Canon Vs Nikon Ergonomics (7D/D300 hands on)

So I spend 2 weeks in India with a friend who had a D300 while I had my 7D – so I had a chance to do a subjective comparison

Well both are great cameras capable of producing wonderful results given a competent user.

Ergonomics is hard to evaluate as it is very user depended and is heavily relates to habits and personal taste – so take what I say with a spoon of salt

The most frequent functions used suppose to be the easiest to access/adjust so here is my take in order of usage:

1. AF point relocation – Canon Joystick is much easier hands down (yes the Nikon does have more points – but you need to get there 1st)
2. Exposure compensation adjustment – Canon a simple turn of the back wheel ; Nikon two finger exercise (one on the EC button one on back dial) – Canon much easy
3. ISO change - Canon top button 1st & then top Dial ; Nikon two finger exercise one on left top & second on back dial ; it is a bit better on Canon as you do not need to keep the finger pressed while adjusting (additionally Nikon does not have ISO on the top LCD – strange !)

Additional observations
• Q menu – great feature not available on Nikon
• Set up menu – Nikon seems to have some great features (e.g adjustable spot size metering) – but it is all buried in a cumbersome menu system
• Shutter sound – Nikon is like butter I love it (may be Canon should record it and play it back when we press shutter release)
• Viewfinder info – Nikon has more info that is useful e.g. metering mode
• Custom buttons C1..C3 – Nikon has a setup banks but it is no way near as easy and convenient as the canon implementation.
• Bracketing implementation : I always thought Nikon is better until I used it – yes you can have 5 or 7 frames but the max increment is 1 EV (I could not find a way to set it for more ) – I do a lot of bracketing and 95% of times I want more than 1.5EV increments (and 3 steps are enough for me in most cases).

Well as you can tell – I really prefer the Canon ergonomics and for me ergonomics is key to effective usage !

Thanks for this... I've never used a Nikon and this makes me think I would find it frustrating.

Ergonomics was one of the reasons I switched to the 7d that and the simplicity of the controls. Love my 7d !!!

Feel the same way. Can't stand Nikon ergonomics.

omer wrote in post #14300824
So I spend 2 weeks in India with a friend who had a D300 while I had my 7D – so I had a chance to do a subjective comparison

Well both are great cameras capable of producing wonderful results given a competent user.

Ergonomics is hard to evaluate as it is very user depended and is heavily relates to habits and personal taste – so take what I say with a spoon of salt

The most frequent functions used suppose to be the easiest to access/adjust so here is my take in order of usage:

1. AF point relocation – Canon Joystick is much easier hands down (yes the Nikon does have more points – but you need to get there 1st)
2. Exposure compensation adjustment – Canon a simple turn of the back wheel ; Nikon two finger exercise (one on the EC button one on back dial) – Canon much easy
3. ISO change - Canon top button 1st & then top Dial ; Nikon two finger exercise one on left top & second on back dial ; it is a bit better on Canon as you do not need to keep the finger pressed while adjusting (additionally Nikon does not have ISO on the top LCD – strange !)

Additional observations
• Q menu – great feature not available on Nikon
• Set up menu – Nikon seems to have some great features (e.g adjustable spot size metering) – but it is all buried in a cumbersome menu system
• Shutter sound – Nikon is like butter I love it (may be Canon should record it and play it back when we press shutter release)
• Viewfinder info – Nikon has more info that is useful e.g. metering mode
• Custom buttons C1..C3 – Nikon has a setup banks but it is no way near as easy and convenient as the canon implementation.
• Bracketing implementation : I always thought Nikon is better until I used it – yes you can have 5 or 7 frames but the max increment is 1 EV (I could not find a way to set it for more ) – I do a lot of bracketing and 95% of times I want more than 1.5EV increments (and 3 steps are enough for me in most cases).

Well as you can tell – I really prefer the Canon ergonomics and for me ergonomics is key to effective usage !

There is a software switch in the menus for "easy exposure compensation" (Custom setting: B4). This makes the exposure compensation behave like a Canon.

actually i started with nikon and coming to canon was a pita. to me canon you have to go through more menus to get what you want. I didn't have much of a problem with my d200/d300s. When I came to canon I was like WTF this is weird.. Lol I'm still a lil lost with canon even though I've had 3 different canon bodies.

I will say I do love my 1dsII though lol

Could the OP get his friend to write a similar piece from his perspective as the Nikon owner "going the other way"? It'd make an interesting comparison to have both perspectives since a lot of this is very much a question of what one gets used to.

Btw as one who has never touched a Nikon is a 7D v D300 a like-for-like comparison in terms of camera grade/price point? I have no idea!

^ Well i was the one playing with my friend's Camera - He did not care to much to do the same (he did say he liked the Q button)

I did find in the Manuel of D300 (page 275) at home after the trip a way to omit the dual finger thing for expose compensation - but not for ISO

AS i said Ergonomics is a matter of Habit and taste - i am sure there will be more people having diffident opinions (lets hear them!)

Interesting review. We just picked up a D700, which is like a full frame version of the D300, and there are certainly a lot of menus to dig through. However, from what we've read, Canons have even more menus, so...yeah. Not sure about that.

The menus on the new 5D3 are a big improvement over prior bodies I've used (7d/Rebel)... There is no menu now with more items than will fit on a screen. So you're never scrolling or digging into menu trees... It's all very flat... A single control (the Main dial) flips thru all the various screens which are color coded by theme allowing you to scan every screen for the item you're looking for if you don't know where it lives.

You get used to each camera and sorry this test really isn't valid. What about creating a custom white balance - a one button press on the Nikon and how many on the Canon? Each has good and bad in how they work as there isn't a perfect camera.

I'm fine with the ergonomics of either with the exception of the D300's 5 way multicontroller. Hitting the center button was difficult for me sometimes and it would either go up, down, left, or right instead. This was changed on the D300s with a separate center button. I've heard some D300's multicontrollers work better than others. Mine stunk. I also prefer the user1, user2 settings over having banks settings. This was also changed on the d7000.

I also share the same opinion about Canon vs Nikon ergonomics. Both have great machines, but in terms of pure ergonomics (not just buttons and menus handling but the way the camera fits your hand, comfort, points of pressures after a long usage, etc) I feel Canon much better than Nikon. I cannot stand with Nikon ergonomics, they are too small cameras with a toy-like feeling. Not to talk about the dial located at the rear in Nikon instead of the top. Thats a big mistake as it makes you have to be continuously moving your thumb. However, thats a very important finger to keep balance and weight support for the camera, specially with heavy lenses.

I tried a friends D3s over Christmas, she was visiting from Toronto and wanted to try my Canons. We each hated the experience.

Ha! Exactly the reason I switched from a Nikon F to a Canon F-1n in the 70's...the Canon's layout simply felt better...of course in those days, features were pretty compatible