Anyone ever switched from nikon to canon, or canon to nikon?

[Fordo]

I was just wondering if anyones ever made a big switch?

Im considering jumping ship to canon- canon lenses' focus and zoom rings turn, to me, in the 'correct' direction. I know it seems minor thing to some, but i work with canon and fujinon video lens a lot, which operate in the same direction as canon stills lenses. If ive spent a weekend using my nikon stills camera, turning the rings the other way, and have an important shoot on monday morning, for the first 10 minutes I end up turning the focus ring the wrong way. If its a documentary, or another one time event, it could be the difference between getting focus bang on, or not.

The other reason, is I quite like the look canon glass produces. I cant quite put my finger on it, but when i see i high contrast flarey image shot on canon L glass, it just has some quality I havent seen in Nikon glass. This is all subjective I know.

The final reason, is being a video cameraman as my profession, i would be nice to have a bit of photography kit that could also double as a video camera for unusual situations where i cant use a larger video camera. (5d or 7d of course)

Now seems the right time to make the jump - i haven't invested a fortune in nikon glass, i have only 2 lenses, and a humble D40. I thought i could flog the d40 with its kit lens, and my 55-200mm VR should go well on ebay. Still have its box!


Anyone else ever jumped ship?

Edited by Fordo on Monday 22 February 09:35

[Simpo Two]

Fordo said:

for the first 10 minutes I end up turning the focus ring the wrong way. If its a documentary, or another one time event, it could be the difference between getting focus bang on, or not.

Don't you use auto-focus? Faster and I'd say more accurate than manually focusing through the small viewfinder of a DX camera.

Other than that I agree - if you're going to switch, do it now - your existing stuff will sell easily.

[beano500]

Canon to Nikon, 1997.

First serious outing with Nikon I went to Paris. It was the same weekend that Diana got into a car crash. Weird coincidence - it was nothing to do with me (guv). Don't want to tempt fate by changing again......

[HereBeMonsters]

I've always liked Canon, but my family have always had Nikon stuff. When I bought my first digital SLR I decided to make the switch, and less than a year later I traded it in for a Canon. Just can't get on with Nikon - nothing is the right place!

[Dogsey]

Sort of, until this year I've been sharing a Nikon D50 with my Dad and have now bought a Canon 40D. While it would have been nice to have been able to share lenses between us, I personally felt that at the price point of the 40D Nikon don't have anything that can compete with it.

inkiboo said:

Fordo said:

If ive spent a weekend using my nikon stills camera, turning the rings the other way, and have an important shoot on monday morning,

You have a D40 with average glass; the chances of you having an important shoot are quite low.

I suspect that the important shoot would be with a video camera.

[Simpo Two]

inkiboo said:

Dogsey said:

I suspect that the important shoot would be with a video camera.

Ah, forgive my lack of reading.

Ah, me too.

(Though if you use AF on the Nikon it doesn't really matter which way the focus ring turns)

[beano500]

Simpo Two said:

(Though if you use AF on the Nikon it doesn't really matter which way the focus ring turns)

Yeahbutnobutyeahbut..

If you're shooting still on a Nikon you'll possibly have an AF-S lens or two. Depending upon your technique and circumstances, you can easily find yourself maually overriding the AF. I know I love that feature. (But then I swap between AF, AF-S and full manual lenses and so the consistency matters even more)

[Fordo]

inkiboo said:

Fordo said:

If ive spent a weekend using my nikon stills camera, turning the rings the other way, and have an important shoot on monday morning,

You have a D40 with average glass; the chances of you having an important shoot are quite low.

And being into video cameras, you would know the quality from a 5d/7d is pants for anything other than web videos.

you sir, are quite insulting.


The important shoots i refer to are for my video work, which is my profession. I've worked on documentaries, awards shows, short movies. Dont you for one minute assume that i 'have nothing important to shoot'.

Photography is merely a hobby at the moment, why is why i have low end equipment.

as for 5d/ 7d. You need to learn a thing or two. I know quite a few commercials, pop videos being shot with a 5d/7d combo. They most certainly arent the best vid cameras around. moire is undesirable, audio is pretty much unusable. etc. but for the price, they offer exceptional dof and low light ability. Plus is small form factor means it can be used in situations you just cant use a large body pro video camera.

Heck, even the dop of Attonement, and the solosist, Seamus Mcgarvey, is using a 5d to shoot a non budget documentary. Watched a presentation by him at the broadcast show. he described the images the camera produces as 'like a moving hassleblad image'. 'the images this camera can produce are worth its flaws'

I also believe George Lucas is interested in using a 5d for shooting inside a plane cockpit, as no film camera, even a 16mm, would fit.

The 5d in stock form is awful for video. Ergonomics are terrible. But in the right hands, with the right glass in front, and the right accessories bolted on, it can produce images of exceptional quality, that no other camera at that price can.

Personally, it probably wont get approval as a primary HD camera for broadcast by BBC or Discovery. They're exceptionally fussy for standards. They like very high bit rates. But the production world is more than just high end HD channels. 5d/7d have theyre place in the world of documentaries, music videos, commercials, corporate vids, or just places you cant stick a regular HD cam.

Im interested in using it on a car rig, for an upcoming project. No other video camera would really do. A minicam wont have the dof or the quality im looking for. A larger cam would weigh too much for the rig setup. Im also planning to use it with a very wide lens on the end of the bonnet looking back at the actors in the front seats. Again, this wouldn't be possible with any other camera. Id have to hire a low loader, and that would at at least another 1k to the budget.

But please, dont insult me by telling me i have nothing professional to shoot. Dont assume so much next time

Edited by Fordo on Monday 22 February 11:36

[Fordo]

Simpo Two said:

Don't you use auto-focus? Faster and I'd say more accurate than manually focusing through the small viewfinder of a DX camera.

yes and no. Im so used to manual focusing in the video world, that when my stills doesn't lock on, its just autopilot to flick off autofocus and do it myself. Plus its also the zoom ring that goes the other way too.

Anything that prevents conditioned and intuitive camera and lens operation is counterproductive to me, so having to think one way for stills, and another for video, is genuinely a bit of an annoyance.

[Rofly Lollers]

inkiboo said:

And being into video cameras, you would know the quality from a 5d/7d is pants for anything other than web videos.

Possibly the most ignorant statement ever posted... soooo wrong.
Many people are using the 5DII for professional videos now. The quality is simply staggering, 100% amazing. Couple that with a fast prime and you have bokeh to die for.

[Fordo]

inkiboo said:

However, the 5D is pants. People have shot pop videos on handycam and documentaries on mobile phones; it doesn't mean the quality is any good. It is the right product for the right time.

The 5D video is massively compressed and similar to saying an Ixus is just as good as a MkIV because it is small and can fit into spaces that a MkIV can't. Whilst that may be true it doesn't mean it is "better".

5d is compressed..... but so are pretty much all HD cameras!

Sonys XDCAM HD, which is approved as a full HD format by BBC's R&D department, is compressed at 35 Mbit/s

guess what the 5D is compressed at? its about the same.

Compression isnt everything. Its a combination of the glass, and the sensor. 5d offers a larger sensor than anything else, even red. you can also bolt on some incredible lens. A saw a 7d with a digiprime attached. Thats a lens worth probably 40k! hired in for the shoot, of course, but the footage had a wonderful contrast and range.

An Ixus has small sensor, and you cant attach wonderful glass to the front. I don't think it can compare.

Im not saying the Canons are the best cameras in the world. They're just a bit more capable than you think. Given a choice, id have a full HD camcorder in a flash, but i dont have £10,000 to spare. If I need a camera like that, i'll hire it in for the shoot.

But i like the idea of a 5d or 7d thats mine, for my own projects, or as an extremely capable B cam

[Fordo]

inkiboo said:

Please point me to the 1000s of videos shown on TV/DVD/Bluray that were shot with a 5d..

with pleasure:

http://movingstillmedia.com/656/canon-5d-mark-ii-i...

http://philipbloom.co.uk/2009/12/12/the-tale-of-lu...

(philip bloom couldnt make a seminar at the broadcast show, earls court, as he'd been called back by george lucas to help shoot some pickups for the movie 'red trails'

just for humour value, check how small this 5d is with a primo prime on:

http://www.preproductionworks.com/canon-5d-mkii-fi...


oh, and have a watch of this on the front page:

http://www.vincentlaforet.com/

shot with a mixture of Red and 5d.


dont be so hard on the little canon's, they're quite capable.

As for nikon video. Canon got their first, that the reason the internet for of canon dslr video talk. Theres 3rd party fireware that gives you zebras, and sound metering, theres tons of 3rd party accessories to make the canons more friendly to shoot video with- viewfinders, shoulder mounts, follow focuses.

Nikon have arrived at the party a little late, that all. At the end of the day, id rather jump to canon for the above reasons, plus, the zoom and focus ring rotate the way i want them to on canon glass.

[Fordo]

inkiboo said:

What you say there is somewhat misleading. The BBC would not accept a 30 minute drama/sitcom shot on XDCAM HD. Hell, they sometimes won't even accept upscaled footage leading to, in Planet Earth's case, using a lesser quality HD-res hidden camera than a higher quality SD one.

by the way, ive already mentioned that the beeb wouldnt accept a HD doc shot on 5d. Im not trying to mislead anyone. You have to also bare in mind that the BBC's specifications for HD depend on what your shooting. Natural history? no excuse to use anything but the best cameras and lenses. Shooting a documentray on trawler boats? Different kettle of fish. I might be mistaken, but i believe one of the trawlermen type series was shot on Sony hdv cameras. and hdv is awful. But they were loosing cameras left right and centre in such a hostile environment, so it made sense.
This is what im saying about the canons- theyre not he best cameras in the world. id never shoot a whole shoot on them for anything! but, theyre a very capable B camera. Thats exactly what i want one for.

inkiboo said:

You and I both know the EX1 produces much better video than the 5D.

better in what sense though? id certainly prefer to own an EX1, but they're not the same price, so its an unfair comparison.

If my client says 'i really want that filmic dof look' then an ex1 isnt better. Id need a movie tube, or some other dof adapter. bumping the cost up even more.

Believe me, DSLR's that can do video, do have they're place. They make some types of shot and look, achievable, at a price they couldn't be achieved before. I also think its a good thing that they are difficult to use. It'll hopefully get budget film makers back to basics. Instead of shooting with a Z1, they'll use 5d's and 7d's. It gets people used to lenses, having focus pullers, having a DIT, seeing the differenced in different lenses. Ive seen a raft of junior camera op's recently who only know how to pick up a Z1 and press the red button. Hopefully the raft of new DSLR's will mean i'll get cameramen who understand a whole lot work, and have much more of a methodical approach, like you get on a film set.

Thats my hope anyway!

Edited by Fordo on Monday 22 February 12:15

[Fordo]

inkiboo said:

Fordo said:

Nikon have arrived at the party a little late, that all. At the end of the day, id rather jump to canon for the above reasons, plus, the zoom and focus ring rotate the way i want them to on canon glass.

Then jump! Why bother with this thread?

For someone who seems to know everything I find it somewhat surprising you picked Nikon in the first place. Plus comparing a 5d/7d to a D40 is slightly unfair.

Edited by inkiboo on Monday 22 February 12:09

you really are quite a grumpy person arent you?

i picked a nikon years ago, when i knew less than i do now.

Im bothering with this thread because i was interested to hear if anyone had jumped ship, whether they got a good price for they're equipment, and so on, if they found it weird getting used to a canon, if canons have any odd niggles i should look out for. all that kind of thing.

ive not for one minute compared the d40 with a 5d! that would be daft. dont understand where you got that from.

Edited by Fordo on Monday 22 February 12:21

[Simpo Two]

6:3, 5:7, 6:2, 6:0

[Fordo]

Simpo Two said:

6:3, 5:7, 6:2, 6:0

....wait, depends which score I am!

[beano500]

I think you were serving.

[Fordo]

to lighten the mood, and in keeping with the tennis theme:

Edited by Fordo on Monday 22 February 12:45

[Simpo Two]

Mate, they've left.

[Fordo]

inkiboo said:

Again, you did a degree in English, edited some showreels and got experience using some decent SD/HD/HDV cameras. Your CV is tiny which suggests your experience is limited. Clearly you have a passion for cinematography/photography and that's great but some of your opinions are a little off whack.

this is my problem with you- you are quite an insulting person. You base all your knowledge of me on a website i put together, must be about 4 years ago now. I havent updated because I havent needed to.

I don't claim to be the most experienced cameraman in the world, but please don't insult me by referring to my experience as limited.

Opinions off whack? really? that new tech has a place in production. that dslr's can be useful? not sure its really all that off the boil.

Edited by Fordo on Monday 22 February 13:12

edited to remove post to my company's website - just prefer to keep work & personal life apart

Edited by Fordo on Tuesday 23 February 08:08