Canon vs. Nikon (redux)

Too Many Choices

I’ve gone through this once before, trying to decide on a digital SLR. The first time around, I would start with the affordable models; as I thumbed through the catalogs, I’d myself desiring the ones thousands of dollars more. Years passed. I tried to make do with lesser digital cameras but with never feel the satisfaction I’d remembered with film SLRs.

As the years passed, the selection of camera companies (and therefore, camera models) broadened, making the choice even more difficult. There are a lot of great, innovative SLR camera companies out there (e.g., Sony, Pentax, Olympus). So many, I made the nearly arbitrary decision to narrow it down to Nikon and Canon, the two most prolific SLR manufacturers of professional quality SLRs over the past several decades.

At the time, about three years ago, Canon had already established a near monopoly in the digital SLR arena amongst professional photographers (compared to the vast majority that Nikon held during the film era). The primary reason: the broad range of technology that Canon offered and, in particular, Canon offered full-frame sensor cameras as well as the cheaper, APS-C sensor size models. For a long time, there were rumors of Nikon introducing a full-size sensor camera for professionals, but that had not materialized.

The sensor of a digital camera refers to the electronic component that takes the place of what film used to do: turn light into persistent images. For cost reasons, all the digital SLR companies have standardized on a sensors sizes that are much smaller than a traditional 35mm film camera film frame. The size of a sensor has a big impact on the image that it creates; the most obvious is that, for any given lens length, the size of the subject will differ. To preserve the visual integrity of file camera counterparts, as well as other quality advantages of larger sensors, some camera companies (first Canon, then Nikon, and later, Sony) offer full-frame sensor models targeting professional users–“full-frame” is relative to traditional 35mm film.

Making the Choice

Entry level digital SLRs had more features than I ever had on my film SLRs—some only found on professional SLRs of old. From a practical point of view, all digital SLRs are so good that there are only minuscule differences in quality between them. With that and the vague feeling that Canon might stay closer to the cutting edge than Nikon, I chose the Canon Rebel XTi (aka 400D, elsewhere in the world) as my first d-SLR.

Over the next 3 years, I happily and satisfyingly shot 10,000 pictures, all the while relearning photography and learning about all the new facets brought in by digital. This was brought to an abrupt halt when I decided to soak most of my equipment in the salty waters of the Canadian sea. Salt, as you may know, is never good for electronic nor metallic parts; digital cameras and lenses are both. Even if I could get them repaired, it is likely that residual salt would eat away at the internals, killing them again.

Choosing All Over Again

Since I was a kid, I’ve said, “My life would not be complete without a Nikon.” So, with most of my Canon equipment destroyed, I thought I would take the opportunity to re-evaluate Canon vs. Nikon. Both have iterated their camera lines a couple of generations. Notably, 3-months after I made my Canon choice, Nikon finally introduced their line of full-frame sensor cameras. In these intervening years, Nikon has quickly ascended to take over a large percentage of the professional d-SLR audience.

Canon and Nikon; Canon vs. Nikon

Both Canon and Nikon have a wide range of camera models ranging tailored to satisfy the demands of casual photographers to professionals. They have a full range of lenses from cheap and versatile to high-quality professional lenses. In the past 3-year period, Nikon has caught up with Canon and, now, both companies clearly have each other in their sites—there is a near exact feature match amongst their products. There are some subtle differences in their approach, however.

It is a new age, but Nikon has demonstrated, as it did with its film cameras, consistency of design where lenses designed for cameras nearly 50 years ago will work on today's digital cameras! Within its line of “entry-level” d-SLRs, Nikon has maintained the same battery type across that line while Canon has changed the battery and charger needed for nearly every new model. Nikon's approach preserves the user's investment in their equipment and reduces the number of pieces to be packed when traveling. Nikon also has a more flexible advanced flash system that costs an extra few hundred $$ to achieve with Canon. And, Nikon has officially accommodated a GPS accessory that will embed positional information in the meta-data of each image.

On the other hand, Canon has a longer history of high-end digital cameras and whose entry-level series is closely tied. It also has a broader line of advanced, “professional” lenses, many of which are available in variants fitting more size or cost conscious buyers. Subjectively, I prefer the panel information on the latest Canon "Rebel" T1i (aka 500D, elsewhere).

Since most of my photography takes place while traveling, size and weight of my equipment is of utmost importance. Fortunately, there appears to be a stronger focus by both Nikon and Canon, to include more advanced features in its smaller, lower-level camera models. Canon, explicitly and Nikon, perhaps, have split their entry-level line into a less expensive series and more expert, but still, physically small model lines. This suits me perfectly.

	Canon	Nikon
Professional	1D, 1Ds	D2, D3, D3x
Semi-professional	5D, 7D	D700
Advanced	20D, 30D, 40D, 50D	D200, D300, D300s
Advanced Entry-level	Rebel, XT, XTi, XSi, T1i (300D, 350D, 400D, 450D, 500D)	D40, D40x, D60, D80, D90, D5000
Cost Conscious	Rebel XS (1000D)	D3000

There may be variants of the listed models also available. As of 7 Sept 2009. Bold entries are currently available.

Initially, the competition between Nikon and Canon started with the mid-range and entry level models. Then, Nikon changed the competition with with direct competition in the full-frame professional series. Today, we see both companies broadening their product lines in the "semi-pro" and cost cutting models. While, this table is not complete, clearly there is fierce competition in the "advanced entry-level" (nee entry-level) line.

Decisions, Decisions

Over time, I would expect to buy more lenses than camera bodies. So, understanding which lenses are available and their cost becomes an important factor in choosing a system (since, unfortunately, they are not compatible between Canon and Nikon--in fact, hardly any accessories are compatible between the two makes).

The option of moving up to the more advanced cameras play a role in my decision. This evaluation becomes a difficult since I do not have the opportunity to test all the models of each make. Also, nearly every quarter, each manufacturer leap frogs the other with its new models with new technology features and quality improvements.

In the end, the cameras you use have to feel comfortable. If I had not already had the experience with the Canon (or I had waited 3 months the first time around), I probably would have chosen Nikon. However, despite some of the quantitative advantages of Nikon, the familiarity I have developed over the past three years with the Canon is likely to lead me back to rebuilding my Canon system.

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Shooting Speed

8sep09 — Correction to step 2.

Here are some tips about shooting fast moving subjects, like car racing, air shows, and sports, with a digital camera.

0. Make sure your batteries are charged, lens(es) and sensor are
   clean, and you have the lenses you plan to use.
1. Use the fastest memory card you have.
2. Set your camera to shoot JPEG only.
3. Turn single-shot mode off.
4. If the action is all happening in the distance, pre-focus your camera and turn auto-focus off.
5. Set the lens aperture to a medium opening like f/8.
6. Position your body, facing towards the direction you’re likely to finish. And twist your body in the direction that the action is likely to start.

2. Single Format

Since the write speed to your storage card is slow, choose the smallest format you would be satisfied with; this allows as many images as possible to be cached as the camera is saving the images to the storage card. That means shooting JPEG only. If you want to shoot RAW, be sure not to record both RAW+JPEG (if you even have that option), because that will slow down the RAW recordings. Set the camera to record only one format and use JPEG only (if you can stand it).

4 & 5. Pre-focus and Preset Aperture

If the background is non-descript (as when shooting airplanes against the blue sky) or if you will be panning the camera across objects that are nearer than the subject (e.g., telephone poles and feces), pre-focusing the lens and turning off its autofocus mode will ensure that the lens isn’t seeking focus away from the subject while tracking the moving subject.

This only works if you are able to capture the subject within the focus zone formed by the depth of field of the lens.

In order to broaden the focus zone, set the camera to aperture priority and choose a medium aperture (e.g., f/8 or smaller) so that precise focus is not necessary. The choice of aperture depends on the balance of

1. Your ability to capture the subject at the pre-focused distance,
2. The required shutter speed,
3. The amount of depth-of-field desired.

6. Body Position

Successfully capturing the image of a moving subject results in a sharp subject image while its surroundings may be blurred. To do this, the camera needs to track with the movement of the subject during the time that the shutter is open. Like many sports, golf, tennis, baseball, this requires good body positioning, early anticipation, and smooth follow through.

Anticipate the path of the subject, especially where you first expect to see it and where it will leave your view. Plan to track and follow the subject with your camera movement through that entire path. Knowing the extent of the path, position your body so that it does not “bind” your movement as you move through the path. Consider positioning you body so that it is square just past the middle of your movement through the path of tracking the subject movement.

Finally, anticipating where and when the subject will appear in view, start the tracking movement of the camera slowly before the appearance of the subject to coincide with the appearance and movement of the subject as it comes into view. Continue tracking smoothly and press and hold the shutter release for the requirement number of shots as you track the movement of the subject. Even after releasing the shutter release, continue to track the subject’s movement smoothly–this smooth follow through will ensure smooth tracking of the subject in your final shots.

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Photo Tips: Managing/organizing your images

After you get your digital camera, you will quickly find a growing proliferation of image file bits scattered and, while not lost, not findable. Hopefully this can help you get your images under control before they get too far out of control. I have the quick list, right here, and the longer explanation below.

1. Software: Get some software to help you out. My Pick is Google’s Picasa desktop software; it’s free, it works on Mac, Windows, and Linux(!), and it has strong ties to online PicasaWeb albums (as well as uploading to other sites). Oh, and did I say it’s free?
2. Folder organization: Prefix the folder names where you put your images by its date in year, month, and optionally date order (e.g., “2009-05” or “2009-05-24” or “200905”). This allows you to easily sort your folders chronologically by name.
3. Image filenames: Use generic filenames for the images, usually the sequential number assigned by the camera.
4. Tag your images: Most software allows you to “tag” your images with keywords that make searching for images quicker and easier, later. Be as liberal and prolific as you can, in adding tags so that you can search for the images, later.

On the middle two points, a new digital photographer will have a strong temptation to name folders and images by subject. The problem is that the subject might be subjective; so, not only does it take longer to “handle” your pictures, it could make it more difficult to find them, later, when you are in a different frame of mind. As you accumulate more and more images, it will be difficult to locate images by name only. It may help to suffix the name of folder or image with a descriptive name so that you can recognize it visually in your desktop’s file browser. Using tags can also help you find your images.

Software

My HP machine came with some image management software, but since you will want to have access to your images for a longer period of time than you are likely to have your computer, you will want to pick a more popular solution. I already mentioned that I strongly recommend using Picasa. The following mentions some other photo management solutions that you may have heard of.

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of entry level programs. Picasa is targeted at the lay-person and is suited, not only to beginners, but reasonably advanced users. If you have confidence in Google’s commitment to maintain its desktop software, then this should be sufficient. I will give tips on using Picasa in a future blog entry.

Apple’s iPhoto is targeted at the same user audience as Picasa and shares most of the same features. It does have a slightly better user interface that makes more efficient use of the screen. However, it has a few problems:

• It runs on Macs-only.
• It sucks in and hides the original images so they are not readily accessible to other applications or file browsing.
• It is difficult (impossible?) to move a subset your growing set of images to another drive while still being accessible by the program.

Adobe includes their Bridge product along with their expensive professional image creation and editing tools such as PhotoShop and Illustrator. Bridge is a great tool for viewing and sorting through large batches of photos, although it does not remember the images, so it can be slow to bring up its initial view of a set of images. And, unfortunately, Adobe does not sell Bridge by itself.

Expert Software

Where there are numerable solutions for most people, there are only a couple of commonly used solutions for expert users, the Adobe solutions and the Apple solutions. I won’t dwell on these programs since they are for far more serious photographers.

Besides Apple’s iPhoto software, Apple has Aperture 2 for advanced and professional photographers. It provides file management, “workflow,” and advanced photo editing functions.

Adobe, produces several expert/professional level products that include Bridge which allows very powerful image management, tagging, and searching features. Adobe also sells Lightroom for advanced file management, workflow, and common editing functions, targeted at professional photographers. Adobe products are all available for both Mac and Windows.

Again, I will cover Picasa usage tips in more detail in a later post.

Update, May 29 — Deleted photo editing info and added comments about Adobe Bridge.

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