# Canon beats Nikon in accidental damage tests



## J.R. (May 23, 2013)

T5i and a Nikon D5200 go head to head in this destruction derby and Canon comes out on top ... figuratively ;D

http://petapixel.com/2013/05/21/squaretrade-pits-canons-t5i-against-nikons-d5200-in-a-cringe-worthy-drop-test/


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## Click (May 23, 2013)

Thanks for this helpful test :





;D


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## meli (May 23, 2013)

Must be that new 'upmarket' body finish of the t5i ;D


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## tomscott (May 23, 2013)

Both performed as designed.

The lenses are pre built with a weak spot at the mount, so if a lens is dropped with the camera it will snap and not only protect the mount on the camera body but to reduce damage if the camera bounces with the lens intact (being font heavy with a lens its more likely to bounce with the cameras weight directly onto the glass element. The lens mount is also designed to be replaceable to protect the glass element, cheaper to replace the mount than the glass.


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## RGF (May 23, 2013)

tomscott said:


> Both performed as designed.
> 
> The lenses are pre built with a weak spot at the mount, so if a lens is dropped with the camera it will snap and not only protect the mount on the camera body but to reduce damage if the camera bounces with the lens intact (being font heavy with a lens its more likely to bounce with the cameras weight directly onto the glass element. The lens mount is also designed to be replaceable to protect the glass element, cheaper to replace the mount than the glass.



Years ago a friend dropped a Canon AE1 (?) with a 300mm lens attached from a safari vehicle in Kenya. Lens was okay but the mount was ripped out of the body


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## RGF (May 23, 2013)

J.R. said:


> T5i and a Nikon D5200 go head to head in this destruction derby and Canon comes out on top ... figuratively ;D
> 
> http://petapixel.com/2013/05/21/squaretrade-pits-canons-t5i-against-nikons-d5200-in-a-cringe-worthy-drop-test/



$2,000 of equipment destroyed. I can think of better things to do with those $.


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## rpt (May 23, 2013)

My 5D3 + 24-105 took a spill from the top of my tripod - 3 feet drop into mud and rocks on a hill and survived! I think I was lucky it did not fall directly on the rock there 

I continued to shoot after blowing the dust off the uv filter.


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## RGF (May 23, 2013)

In the 60's and 70's the old Nikon F3 and F4 where used as a hammer in a pinch


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## crasher8 (May 23, 2013)

Next up: 

Canon EF 800 f/5.6, Will it blend?


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## privatebydesign (May 23, 2013)

> "being font heavy with a lens its more likely to bounce with the cameras weight directly onto the glass element"



In free fall weight is a relative concept, something having more weight at one end will not cause it to rotate, in our atmosphere it is resistance that creates rotation in free falling objects, a sycamore seed being the perfect example where the heavy end stays still and the lighter more resistance laden end rotates about the heavy end.

Having said that you are spot on with the designed weak spot in the lenses, I have had occasion to use that feature


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## canon_convert (May 23, 2013)

wrong...Canon seems to give much smoother "bokeh" after the drop... that was intentionally hidden feature meant for t6i that popped out after the drop.

Canon FTW !


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## Mt Spokane Photography (May 24, 2013)

Having performed many damage and durability tests in my lab, I will say that NASA would have demanded my resignation if I pulled a "Scientific Test" like that. For them to call it scientific is a affront to engineers and scientists.

The first rule of a test is that it be repeatable so that a person anywhere can do the same test and have the same results. There is no way this test is repeatable.

Its just a stunt, not a test.


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## ahab1372 (May 24, 2013)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> Having performed many damage and durability tests in my lab, I will say that NASA would have demanded my resignation if I pulled a "Scientific Test" like that. For them to call it scientific is a affront to engineers and scientists.
> 
> The first rule of a test is that it be repeatable so that a person anywhere can do the same test and have the same results. There is no way this test is repeatable.
> 
> Its just a stunt, not a test.


and they would have had to smash many more lenses and cameras ...


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## J.R. (May 24, 2013)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> Having performed many damage and durability tests in my lab, I will say that NASA would have demanded my resignation if I pulled a "Scientific Test" like that. For them to call it scientific is a affront to engineers and scientists.
> 
> The first rule of a test is that it be repeatable so that a person anywhere can do the same test and have the same results. There is no way this test is repeatable.
> 
> Its just a stunt, not a test.



True. I wonder if SquareTrade will change the insurance costs for Canon cameras after this 'scientific test'


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## adhocphotographer (May 24, 2013)

It's a comparison not a scientific test... it would need to be repeated many more times... I think the message you can take back is that the cameras can take a beating... more than a lot of people realise!


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## Sporgon (May 24, 2013)

adhocphotographer said:


> It's a comparison not a scientific test... it would need to be repeated many more times... I think the message you can take back is that the cameras can take a beating... more than a lot of people realise!




Well the cameras may be able to take a beating in the sense they still function, but the AF units seem to be the weakest link. Drop a modern dslr onto anything but a soft surface and there's every chance your AF accuracy will suffer.


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## Ellen Schmidtee (May 24, 2013)

Is the drop really 4 foot? compared to the woman and the B&H employee heights, it looks to me like at least 5 foot.


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## Rienzphotoz (May 24, 2013)

I always find these "drop tests" entertaining but I never make my purchase decisions based on some crazy experimental drops.


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## adhocphotographer (May 24, 2013)

I bashed my 450D loads, and it is alive and kicking (just)... I think people underestimate how tough even the entry level bodies are...


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## Don Haines (May 24, 2013)

Try to convince a statistician that a sample depth of one makes a valid test. Now THAT would be entertaining!

BTW, many years ago I dropped a D30 from the top of a 220 foot tower and it landed on a concrete pad. It did not survive.


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