Newbie requesting help - Canon/Nikon

Greetings All -

Yep, I'm new to this forum and see a real wealth of information and knowledge being shared among all you Canon photography enthusiasts.

Now before someone shoots me, let me assure you that, I know this is a “Canon” forum. Hence, I feel this is the best place to get help with my dilemma.

I’ve been shooting Minolta 35mm film for a few years and have reached the point of seriously contemplating the move to a digital SLR. Once I move to digital the on going investment in lenses and accessories will continue to rise and changing brand-names mid-stream will be very costly – I want to avoid that. So, I’m trying to do my homework early. I’m pretty sure that my situation is not unique within the ranks of those who have moved up, so, I’m asking for constructive input to assist with my decision process.

Here is my dilemma: Canon 20D or NikonD70s, or something better with either manufacture. I’m pretty sure there have been others on this forum who has weighed the merits of each product before reaching a decision. So, I would like to know what your primary reasons for going with Canon were (quality, speed, reputation, customer service, etc,. etc.).

Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts I greatly appreciate it.

Ron

*** UPDATE Below ***

Hello again everyone -

Wow! I'm a bit overwhelmed by all the kind and constructive information everyone has been so willing to take the time to post.

I will certainly take the time to visit and read through the information that some of you provided links for, I’m certain it will also be helpful.

A couple of folks mentioned that maybe I should just stay with Minolta depending on how deeply I was already invested there. Firstly, I’ve made the “assumption” (yes, I know) that the optics in the newer lenses would be much better and second, as I type, I’m not even sure if what I have is upward compatible to the Minolta digital bodies **** Just looked at Minolta site and No, is the ans ****. So, I just figured I was going to have to start from scratch.

My curiosity was peaked as to just what I did have, so, I went and took inventory.

- Two, X700 bodies
- Fully auto lenses, all Minolta: MD 50mm f/1.7, 135mm f/3.5, 70-210 f/4, 100mm f/3.5 and 28mm f2/8
- Earlier manual lenses: Vivitar 135mm f/2.8, Soligor Macro zoom 80-200mm f/4.5

I must confess I was a bit surprised at what I have. Still, I think my earlier assumption about better quality in the Canon product line would make the change to Canon well worth it. Do you have any additional thoughts or suggestions at this point?

Again, I appreciate your time and energy.

Ron

Welcome

Canon owns something like 80% of the market (from memory, might not be quite right), they're a safe bet IMHO. I chose based on track record, lenses and accessories available from Canon and third parties, and recommendations from friends.

I can't speak much for Nikons, but I have shot Canons for a very long time. My experience with the 20D is that it is one hell of a camera. Looking at Canons history with releasing lenses and bodies, they seem to put out newer items more rapidly than Nikon. I find though that Canons quality of lenses, (although I have mostly L's I did have non-L's at one time) have been pretty good across the board. Like many people have pointed out on this board, look at all the cameras at major sporting events. See all those nice white lenses? Thats Canon. My vote would be for Canon, although Nikon does have its own good points. Plus, Maria Sharapova is the new Canon spokesperson.

Just buy everything I have in my signature and you will be set for a long time. LOL, j/k

Go with Canon. or go with nikon. You want to build a system that you will be dealing with for some time to come. I chose canon because I beleive their sensors to be better.

If it was film, I would have a F6. (runs and ducks)

While I love my canon DSLR, few camera bodies are worth jumping ship on a large quantity of lenses which is where the real investment is. If you don't yet have an investment in lenses then I think most people here will correctly assure you that you can't go wrong with canon. However, the minolta entry-level DSLR is a fine camera body. if you already own a bunch of minolta glass you might consider it. If not buy a Canon.

The Maxxum 7D is "only" 6 Mpixels but has built in image stabilization by stabilizing the CCD. There is some controversy on whether this works as well as stabilizing in the lens, but the minolta implementation seems to work well.

http://www.dpreview.co​m/reviews/konicaminolt​a7d/

-- Scott.

I recently struggled with the same question... I found this link helpful.

http://www.kenrockwell​.com/tech/20dd70.htm

I have a friend who has a D70 and I had some time to play around with it... it is a nice camera... but the 20D feel less like a toy to me.

... long story short, I am very pleased with my Canon.

-Matt

you could go to pbase and look at photos taken with 20d & d70s and you'll see that there are great shots taken by both cameras and crap shots taken by both cameras.

i think you'll find that there are far more loyal Canon shooters - by loyal, i mean people who have been shooting Canon for awhile and will continue to shoot and have built up a great collection of EF lenses. i think the percentage of people who have switched from Nikon to Canon (.vs the other way around) is much higher - especially once you get up above the 'entry' level models. we all love the camera bodies and how they work and feel. sure you could look at feature sets, statistics, etc. but it really comes down to you and what makes the most sense to you. you might look at some things such as:
- can you borrow lenses of a certain type from a friend? (or do you already have some?)
- can you hire them from a shop close by?
- is there a decent support organisation to help me experience the most from my camera?
- can you get a camera from either manufacturer serviced near me or reasonably close/fast?
- and so on, etc.

either way you go, i am sure you will be happy (just happier going one way... )

I have to agree with most of whats being said here, it's not so much about the "Camera" body your buying but the system your getting into. I think the Canon is normally a safer bet and gives better bang for buck value also. More choices in lens options as well, to me photography is about communication, what will help "you" communicate what you see or how you see it with others is your own choice to make.

Mostly photography is all about you, then comes glass and lastly the camera which is just the way to capture what you see, so think about the chain of photography and what links together the strongest for you. I find it hard to see how anyone could go wrong with Canon as it's so flexable, but I'm bias. Canon was the best option for me, but really it comes down to the person, not the gear.

Don't know what your price range is, but you may want to check out the Nikon D200 when it comes out (scheduled for mid December.) If it is what it says it is in the specs., it appears to currently be the best bang for your buck. But as has already been covered here, camera purchasing is a very personal thing. Many different people looking for a camera body based on different perspectives and different needs.

Some people take out a small mortgage to build a lens collection holding them to a particular brand regardless of how good the current system (of any paticular brand) may be.

Others, like myself, keep it small, so we have the freedom to move onto the next best thing when it comes time to upgrade, and we are not "trapped" into a system. As a wedding photographer, I have had great success with just 2 lenses.

I personally am considering at least giving the Nikon D200 a chance and giving it a fair trial run when it becomes available. I have not been very impressed with high ISO noise levels with past Nikon digital SLR's such as the D50, or D70... but their bound to improve if they want to compete. I think Canon currently has the best sensor technology, and chose them over Nikon for this reason alone. I think Nikon has better glass, and offers more camera for your buck; but they need to do something about high ISO noise levels to hook me.

Research systems, check specs, see what benefits you, and what deters you. Try out your choices at a camera store (don't just buy blindly online. I can't emphasize this enough,) then make your choice.

If you have the ability to keep it small, I personally recomend it. There are a lot of camera brands to choose from, and no one can see the future on who will be champion in... say... two years from now (even 1 year for that matter.) Digital technology advances too quickly now days to lock yourself into a particular brand (IMHO.)

Right now I have a 20D and love it. I currently see no need to upgrade, but do have the ability to switch brands in the future if need be.

Peace!

If you've got a fair selection of Minolta lenses that you're happy with, why change your loyalties?
Whilst (obviously) you won't get neutral responses here, Canon's dominant DSLR market share speaks volumes for their value, build, performance and sheer width of range.
Don't get hung up on the specs of specific bodies: whichever you buy will be long-retired whilst you're still using the lenses. Consider which lens/accessory family you want to join.
Only two real areas where Noink beats Canon: their flash system and the brightness/clarity of their lcd's.

I have owned Pro bodies from both Nikon and Canon and I can honestly say that from a quality standpoint on both bodies and lenses there is not enough difference between to make one clearly superior. Both companies have been around for a long time and both will continure to be around for years to come. I made the switch to Canon about a year ago when all of my Nikon gear was stolen. I was very happy with the Nikon gear but make the switch because most of the event photographers that I shoot for use Canon and I could borrow lenses that I refuse to buy.

If you are going to compare a Nikon to the 20D you should look at the new D200. Start with lenses because they are the foundation of your system. You camera body will probably change many times but your lenses, if you buy good quality, will stay with your for many years. Find some place that will rent both systems and rent both for a weekend. Shoot them both side by side. See which one feels better in your hands. See which one has the most inuitive controls for you. Don't take anyone elses word on the controls because what is intuitive for someone else may not be intuitive for you. You want to be able to get to the point where you can change settings quickly without having to think about it.

Finally once you make your decision don't look back. Both systems are top shelf and you won't go wrong with either but it is easy to look at the other side and think I should have..... There are things about my Canon that I like better than my Nikon but there are also things that I miss.

Just my .02
Michael

I'll also say that if you've got much in the way of (recent-ish) Minolta equipment, stay with the Minolta. They have some very competitively-priced equipment, and while the jury may still be out on the overall effectiveness of their in-camera stabilization vs. Canon's/Nikon's lens-based, at least with Minolta you have it for all your lenses. Admittedly, you won't be able to find them at every big box store; you'll need to look at the specialists, but that's not necessarily a reason to shy away. The camera will also operate much closer to what you're currently used to using.

If you don't have a big investment in Minolta equipment, then I think Canon's the most forward-looking of the digital-committed camera companies. They're well into their 4th generation of "prosumer" DSLRs (D30, D60, 10D, 20D), while Nikon's only on about the 2.5th generation of theirs (D100, D70, D70s), and the 20D still leads the D70s in most features.