Canon or Nikon…or something else….

The question of “Canon or Nikon” is like asking “what came 1st the chicken or the egg”… There is no right answer.  To be up front and honest…I am a die hard canon fan girl. why?  Because we fit well together. I used the formula I’m going to give you to choose my gear a few years ago (yikes…8 years ago).

1. What do you friends (local friends) use?  If you all use the same kind of camera, you can share lenses. Don’t buy the camera your favorite photographer uses because you want your images to be like theirs…its the painter not the paint… even though good paint always makes the job easier!

2. What are you shooting?  If you shoot portraits and weddings…a full frame camera with less frames per second will work. If you are photographing sports, you need a cropped sensor and a lot a frames per second. Are you shooting in the studio or in low light conditions… in other words do you need a camera with high ISO capabilities.

3. What is in your budget, that will allow you to also purchase good glass (lens).  The camera is just part of the equation…make sure to have the room in your budget for  good glass. I would rather have a lower end camera with L glass on it than a higher end camera with cheap glass.  It is okay to start off with a camera and a 50mm 1.8 lens. In school that is all we could shoot with for the 1st few semesters.

* my personal tip that a friend at canon said was stupid…but I’m sticking to it.  Rent both cameras for a week and shoot a lot. Then decide what one feels more comfortable.  (granted it takes around 30 days to get used the camera…but your hands will tell you what one it likes!) I use Borrow Lenses for my rentals.

Is there really a Canon and Nikon war? NO!  I know people who work for both companies (and yes they are all friends) and they are the 1st to admit the camera wouldn’t be where they are today if it was for the competition in the market. Go with what camera is best for you… and remember, it is better to grow INTO a camera then OUT of a camera….and read the manual.