Do you ever think you made the wrong decision?

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foodpoison

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Do you ever think you made the wrong decision about which camera brand you side yourself on?

The reason I bought a Canon was because it was cheap, and it was cheerful, but mostly because I'd heard of Canon before, and I had a passing interest in SLR's previously, but Canon was the only one I could recall.

I know Canon produce some cracking images, and with my 350d I have produced some results that I'm really happy with, but I don't know.
I always wonder if Nikon would have given me better results.
I've heard stories about how Nikon have better colour representation. I've read articles about how D3's were used at an american football game, and the pictures were so perfect, no toning was needed on them whatsoever.

I wouldn't even know where to begin when looking at all the Nikon mumbo-jumbo, and I certainly don't want to get rid of all my gear for a Nikon.
I just have this feeling of unease when I think I might have made the wrong decision.

Does anyone else get this feeling sometimes?

(sorry to all the Canon owners!)
 
mmm, I owned, well still do a P&S Nikon and I was very impressed with the results from it, when it came to investing in a dslr my choice was Canon only because the lens seemed a lot more available. Now I am happy with my 30d and gubbins but I do sometimes wonder, did I do the right thing or is it the grass is greener on the other side of the hill?.In truth still not sure but still do have that slight feeling of unease. Regards Jim
 
I believe my camera is capable of so much more than I can achieve with my limited skills so I don't spend much time comparing it with the competition. If I ever got to the stage that my livelihood depended on the subtle differences then I would start thinking "what if". As it is I am on a steep learning curve that doesn't demand that I have the best equipment available.
 
I think it goes in cycles. As competition between the brands develops one of them breaks new ground with a particular model, they're top dog for a while and then the other takes a jump forwards.

Nikon does have a very attractive line up at the moment.
 
i ummed and ahhh'd for weeks last year when it came to buying my first dslr. In the end it was between the 350D and D40X. I read review after review and the fact that the Nikon's colour representation seemed to be a little bit better swung it for me.

If, like me,you dabble with manual lenses the fact that any lens that nikon has ever made will mount on my camera is an even bigger plus point (although non-nikon lenses won't focus to infinity (without modification) due to the depth of nikons mount). This can't be said of any other brand without having to use adapters.

Am I glad I went with Nikon? I am. Do I often wonder if I should have gone to another brand? Actually, yes, but it wouldn't have been Canon (nothing against them though...they aren't the best selling brand for nothing!). I often wonder if I should have gone to Pentax (and still do). Built-in dust removal and shake reduction and great compatibility with older lenses often has me wondering.
 
The 350D was my first DSLR and I preferred that particular option at the time over the Nikon equivalent and once you're in a brand you're pretty much stuck with it. I don't mind as I love my 30D. If I was to start now I may well have goine down the Nikon route instead, but I don't know.

I don't think I made the wrong decision, but then again I wouldn't say I made the right one either. I'd still be taking the same pictures whichever brand I'd sided with.
 
Nope, I don't really give a cr*p. As long as my camera does what I want it to do, I'm happy. As Veracocha said:
I believe my camera is capable of so much more than I can achieve with my limited skills
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The only reason I bought Nikon was because I'd had a few Canon P&S cameras before and I wasn't happy with them. I didn't research which camera was supposedly better. I woke up one morning, decided I really wanted a DSLR, and bought my D70. Simple as! I'll still be using my D70 in years to come too - no hurry to upgrade to anything bigger/better as it still has more functions than I've figured out what to do with :lol:
 
I bought my first Canon because the ergonomics for me were better, Then of course you're hooked once you've one or two lenses. It's too expensive to change. However having said that I'm more than happy with Canon. Would I change? well it would take a lot. It's not always down to pixel count, just how many do you really need? If I needed to upgrade and the camera was "difficult" to use then that's the only reason I can think off.
 
Yeah, i have made some buying decisions that i wish i hadn't.

Bought many P&S / Super zooms, only to realise that a DSLR is so much better.

Bought a Canon 400D, hated the ergonomics, so returned it under the DSR.

Bought a Canon 40D, as it looked like the Oly e-3 was delayed, only for it to be released a month later! Sold it and bought the E-3 and now i'm a happy bunny :)

The grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence (and in the case of Olympus colours, it is! :D)
 
DoubleT said:
doesnt matter what side you choose to sit on, the grass will at some piont seem to be greener on the other side...
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Says it all!
 
I'm happy with my gear. Of course I would love a 5fps 5D with usable ISO6400, but it doesn't exist so I'm happy with what I have.
 
All the time. Ive even worked out how much it would cost to switch at one point. But that's just me wondering.

I will admit I do like the look of the darkside (Nikon, as I'm a Canon user). I haven't ever been tempted by the others, like Oly, Fuji etc.

The only reason I went Canon at the time (350) was because everyone else I knew personally had a Canon, and it was the only DSLR I could afford. So I just woke up and went "Ohhhhh go on then". No research, nothing. The chap who I used to go togging with hated that (he was quite anal about doing research and what not about the stuff he bought...lol, I couldn't give two hoots, Im an impulse buyer and proud).
 
FP we all think that at times I'm sure but at the end of the day it is just the tool for collecting light and no matter how fantastic the hole and glass on the front of the box is, if not pointed in the right way and the right angle they are all crap. If it was that easy we would all be great photogs earning a mint ;) I can only dream:lol:
 
laser_jock99 said:
Or of course you could stand out from the 'crowd' and buy a Pentax/Olympus/Minolta(Sony)/Fuji etc. Or if your really undecided have both!
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One of the first times I went out last summer with my camera, I turned up at an RAF fly past. Loads of people there with cameras all looking towards the sky. I nestled into the crowd and worked my way to the front. I ended up standing next to a guy who also had the Sony a100 - I've not seen anyone since though, they are out there though :thinking:
 
I started back in the late 70s with a canon A1 I was the bee`s knees Ist camera.
Then bought another Canon AE1 Prog 2nd body
Moved onto another A1 with motor drive (Millions of batterys to run it)
Bought a T90 (Best canon ever I even Used F1`s )
Then they made the EOS 5... puke
Never used it then the digi came in sold all my stuff gave up photography for 3 yrs in the wilderness then (Pokey)
And Jackrussell nagged me into buying a digi so to start again.
Now to the point
I moved to Nikon a camera I have never used beforeto make me think a little with new dials & Knobs to play with and a new camera lay out it makes me think .........
and I love it..... And with Moomike twisting my arm and a little beating from him I joined TP and Ive never looked back. :thumbs:
So in a nut shell Canon 20+ yr to Nikon 10month :woot:
 
I went from an Olympus E300 to the Canon 10D & really wanted to get on with it but just couldn't. Picked up a D80 & never gave Canon a second thought ever since! Now have 3 Nikons & very happy with all of them.
 
Marcel said:
All the time. Ive even worked out how much it would cost to switch at one point. But that's just me wondering.

I will admit I do like the look of the darkside (Nikon, as I'm a Canon user). I haven't ever been tempted by the others, like Oly, Fuji etc.

The only reason I went Canon at the time (350) was because everyone else I knew personally had a Canon, and it was the only DSLR I could afford. So I just woke up and went "Ohhhhh go on then". No research, nothing. The chap who I used to go togging with hated that (he was quite anal about doing research and what not about the stuff he bought...lol, I couldn't give two hoots, Im an impulse buyer and proud).
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DITTO! I had an praktica film SLR years ago, but when I was looking for a dslr replacement for my prosumer fuji, the few togs I knew all had Nikons, so the D70s was what I opted for - very little research, only in as far as comparing that against other Nikons and price, and I am officially a darksider and since added a D200. Do I regret it? never, love my Nikons; do I wonder what the other side might have been like? yes of course, occasionally, don't we all. ;)
 
End result should be the same no matter the body. If I went to a gig using a Nikon I'd put it on the same settings, with a 24-70 f/2.8 type lens and convert to b&w later. The higher ISO would be nicer in really dark gigs but not nice enough to sell all my gear and swap. I still want one of those Canon AE-1's though. Thats how cameras should look. A digital one of them please Canon.
 
there are very few crap dslrs out there anymore. and there isnt much to choose between them. it comes down to which camera you like.
we have a biz where we started off with two 350d,s .
we now have loads of canon lens,s flash.s etc and a couple of 30d,s. so it makes sense for us to upgrade to 5d,s next.(ok we have to go L lenses).
we started off with the best available camera in our budget at the time ,which seemed up to the job.i liked the 350 so much that ive only just started using the 30d and will probably continue to use the 30 as my mrs uses the 5,s .
i cant say weve ever regreted the choice.
fortunately.
incidentaly. she shot film on olympus and minolta. cameras
 
Started in the late '80s with a Canon AE1, early '90s moved to a Canon EOS 650, Then in the '00s got a Canon EOS 5, then 3 years ago got a Canon EOS 10D, This week i will be ordering my Canon 40D:D.
I did have a look at Nikon D300, and wondered if i sold my kit would it be worth a try........Nah! Canons what i know and love.
Dean:)
 
in short, no, i chose canon for the range of lenses and because i spent a lot of time doing my homework first, i didn't like the way the nikon D70 handled when i was looking so chose canon. I have made it quite clear recently however that i'm very impressed with the new Nikon D300 and i've thought many times of jumping ship but have decided to stick with what i know :)
 
I read several reviews on the net comparing the Nikon D40X to the Canon EOS 400D and the conclusion drawn by most reviews was buy the one which is on special offer at the time. This is what I did. I bought the Nikon D40X and I am really pleased with it.
 
I'm one of those sad little souls out there with only one lens on a Canon 350D - a sigma 18-200 3 years or so old which produces OK images but a bit soft. I have to make my mind up whether to 'treat' the 350D to some better glass (looking at a Sigma 18-20 first) or to hang on till I can afford a better body (would love a Nikon D300). So I've not got a huge lens investment in Canon, so moving to the dark side is now or never I guess! I'd made up my mind today to kit out my 350D - reading this I'm back wondering!
 
I very much doubt my pictures would look any different on a nikon instead of my canon.
 
I was and still am happy with choosing the Nikon D80. There wasn't really a Canon equivalent at the time so it didn't take much consideration. I did try out the Canon 30D which was great but was £150 more at the time.

The only thing that gets me thinking now is future upgrades. When I do upgrade maybe this time next year I will be looking at the Nikon D300. But for a little more, Canon offer a full frame camera. But is it really worth all the money I will lose switching systems?
 
Bought a 350D about 2 yrs ago with 2 kit lenses and couldn't have been happier, however the more you get involved with photography, the more you look around...last year invested in a 5D with 2 L series lens and thought that was a major step up...so now I'm thinking what's next on the wishlist?! Sometimes ignorance is bliss! Question is would I jump ship?....Probably not.

Regards
Tim
 
Well I used Nikons for years and made the swap to Canon when I went digital, for no other reason than I fancied a change and got rid of a big lens commitment when I sold my film gear. I've never regretted the change. The truth is whichever one suits you best is the one to go for, but beyond that, worrying about the differences between these two marques really shows you're thinking on the wrong tack anyway.

IMHO of course. :D
 
Well, one thing I know is that both Canon and Nikon and indeed all the other big players produce superb cameras, and we are lucky to have such a great choice of superb equipment.
It strange how since the "digital revolution" has arrived there has been this brand name war thing going on.I cant remember it being like this when we all shot film.
Since cameras have become boxes of circuitry, consumerism has taken over like in all the other "must have the latest and greatest" markets.

I was browsing a Nikon users forum the other night and some people were discussing the release of the D300.
One comment from what seemed like a reasonably intelligent guy was "the D200 is obsolete now the D300 is released".??:thinking:
Well, I have a D200, and it was a great camera when I bought it and it still is a great camera now.It didn't suddenly develop some kind of mysterious mystical crapness at the stroke of midnight when the D300 became available.

If you listen to the manufacturers its a miracle that anybody has been able to produce a decent picture in the last 100 years with out the use of a D3,a 1DS MK3,the D300 or the 450D to help us. :shake:

I'm not really sure what your point is mate.You say that you are happy with your Canons pictures so why change?
I totally agree with CTs last comment above. :agree:
 
Started on a Nikon D50, went to a D80, now running around with a D200:)

With photography, you are buying into a system, not just a camera... I tried both the 350D and the D50 when I started, but found the Canon too small to be comfortable in my hands. The D50 however fitted like a glove. Each to their own I suppose!
 
I sometimes wish I'd have gone Contax instead of Mamiya. There's sod all to choose between the two and Contax had just gone belly up when I was picking a system. So really, there was only one way I could have gone with my business head.

There are times though that I still wish I'd have been stupid and gone with the obsolete camera. It's just a more touchy, feely camera and the Contax name is more emotive somehow.

As for 35mm style stuff, it's all the same really. Hard to get excited one way or another. I'd like to have some nikon stuff next but only for changes sake. Although I imagine that if it all got nicked and I got paid out to start again, canon still make tools slightly more suited to my needs.
 
I've always heard it was how you used the equipment you have and not what type of equipment you have. I think a good photographer could utilize any means of format or brand. True, some brands may have better resolution, better color maybe, but in the end, the work of the photographer and the post processing should define an image? Maybe, maybe not. I've seen stellar images from all brands and I've seen crappy images from all brands (taken my share of crappy lol), so it leads me to believe there are other factors at work other than brand.

I chose Nikon because Nikon equipment was passed down to me from a relative. (FM2 with about 5 pretty nice lenses... at least nice back in the day lol) I wanted to utilize those lenses that I liked and already had, so pow... Nikon.

I don't think you should worry about what brand you have. Canon produces some of the greatest images on earth. I'd just worry about getting out there and doing your part in documenting the world. :)
 
mole2k said:
I very much doubt my pictures would look any different on a nikon instead of my canon.
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Could not agree more. Nikon, Cannon, who knows what, if I can ever exceed my cameras potential, Canon 400D, then I will probably be too old to worry about it:lol:.
 
I have collected examples from most 35mm brands over the years. The only SLR brands I dont have any of are Contax and Olympus (although I still crave an OM4Ti for my collection). I started with Zenith & Praktica stuff (because it was cheaper) then progressed to Pentax & Minolta. I stuck using the Minolta gear for a few years & then picked up some Canon & Nikon bodies off E-bay. I was very impressed with the Nikon AF stuff and began collecting more Nikon Ais & AF lenses. When it came to aquiring a DSLR I did my research and concluded the Fuji S2 Pro was best for what I needed to do and fitted the Nikon lenses. I have subsequently bought another Fuji DSLR. Film camera wise the Nikon gear was top notch (still use my F801 occasionaly) and I wish I had gotten into it years earlier.
 
Reading the posts in this thread (and trust me, I read every single one!) it seems I'm worrying unnecessarily.
Playing with the D300 at work really got me worried.
But its just that stereotypical male mentality, isn't it?
Must have the latest and greatest :D

I'm well happy with the images my 350d produces (not so happy with the size and features, would like better high ISO performance, better build quality, and more ergonomic feel), and I'm slowly upgrading my lenses so they perform how I want them to (mostly to compensate for my lack of skill! :p)

Of course I'm going to question my commitment to Canon, especially since the D300 was just released (because, lets face it, it is a tasty camera!) but I think the issues lie within myself.
A lot of the time, the photos I get just aren't what I want, and I know that it is down to my skill to control the camera and skill to compose the shot (not lacking in the artistic eye, I don't think! :shrug:).

Eventually I think I'm going to upgrade to a 40d, but it will be a long long time before I can afford that.
Until then, I think working on my camera+pp skills would be beneficial.
 
Being a bit of an oddball, I bought Minolta a couple of years ago for the in body anti shake and the amazing ergonomics of the Minolta 7D. What I didn't know about was the huge amount of good quality 2nd hand mid range minolta lenses available and I was very happy with my choice.

It is only when I looked to upgrade my body to the new Sony Alpha 700 with a 70-200 2.8 G lens that I regretted my decision. The cost of high end Sony lenses in this country is unbelievable.

I ended up importing the body and buying the lens in the US and sticking withe the A-Mount. It's a cracking camera and that 70-200 lens may be expensive, but it is the nuts!
 
CT said:
worrying about the differences between these two marques really shows you're thinking on the wrong tack anyway.

IMHO of course. :D
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Totally agree IMHO.

Just remember, Nikon for binoculars and Canon for camera's :thumbs:

## runs away now i've pulled the pin! ##
 
The short answer to your question (for me IMHO) is NO
I have no regrets in selecting canon from the three options i had (Canon :love:, Nikon :love: "the others" :puke::thumbsdown::bang: )

But Nikon have some great cameras at the moment - about time...
 
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