What do you see as the strengths and weaknesses between different systems?

Without being overly critical what are some of the strengths and weaknesses that you see between the different systems? I dont research them too much but have gathered certain insights from reading this forum. So I will try to start off with some things that I see.

Canon: has been in the business a long time and has the top selection of primes and also has a good line of bodies. Most lenses are also cheaper. They control a good portion of the market which makes buying and selling used goods or even just borrowing or renting alot more convenient. Same thing goes for Nikon.

Nikon: Doesnt have as great a selection of lenses as canon does but does offer a lot in their bodies along with having a more useful/cheaper ocf solution. Third party lenses such as sigma tend to play nicer with Nikons lenses over Canons.

Sony: seems to have just gotten in the dslr race but already are starting to offer some very interesting camera bodies and they have a selection of zeiss lenses that you can chose from. They have also until just recently been manufacturing the sensors for Nikon whos cameras do pretty well in low light noise control. So I would think sonys would do just as well.The biggest concern for most buyers is probably Sony's intentions on how much they will invest in the dslr race and will they continue to try to expand into the pro market more than the quality of their current dslr lineup.

Sigma: Has this really cool foveon technology where they use three sensors to map out a picture. One for the color red, one for green and one for blue. It should allow for the sensor to capture very very good dynamic range in your photos but it seems that their high iso isnt very good. The bodies only accept sigma glass which is quite good and very affordable but not considered the best in optics. For that you can go with Nikons top of the line or Canons L or even some of Sonys offerings. I do think that I read somewhere where you can change the mount on the Sigma dslr to acept canon or nikon lenses which if I had a bunch of money to spend might be something I would be willing to do.

As for pentax or olympus etc etc I dont know anything about them. `And I think we can leave out Hasslblad and Leica do to the huge cost.


So what are some of your likes or dislikes between some of these companies?

sony hasn't "just gotten into the DSLR race" as much as they haven't figured out how to make the best use of the minolta camera division they acquired. they have the ability to be a huge player (since they make photosensors), but they're not sure where they want to be in the market as their FF line is professional grade only in name.

I don't think you can go wrong with a dSLR these days.

For me though it was out of Canon & Nikon because of the "presence" the "big two" have.

I'm 100% financially locked into the Canon system now and are more than happy with the choice I made.

Anyone who says Sony aint in the DSLR race does not know
how much they really make under the Nikon name plate.
Nikon is the king of outsouce. Sensor and Camera !!
See Blog link below if you want the full story...

Canon doesn't have that pesky stealthy ninja spruiking for them.

fotoworx wrote in post #10798698
I don't think you can go wrong with a dSLR these days.

Its really beginning to look that way to me as well.

Nikon = High iso and AI servo king (Nikon d3 series)
Canon = So many users = Lot's of money = economies of scale
Sony = They make DSLR's ??
Sigma = I wouldn't buy their lenses what makes you think I'll buy their cameras?
Pentax and Olympus = Had an Olympus P&S turned out to be a PoS.

Nikon = (Same as the guy on top) Cept i will add that they're really top notch at almost everything, i just feel like a lot of their higher end stuff (bodies and lenses) are more expensive than the Canon equivalent

Canon = They've built a reputation around Point and Shooters which are ALWAYS, ALWAYS top notch when it comes to the full package (design, results, moderate pricing), so people KNOW their name. So when a person shows up with a Canon DSLR, they assume it's top notch too, when infact Canon is slipping further into a comfortable 2nd (when it comes to IQ, Noise, AF in higher end bodies). They have a delicious amount of EF/EF-S lenses to choose from and their higher end bodies are cheaper than the nikon equivalent.

Sony = I'm going to wait for them to expand, because I've been reading their market share and sony has taken share from almost EVERYONE (most damage done to Canon). And they too have a nice following from the PaS market. Give them a few years to follow up with the new NEX users and Sony will come out strong.

Sigma = They're an interesting bunch. Being a lens company and coming out with a couple of new experimental bodies. I would love to try some of their lenses as i have heard they are excellent (ignoring some of the small AF problems it might have, but could be easily solved by sending it in for repair)

Pentax and Olympus = Definite up-and-comers until Canikon come out with their own EVIL camera. The faster Canon/Nikon does this, the faster they can end the only good market they have.

I'm only using information i know from the top of my head, correct me if i'm wrong.

Give me a Canon over a Nikon any day of the week please.

Here's my 2 cents.

Canon Pros = masters something that has already been created and makes it better (HD movie, articulating screen). They have the advantage in lens selection over other manufacturers. They update their bodies quite frequently to keep up with the market's demands.

Canon Cons = Some of their decisions about upgrading bodies sometimes don't make any sense for those looking for a successor to their current models. (50D-60D not really worth upgrading to). They still have 1.3x sensors. Some like it and some would rather want FF with 1.3x crop ability. Their models are a little too specific (take 5D series and compare it to 7D, a whole different ballgame). ISO Banding.

Nikon Pros = Their higher end models cover every field of photography. Want to do studio work, photojournalism and sports? Their FF models would rock this. Canon OTOH, makes you second guess your body and hopes for you to buy another camera to support that genre of photography. Nikon is also closing the gap as they are releasing more and more lenses. Their wide angle lenses are said to trump Canon's but I really can't say for myself. Their dynamic range and ISO performance is at the top in the DSLR market right now.

Nikon Cons = I don't own one yet...Their lenses are nice but a little more expensive than Canon. They haven't overhauled their video system yet to match Canon's. They don't provide software similar to DPP.

Canon pros: primes, telephotos, APS-H bodies
Nikon pros: zooms, ultra wide lenses, autofocus, better choice of FX bodies

I really like Canon's CPS setup. It's very very supportive, and a great way for pros and non-pros to get help quickly,efficiently, and cheaply.
Nikon's NPS, from what some people have told me, is a joke.

With regards to the systems, for my uses, they are much the same, though I'd like a camera dedicated to higher ISO without so many pixels. It's not a deal-breaker though.
Nikon's biggest pro for me is the D3s, and D700. These are cameras I really want. Everything else is much of a muchness.

Canon - sort of the first company people look at when they buy a camera, has the "oooh! A Canon!" effect (marketing). Good looks camera bodies and strong presence with primes and really love their megapixels, one of the 2 MP war combatants. Insane macro ability. Also many Canon users can be found at tourist attractions and outdoors.

Nikon - Mitsubishi-ish approach to photography, not the best looking bodies but they really do know how to perform. Plenty bang for the buck in the bodies in terms of features and ISO. I can walk around a museum and see only one other Canon user while seeing hundreds of Nikon users. Strong in the wide angle, macro, and zoom markets. Loves their high ISO performance and solid AF performance. Punchy/Vivid and very lively in-camera colors.

Sony - Carl Zeiss and Minolta. New A55 looks quite promising and their live view AF is probably the best in the business. The other combatant in the MP war.

Pentax - Weather sealing galore. UI is quite nice.

All observations based on personal experience from my viewpoint and is all subjective.

I will only comment on Canon and Nikon.

Canon Pros:
Low end DSLRs and P&S cameras are better overall.
Landscape photography and Portraits are nice on Canon (more MP and no need for great AF)
Sports is good if you have a 1DIV or a 7D (if you don't mind crop cameras)
Better video
Prime lenses (more choice and some really quality L lenses)
Cheaper lenses (though with the new lenses that are coming out, this is rapidly changing).

Canon Cons:
Pro features like Good AF and weather sealing doesn't trickle down as much.
They tend to make weird decisions based on marketing rather than what their users want (60D for example).
They love to pile the Megapixels in (though they do a good job considering).
No affordable FF camera with decent AF (I use to not care about this much till I started to... get better... ).

Nikon Pros:
Pro features (AF mainly) in lower models.
You can use a D300, D700 or a D3s for sports they all have great AF.
High ISO noise is great.
They're sensible about megapixels... but some say they want more.
Better Zoom lenses overall.
They make decisions based on what their users need a bit more than Canon.
Subjectively speaking, I prefer the skintones (a BIG plus for me).
You don't feel like you need as many lenses as with Canon. A 14-24 + 24-70 + 70-200 is basically all you need. Maybe this is because they have less choice. LOL
They can actually make a UWA zoom that's good.

Nikon Cons:
Most models don't do full HD Video (D3100 does, and it has proper full time video AF. Nikon will improve in this area and match Canon with their next range).
Not enough MP for some. IF you want to to landscapes the 5DII is a great choice.
Some say the Bokeh isn't as nice as Canon's (Sigma do help this a bit)

Tie: Upper models (D3/1D) The 1DIV is a great Sports/action camera. So is the D3s. The D3s is a touch more flexible because it's FF. The 1DsIII and the D3x are pretty similar I think.


Both are good. Get what you want/need.