Canon VS Nikon: Which Is Better???

Nikon Lens Recommendations for New Nikon DSLR Owners

I've had a lot of readers asking about lenses and what lens they should buy with their first Nikon DSLR.

There are a lot of Nikon lenses to choose from, and it's easy to see how it could be a daunting task for the newcomer.

Here's a short video on my Nikon lens recommendations for those of you that are just starting out with a Nikon DSLR, are considering buying one, or are trying to decide what your next lens purchase should be.

Nikon VL1

What if Nikon surprised us all?

What if when August rolls around, instead of just the anticipated D3000 and D300s being the big news, they pulled the cover off a new larger than 35mm format camera called the Nikon VL1 (VL=VeryLarge).

The new Nikon VL1 is capable of using all the existing Nikon lenses, including the DX lenses in DX mode. Along with the new VL1, Nikon introduces a whole new line of VL1 lenses. That's why they've been slowly to market with some of the up-dates to the existing Nikon lens line-up. They've been busy designing and engineering the new series of VL lenses for the Nikon VL1.

The VL1 has a 50 Megapixel sensor, with an integrated solid state hard drive capable of holding over 250 full size, full resolution RAW image files from the VL1. The drive is removable, so you can have extras on hand, or up-grade it to a larger size as they become available.

The Nikon VL1's sensor is removable as well. This feature is specifically intended for making cleaning and servicing easier, but also makes one think Nikon is planning to introduce an up-graded sensor at a later point. The VL1 has user selectable RAW file sizes ranging from 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, and 50 Megapixels.

The VL1 has a built in Wi-fi transmitter, capable of tranferring images at previously unheard of speeds, making wireless image transfer almost as fast as writing to the VL1's solid state drive.

The VL1 has a revolutionary new auto focus system that is the most incredible thing ever to happen to auto focus. The VL1 tracks your eye movement and focuses on what you're looking at. The technology is absolutely incredible, and everyone that has tried it can't stop raving about it.

As a bonus, Nikon has included an entirely new software suite with the VL1. The new software is capable of rendering astonishing and previously unheard of enhancements to the VL1's RAW files, as well as doing Ultra High Quality RAW conversions.

To top it off, the workflow of this software is FAST. It makes Lightroom look slow and because Nikon has included it at no additional charge, it is sure to replace Lightroom for all Nikon shooters. To further this anticipated adoption rate, Nikon is making it available at no charge to all existing Nikon DSLR owners via download through the Nikon website.

Kudos to Nikon for not only fixing the workflow issues of their past software, but for taking a page from Google and making the software FREE.

The VL1 body will be available as of September 15, 2009, at an MSRP of $9,999.99 USD. Body and lens kit combinations will also be available at a cost savings of 5 to 10%.

What if?

(and until then, there's always the D700x to keep you happy :)

Could this be the Nikon PEN I asked for?

Nikon Coolpix P1DX
Compact camera with DX 12.3 MPx sensor.
Hours outbreaks distance from 28 to 85 mm, f/3.5-5.6 speed, stabilization sensors,
2.9-inch LCD for the 920-dot, Výklopný, head-up viewfinder, the internal flash
Telepredsádka 1,8 x

The above specs for the Coolpix P1DX are from a supposedly “leaked” Nikon 2009-2010 roadmap posted over at Nikon Rumors.

The story goes that the roadmap was leaked from an IT company in the UK that handles some of Nikon's software. It was translated to English (hence the bad grammar).

There is also a slew of new lenses and DSLR bodies including the D3000, D300s, D4, D700x, and D400 outlined in the roadmap. Check it out over at Nikon Rumors.

Back to the Nikon Coolpix P1DX.

Is it possible?

Could the P1DX be the Nikon “PEN” that I talked about in my post “Where is the Nikon Digital PEN?”

The fact that it appears to have the D90 / D5000 12.3 Megapixel sensor is a good start. The lens could stand to be a fair bit faster... say f2.8 to f4, or even a constant f2.8 if Nikon really wants to cause a stir.

I'm intrigued!

All we can do now is wait to see what announcements are made from Nikon.

Maybe we'll see some leaked pictures of the P1DX soon!

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Switching from Canon to Nikon

There has been a lot of talk on the internet from folks considering the switch from Canon to Nikon. Some of them are ex-Nikon shooters looking to come home, and some are Canon shooters intrigued by everything the new Nikon D3 has to offer.

Considering I used to shoot Nikon (switched to Canon in the Spring of 2006), obviously these new Nikons hold an appeal for me. I like my Canon's, and although I've never had any problems with them (touch wood), I don't have the same confidence in Canon QC and reliability as I did with my Nikons.

Case in point: the 30D vs the D200. Image quality aside, when you pick them both up, the 30D feels like a toy in comparison. The D200 is much better built and is much better stacked feature and ergonomic-wise.

That said, there is something missing in Nikon's lens line-up that may stop me from buying a D3 or a D300 (I wouldn’t switch back, but would shoot “bi” if I bought a new Nikon). They have no standard zoom with VR. Big problem! I was really surprised when they announced the 24-70 with no VR. What were they thinking? This would've been a huge thing for Canon and Nikon shooters alike.

Image stabilization (or VR or OS or whatever you want to call it) is something that should be pretty standard now. I like the idea of a body based system like the Pentax K10D or the new Sony A700, but so far these haven't panned out. The K10D doesn't even have pro lenses available yet, and the AF speed is an issue (maybe not once we can get a hold of the new Pentax lenses). The Sony A700 looks good on paper, but it's IS better be better than it's A100 little brother because the A100 wasn't all that. Also, A700 images I’ve seen so far look pretty bad at high ISO.

Then there’s the price. While this isn’t a consideration for some, it is for me. I like to get maximum value and a great bargain. As much as the D3 appeals to me on many levels, it's price tag does not. The D300 is more my speed. I'm not saying the D3's price isn't justified, just that it doesn't fit into my business model. So, the big question is how the D300 will do on image quality.

And of course, Nikon has yet to introduce a standard zoom with VR. Will they? This is something many will want to think about before considering a switch. With Canon you’ve got the Canon 17-55 f2.8 IS and the Canon 24-105 f4L IS to choose from. With Nikon, you’ve got nothing in a PRO caliber.

And what if Pentax brings out a successor to the K10D that uses the new 12MP CMOS sensor that the D300 and A700 use? The K10D is one FULLY FEATURED camera! If the new lenses deliver good AF speed, I think I'll be adding a Pentax... not a Nikon.

Ahhh... so much to consider!

Nikon D3 and D300… Big News from Nikon!

Nikon set the photography world on fire this past week with their announcements for the new D3 and D300 DSLR’s. With the D3, Nikon has finally ventured into the world of full frame digital, a long awaited and much anticipated event for Nikon shooters. The D300 is a welcome surprise as well. The successor to the D200, it ups the ante and sports the same new auto-focus system that the D3 has.

The D3’s full frame, FX format, 12 Megapixel CMOS sensor is the real big news with this new DSLR from Nikon. Until now, Canon has been the only real player in the “full frame” DSLR arena. The development of a full frame Nikon DSLR has been rumoured for some time and has been the subject of many a heated online discussion. Now that it’s here, not only has Nikon done FF, it’s reported to be VERY good at high iso, something the D200 and D2Xs were not. To tease us even further, the D3 has a high iso setting of 25, 600!

Initial reports are even indicating that it’s better than Canon’s new 1D MkIII at high iso, something that, if it’s true, will make big waves in the world of wedding and sports photographers.

The D3 sports some other impressive specs besides its new sensor. It’s the first DSLR to have dual CF cards slots. Canon’s 1D series have had dual slots for a while now, but they were a CF & SD combination. With the D3, we now have the ability to use two CF cards, which remain the preferred digital media of choice for professional photographers. Those SD cards are just too darn small!

Nikon set the photography world on fire this past week with their announcements for the new D3 and D300 DSLR’s. With the D3, Nikon has finally ventured into the world of full frame digital, a long awaited and much anticipated event for Nikon shooters. The D300 is a welcome surprise as well. The successor to the D200, it ups the ante and sports the same new auto-focus system that the D3 has.

The D3’s full frame, FX format, 12 Megapixel CMOS sensor is the real big news with this new DSLR from Nikon. Until now, Canon has been the only real player in the “full frame” DSLR arena. The development of a full frame Nikon DSLR has been rumoured for some time and has been the subject of many a heated online discussion. Now that it’s here, not only has Nikon done FF, it’s reported to be VERY good at high iso, something the D200 and D2Xs were not. To tease us even further, the D3 has a high iso setting of 25, 600!

Initial reports are even indicating that it’s better than Canon’s new 1D MkIII at high iso, something that, if it’s true, will make big waves in the world of wedding and sports photographers.

The D3 sports some other impressive specs besides its new sensor. It’s the first DSLR to have dual CF cards slots. Canon’s 1D series have had dual slots for a while now, but they were a CF & SD combination. With the D3, we now have the ability to use two CF cards, which remain the preferred digital media of choice for professional photographers. Those SD cards are just too darn small!

Also new with the D3, and shared with it’s little brother the D300, is a new 920,000 pixel LCD. Initial testers and those lucky enough to get a hands-on play have said this new LCD is nothing short of incredible. It’s sharp and vivid, in fact Nikon has coined the phrase “stunning” to describe it. Featuring a 170 degree angle of viewing, I think D3 and D300 users will be in for a real treat when they first see an image on this new LCD!

The Auto Focus system has gotten an up-grade too! For a while now, many thought the D2X’s auto-focus was the best out there, and then the 1D MkIII came along and trumped it. It may well be a short-lived victory however, as the new 51 point Multi-Cam 3500 in the D3 (and D300 suprisingly enough) is reputed to take the lead in AF once again.

It’s interesting to note that this is another first for Nikon. Previously, the D2 series had the best AF Nikon had to offer, and the D200 had a simpler version that was good, but not as good. Now the new D300 shares the same top-of-the-line AF system as the D3. A good day for shooters everywhere as this pushes advancements down the line and will put pressure on Canon and other manufacturers to improve their lower end models.

And then there’s Liveview, a new feature that allows the user to focus with the new 920,000 pixel LCD instead of through the viewfinder. There’s two modes… a tripod mode and a hand-held mode, which is apparently necessary due to the complexity of this type of focusing and its inability to deal with motion. Regardless, it’s always nice to see progressive technology being introduced.

The D3 sports a new processing engine called Expeed. It works with 12 and 14 bit information to process an image, and Nikon has hinted at better sharpness and CA control, as well as increased dynamic range. All in all, it will be interesting to see just who much more advanced the D3’s image files are than the previous generation.

To top of my list of things that interest me on the D3, is a bigger and sharper viewfinder, always a welcome addition to any camera. Big and bright is beautiful in the realm of viewfinders. While I don’t mind shooting with some of the lower-end models that sport smaller and dimmer viewfinders, the difference is always noticeable when I pick up a higher-end model and I can see again!

And oh yeah… lest I forget, there’s a new piece of software called Nikon ViewNX. Sound familiar? Nikon View was always a personal favourite of mine, and like many, I was disappointed when Nikon discontinued it. Well, now it’s back in a new incarnation, and from initial reports, it sounds like an improvement over the old View which can only be good news!

Stay tuned as I’ll be looking at the D300 next...