sure many people were happy with the D1x body and viewfinder (or the F5 for that matter) and if they could put the D2x sensor or the 1DsMkII sensor and electronics into that body, all would be fine and dandy... But that's not the way product salesmanship works.

Cheers

James

One of the main themes that I want to strengthen is that fact that digital "film" has evlved GREATLY in the last few years and since we can't change the "film" in our cameras, we are stuck upgrading instead...

You make a very important point James, you can't change your digital "film", you really need to evaluate the prints from the various cameras and decided what you like that will fit into your budget. You also need to be willing to live that quality for some time unless you can afford to upgrade on a regular basis. As Alex pointed out, not many can.

One other very important point that I think gets overlooked when moving to a new DLSR system is the viewfinder image. This is critical when housing a land camera. In the old days you could choose from either Nikon or Canon SLR w/ a "Speed/Sport" finder. I have heard a lot of underwater photographers complain about having a hard time focusing or even tyring to compose through a mask, housing and camera viewfinder. This can be very frustrating especially after spending the kind of money for an underwater DSLR kit.

Excellent article James and I'm very much looking forward to the second installment.

I would also be very interested to hear if anyone has any further thoughts on the question posed above by CeeDave aka Chris. Are there significant advantages in the categories below the 1-series Canon and 2-series Nikon DSLRs??

Hmm...my thoughts are that right now Nikon has one "below 1D" camera model and it's the D70. Canon has the 20D and the 300D so there's more choice in the lineup, albeit not much. The way I'd order the 3 is 300D, D70, 20D. Eventually, I think things will probably look like:

Canon 300D, Nikon D50, 300D replacement, Nikon D70, Canon 20D, Nikon D90

Which will be great - lots of choices and more niches filled. I'm guessing the most expensive camera in that lineup will be $1,995 too.

Cheers

James

One of the main themes that I want to strengthen is that fact that digital "film" has evlved GREATLY in the last few years and since we can't change the "film" in our cameras, we are stuck upgrading instead...

I think that this point could be re-phrased - it didn't matter what film body you had - you could put a great lens on it and use the same film as everyone else and get as good a result as anyone.

These days sensor quality influences results. Sensors do not influence good versus bad photography. They has much more to do with output. Big, clean files please clients, editors and publishers.

Alex

Whoops, I think anthp's post got deleted:

He said:

Been reading Thom's site eh James.

I tend to agree with you with the lineup - just hanging out for that D80/D90. I reckon that will probably be quite enough for me.

Alex: Yep, it's an age old analogy - you can still take award winning photos with just about any system, but having good, better, or the best makes it a heck of a lot easier.

Will incorporate into future revisions, thanks! [edit] hopefully it reads a little better now - I made some minor changes.

James

Hi Chris,

 

Good question! Is the 20D "better" than the D70? Yes, in my opinion, but is it $500 better, and in the areas that you care about? That's up to you to decide.

 

<snip by CeeDave>

James,

Yes, everything I've read indicates that the 20D *body* is pretty impressive compared to the d70 (except center point options and maybe i-TTL), even at the extra 1/2 kilobuck or so. If that were the end of the story I'd buy the D20 (and almost did!).

BUT, the 12-24 DX has generally been reviewed more kindly that the 10-22 EF-S, and the 10.5 DX has not yet been matched (sharp, moderate price, fast -- and a prime is always going to be sharper behind a dome, right?). So my decision isn't just on the body, it's on the available package ... and there, on my assessment, it seems Nikon may have an advantage -- again, for the cropped sensors where a 14/16 mm just ain't wide enough.

I really wonder -- as "d-films" continue to improve, will Nikon's devotion to developing great DX WA lenses pay off, as WHOLLY acceptable sensors on smaller, cheaper cameras have a great lens lineup on Nikon but less so (at least at WA, where I live) on Canon? For me, that's the $5000 question. Nikon seems committed to the DX; is Canon gonna do as much with EF-S?

In reference to the earlier question: Canon have shown no signs of making their consumer bodies the same shape, so plan on a new housing when the 20D replacement arrives, if you have to upgrade.

Canon have previously stated that they keep the 1-series bodies the same shape to allow UW photogs to keep using their housings (a comment by Chuck Westfall, made prior to the 1D Mk2 release). Now, I'm sure that's us UW photo types are actually at the bottom of a long list of reasons to keep the body the same shape, but there's a reasonable chance the 1DsMk3 in 2007 will fit in a current 1-series housing.

The big question is when is the camera good enough that you can stop this mad yearly upgrade cycle. To my mind, the 1DsMk2 would be good enough that I wouldn't need to upgrade in the foreseeable future (IF there was an ETTL2 housing). The problem for me currently is that the 1 series housings are so expensive, and don't offer ETTL. But the consumer crop sensor cameras don't produce above water results that are to my liking. So I need 2 different cameras, and can't justify housing the 'good' one.

Hmm...my thoughts are that right now Nikon has one "below 1D" camera model and it's the D70. Canon has the 20D and the 300D so there's more choice in the lineup, albeit not much. The way I'd order the 3 is 300D, D70, 20D. Eventually, I think things will probably look like:

 

Canon 300D, Nikon D50, 300D replacement, Nikon D70, Canon 20D, Nikon D90

 

Which will be great - lots of choices and more niches filled. I'm guessing the most expensive camera in that lineup will be $1,995 too.

 

Cheers

James

Is that the 300D right out of the box or the 300D souped up (if you know what I mean). I also see not 10D mentioned. Curious.

Hi Todd,

That would be the stock 300D - but I don't think the "souping up" would bring it above the level of the D70 in my opinion. I didn't include the 10D in the list because it's no longer in production.

Another thing I have heard from multiple sources is that Canon will be changing the pro body. So after the 1DsmkII it will be a different form factor and probably require a different housing.

Cheers

James

D70 advantage: Unlimited sync speed, higher frame rate, faster buffer

300D advantage: ISO 100 , better noise and dynamic range

If I was shopping today, I'd get the 20D. I think I would still choose the DRebel over the D70, but it's very close.

D70 advantage: Unlimited sync speed, higher frame rate, faster buffer

 

300D advantage: ISO 100 , better noise and dynamic range

 

If I was shopping today, I'd get the 20D. I think I would still choose the DRebel over the D70, but it's very close.

Agreed!

Also, from what I have read, long lenses for topside are also preferred.

D70 advantage: Unlimited sync speed, higher frame rate, faster buffer

 

300D advantage: ISO 100 , better noise and dynamic range

 

If I was shopping today, I'd get the 20D. I think I would still choose the DRebel over the D70, but it's very close.

 

Agreed!

 

Also, from what I have read, long lenses for topside are also preferred.

I haven't found the time to go out and shoot telephoto, but I do sometimes wish for a 10.5 mm FE. Hope either Canon or Sigma will put one out soon.