When I bought my first serious camera (back then cameras used stuff called film), I had to make the big decision that all photographers must make with their first SLR (Single Lens Reflex – the king of camera that lets you change lenses) – Canon or Nikon.
You may say, "But what about Minolta, Pentax, Sigma, Hasselblad, etc." For the most part other brands are either too proprietary, over priced, behind in innovation or difficult to find accessories for. Canon and Nikon are the standards.
At the time I was shopping for my first SLR most pros shot with the Nikon F5, a camera that was built for surviving battle photography. Canon was always pushing the technology and feature envelope while Nikon was working on rugged design and dependability.
Two things occurred right before I made my final decision that brought me to my final decision to go with Canon.
1. Canon released the Elan 7e a camera that read your pupil to pick a focusing point – how cool is that?
2. Canon released the 1v a camera that out performed the Nikon F5 in every way. It had a more sturdy, yet lighter, body. It also featured an 8fps shutter speed and sealed buttons for weather proofing. That camera put Canon ahead of the game.
As soon as the 1v hit the shelves, large white lenses appeared at every sporting event. Canon's high end lenses are white – a feature that is now copied by many other manufacturers.
Canon may not have lead the digital movement, but they were one of the first to believe in it as a serious professional photography option. In fact, Nikon was way ahead of Canon in releasing a serious professional digital camera, but the price and low quality demonstrated that Nikon's loyalty lied with film photographers.
In 1999 Nikon released the D1 – based on the F5 body, it was a 2.6 megapixel camera that shot 4fps for $5,500. They were so happy with their product that they must have believed it would take years before any other company would catch up.
In the next two years, Canon put every effort into dethroning Nikon and it worked. In 2000 Canon released a the D60, a 3 megapixel DSLR for $2800 that shot nearly 3fps. The camera was not as sturdy as the D1 but critics loved it. The camera had broken every barrier and brought the digital SLR into the hands of the pro-sumer.
In 2000 Canon threwthe deciding punch by releasing the 1D – Canon made it obvious to Nikon that they knew they had the upper hand and they rubbed that hand in the face of Nikon. Even the name of the camera seemed to be a snub – the D1 was Nikon's baby and the 1D belonged to Canon.
The 1D had a high $7000 price tag, but it also had an 8fps shutter and was based in every way around the 1v. It also had a 4 megapixel sensor, reaching the quality that photojournalists needed for cover shots.
Even with the follow-up models that Nikon released, it still took Nikon years to get past 4 megapixels in quality while Canon's 1Ds hit 10 megapixels.
I shoot with a Canon because they lead in technology and performance. Nikon makes great cameras, but when it comes to professional and serious digital cameras, Canon continues to lead.
Last month Nikon released the D40, a 6 megapixel camera with some great features for $599, but you can bank that Canon has some huge surprises around the corner at January's Photo Marketing Association (PMA) show. Or they may just lower the price of the Rebel XT (8 megapixels) to compete.
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