# Why did you choose Canon?



## Efka76 (Jan 26, 2013)

It is interesting to hear stories why people choose Canon when there are a lot of other firms? Nikon, Pentax, Sony...

I personally was always interested in photography and was shooting quite a lot when I was young with analog cameras Smena and Zenit- E (Soviet type cameras). My first digital camera was P&S Sony bought in 2004, however, i was not satisfied with its quality (at that time analog cameras quality was much better than digital).

In 2007 I acquired Canon G7 which was able to produce better quality photos comparing to other P&S cameras. Finally in 2012 I decided to buy DSLR and definitely choose Canon as they had more attractive design comparing to Nikon and much bigger variety of lenses (I always admired L class white lenses, which in my mind was always associated with superb quality). I never Pentax, Sony or other firms. Currently I am happy with my EOS 7D, however, have plans to move to FF (of course, that would by 5D Mark III). That's why my almost all lenses (except for EF-S 18-135) are compatible with FF cameras.

It would be interesting to hear your stories why you choose Canon.


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## motorhead (Jan 26, 2013)

I switched from Nikon to Canon for the Eos-3, purely for the eye-control. Then I gradually bought my L series lenses and now have too much invested to switch back, even though the Nikon D800E is my idea of the best dSLR currently on the market.


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## bardamu (Jan 26, 2013)

I photograph a lot of really tiny stuff, right down to 1mm and occasionally smaller. The MP-E 65mm 1-5x is great for this, and there is not really a Nikon equivalent, so it was a straightforward decision. It is possible to do this sort of thing with Nikon, indeed any DSLR, but the MP-E is very convenient.


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## Renegade Runner (Jan 26, 2013)

Not sure how or why but about 6 years years ago I became interested in photography. Perhaps it was from my dad who had a an older Minolta film camera. 

At that time the Canon t1i (500D) was being launched. I heard many positive things about it. It was supposed to be a great introductory DSLR at an affordable price. I took my chance with it and have no regrets. Years later I am still with Canon and have recently upgraded to the 6D. Again no regrets.


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## wockawocka (Jan 26, 2013)

I don't like the red arrow and the yellow straps on the Nikons.

Yes, really.


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## Vivid Color (Jan 26, 2013)

The Elan 7 had better ergonomics for my hands than the Nikon with similar technical specs.


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## mb66energy (Jan 26, 2013)

I use canon gear since roughly 1982 (AE-1, bought it from my dad) and entered the digital world with the G2 in 2001 due to quality issues: G2 was one of the first really good digital cameras with high max aperture and very good color rendering.

In 2005 I tested the Canon 350D against the Nikon D70 and the colors/overall rendering of the 350D was superior to the Nikon - result: I bought the EOS 20D with the 60mm EF-S. A great combo. I have seen D200 and D300 from Nikon but I always preferred the overall quality of the EOS 40D I bought in 2009.

Nikon D800 might be the better camera in terms of technical specs and perhaps IQ, but I will stay with my Canon lenses - which deliver the IQ from the lens side I prefer.


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## Marsu42 (Jan 26, 2013)

Efka76 said:


> It would be interesting to hear your stories why you choose Canon.



I got my first Canon (an eos 620, later the great RT without vf blackout and near zero shutter lag) in the early 90s because they had the silent usm lenses.

After these cameras were broken and in the dawn of the digital age I nearly forgot about photography because of the quick succession of expensive and worse-than-film dslr bodies - until I figured the 18mp crop sensor is "good enough" for most things I'd like to do ... and I even used my 90s 28-105 lens until two weeks ago.

Now I'm sticking with Canon because of Magic Lantern and I like the usability of the eos cameras - but if that wouldn't be the case I have to admit buying Nikon and the d7000 would have been a smarter choice two years ago.


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## Sphyn0x (Jan 26, 2013)

For me its better ergonomics and button layout, also better lenses, like 70-200


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## SDsc0rch (Jan 26, 2013)

i always thought i would be a nikon guy when i "grew up" and got serious about photography

the image i had of nikon can be described with words such as "professional" and top quality and elite and serious

but starting out - my dad had a canon, and i started off in photography as a teenager shooting with his gear (Canon TX - ? if i remember correctly? is that a camera?? he got it in the late-60s when he was overseas - vietnam)

then later when i was in the navy, at the the time it seemed to me canon had the better technology and i liked the design - so i shot with a canon camera back in the mid-90s -- but i wasn't "serious" into photography like i am now

and this latest time around, i was getting into astronomy more seriously and wanted to make the transition to astrophotography, and my circle of friends had very high compliments for canons equipment and their support for astronomy historically - so i got a T2i to start out with

since i had already invested in lenses and other equipment, i just moved up the canon ladder - 7D 5D2 and now 1Dx

but let me tell you - i am VERY happy

because, at first when you don't know $#!* about something, you just make the best choice you can - right or wrong, good or bad - in the case of photography, that choice has long-term consequences --- the choice you make first pretty much sets your course going ahead for several years - and the longer you're in to it, the harder it is to cross tracks onto the other team's side

but i'm canon and i couldn't be happier
8)



its funny - when i spoke w/ my dad about this a few months back he said the same thing, he always looked up to nikon, thought he'd get a nikon, but always decided on canon at the critical time

i thought that was funny


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## phixional ninja (Jan 26, 2013)

Efka76 said:


> In 2007 I acquired Canon G7 which was able to produce better quality photos comparing to other P&S cameras.



For me it was the G10, which I got as my first camera after exhaustive research (I couldn't afford a DSLR, but wanted lots of chunky manual controls). When I started researching DSLRs a couple years later, I never really looked elsewhere, because I'd been happy with the G10, and figured Canon might as well get my business (the great 7D reviews didn't hurt). After a two happy years with the 7D, I just recently moved to a 5D3.


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## Taemobig (Jan 26, 2013)

All my friends were already using canon, so I bought a canon dslr so we can all share lenses.


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## Stephen Melvin (Jan 26, 2013)

I had been a Nikon owner since 1989, and I knew that that was the only brand I'd ever shoot. Fast forward to 2003, and I had a job that required a digital camera. I still thought that digital was a good five years away from being acceptable. I hated that the SLR's used a smaller-than-35mm sensor, and the point-and-shoots were so damned slow. 

I was in Best Buy talking to a salesmen about this; particularly about the lens situation and how I would want a lens that offered wide angle coverage. To that point, it wasn't really possible. He was trying to sell me a 10D, but it was pricey, and none of the available lenses gave me what I was looking for. Besides, I preferred Nikon.

He did realize what I was looking for, after talking to me for a while. What's more, he had it in stock. Almost reluctantly, he pulled out a Canon 300D Digital Rebel with 18-55mm kit lens; the first lens designed specifically for APS-C format cameras. Not only was it speedy, with a lens that went somewhat wide, but it was $1,000.

I was almost shocked at the image quality from this camera. I had no idea digital photography had come this far.

So I accidentally switched to Canon, vowing to switch back someday. But Nikon took a very long time to catch up to Canon, who in the meantime released the amazing and very successful 20D. Once I had that 20D, I knew I was hooked, and I've never looked back.


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## The Bad Duck (Jan 26, 2013)

I shot with the FD-system 1999 to 2007 when I wanted to go digital SLR. Choise came to Canon because they had a cheap full frame camera (5Dc - although I got the 30D thinking I´d upgrade in the future) and the 70-200 /4 L IS. The 30D was a kick-ass camera, the 70-200 a kick-ass lens, the 17-40 L pretty ok but I knew it would be great on a FF later on. Nikon had nothing like that lens or the camera I really wanted, so it was a no brainer. And, as I still think, camera bodies are electronics and new models comes every 3 years. Lenses last way longer if you get quality stuff. So why worry too much about the body? In a few years we will have new mind-blowing bodies. 

No regrets, I really really like my current gear and see no point whatsoever to change. Why? I´m not using all of the potential of my 5D mkII yet. Sometimes AF refuses to lock, but not that often. High ISO? Well, there are tripods and flashes so... often not a problem.


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## schmidtfilme (Jan 26, 2013)

I just switched late 2012 to Canon from Nikon. I was always shooting Nikon since 1991. Before that I was shooting Carl Zeiss Ikon. 

Why did I switch? Back in the film days the film one used was in charge for the color rendition. Now its the camera makers, the sensors and the algorithms. 

When I got my first digital DSLR I bought a Nikon - of course because I had all the lenses. But in 2011 and early 2012 I was trying on a long vacation ( 3 weeks in rumania) a Canon and a Sony next to my good old Nikon. I was shooting around 4000 pictures and afterwards I could tell for every one by just looking at it from which camera it came and which one I liked best - Canon. 

So - I just got a Canon 5D Mark 3, 17-40, 24-105 and 70-200 all f4.


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## dexstrose (Jan 26, 2013)

In the late 90s, most of the photogs had Nikon f5 at the newspaper i worked for. Then when we transitioned to digital, they found canon reliable and cost effective. From then on, i always have a loyalty towards Canon for their durability. Most of the places I worked for used Canon. They are workhorses.


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## risc32 (Jan 26, 2013)

electronic motor control of the aperture blades.(100% electrical contacts between the camera and lens)
wide, high quality lens selection.
fast AF.
option of using nikon, and other glass with adaptors.
ergos-a quick look at the back of their flash units makes much more sense to me than what is on nikon gear.

that all still applies, but when i moved into the canon system i would have also said that nikon's camera offerrings where a joke. that's not so now. now they have their act together, but then, they were pretty bad. (digital up until the D3) i now have a 1n, but when i REALLY shot film i used a pentax so i can't say.

Also, canons look very nice. they are smooth and modern, nikons look like tractors.


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## Boyer U. Klum-Cey (Jan 26, 2013)

I knew Canon nomenclature from my video days and was too olde to learn a new language. No regrets, worked out well for me.


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## TrumpetPower! (Jan 26, 2013)

I got started in photography with an Olympus P&S superzoom a year or so before the introduction of the original Digital Rebel. Not long after that I bought one and haven't looked back since.

b&


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## smithy (Jan 26, 2013)

My father bought himself (on a whim) an EOS 500 in the mid-1990s, but he never used it. However, I became very interested in the camera and in 1997 bought myself an EOS 500N (its successor) with two kit lenses. I burned through hundreds of rolls of film in this camera - I took it everywhere it was not supposed to go, from the Arctic Circle in -27C, to winter mountaineering in New Zealand.

At the time I was not aware of the different camera brands nor their different capabilities. As far as I could tell, they all looked the same and seemed to do the same things. Things haven't really changed... ;-)


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## uokhoj (Jan 26, 2013)

In the early '90s when I first touched a camera it was a Nikon FE, absolutely great click sound. In the years ahead I was able to use many other brands and many models of each. The one that stick to my hand better, was EOS 600. I just loved that little camera. Time went buy, I turned to middle frame (mamiya), then in the early 2000 I stoped using any camera at all. It was the time when digital wasn't good enough for me but nobody (almost) wanted to pay for analog. So I quited pro photography and carried on with other stuff (I wasn't very good at it anyway). Fast forward to late 2008 I was in the dilima between D700 and 5DMKII since I had no lens collection. I opted for D700 but the store didn't have that available. But it had the 5DMKII, and 24-70 and the 580EX2 and there was no way I could wait any longer for my first DSLR. Now 10 L lenses later, there is no turning back. My 5DMKII still amazes me and I intend to make the best out of it before I buy a new full frame. (I also own a 7D).
D800E is the one camera I envy for the absence of antialising filter, but I 'm sure that some day in the (hopefully -for my bank account- not very ) near future Canon will have an answer.


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## pwp (Jan 26, 2013)

My primary reason? Three letters. CPS. Canon Professional Services.

It's been 15 years since I gave Nikon the sack, and bought into the EOS-1 system with a pair of EOS 1n film bodies and four or five L lenses. The Nikon F5 bodies http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikon_F5 I was using were solid & reliable, the glass was pretty good but professional support was abysmal. The EOS system was a revelation and CPS support continues to astound me with their support for photographers above and beyond what one might reasonably expect. And they keep improving. 

The switch to Canon was further validated in the early digital days when Canon indisputably led the field with EOS 1D, 1Ds, 1Ds mk2 etc plus very competent consumer DSLR bodies. 

In 2013 the argument at the level of pro gear and prosumer DSLR has blurred considerably. Nikon professional support has lifted and the bodies probably outperform Canon in some respects. Let's face it, they're both great systems now. 

The reality for professionals is a choice between Canon and Nikon, but for non-pros the choices are astounding. You could find something useful and satisfying from just about any of the major manufacturers. 

-PW


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## sky87 (Jan 26, 2013)

I had a play with my friends 350D and knew that I wanted a Canon, it felt great in my hands and it was easier to use and understand.


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## Narcolepsy (Jan 26, 2013)

Quality and Range of Lenses.


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## jp121 (Jan 26, 2013)

My first dslr was a Canon 550d (T2i). I chose Canon because at the time it was the best entry point camera around.


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## V8Beast (Jan 27, 2013)

Because it was the early '00s when I switched to digital, and the Nikon system sucked very badly at the time. These days, you can't go wrong either way.


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## APBPhoto (Jan 27, 2013)

I went with Canon over the other camera makers because Canon camera fits best in my hand.
The buttons are not too small and their placement works really well.


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## sandymandy (Jan 27, 2013)

The nifty fifty got me


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## Chris Geiger (Jan 27, 2013)

For more than 10 years I shot event, product and wedding photography with Nikon equipment. I now specialize in wedding photography and like doing off camera flash when I can. When I saw that Canon announced the 600EX-RT flash with built in radios, I was very interested. After seeing some online previews, I ordered a pair of 600EX-RT and 5DIII. After a week of testing I loved how the flash system worked. The camera body seemed overall very similar to the D3s Nikon I was using as my primary camera in terms of image quality. I decided to shoot my next wedding with all Canon equipment. I took this image in the rain at my first (with Canon) wedding in early 2012. I sold all Nikon equipment when I got home.


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## sdsr (Jan 27, 2013)

After progressing from cheap film cameras to digital point-and-shoots and not much liking them, something induced me a few years ago to try a real digital camera, and I dipped my toe in the water via a Nikon D3100. I went from being bowled over by its superiority over what I had used before to being conscious of how it could be better in terms of image quality, and after its autofocus mechanism broke a mere four months after I bought it I started investigating other cameras. Much research let me to a Pentax K-5, in part because it seemed to do best in low light/high ISO among crop sensor DSLRS (as you may know, it has much the same sensor as a Nikon D7000). It seemed a definite step up (in price, too!).

But as with the Nikon D3100 I started to think, well, good though this is, it could be even better and decided to see for myself what all the fuss was about with FF and rented one. Not sure why I chose a 5DII to rent rather than a Nikon, but when it showed up I was impressed by the improvement (especially low light/high ISO) in picture quality and amazed by the superiority of the L lens I rented simply as a piece of machinery. So, I sold all my Pentax and Nikon gear and switched to Canon, buying a 5DII with a Rebel for back-up (the 5DIII was not yet available). When the Nikon D600 was so cheap before Christmas I checked back in with Nikon by renting one along with a 6D and 5DIII, but the superiority of D600's sensor was lost on me; good though it is, I never preferred the images I took with it (plus, as with the D3100, I hate the convoluted controls). Canon has more lenses that appeal to me too. So for now I'm sticking with Canon (am impatiently awaiting the arrival of a 6D on Monday).


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## FunPhotons (Jan 27, 2013)

My wife got us an AE-1 when we got married, to replace one she had in college (and had sold for a Nikon F). My first camera, I learned on it and since she was an artist she taught me the basics. Ever since I've been a Canon man, I couldn't go to Nikon, unless I _really_ wanted to. 

However I don't like Nikon. I don't like the fit and finish, looks, or ergonomics. Its kind of like Microsoft versus Apple. Nikon maybe has more features, but Canon is more of a finished package.


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## mjbehnke (Jan 27, 2013)

I had a Pentax K1000 for a long time, as my father was big into photography and I was not allowed to use his Leica. Than my father-in-law passed away and he had a Canon AE1 programmable. Wow was that a nice camera. He had an 18-135 and a 50 1.4. When I went to the local store to check out new lens, they had just got in a new Rebel XT. I thought.... taking photos and not running out of film.... what a great concept. I tested the Nikon d70 that was there and it just didn't feel good in the hands. So, I stayed with Canon and bought the XT. I than joined the local Camera club and got to borrow L lens and that was what keeps me with Canon... quality lens. And I think that's why Canon is upgrading it's lens, getting ready for another awesome camera that requires the quality glass!


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## bycostello (Jan 27, 2013)

happenstance then you get locked in with the lenses.....


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## V8Beast (Jan 27, 2013)

Chris Geiger said:


> For more than 10 years I shot event, product and wedding photography with Nikon equipment. I now specialize in wedding photography and like doing off camera flash when I can. When I saw that Canon announced the 600EX-RT flash with built in radios, I was very interested. After seeing some online previews, I ordered a pair of 600EX-RT and 5DIII. After a week of testing I loved how the flash system worked. The camera body seemed overall very similar to the D3s Nikon I was using as my primary camera in terms of image quality. I decided to shoot my next wedding with all Canon equipment. I took this image in the rain at my first (with Canon) wedding in early 2012. I sold all Nikon equipment when I got home.



Great shot, Chris. Love the backlit water droplets!

Your story just goes to show that there's a lot of factors that go into choosing a system, and dynamic range is not always the end all, be all factor in that process.


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## RustyTheGeek (Jan 27, 2013)

Completely out of character for me, I never gave it any thought whatsoever. (Although I do remember giving it a ton of thought back in the '80's when AF was still emerging and we were debating whether it was better to get Nikon with in the Camera AF and backward compatible lenses or Canon with in the lens AF and the new EF EOS system. Oddly that was the last time I ever seriously analyzed it and I analyze everything! Every SLR and DSLR I ever used was a Canon. All the way back to the AE-1 and AE-1 Program I started out with. When I got back into it several years ago, I borrowed then purchased a good friend's 30D and within a year I had lenses, a 40D, then a 5D, tons of other stuff, etc. Most of the folks around me have Canon and those that don't... well they miss out! (Because I have way more of this crap than any amateur has any business having.)

Eventually I am going to have to start going to some kind of AA for Photographers. This hobby is really getting out of hand!! Of I'll have to quit volunteering with Boy Scouts, School, Church and other misc things so I won't have anything left to shoot!

Besides, I look at some of my pictures and think I might be an OK photographer, then I look at the shots I made last night and wonder why the hell I even bother!!


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## RLPhoto (Jan 27, 2013)

1. Lens selection, particularly primes. 

2. Ergonomics. Nikons hurt my hands. 

3. Flash. That's right, the 7D flash system was just a good as the d700 I used and the 5D3 is even better. Now with the 600RTs, even more to love canon flash. It's a shame no 1/250th sync for 5D cameras. 

4. AF. 61 point is brilliant. 

5. Rental avaliability. A lot of local shops carry only canon equipment and very few nikon stuff.


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## rpt (Jan 27, 2013)

1982 Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia. I decide I have saved enough money to buy a 35 mm camera. I put my trust in the salesman. He shows me an AE-1 and a Minolta. I think XD-7. He suggests the AE-1 over the Minolta despite the fact that it had Tv and Av! His logic is lenses. And, he says if you want a specific f numbat, keep changing the shutter speed! Well, I was sold! My first digital was an Olympus P&S. Then in 2004 when we delivered the photo organiser to HP (ImageZone Express if anybody recalls...), I was presented a Rebel (300D). Well, here I am now with a 5D3 and other stuff...


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## FatDaddyJones (Jan 27, 2013)

wockawocka said:


> I don't like the red arrow and the yellow straps on the Nikons.
> 
> Yes, really.



I totally agree. Canon's red and black straps with bold white lettering are what sold it for me. The "cool" factor was just overwhelming. Nikon doesn't have that. Everyone here knows that how a camera looks on the outside will reflect the image quality on the inside. Better looking strap = better camera and better photographs.


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## FatDaddyJones (Jan 27, 2013)

...and before I get a hundred angry posts, please read the words, "kidding," and "sarcasm," as they apply to the post above. (Although Canon really DOES have a cooler looking strap.)


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## East Wind Photography (Jan 27, 2013)

Had a friend have three Nikon body failures during one shoot. I don't really care if they have some better quality or not. I need reliability so chose canon. I've never had an issue with canon equipment...regardless of the recalls and other issues, canon has continued to serve me well.


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## ishdakuteb (Jan 27, 2013)

Chris Geiger said:


> For more than 10 years I shot event, product and wedding photography with Nikon equipment. I now specialize in wedding photography and like doing off camera flash when I can. When I saw that Canon announced the 600EX-RT flash with built in radios, I was very interested. After seeing some online previews, I ordered a pair of 600EX-RT and 5DIII. After a week of testing I loved how the flash system worked. The camera body seemed overall very similar to the D3s Nikon I was using as my primary camera in terms of image quality. I decided to shoot my next wedding with all Canon equipment. I took this image in the rain at my first (with Canon) wedding in early 2012. I sold all Nikon equipment when I got home.



seem like this style has been kinda popular. it has been done by multiple photographers (jerry ghionis, sal cincotta, etc.) the only different is that they both use water miser instead of shooting under rain... nice captured...


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## Radiating (Jan 27, 2013)

Efka76 said:


> It is interesting to hear stories why people choose Canon when there are a lot of other firms? Nikon, Pentax, Sony...
> 
> I personally was always interested in photography and was shooting quite a lot when I was young with analog cameras Smena and Zenit- E (Soviet type cameras). My first digital camera was P&S Sony bought in 2004, however, i was not satisfied with its quality (at that time analog cameras quality was much better than digital).
> 
> ...



I have no qualms about switching brands at any second. My primary reason for sticking with Canon is this:

1. The 5D Mark III has around 1/3rd to 1/2 a stop less noise than the d800, I can use that as noise is a constant battle for me.
2. The colors on the 5D Mark III are nicer in my back to back testing. 
3. The 24-70 II and the fact it's an f/2.8 APO lens that's sharper than a prime.


That's all.


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## eml58 (Jan 27, 2013)

Prior to 2005 I owned both Nikon & Canon, whichever seemed to do the job, in 2005 I sold my Company & retired, decided to get seriously interested in Photography, looked at which system offered the best all round benefits, Cameras in 2005 seemed much the same Nikon D70s or Canon 5D, but what directed me towards Canon were the Lenses, I didn't feel at the time Nikon had the same range or quality of Lenses, so I went Canon 5D & later to the 1 Series. Although I now have 1Dx, 1DMKIV, 5DMK3 & 5DMK2, I also recently bought the Nikon D800 to replace my 5DMK2 system for my Underwater Photography, seems to work well, crappy write speed of course, but the 36MP has some advantages, but the Menu system seems to have been put together by a Delusional Monkey on Crack Cocain.

Just waiting for Canon's large MP camera & I can get back to all Canon gear, at the end of the day though they are really just Tools, but you tend to make your bed once you get into the Lens side, not hard to jump ship on a couple of Camera Bodies, but a 100k on Lenses ?? I'm with Canon for the long haul I guess.


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## Omar H (Jan 27, 2013)

Leap of faith/toss of the coin at the end...

Had been a P&S Nikon user for a few years, had the Nikon P100, an excellent camera and then decided to go into DSLR as I had seen some wonderful shots made with DSLR by some of the guys in my fishing club.

Spent quite a few months deciding between the Nikon D7000, D5100 and Canon's 60D and 7D. My top were D7000 and 60D. Decided over the Nikon D7000 after months browsing and reading and 2 hours at the local BB. Ready to pay for my new Nikon D7000 and the Cashier asks, "Did you find everything you were looking for?" "Will that be all for you?"...Darn it!!! I thought. and politely answered...you know what, I think I will take the Canon instead...and so back I went for the 60D. Spent the next 2 months still looking back and convincing myself I had done the right thing.

Well, near the 3 year mark, I'm happy with the decision. I wouldn't switch to Nikon today, just because I am now familiar with Canon and have disregarded Nikon since then more for my own mental sanity than anything else. Both brands are good no doubt. I'm sure I could had been as satisfied with the Nikon D7000 as I am with the 60D.

A new camera? Canon for sure! Lenses? I have borrowed the 100-400L, what a wonderful tool! Yeaph, I like my Canon! I'm a Canon convert.


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## mdm041 (Jan 27, 2013)

Got into Photography as a hobby to keep my mind off of work. Most of the people I knew had Canon so I figured they could help me learn the camera and I could borow lens to get started.....Fast forward 5 years and the addiction led me from a T2i to a 7d to now a 5dmkiii and some awesome lens. I have a friend that shoots Nikon now and I don't like the ergonomics at all. Maybe its because I'm used to Canon now. Also, I shot some sports and wildlife and if you have ever used a tele with a Canon and a Nikon...The canon drives the focus so much faster. Try a close to infinity test and you'll see what I'm talking about. 

I was upset at first when the new round of Nikons seemed to knock Canon back a few steps but I've seen the results and I still prefer Canon over Nikon. I don't need the extra mp (I understand some do) and I like Canons AF and IQ about ISO 100 better. I must average ISO 1600 in my shots so that is very important.


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## RMC33 (Jan 27, 2013)

I took photography in HS/College and used Nikon as that is what they supplied. My parents as college graduation gift got me a 30D a few months after it released in 2006 and that was that. Been shooting since about 1998 give or take. My first camera was Leica my parents had from the 60's and I used it till about 2000 until it died. I still have it at my parents house in a display case.


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## Rmafive (Jan 27, 2013)

For me it was my grandfather's decision. My grandfather shot with Canon, my father shoots with Canon, and, subsequently, I shoot with Canon. I have always used a Canon camera for my entire life and I can never imagine going to Nikon. Though, a few Leica's have worked their way into our family!


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## Aglet (Jan 27, 2013)

to summarize, I was a Canon fanboy for decades and justifiably so for a while when Canon's DSLRs were leading the performance curves. When I became more disappointed with newer Canon body performance compared to older Canon bodies and newer competition, I migrated towards the tools that do what I want, how i want.
I like them all! The good ones at least. 

the long story

I always like cameras, got started by _borrowing _my older sister's AE-1 in the 70s and having fun putting interesting shots on her film w-o her permission.
Got my own A-1 2nd-hand in '81, along w a few lenses. Shot for fun, shot weddings (hated it), shot some local fashion and event work. Didn't have as much fun as a photographer as I thought I might. Altho as a young man, being around a lot of lovely young ladies parading in strange outfits had some appeal.

Got a real job in my preferred area of technical expertise a few years later and then shot just for fun with the same Canon gear I'd always used.
First digicam I tried was a Canon A20 - the immediacy of the method had me leaving my A-1 on the shelf a lot after that! The little camera was fun and easy to use so I started pushing its limits. That took about a week. A40, A60, Panasonic FZ20, A610 and a whole lot more I can't remember. Didn't go DSLR when they came out because I couldn't justify the cost at the time. 

Nikon, Pentax, and others never even entered my mind yet.

Got a used Canon G3 compact somewhere along the way and WOW! This thing really performed for IQ compared to the PnS types. Started thinking about DSLR quality... All my film was past its best before date now.

Friend got a 20D. I was envious but resigned to not buying a DSLR until they had at least 14bits/pixel and that live-view idea was also interesting.

First DSLR was Canon 40D (still have it) and it was AMAZING. IQ and all the features really got my attention. What the camera could do in raw reminded me of what I could do with film and paper in a darkroom w-o the smell and hassle.
Some I knew had Nikon before that, was not impressed with the ergonomics or user interface. Canon DSLR and PnS were all very intuitive to use.
Fun and creativity returned to photography for me.
Went thru a whole mess of Canon Rebels, just kept them mounted on lenses cuz they were so cheap used.

Nikon and Pentax, still not on my radar tho close friend had D300 and loved it. My 40D was comparable enough in IQ, I was still satisfied, maybe even smug about being a Canon user.

Nikon D70 at work, hated it, really clumsy interface.

5d2 came out, lots of hype. I bought into it.
Most massively disappointing camera I ever purchased, raw files at base ISO were obviously noisier than my old 40D and even the Rebels. I was led to believe, and had expected, much better from 5d2. Fanboys were too busy raving about its virtues to see the flaws I found in the first few hundred shots. Barely used it. After 3+ years I sold it for half what I paid, cursed every fantastic scene I shot with it because post-processing was very limited.

Avoided 50D - was obviously too noisy without even trying it. What was happening?!?
60D, liked it, bought 2 of them. Still have one, main everyday camera.

7D for wildlife with long slow lens, good camera but again, more disappointing low ISO performance. Sold it recently after a few years of light use. Got some excellent shots with it, loved-hated it.

decided I'd better put my tech expertise to some use and learn more about imaging systems
Discovered Nikon (D90) and later Pentax (K5) were starting to really perform well in low ISO range I like to use.

Tried a D5100 because it was cheap and comparable IQ to D7000 which I didn't like the ergos on.
Astoundingly great IQ! Bought pile of nikon lenses, new and used.
D800 - sounded very interesting, waited for test results.. I have to have this! I have 2, love-love them.
Bought more cheap D5100s to use as back-caps on favorite lenses.
Started selling off Canon gear I wasn't using any more.

Bought a couple Pentax bodies... strange-love them!
Considering Olympus (OMD-EM5) as it feels good in hand and performs like 60D or better
Considering Fuji (X20 to start with) because they're niche and pay attention to detail and do things differently.

All my remaining Canon bodies are now older Digic 3 class... they just perform the way I prefer and need.
I'm considering a 6D, and hoping for a low-iso-improved 7D2 to put back on my long glass.

Meanwhile, I'm enjoying Pentax more the more I use them and, along with the Nikons, I get the kind of high quality raw files for my way of working with images that Canon no longer provides. (6D and 1Dx possibly marginal exceptions)

I'll use whatever is the best tool for the shot I want to take.
I'm no longer a Canon fanboy, just a camera fanboy and I love to shoot with equipment that I know won't disappoint me when I finally get to spend some time rending the raw files to create the final look I'm after without a lot of photoshop work to compensate for shortcomings of the initial image capture, no matter how hard I want to warp that raw file.
This is a great time to be into photography. Even perfectionists can find something satisfying to use.


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## serendipidy (Jan 27, 2013)

Went to a camera store to buy my first film SLR in early 1970's. Don't remember why now, but they convinced me to buy a Canon FTb. Later I replaced that with the AE-1. Been with Canon ever since and no regrets. In 1998 I bought a Nikon film P&S. It took good photos but a year later as I got out of a cab, it fell off my belt clip and got crushed by the cab :'( The only Nikon I ever owned...I figured it was karma. 8)


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## seamonster (Jan 27, 2013)

I was actually looking at getting a D7000 until bestbuy (of all places) had the 60D with the 18-135 and 55-250 and a lowepro bag and an 8 gb class 10 card for a thousand bucks even so I really only paid about $600 for the body. This was in the middle of 2011 mind you, before 60D prices plummetted. Since then I've sold both lenses but still have the 60D with EF lenses only.


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## papa-razzi (Jan 27, 2013)

A couple of things led me to Canon.
- My first digital camera was a Canon Powershot. My sister had one and loved it, so I picked one up. I didn't do any research - except to play around with her camera a bit. I had that thing for years. Everything about the camera just worked, plus it would take a beating and keep working. Took good pictures, menu system was intuitive. I was very pleased with Canon as a brand given my experience.
- Several years later when I wanted to get a DSLR it was going to be Nikon or Canon. I was partial to Canon given my positive experience with the Powershot, but I know the DSLR decision would have a much longer impact than the P&S purchase.
- I went to the local Costco and played with both brands. Nikon felt small in my hands, the Canon Rebel XSi felt better in my hand.
- I did a lot of reading trying to decide between Canon & Nikon and I read a blog post somewhere (can't find it now) where the blogger talked about the DSLR really being an entire system (Lenses, Flashes, Bodies) and that overall, Canon had the best system. That made a lot of sense to me.

So, I went with the Canon. Eventually moved up to the 7D and bought several lenses. Overall, I have been very happy and hope to get a 5DIII some time this year.


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## stefsan (Jan 27, 2013)

When I started working as a journalist for a local newspaper almost 20 years ago, all the other reporters and photographers were working with Canon gear. So I got myself a Canon EOS 100. Since then it's pretty much a case of path dependency: Once you invest in a system (lenses, accessories etc.), it gets more and more costly to change. Therefore I still am a Canon shooter. And with the 5DIII they built kind of a dream body for my needs. I only have to find the funds to get it and some accompanying lenses – and I will continue to be a happy Canon user.


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## Radiating (Jan 27, 2013)

eml58 said:


> Prior to 2005 I owned both Nikon & Canon, whichever seemed to do the job, in 2005 I sold my Company & retired, decided to get seriously interested in Photography, looked at which system offered the best all round benefits, Cameras in 2005 seemed much the same Nikon D70s or Canon 5D, but what directed me towards Canon were the Lenses, I didn't feel at the time Nikon had the same range or quality of Lenses, so I went Canon 5D & later to the 1 Series. Although I now have 1Dx, 1DMKIV, 5DMK3 & 5DMK2, I also recently bought the Nikon D800 to replace my 5DMK2 system for my Underwater Photography, seems to work well, crappy write speed of course, but the 36MP has some advantages, but the Menu system seems to have been put together by a Delusional Monkey on Crack Cocain.
> 
> Just waiting for Canon's large MP camera & I can get back to all Canon gear, at the end of the day though they are really just Tools, but you tend to make your bed once you get into the Lens side, not hard to jump ship on a couple of Camera Bodies, but a 100k on Lenses ?? I'm with Canon for the long haul I guess.



I will echo Nikon's terrible menu system designed by a delusional monkey on crack cocain. It's much less user friendly, but both get the job done.


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## RLPhoto (Jan 27, 2013)

Geez aglet. Why u no shoot all nikon already?


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## helpful (Jan 27, 2013)

I chose Canon because some of its lenses are unique and I wanted to use them.

I also choose Nikon for the same reason.

I use both systems almost equally, although most of my sports work is done with Canon.


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## Hill Benson (Jan 27, 2013)

After owning a Sony Cybershot 505V I really wanted to step up to an optical viewfinder that I experienced during my SLR days. One day I was photographed on my motorbike by a 30D with a 70-200mm f/4L by a very skilled photographer and instantly fell in love with the image quality. So I started my Canon days with a 50D and a 70-200F4L in 2008. Absolutely no regrets whatsoever.


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## RS2021 (Jan 27, 2013)

I had no choice really. I am a thrid generation Canonite and there was always canon gear around. As a kid I was given an old hand-me-down A1 and a couple of FD's and that was it.


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## timkbryant (Jan 27, 2013)

I went with Canon because a job I had just accepted required me to buy my own camera.

After asking my boss what the other people in the office had (for possible lens sharing, etc.) and not ever getting an answer other than "I don't like people to share lenses," and asking peers what they recommended and being told Canon or Nikon is perfectly good...

I decided since I already had a Canon P&S, and was somewhat familiar with Canon in that way, I would go with that.

Bought a 1000D, and have since added the Speedlight 580II and the 70-200 f/2.8 and then upgraded to a 5D3. Barring having all my equipment stolen or destroyed, I'm with Canon for the long haul.


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## jdramirez (Jan 27, 2013)

I got a cheap deal on a body and a 75-300. I had some grandma money from Christmas. A few months before, I bought a few Nikon telephoto lens from a price mistake. I was going to be a Nikon guy, but I got the price of the XS was a good deal.


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## Zo0m (Jan 28, 2013)

I liked the color of the telephoto lenses...


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## Danielle (Jan 28, 2013)

I've used nikon all my life disregarding other larger formats. The only canon I had in my bag was an old ae-1 program with just one lens, still works too.

Skipping to the new age, I have been very slow to adopt digital. My dad gave me a 7d on loan for a few months. I nearly completely hated it, as the system just works very differently from nikon even comparing to f90x's and f5's. however I realised how good it was. Christmas 2011 he mentioned I can keep it. That was that. Digital here I came. 

Unfortunately though I had already steered my partner towards nikon. So sharing lenses is out.


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## agierke (Jan 28, 2013)

i started out shooting a K1000 in highschool (still love that camera) but got a canon Elan upon graduation. 

didnt make a huge impact on me as i went to art school i was much more enamored with medium and large formats. i was able to acquire a Hassi 501CM and Toyo 45C while in college to help prepare me for the professional world but while i assisted a pro photographer my junior and senior year i was very much impressed with his Nikon F5 system. i probably would have gone Nikon had it not been for the digital explosion.

i graduated in the spring of 02 and though i was impressed with the F5 system i was more familiar with Canon. add to that the fact that Nikon took forever to enter the FF digital world i saw no chance at me going with anything other than canon. 

my first digital camera was the 20D....which i hesitantly bought because i could not stand the crop factor. 2 months later the 5Dc was announced and i scrambled to sell the 20D (took a $500 loss on it) so that i could pick one up. got it with the 28-135mm but soon after picked up the 70-200mm 2.8L.

canon dominated the full frame digital market so thoroughly back then there was never really a choice for me. been mostly happy ever since!


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## noisejammer (Jan 28, 2013)

I purchased a 40D several years ago with the intention of using it for astrophotography. Although Nikon had similar offerings, the wisdom was that Canon's in-camera processing was gentler which would mean faint stars were less likely to be nailed.

As things turned out, I only used the 40D for lunar shots - I bought a cooled CCD camera for faint object astrophotography. Of course, I bought a couple of lenses which more or less cemented the relationship and five years down the line, here I am.

It has occurred to me that the reason Nikon systems have better out-of-camera noise remains the same - Nikon is more aggressive with the in-camera processing.


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## MrWx (Jan 28, 2013)

I didnt choose canon... My first SLR (film) camera was a gift. I did not have anything in mind picked out. After buying a couple of lenses for it. I was sort of just now a canon person.


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## TexPhoto (Jan 28, 2013)

I did not choose Canon. *Canon chose me!*


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## Dianoda (Jan 28, 2013)

The big whites? Canon's lens lineup was very appealing when I was researching systems - I started with a T1i but wanted lots of room to grow. Which I did plenty of (currently sitting on 7D/5D3 and a stack of L's).


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## 2n10 (Jan 28, 2013)

I was using the SX20IS and decided I wanted to get a DSLR. I felt that since I liked and had been using a Canon camera I should stay with them.


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## Aglet (Jan 28, 2013)

RLPhoto said:


> Geez aglet. Why u no shoot all nikon already?



Because I still like Canon for _some_ stuff and I'm starting to like Pentax more too. 
Not so crazy about most Pentax glass but there's Tamron, Sigma and others to fill in the holes.

And some sweet piece of Fuji's caught my eye and is flirting with my wallet. I'll be coy with that one.

But most of my shots lately are rockin' w nokiN.
Canons get used for more studio or other controlled lighting kinds of work and I'm still experimenting w Pentax. 

*Have you tried a Pentax?*.. Raw file quality of Nikon with a great amount of customization available and a really easy to use user interface that rivals Canon and Panasonic's. I sort of understand why Pentax users are so enthusiastic about their platform - it's nice to use. I'm really enjoying playing with it and can see it doing some really good work for me. Not much to choose from with them but what's there is pretty good. And they're thinking of a FF body. That could be very interesting.


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## SJ (Jan 28, 2013)

Actually, before i buy my 1st dslr, i really craving for nikon, but when i test canon dslr, its feel better in my hand. So i go for canon, and now i have 7D & 5Dm3 soon 8)

imho, canon have great lens & user friendly camera system


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## J.R. (Jan 28, 2013)

By accident in my case. 

The 7D was available in a really sweet deal and I took it. Bought a couple of lenses and was married to Canon!


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## sanj (Jan 28, 2013)

Did not know better.

5d2 was in rage and bought it.

First few photos I knew the IQ was great. Then slowly I realized that the focus was not the best


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## NormanBates (Jan 28, 2013)

Given that I shoot mostly video...

Because it had the best video. That's changed, though, so I sold my Canon and went to Sony 6 months ago.


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## Qson (Jan 28, 2013)

For video mainly. Magic Lantern was ironically my selling point for the T2i.

Also a couple of my friends who were into photography already invested into canon glass so that's another big reason.


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## Trevor (Jan 28, 2013)

The original 5D was an affordable full frame ... I think Nikon were saying that they'd never make a full frame camera...


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## brad goda (Jan 28, 2013)

I started off with the AE-1 and a bunch of lenses as a hobby...
at school fell in love with the F1 and its sexy big motor drive... then F1n came and wow.
the T90 made me juggle with the F1n then EOS came along and BAM!
I had to do the change.... 
of course there was Fuji 6X9 and my GX680II .. long gone was HASSELblaD
my 4X5s Technikardan ThchiV Hoarsman and my Frankenstein *8X10 with process lenses... 
but all the way its been Canon. 
The transition from film was easy with digital... used my 10D to proof slide film and all of a sudden POOF... 1Ds - II III 60D 1DX...
But the BIG factor in all these years is CANON USA service center in Honolulu Hawaii.
The good people there over the years have efficiently serviced all my bobos and made it better.
I believe if it was not for the great service ... I would not have ... well I dont know what I would have done...
THANK YOU CANON USA - Mahalo! to Honolulu's service team.
Brad Goda


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## Sith Zombie (Jan 28, 2013)

When it was time for me to go digital Canon was actually a lot cheaper than Nikon [gods honest truth lol]. The ergonomics of the 40D swung it against the Nikon equivalent. Also a few friends had canon so the opportunity to borrow lenses was there.
I'm hoping to get a full frame later in the year and the Nikon D600 is the perfect camera for my needs and at the right price so I could see myself getting this but still keeping my Canon gear. Or getting the 5D mkiii, but I feel i would be spending more money on a great AF system I would never push to its limits.


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## Barrfly (Jan 28, 2013)

Canon wasn't my first pick. 
Back in 1976 My parents gave me my first SLR as a Christmas present . A Pentax K-1000 with a 50mm lens and I've been hooked on photography ever since. 

Several years later I took a job at a photo shop , main reason being I spent so much time there that I knew the inventory and sales pitches better then some of the employees . Plus it was a good way for a young guy on a tight budget to get some good discounts on the equipment I so craved . And as an added perk the manager would price film and processing at cost, I was in heaven !

Back then , we worked on commission. The camera companies would give us super discounts or in some cases reward us with a camera if we met sales quotas of their brand. The first upgrade I every had was a Ricoh XRP, Free of charge, I sold those cameras like there was no tomorrow. Nice thing was they had the same lens mount as the Pentax so I could use what glass I had on the new body. 

Then it happened one day the Canon rep stopped by our store with a new EOS 620 in hand. I miss the days when the Reps would come around , their job was to convince us to sell their brand. Needless to say it was the most advanced 35mm camera I had every seen. I drooled . Though Canon didn't offer the incentives and had lower commissions then the competition I knew I was going to be selling a lot of these. 

When he found out I was shooting with a Ricoh his head almost exploded , we've got to fix that he said. A few short weeks later when the first shipment arrived my manager pointed out a box with my name on it. We were both surprised because any in store purchases made had to go threw him. Inside the plain cardboard box buried in the styrofoam peanuts was a Canon EOS 620, 50mm lens and a letter from the Rep. It said, Included in this package is the demo camera I've been using , I'm sure once you experience the quality Canon has to offer it will be your brand of choice, Enjoy !

He was right, I've been shooting Canon ever since. Actually I used that same body until the 30D came out. Since then I've upgraded to a 50D, purchased two 60D's for my children, a 7D for myself and am on the verge of getting a 5D mk III. 

I guess to put it in a nutshell, Canon and the Rep sold me.


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## steliosk (Jan 28, 2013)

Never liked nikon's policy
Never liked the ergonomics
Never liked that contrasted fake colour
Never liked those warm-yellowish skintones

and i never understood this:
d300 = 12mp
d90 = 12mp
d3 = 12mp
d700 = 12mp
d3s = 12mp


Plus the L glass is uncomparable 
faster USM moters, better rendering, fantastic bokeh

I chose Canon then and i'd choose even today.

3 things i love on Nikons?
- dynamic range
- cheap d800 36megapixels
- 14-24 lens


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## alexanderferdinand (Jan 28, 2013)

Started with a AE-1 Program, A1, 2x T90.
Big break working in the hospital.
Bought the 300D, because the 70-210/3,5-4,5 would fit.
Then I had time and money, so 5D2, 1D4, 5D3, a lot of glasses.

Looking back: Canon had the more interesting bodies and more important: Lenses.
I love the 35L, the 70-200/2,8 IS II.
Switching Systems would change a well running combination of many items.
I dont think Nikon is bad, just never touched me.
AND: everytime Nikon is making skmething good (love the Sony- sensors), big Red has to react.

Nuff said.


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## Stig (Jan 28, 2013)

when my DSLR craving started (back then it was mainly because i wanted something more (shutter button) responsive to take pictures of rally cars when I wasn't sitting in one (before they are out of the frame)) I looked around and went for 350D for two main reasons:

1, Canon cameras just looked more appealing to me, looks and ergonomics wise... maybe not the best reason, but that's how it is/was and I don't think I'm the only one

2, my closest friend bought 20D not long before that and I thought we will be able to share some lenses every now and then... as it turned out, we used our limited budgets for the same lenses (18-55 kit and sigma 70-300) and now, I expanded my gear recently, while my friend seems to lose interest in photography... not that I would regret choosing Canon


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## Don Haines (Jan 29, 2013)

I shot Olympus for a long long time... The user interface on the Oly's beat Nikon and the Rebels hands down... but was inferior to the pro level canons... I needed the camera system to be very portable and the extra reach of 4/3 was a bonus. Sensors were equivalent in IQ to Canon and Nikon APS-C and the selection of quality lenses was growing quickly. Oly 4/3 was the right choice for me.

Then came micro four-thirds..... All of the developement went into micro 4/3 cameras and lenses. I HATED the user interface, the lenses were all low quality and the cameras/bodies were not sealed, and the ergonomics, at least for me, sucked. 4/3 users were left out in the cold.

We Oly users waited patiently for the next "pro" body..... and the E-5 came out. I had one pre-ordered and when I went into the store to pick it up I was so dissapointed in it (the PEN's took better pictures) that I walked out of the store with a 60D.

I picked the 60D because:
1) reasonable price
2) reasonable quality pictures... way better iq than 4/3 cameras of the time
3) great ergonomics / user interface (love the tilt/swivel screen)
4) Lens selection (still nothing long availiable for 4/3 or micro 4/3)
5) Magic lantern
6) Semi-sealed body... would have prefered fully sealed, but way better than no sealing
7) size was good for backpacking
8) APS-C for longer reach without getting lenses too big to carry up mountains
9) second party lenses and accessories

Since I got it, the only thing that has changed is that the iq of the latest micro 4/3 cameras is slightly ahead of the current crop of APS-C cameras (still behind FF), but all the other shortcomings of micro 4/3 still remain... I'll keep shooting with it until a much better APS-C canon comes out, and ignore incremental upgrades.


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## kbmelb (Jan 29, 2013)

I was in a Electronics super store playing around with 30D and D80. With the 30D, I was able to figure out how to set Aperture and shutter while in "M". Never did figure it out on the Nikon.

While I feel the resolution would be beneficial to some of the work I do, my 5D3 and 1Ds3 are holding their own until Canon puts out there high MP beast.

For me 21-22MP is plenty, but I do have clients that lean for medium format IQ and I'd love to get that in a 35mm style body.


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## verysimplejason (Jan 29, 2013)

Ergonomics and lens. I also don't like initial Nikon colors. I agree though you can change your settings or in PP but still I prefer Canon colors. I also like their after-sales service. I also like the quality of my Canons.

What I like in Nikon:
DR.
They're not afraid to lower down the cost.
They almost always release very competitive bodies and lenses.


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## 20Dave (Jan 29, 2013)

I had an old Nikon N2000, but none of the lenses were compatible with the DSLRs. So I was starting from scratch. I was still leaning towards Nikon because of a slight brand loyalty. However, I am mostly interested in bird/wildlife photography, and the 400mm f/5.6 lens fit a price (not insane)/performance (insane) point that Nikon couldn't counter. All other glass was fairly comparable between the two companies, so I went with a 20D. Now I'm waiting to see if my next upgrade will be to a 7DII or a 5DIII or something else, not ruling out a 70D if it comes in better than most folks fear on this forum.

Dave


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## Dantana (Jan 29, 2013)

Started with a hand me down AE-1 in college, added some FD glass and fell in love with shooting and printing my own. I reluctantly parted with my kit when it needed repairs that cost more than the body was worth and bought a Rebel 2000 before a trip to Europe. I held onto that until I got sick of trying to find a decent place to get prints, since I can't fit a darkroom setup any more. Switched to digital with an XSI after checking out the competition and not being very impressed. The Canon glass is enough to keep me with them, not that I have any major complaints about their cameras either. People on this forum seem to be obsessed with the L lenses, and I am sure they are great if you can afford them, but I get an awful lot of good images from my non-L kit. I'm a firm believer that the camera is a tool, and I think Canon makes a lot of worthy tools of the trade. I hope to be able to afford to upgrade in not too long, and I'd love to move back to full frame. I do miss that old AE-1 from time to time though.


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## phottographer66 (Jan 29, 2013)

It was actually very simple.....heads I went with Nikon and tails I went with Canon. I did not know enough about either brand to make an educated decision at the time.

I was moving up from a Pentax K-1000 and a Chinon somethin-or-other model, so to me either brand was going to be a major improvement with their new technology.

Never looked back


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## Dylan777 (Jan 29, 2013)

Started with Canon P&S. Now...I'm shooting with 5D III and some L lenses. 

HOWEVER, my next compact camera will be Fuji X100s or Sony RX1.


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## EvilTed (Jan 29, 2013)

Dylan777 said:


> Started with Canon P&S. Now...I'm shooting with 5D III and some L lenses.
> 
> HOWEVER, my next compact camera will be Fuji X100s or Sony RX1.


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## PhyloGuy (Jan 29, 2013)

I started in photography as a member of my high school yearbook staff, taking photos of school events. I used my parents' Minolta. I was quite amateurish and didn't really understand what I was doing. I didn't do much photography for years, only occasionally taking photos of kids/family like anybody would, until about a year ago when I became interested in photography for a project. I posted here on February 9, 2012,

http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=3323.msg69553#msg69553

and became interested in this community. As noted in that post, I had a T3i at the time. This initial choice was somewhat random, as I picked the camera up at Costco. However, over the past year I have read this forum obsessively, and picked up knowledge about the strengths and weaknesses of different systems. I also visit the local photography stores frequently (Calument and Looking Glass Photo, as I live in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay area). 

I am happy with my choice, though I suppose that if I had chosen Nikon, I would also be happy. I have a colleague who bought a Nikon D800 and he let me play with that camera. He is quite happy with that camera, but my subjective thought was that the camera didn't feel quite right in my hands, compared to my 5D3. 

In any case, it would be difficult for me to switch to Nikon, or any other camera brand for that matter, now that I have invested so much in lenses (EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L, EF 50mm f/1.2L, EF 100mm f/2.8L IS, and EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II) and other stuff (600EX-RT and ST-E3-RT). My wife has been understanding, but there are limits...


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## fohtohz (Jan 29, 2013)

canon stuff is usually quite a lot cheaper and easier to acquire, both new(more promotions) and used(more buyers/sellers).


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## dave (Jan 29, 2013)

Because funnily enough when trying to buy my first camera and doing research Canon users tended to be more helpful and friendlier!


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## serendipidy (Jan 29, 2013)

"But the BIG factor in all these years is CANON USA service center in Honolulu Hawaii.
The good people there over the years have efficiently serviced all my bobos and made it better.
I believe if it was not for the great service ... I would not have ... well I dont know what I would have done...
THANK YOU CANON USA - Mahalo! to Honolulu's service team.
Brad Goda"

+100 8)


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## RGF (Jan 29, 2013)

From 1977 until 1999 I was a Nikon shooter. But it seemed that late last century Nikon had badly stumbled - Canon had

IS
Eye control
All lens had motors (faster focusing)
Wider range of lens
More stable product line up (in 6 years there were 3-4 version of the 70/80-200 F2.8. Canon had one).

Now is a different story. Nikon is more innovative and aggressive.


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## deleteme (Jan 29, 2013)

I started in the 70's and used Pentax and Minolta. In high school my friends were divided between Nikon and Canon both of which I admired. I went with Nikon as someone had just acquired the 20mm lens so I figured I could borrow it.

Years later I had been without a serious camera for years and was getting back into professional shooting and Canon introduced the 10D. It was a great camera for a great price and I bought two. 

Canon has always had a great camera ready for me as I moved up the food chain photographically. Some may carp about being left behind by Nikon but I can say that my cameras still make me very good money and beautiful photographs and I am unafraid of the future.


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## nicku (Jan 29, 2013)

Efka76 said:


> It is interesting to hear stories why people choose Canon when there are a lot of other firms? Nikon, Pentax, Sony...
> 
> I personally was always interested in photography and was shooting quite a lot when I was young with analog cameras Smena and Zenit- E (Soviet type cameras). My first digital camera was P&S Sony bought in 2004, however, i was not satisfied with its quality (at that time analog cameras quality was much better than digital).
> 
> ...



In 2007 i bought a Sony A100 DSLR my first digital SLR ( having 6 years experience with Canon 35mm film slr's). I bought a Sony because was at a good price and most important it has image stabilization incorporated in camera. The quality was way under Canon digital cameras at that moment. So.... i decided to sell the A100 and buy Canon. 

I use Canon DSLR's since..... until March 2013 when i will buy a Nikon.


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## K3nt (Jan 29, 2013)

Hmm.. having used Casio, Panasonic, Fuji etc etc small pocketcams or 'superzooms' for a number of years for the occasional snapshot photography wasn't really a big deal for me. Until 2011. I was getting fed up about missing shots of my dogs due to the slow responsiveness of the pocketcams.
I researched a little and found the Canon 7D matching what I was looking for pretty nicely. I had no experience with DSLR and didn't even know what the terms, aperture, focal length meant or, more importantly did.
I went to a store, tried Canons, Nikons, Sony, but the only one that felt right in my paws was the 7D, so I bought it.
My next thought was, ok, I now have a camera that I KNOW can take the shots I want, but I still really don't know how. Amazon, here I come. I ordered a whole bunch of books, about the camera, flash, post-processing and spent the next two months getting to grips with it. I figured as I invested so much in a camera, it'd be a bit embarrassing to use auto mode. 
Then I went out and started taking pictures, first I did a day using only Av mode. Went back, checked the results and tried working out how and why something worked or didn't. Next stop, Tv-mode. And so on and so forth. Needless to say, my first shot in Bulb-mode was less than successful. 
As I've come to realize, and many of you as well, nothing beats experience and experimenting. 
This sort of then lead to trying one more thing, then another, then a third and pretty soon I found myself loving it.  I'd made myself a hobby without ever setting out to do so.
One of the things I like most is... there's always something new to learn. And now I get a bit anxious if I can't get out shooting often enough. 

This turned out longer than I thought and went a bit off topic too. 
As for why Canon, it just felt right, at the time that was my only justification. And I am very happy with my choice.


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## Faxon (Jan 29, 2013)

I shoot video news for a local television station. I see all the pro still news photogs shoot with Canons. Case closed. Plus, those wonderfully expensive white lenses are just lust-worthy.


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## Ellen Schmidtee (Jan 29, 2013)

Because the white light and voices of an angels chorus coming out of the 450D's box made me open my wallet.


As a beginner it seemed my life would be easier with Canon, e.g. as all lenses have motors and pages in Wikipedia, and the shop employee said it doesn't really matter, though when he made the transition from film to digital, he chose Canon over Nikon.


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## mfumbesi (Jan 29, 2013)

I bought my first digital P&S back in 2004, it a Korean made (can't remember the name probably Samsung).
I wasn't impressed with the image quality, I then bought another P&S in 2005 also Korean. The quality was better but nothing to write home about. The company I worked for at that time bought a Bridge camera, I think it was a Olympus. I was impressed with the image quality and discovered that it is all about the glass.
My search started around 2006 for a DSLR, at that time they were incredibly expensive. A colleague bought a 350D and was showing off at work. I downloaded a picture of me he had taken.............. the rest is history.
My first Canon was a 40D.


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## Hillsilly (Jan 29, 2013)

My first Canon (AE-1 program) was a gift from my dad. He was a Pentax shooter, and like most dads, probably wanted better for his children  In hindsight, it seems like a ill conceived idea as it would have made more sense for everyone to be using the same mount. But at the time, brand snobbery was very big. My dad always thought his competition entries were at a disadvantage when he listed a Pentax camera with Sigma lens.

That was a long time ago, and I've since owned a number of different systems. Throughout most of the 90's, I predominantly used a Mamiya RB67 kit. Recently, I've started playing with an Olympus m43 camera. I've also owned Yashicas and Minoltas. I'm constantly wondering if I should switch to Nikon, Sony or [insert brand of the month here]. But no matter how far or how wide I roam, I still call Canon home. Canon and Nikon are really the only two companies with the complete package. Once you've bought into one system, there is rarely a compelling reason to switch sides.


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## bratkinson (Jan 29, 2013)

Having moved to a 35mm Minolta viewfinder camera while I was in the US Air Force in 1970, by 1976, I desparately needed to stop taking pictures with the lens cap on! So, I went to the local camera store in Milwaukee that I had moved to 1 year earlier and asked what to do. He showed me a just on the market Canon AE-1, with a 50mm flat-fiield macro lens on it. He didn't have to 'sell' me much at all. It was mine a few minutes later! 

I went out and ran 2-3 rolls of slides through it, and when I got them back, randomly, some frames were not exposed! And I did all my shooting in about 2 hrs and never put the lens cap on during that period! So, he sent the camera to Canon and they fixed it. Off to my favorite rail yard to take more pictures...same results! Back to the store again! He offered me a full-value store credit on a then 'older model' Canon EF, which I instantly bought. It was the predecessor of the AE-1 and had much the same electronics in a metal body with metal shutter, rather than cloth like the AE-1. The pictures came out great! Within a year, I got 'bit good' by the photography bug and ended up with a 2nd EF and 4-5 more lenses. I think I ran at least 1000 rolls of film through each of those cameras. Then I got married, and that was the end of my photography in 1988. 

12 years and an ex-wife later, I wanted to sell some stuff on ebay, so I bought a Canon (what else?) point and shoot G-3. In addition to ebay stuff, I started taking pictures at church as well, and moved up to a G-5 a couple years later. When I wore that one out (oddball exposures, etc), I figured it was time to move to the SLR mode again...so I bought a used 30D and a couple of kit lenses, Canon 18-135 and 55-250. 6 months later, I wanted sharper pictures and the ability to do more no-flash indoor work. So it was time for a 60D and some L glass. This past Thanksgiving, the 60D was replaced with a 5D3 for the drop dead focusing and incredible ISO capabilities. My no flash work is a breeze with an 80-90% keeper rate these days! 

Needless to say, I'm very brand-loyal when I find good products. I know I'll be a Canon shooter 'til I die. Ditto for Chrysler products...I've bought nothing but Chrysler products since 1972. Goodyear tires, the same.


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## Brock (Jan 29, 2013)

I started researching DSLRs when I was going to buy one as a gift for my aging parents.

It had to have excellent autofocus because their eyes were getting bad & they had to be able to depend on the camera choosing subjects wisely & focusing accurately.

The Canons had the autofocus motors built into the lenses & had more accurate autofocus, whereas half if not more of the Nikons didn't.

I also looked at examples of the pictures out of the Canons & Nikons; & found the more neutral & natural colors of the Canon more realistic than the more saturated & exaggerated colors of the Nikon (even though the Nikons appeared to have higher dynamic range).

Because of the same reasons I bought one for myself.

If I were in the same position now as I was then, now; it would be a harder decision. Nikons seem to have more AF points in my price range (though Canons are more evenly spread out & I still think the Canons have slightly more stringent tolerances for AF accuracy). 

Nikons have also been advancing sensor technology faster than Canon, but I still prefer Canon's more realistic / natural colors to Nikons over-saturated colors.

I'm in the market for a couple new DSLRs atm, my 50D could use an upgrade. I've been eying the D5200 & am curious about the D7000 successor, but I'm holding out hope that Canon can wow me with the 70D.


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## viggen61 (Jan 29, 2013)

Years ago, I was into Minolta SLRs.No particular reason, other than that's what my Father had, so that's what I bought. 

Back in 2001, I took a trip to Europe and brought both my Minolta and an Olympus P&S Digital. While I liked the fact that there weren't any continual costs with the Olympus, it just couldn't do the things I'd become accustomed to doing with the SLR.

By 2007, I only brought a digital P&S with me on my next trip. This was largely ok, as it was a 5MP camera, and a lot of the photos I took were not worthy of spending money on film for!

By 2010, though, I wanted to get back into photography and persue it as a serious hobby. I looked a little at the superzooms, and other all-in-one digital cameras, but the lure of the SLR was too strong.

As for how I got into Canon, well, I wasn't invested in any current lens system, so I could look at them all. But I wanted to buy into a system that did it all. And that all but completely rules out everyone but Canon and Nikon. I went to a few stores to "test drive" the various models available from both. The bigger Canon (50D at the time) came out on top. The smaller Rebels didn't interest me, and that's purely on ergonomics. The Nikons, for whatever reason, didn't feel as solidly built as the Canons, and the Canon's controls, particularly the main dial and rear dial felt a lot sturdier than the same on the Nikons. 

At that point, I was all set to buy the 50D, but the 60D was right around the corner, and I wanted to try that. But I made the wonderful mistake of asking to see a 7D at a shop, and the rest is history. I walked out with it that day, and have been a happy DSLR owner ever since.


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## insanitybeard (Jan 30, 2013)

My Dad started me out with a fixed focus Fuji compact when I was about 13, though a little while after that he 'lent' me his Pentax MX with a 50mm standard lens. This gave me many good years of use (It was fully mechanical, the battery only powered the meter), and as my Dad had an ME-Super, I had access to all his K series lenses too. I used it for the last time in 2009 when he got me a Lumix TZ3 as a birthday present, which proved to be a nice little compact which took up very little space when hiking and going places, however, after a while I missed the functionality and control which you have with an SLR (plus my dad had finally replaced his old Pentax with a modern Pentax digital SLR)- eg, interchangeable lenses, filters, bulb, optical viewfinder etc so got saving. My partner had bought an EOS400D and I had always associated Canon (helped no doubt by the rows of Pros at sports events with big whites) as the manufacturer of choice for the professionals so decided to go for a Canon. I was going to get a 500D at the time but after pondering and reading about the various models it seemed that the 50D would be a better bet- more solid build (important to me), bigger- I find the controls cramped on the smaller bodies- and generally a more 'pro spec' body with less auto modes and more customisation. I decided on the 50D. Then the 7D came out..... it had rave reviews, and coupled with the option of video missing from the 50D, better AF, bigger viewfinder etc I was sold. I just had to save a bit longer!


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## steliosk (Jan 30, 2013)

Mikael Risedal said:


> Never liked that contrasted fake colour?
> Never liked those warm-yellowish skintones?
> 
> well , then change to a similar profile in the Nikon as in your Canon if you think the results are to yellow.
> I have change my Canons profiles, I do not like a red/ magenta cast in the skin tones .



Why bother? Canon's faithful profile gives me the richest skintones i've worked with.


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## bluenoser1993 (Jan 30, 2013)

EF 70 - 200 2.8 IS II!!!!! I read a review on this lens and knew it was the system I needed to go with. Found a great deal on a used 7D with a 24 - 105 and picked up the 70 - 200 within a month. Extremely happy, and after a year of getting familiar with DSLR I'm quite happy with my results. Now I just need to wait a couple years for the 5D3 to become yesterday's news and make the change...


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## CanNotYet (Jan 30, 2013)

For me, it was largely my wife's fault. When we met, she had a konica P&S for film. I accidentally put it in the washing machine (long story), and it was no more. Next up, she got a IXUS APS and liked it. Then she got a EOS 500N from her father, which we used for a loong time.

When digital turned up, we started from scratch, as we wanted first a P&S. We looked at all the brands, but my wife had two criterias: IQ, and skintones. She disregarded all other brands after looking at pics, and we became the owners of an A80, which we loved. Adored the vari-angle screen.

A year later, it falls out of our car, and we get an A95 on the insurance (same, but better than A80).

Three years later, we get married. (yes, she is my wife now, but we were together for many years before it happened). So, what to give my wife as a "morning gift"? (old tradition in my country).

The 40D had just come out, but I got a sweet deal on the 30D, and funds wer limited, so I went for it (thinking I can use the old sigma lenses for the 500N for it). The 70-300 worked, but the 28-80 did not, so I sold that package off to a relative, and bought the Tamron 17-50 non-VC.

And now? Several lenses later and flash etc.? I will not switch brands unless Canon goes bankrupt or starts using baby hearts to power their cameras (or something similarly unprobable royal screw-up).

So, pros:

Ergonomics. Nikons feel weird.
Total package. Room to grow that only Nikon can compete with.
Colors and skintones. (yes I know you can change it, but I don't know how, and with Canon, I don't need to...)
Lenses. Both Third-Party and the lovely USM ones
Build quality. (thats the reason I chose a 30D over a Rebel, it has been banged up many times, and still works as new, over 120.000 actuations later)

Cons:
Well...price? (but you DO get what you pay for, both in houses and lenses)

DR does not affect me that much, as I am not remotely pushing the boundaries there. I want fast autofocus and good Hi-Iso performance.


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## UrbanImages (Jan 30, 2013)

My father taught me how to use his AE-1 when I was around 12. (35 now) When the Rebel G came out I bought one along with some third party lenses. I later upgraded to a 7E and in 2005 bought my 1st digital DSLR, the 300D and I was hooked. Having shot film for so long I was resistant at first, but after shooting with it for the first time I was hooked. From then on I got serious and moved on to a 40D and started upgrading my lenses and bodies to the collection I have now. I have tried friends' Nikons and I don't like the way they feel nor do I find them user friendly. Ironically enough my business partner shoots Nikon and she picked up my 5DII and 7D yesterday and she found them to feel better in her hands than her D3. She also acknowledges that Canon has superior glass so the die hard Nikon girl is exploring a switch. ;D At least we would no longer be a divided studio...


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## drolo61 (Jan 30, 2013)

Started out in the mid seventies with a Fujica SLR, Dad worked for Kodak, so there was always plenty of Kodachrome in the house. Upgraded myself to Nikon FA, added a FM2 and a couple of lenses. Forgot about photography for some time. Found some "fun money" and added a Leica M6 plus glass to the line-up. Bought first digital (Olympus P&S with great 1,8, lens, forgot the model) around 1999 for the need of a (fast) digital "low cost" workflow for product pics. IQ sucked in those days and for private stuff I a took a quick ebay tour through medium format (RZ67, Hassi C500 and Mamiya 6x6, still my Rollei 6008i). Upgraded digitally 2001 on KonicaMinolta (5MP over the Olymus 3MP), got rid of it after a week for extreme low light noise. Swapped to first version rebel, felt cheap and plastic, so the 10D was my first "keeper" in digital world. Waiting for FF the 5D changed my photograpy as I have not touched much of the film gear since. Have no need for video, so just upgraded last year to 5DIII and completely happy with it. While owning my Nikon film gear I was so much of a "fan boy", that picking up the Rebel almost felt like treason. Was very tempted to go back while waiting for the 5DIII, but for ergonomics and lenses happy to have waited. Nonetheless Canon has to regain speed in developing cutting edge technology - still wait for the long announced firmware update to fix the AF point illumination.


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## sharka23 (Jan 30, 2013)

TS-e 17mm !


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## msowsun (Jan 30, 2013)

Brand Loyalty ..... In the late 1966 I was 10 years old and started taking photos with my Dad's Kodak Bownie. 








He eventually bought me a used Canon Canonet QL19 (35mm film rangefinder) in 1971 and I have been shooting with only Canon ever since.


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## 7enderbender (Jan 30, 2013)

a) It started with my dad's Canon A-1, so I also bought into the FD system. A good friend and neighbor had an A-1 as well, so we shared a lot of lenses and gizmos at the time.

b) I don't like the color of mustard and zoom lenses that turn the wrong way.

c) I couldn't afford the Leica system.

d) Canon lenses for me are the better bang for the buck. For about equal quality Nikon lenses are always a bit more expensive. And there are a bunch of lenses I was interested in that Nikon simply doesn't have an equivalent for.


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## JPAZ (Jan 30, 2013)

After moving from 35mm Rebel to Olympus digital P&S, got a Canon G6 (still have it). When moving to digital SLR, the Canon XTi felt beter in may hands than the Nikon d80. Nuff said.


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## K-amps (Jan 30, 2013)

Not sure how I got into Canon... but what keeps me is the 70-200 F/2.8 mk. ii


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## pdirestajr (Jan 30, 2013)

EOS Rebel G. Andre Agassi.


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## Area256 (Jan 30, 2013)

I've owned a number of Nikon, Sony, Olympus, Minolta, and Canon digital cameras over the last 12 or so years. My first Canon was the G7 that I used for travel, and I really enjoyed it. My DSLR at the time an Olympus E520 (or something like it), and it had awful noise. So I went looking for a new DSLR brand. Initially my plan was to get a Nikon D7000, since it seemed to have good noise performance, however then I discovered it had a half-backed LiveView system. So I picked up a Canon 60D, and loved the controls and LiveView functionality - and just about everything else about it. I've been shooting Canon almost exclusively ever since - with the 6D being my latest toy.


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## Axilrod (Jan 30, 2013)

I had various Canon MiniDV cameras over the years and found them to be quality products. Also, my neighbor and close friend that was a photog both shot Canon, so it seemed like the obvious choice for me.


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## Sporgon (Jan 30, 2013)

Full frame in 2005

Been in photography since 1978, used Nikon 35mm and Pentax 6x7 exclusively, then Nikon digital to 2005. Nikon had publicly stated they'd never produce a FF chip (!)

However since using Canon really like the ergonomics of the cameras and the quality of manual focus on the L lenses, although I am attempting now to make more use of AF. Also I believe that in the "prosumer" category the Canons are inherently better made. 

In the helicon days of film I really didn't like Canon, apart from the wonderful F-1.


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## leftnose (Jan 30, 2013)

I've been involved with photography since I was very young. My father was a student of Walker Evans and did some nice work on his own. The first real camera I used was his old Leica M2 with a 35mm Summarit. After that, he let me use his Nikon F3 with a 35/2 AIS lens. When it came time that I was old enough to have my own "real" camera (about 1996--I had had many P&Ss up to this point--who else remembers Disc film?), couldn't justify the additional price of an N90s over an EOS A2 so I went with Canon. At that time, Canon was the clear leader in AF performance and that was more important to me than the advantage Nikon held with better TTL flash performance. The first lens I bought for that A2 other than the 28-105 kit lens was the 35/2 (see a pattern here?). I still own both and use the 35/2 today but I've pretty much retired the 28-105 though it still works fine.

Not too long after I bought that A2, the digital revolution started. But I decided to wait it out a bit, inhaling more fixer fumes in the darkroom until things settled a bit, especially since I knew I wanted a full frame sensor, being a fan of the wider end of the focal length range, not to mention better DR, DoF considerations, and low light performance. I was getting results in the darkroom which were very pleasing to me and I didn't want to take a step back with my equipment.

So, several years go past and the 5D Mark II is released. Between that and the D700, it was pretty much a no brainer for me, especially considering the EF glass I already owned and the fact that I could pick up the 5D2 in the store and do everything, the controls were so similar to my A2.

So, my journey with Canon started with cost/feature considerations and then I kept with it due to features/specifications/ergos.


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## digital paradise (Jan 30, 2013)

20D was the cream of the crop  for crop sensors at the time. Nikon was using CCD. I have never liked Nikon colours out of the box and I prefer Canon ergonomics. More glass was available and was less expensive compared to a Nikon equivalent.


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## Pixel (Jan 30, 2013)

I just went with what I knew. We had Canon at my high school yearbook and that was pretty much it. I spent a few years on the dark side but the original 1D was light years ahead of anything Nikon was producing and that was all she wrote and I'll never look back. I'll be with Canon now until the lights are out. 
What keeps me WITH Canon, the CPS program is absolutely the best thing going. Fast turnaround times, loaners, being at the sporting events I cover with loaner gear, sending back updated refurb gear instead of repairing something near the end of life....what more can I ask for?
A pro friend of mine who is in the middle of switching from Canon to Nikon just sent in some gear to Nikon for repair.....took weeks to get it back....have fun with that!


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## ashmadux (Jan 30, 2013)

I chose canon because they are designed by someone with common sense.

We are all visual people, some moreso than others. Personally i find nikons style clashes with my own- especially their UGLY interfaces on the lower end bodies. The nikon menu system looks like something out of the stone age, and i ddi not want to deal with the AF/no Af motor nonsense.

More importantly, comes down to the glass- and some canon L glass is just too delicious not to own.


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## DanielW (Jan 30, 2013)

Even though I wish I had better, deeper technical arguments, the actual reason was that the Canon 60D was cheaper than the Nikon D7000 when I bought my first DSLR, and it felt just right in my hands.


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## lintoni (Jan 30, 2013)

Back in 1999, I was going on holiday to Australia and knew that I wanted a 'proper' camera (as opposed to the point & shoot I'd been using)to document the trip. I went to my local camera store and asked the advice of the wonderfully kind and attentive gent at the counter. 45mins later, I walked out with an EOS 3000. A Year or two later, I'd upgraded to an EOS 30 and absolutely loved it. No turning back... but now I've got a DSLR, and I really miss the eye controlled AF!


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## bseitz234 (Jan 30, 2013)

Didn't choose, so much as fell into it and stayed. My younger brother got himself a Rebel XTi (400D? 450? I can never remember), and when the 7D was announced, decided to upgrade. We did a family electronics shuffle, involving iPods and cameras and the like- I received the XTi at the cost of an old iPod. He kept his lenses, but I got a nifty fifty and a 75-300 (non-USM, didn't think the extra $40 for USM was worth it.... boy was I wrong). Fast forward a year and a half, lost the body and the tele to a whitewater kayaking accident, the 50 survived 5 minutes on the bottom of the river, and lived in the basement for two years. I recently bought myself a 7D because I missed taking nice pictures so much, and I'd had such a great introduction with the Rebel, that I just stuck with Canon. And here I am today, happy as a clam with everything that felt right in my hands, including the still-working 50 that has made it from the basement back into a camera case where it belongs!


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## colin1984 (Jan 31, 2013)

Well at first because I like the Name Canon more than Nikon.

Second: I like Canon´s trigger more than Nikons

Third when I saved my money for a 350D the Eos 400D was released which was a very good entry level slr at that time.

Fourth, Everywhere you go around you see Canon DSLR´s, but I´m not looking especially for Canon, more by the way like what gear use she or her,

and the L alltough I only have one, but in future maybe more *hopefully*


My Story


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## Ewinter (Jan 31, 2013)

I was after a DSLR, and picked the 450D because of price and features. I started a 2 year course in photography.

I stick with canon, 5 years on, as a working professional. I stay because of the ergonomics, glass and professional support that canon offer.
My canon gear has always grown with me, it's an extension of myself, and I can pick up any canon body from an EOS 300 through to the 1DS and through the 5/6/7ds all the way to the 1DX and be friends with it in minutes.
I can spend half an hour with a nikon entry level before I figure out how to take it out of auto iso.
Also...the images ain't so pleasing on the other side


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## Ewinter (Jan 31, 2013)

Mikael Risedal said:


> Ewinter said:
> 
> 
> > I was after a DSLR, and picked the 450D because of price and features. I started a 2 year course in photography.
> ...


I can change the ISO fine, but they seem to have made the auto ISO setting buried in the menu with another, manual ISO option on the body/ quick menu on the d3100 and 3200. It distresses me greatly


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## Ewinter (Jan 31, 2013)

Mikael Risedal said:


> Im not using these cameras, in d800 D3 etc there are no meny digging


I know. 
I quite like Nikon's manual controls on the body.
something that you only really get on canon at the 1d level.
However, the Nikon menus beyond that kill me dead.
I think it's the way they keep mixing them up between generations.
For example : the empty card slot release on the d3100 is in the settings menu. On the d7000 it's in the custom functions. I don't know why that is, but it doesn't make sense to me. 
On a more on topic note, 
I like that the pro standard zoom on canon has enough resolving power to keep up with their pro bodies, and then some.


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## jpk (Jan 31, 2013)

My first SLR was a Topcon Unirex I bought at a pawn shop. My first new SLR was an AE-1 purchased around 1981. I later sold that and bought an A-1. Bought the motor drive for it and then bought a second A-1 w/drive as well. Sold those to get the cash to buy a F-1N. Got a MD for it as well as a nice selection of FD lenses. Along the way I was collecting a few FD bodies. I had a FTb and a few EF's. Saw the digital writing on the wall so leveraged all my film gear to get enough money to buy a 10D with a battery grip. Since selling the two 10D's I had I finally got a 7D and just recently bought a 5D MkII. Finally could afford a few L lenses to go with the bodies. I think I may be done but who knows. I love Canon. Nikons are nice but I'm just used to the ergos of Canons as well as the menu system. Canon has kept them fairly consistant from body to body.


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## RAWShooter126 (Jan 31, 2013)

In 2000, I bought my first P&S Kodak film camera at a second hand store for $25. I was almost finished high school and decided to skip school that day (shame on me) to go on my first photo walk. Not a lot I could do with a prime, fixed focus and aperture lens, fixed to about 30-35mm and the shots were all rubbish lol.

In 2006, I bought my first Digital P&S, a Lumix and the next year I bought a SONY handycam and a Nikon D80. After my experience with the Handycam, I vowed never to buy SONY again because I didn't like the way it handled and the abberations were worse than my P&S. I lost the Handcam and stuck with the D80 with the old film 35-80mm lens for ages, after which buying a few cheap lenses.

Early last year facing a descision to upgrade and the appeal of the Canon lineup, I took the plunge and bought a 7D. Realizing the potential I bought a few more expensive lenses and have plans to buy a 70-200 2.8 II IS and a later upgrade of perhaps a 5D III (seeing what's available when I make the move).

I have been tossing the Idea around of going back to Nikon for a D800/E but the wisest move finacialy at this point would be Canon and I think I would probably be happier in the end anyway.

This is my first post so my current equipment is:
Canon 7D, sigma 10-20 f4-5.6, Sigma 18-50mm 2.8-4.5, Nifty 50mm 1.8 II
Nikon D80, Sigma 18-50mm 2.8-4.5 (because I love this lens so much), 50mm 1.8D, 70-300mm 4.5-5.6G (which I rarely use)
GoPro Hero 2
Panasonic TM-900 Camcorder


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## distant.star (Jan 31, 2013)

.
I prefer to believe that Canon chose me!!


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## Zlatko (Jan 31, 2013)

Efka76 said:


> It would be interesting to hear your stories why you choose Canon.


My first Canon SLR was the Elan 7 film camera back in 2000 or 2001, I think. At the time, Canon seemed to offer a better selection of lenses, better ergonomics and better autofocus.


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## Badger (Jan 31, 2013)

I bought the first sub $1000 DSLR (original Digital Rebel) and have never looked back since. This is just a hobby for me, and and as I accumulate more gear (lenses, flash, etc) It has become almost imposible for me to switch. Besides, I would need a compelling reason to switch and I still don't have one. 
Rocking the 6D now, and I'm happy with it.


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## Don Haines (Jan 31, 2013)

I live in redneck country..... When you say you are going out moose hunting with a Canon you get respect!


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## serendipidy (Feb 1, 2013)

Don Haines said:


> I live in redneck country..... When you say you are going out moose hunting with a Canon you get respect!



LOL ;D....and Nikon rhymes with an asian vegetable (daikon)


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## Zv (Feb 1, 2013)

I had prev used Canon compact cameras and found them easy to use. Moving to DSLRs was an easy choice and one I never regretted!


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## AudioGlenn (Feb 1, 2013)

most of my buddies had Canon stuff when I started out (lenses, flashes, etc.) so I decided to go that route so we could trade lenses when needed.


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## rpt (Feb 1, 2013)

serendipidy said:


> Don Haines said:
> 
> 
> > I live in redneck country..... When you say you are going out moose hunting with a Canon you get respect!
> ...


LOL! Both of you are hilarious!


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## florianbieler.de (Feb 10, 2013)

I don't really know. My brother got a Rebel T1i before me, I was somehow always Canon fixated and then got my own Rebel T1i. Had a Nikon to play around a bit, it just did not feel... right... you know : so, 5D Mark III it was.


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## Paul_B (Feb 10, 2013)

The L glass. Simple as that. The 85 1.2L II is simply unmatched.


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## cuzza (Feb 10, 2013)

Simply Put: Market share.

My first DSLR was an olympus (purchased because of the advertised uniformity of the 4/3rds system) and shortly after they stopped making DSL as they were struggling financially and all support for 4/3rds disappeared with the introduction of micro and I could not get the glass I wanted for the things I wanted to shoot (Such as a nice fast portrait lens). 
Dismayed at this I sold it and got a camera from the manufacturer with the largest market share as I figured they would be the least likely to go out of business. Thus the choice of a Canon 600D and 50mm 1.4


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## tcmatthews (Feb 10, 2013)

I was always interested in taking pictures even as a kid. But my mom put a stop to that when she refused to develop my film because of rising development costs. So it was a long time before I bought another real camera. Digital was in its infancy so I made do with disposable film cameras through high school and college. I should have begged my father for an AE-1 but I doubt he would have let me borrow one of them.

The first thing I bought after getting my first job was a Kodak ease-share 3.1 megapixel P&S camera. I used it until it was about dead. It made me realize I would never by another camera that did not have a view finder that match the picture framing. On point and shoots that would be a EVF.

When I got my current job I needed a new camera. I realized I wanted something more. There were no P&S cameras capable of taking the pictures I wanted to take. In the end I realized I wanted an interchangeable Lens camera, and would like to go full frame at some point in the future. So I started looking. 

I though about getting an Pen but was put off by the high prices for the performance. I also did not see them as a real SLR but some weird in-between. I also needed a EVF for one and that drove up the cost. 
I though about getting a Nikon but all the old glass is a pure manual affair with entry level cameras. The lens compatibility is confusing. I also found their higher end cameras must have been developed by nut jobs that fiddle with settings, more than take pictures.
Sony was the new shinny shinny camera on the market lots of features but short on lenses and more expensive. There entry level was more than I wanted to spend.
Canon had the cheapest price of entry and the best lens selection. It also had the clearest path to full frame. I was attracted to the Canon system as a whole and not any one camera. 

The plan from the very beginning was to develop a lens system. Canon was the best match for this. I bought my Rebel XS and a 70-200f4L. Lets face it canon cameras also just feel right. I used the Rebel for 6 months and felt I needed a better camera. (Learned just about everything I could from it.) Started looking for an upgrade I ended up waiting for the 60d to come out. I wanted something smaller than the 7d after hiking the Grand Canyon.


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## markwilliams279 (Feb 11, 2013)

Canon lenses has always been known to be of the highest quality. Canon cameras has accurate color reproduction with the settings "flat" or "neutral"


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## axtstern (Feb 11, 2013)

I started with the 600 RT and the EOS 100. The reason to choose Canon was not Canon itself but the stupidity of the competition. Nikon had 401-601-901 series which had that lousy narrow bayonet with the engine build into the Chassis and Minolta had the even worse Dynax series which had all disadvantages of Nikon + the additional pain that you had to buy all electronic skills which Canon and Nikon had built in via expensive chip cards. Got nearly any piece of glass from that Age either stolen or sold it but never stopped to be heavily invested in glass with Canon EOS bayonet. So if People currently are worried that Canon is 15 years behind in AE and 3 years behind in sensor Technology, do not worry Nikon limped through the whole 80ies and most of the 90ies behind Canon and managed to catch up. Give Canon some time.... they will get out of their rather conservative phase.


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## markwilliams279 (Mar 13, 2013)

Canon lenses has always been known to be of the highest quality. They have a huge range of great lenses available.


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## stipotle (Mar 13, 2013)

*5Dc.*


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## TexasBadger (Mar 13, 2013)

My first camera in 1974 was a Canon F1. I wanted a Nikon F2, but the cost was considerably more. I shot the F1 for several years until they changed the FD mount to plastic. I did not like the change and when I had a chance to buy a used Nikon F2as I did and sold my Canon gear. Big mistake. I never liked shooting the Nikon as much as the F1.

When I got married, I needed money and sold the F2as. I did not feel bad about this as I never liked the Nikon.

Fast forward to early 2000s. I decided to get back into photography and purchased a Canon Elan7. I loved this camera and bought it with the 85mm f/1.8 as a standard lens. Shortly thereafter, I wanted something wider and bought the 28mm f/1.8. Around 2005, the digital bug bit and I chose the 5DC as I wanted full frame. Since then I have acquired the 24-70 f/2.8L, the 70-200 f/2.8L, the 50mm f/1.8 ii and the 135mm f/2L. Last March I bought the 5D3 and am in total camera bliss. Almost as good as having my original F1. 

I cheated on Canon, went to Nikon, learned my lesson and found my way home.


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## pedro (Mar 13, 2013)

I was shooting a Contax 139 Quartz some 30 years ago. After pausing quite some time from dedicated photography I worked in Southamerica. So by 2003 I bought a 3.2 MP Sony DSC-P 30. Getting back I upgraded to the Sony DSC-F828. As I went to the limits of the camera I got to the conclusion that only a system change would get me further: 
1. IQ
2. interchangeable lenses 
3. longexposures and other possibilities. 

When I unvolunteerly dropped the Sony while slippering out on Ice I started to save up for a 30D.

I went for Canon due to the enthusiastic 20D user reports and because the price range was lower back in the day compared to Nikon. Especially for lenses.

I never regret it. The 30D was a great body, still have it, borrowed it recently to a friend.

Cheers, Pedro


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## Rienzphotoz (Mar 13, 2013)

I used to shoot Nikon but the Nikkor lenses were very expensive and I felt Nikkor lenses were of lesser quality than Canon e.g. 80-400 vs 100-400 *L* IS etc ... after having checked out a few Canon lenses I sold my Nikon gear and bought Canon in 2007 ... I still prefer Nikon DSLR's to Canon but I like Canon lenses even more especially the *L* series lenses. Although I use a Nikon D7000 & 18-300 VR lens for everyday shooting, when it really matters, my gear of choice is Canon 5D MK III with 70-200 *L* IS II & 16-35 *L* II


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## TexasBadger (Mar 13, 2013)

pedro said:


> I was shooting a Contax 139 Quartz some 30 years ago.



The Contax 139 Quartz was a great camera. So were the RTS and 137. Too bad Contax/Yashica bit the dust. The Zeiss glass was incredible.


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## Einstein333 (Mar 13, 2013)

Because Nikon bodies are ugly to look at ;-)


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## bornshooter (Mar 13, 2013)

i used it simply because it felt better in my hand than nikon at the time.


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## GMCPhotographics (Mar 13, 2013)

I've been a Canon man for my whole photographic life. My influence came from my father, who used an AE-1 Program and had a number of nice lenses. At the age of 15, I bought my first SLR, an AV-1 so that I could borrow some of my Dad's kit. After 28 years, I'm pretty well "in-Canon" and I can use any of their gear intuatively. When I pick up another branded camera, I find the metering, focus and User Interface work with different assumptions and feel very alien to me. Nikon's are just wrong in my hands...a confused button layout and poorly though out ergonomics. Where as I can pick up any Canon DSLR or ef lens and I can fully use it in seconds. 
I've seen a lot of photographers jumping ship, Nikon to Canon....Canon to Nikon, over the years and this seems crazy to me. One might gain a small advantage in the short term, but loses quite a lot in cost....but the differences are nearly always made up within a single camera generation. So I'd rather enjoy my kit, keep my current developed familiarity and see what the next model offers. 
In the current array of cameras, I think the Canon 5DIII is the most versatile DSLR currently available from any brand. I also think that it stands alone in the market place at the moment.


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## mycanonphotos (Mar 13, 2013)

Overall ease of use compared to Nikon, Layot, Controls...Etc...I found this out when I bought my first one, the 30D quite a few years back. They both have quite a lens selection so that wasnt an issue..


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## chops411 (Mar 13, 2013)

I started with the HV20 camcorder after seeing great reviews and video samples. I loved the quality of the video and ease of controls. I bought another Canon hd camcorder a couple years after that. So when I wanted to move to a DSLR I NEVER looked at another brand. I knew I wanted a Canon because I was use to their "language". I started with a T3i and now I have T4i but ready to upgrade to the 6D.


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## sleepnever (Mar 13, 2013)

Because when I got into owning a camera (Canon G3), my buddy had a G2 and I really liked it. Then he picked up a Rebel XTi and another friend had a 5D. I ended up with a Canon T2i because my friends and I could learn on the same platforms and swap lenses.

It wasn't until the whole 5D3 / 6D / D800 / D600 thing that I seriously contemplated going Nikon, because the Canon friends faded out (one even switched to Nikon) and a new photographer friend used Nikon. In the end it came down to already owning the 24-70L glass, a flash and not liking how the Nikons felt in my hand. I bought the 5D3 and am very happy with it. If someday Nikon rocks my socks off, maybe I'll grab one. I'm not bound one way or another.


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## RLPhoto (Mar 13, 2013)

stipotle said:


> *5Dc.*



YES. +1


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## siegsAR (Mar 13, 2013)

Advice(or the lack of it) from friends who were already into photography way ahead of me.

When I was about to buy my first slr I had a buddy which was a Nikon advocate, and another who's an (nope you didn't guess it right) Olympus guy; didn't took their brand preference for some factors.

One of it was the availability of authorized Canon service/repair centers compared to Nikon, in my country roughly its 3:1 - and that 1 is the only 1 place I've known of. 

And then personal preference, I found Canon's body design on their units sleek looking. ;D


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## Scott911 (Mar 13, 2013)

I was a Member of special interest house at RIT's school of photography a couple decades ago. 

Between Canon and Nikon, Canon was preferred by students 9 to 10, because it was thought to have higher durability. Most new cameras had gaffer's tape applied to logos and any shiny parts right out of the box, so it wasn't like people we touting brand - they just went with what they thought would last a trip to initial dessert storm, caving trip to WA, etc...


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## Albi86 (Mar 13, 2013)

As for many other people, it depended on the situation of friends/family.

Most of them were shooting Canon and when I bought my first reflex I found natural to do what people that I supposed were more knowledgeable than me were doing.

I never regretted my choice until recently. When I wanted to buy a FF I realized that the D600 was offering more than the 6D for less money. I bought one along with the 85mm f/1.8G and so far I'm enjoying the combination terribly. I'm still learning to shoot with a different system, but overall I'm already quite impressed.


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## Skirball (Mar 13, 2013)

It's funny so many people mention the yellow and red of Nikon as a negative. I'll admit that I wanted a Nikon because of it, I think it looks great. I got into dSLR with a 400D around 7 years ago, and at that entry level the Canon and Nikon offerings were pretty much identical. I wasn't sure which to get so I went to the store to try them both. They both felt more or less the same, but I thought the Nikon looked cooler. However, the overlay in the viewfinder that tells the exposure settings was just a little bit fuzzy in the Nikon. I thought about asking someone at the store, but instead just grabbed the Canon. It wasn't until months later that I learned about the diopter adjustment. Oops.

I haven't really cared one way or the other too much but there's been a few times. When moving into off-camera flash the word on the street is that Nikon dominates this discipline, but there seems plenty that I can do with my Speedlites. Recently looking at FF I see that the D600 has a lot more to offer than the 6D, but I'm too invested in Canon at this point. Nothing I'm going to lose sleep over, specs mostly just stay on paper.


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## Cariboucoach (Mar 13, 2013)

Because it was the only film camera at the pawn shop. had a Pentax k1000 but ended up giving it a way as a Christmas present back in the 1990's. When I looking for my first digital camera I couldn't afford many lenses. I had the 35-80mm lens from the Rebel x/s film camera so I decided to go with a refurbished 40D and the 70-200mm f 4.0L. I finally got the 15-85mm this past Christmas, but still love the 70-200 more.


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## MathieuB (Mar 13, 2013)

My ex had a Canon Pro 1 (Bridge camera with "L" lens optics) which impressed me and when I got ready to buy my first DSLR (Rebel XS), I went with Canon because I was satisfied with the image quality and overall simplicity of operating the camera, yet with so many options. That and most pros that I see use Canon gear.

I eventually upgraded to a Rebel T2i (along with a 50mm 1.8, I loved that combo, even though it had no AFMA adjustments, it felt like it was perfectly adjusted) and when I went to upgrade to a full-frame, I briefly considered switching brand. 

In the end, I stuck with Canon and went with a 6D, due to Canon's greater selection of lenses, especially their top-notch primes (85L, 135L) and impressive zoom (70-200 2.8L IS II, 70-300 4-5.6 IS L) lenses.


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## RGF (Mar 13, 2013)

I started with NIkon in the mid-70s with an FM. Around 1998-2000 (don't remember exactly when) I had a pair of F5 and some long glass. And Canon had the Eos 3 with eye control and IS long glass. So I switched to IS sooner than later.

Since then I occasionally consider switching back but there is no compelling reason


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## Roadtrip (Mar 13, 2013)

Bought my first SLR in 1974 - a Canon FTb-n with a 50mm 1.4. In 1990 I wanted to switch to autofocus and had every intention of switching to Nikon (Canon pissed me off with the incompatible lens change). Sales guy talked me into a Canon 10s - I wanted the Nikon 8008s. Still have the 10s and 540EZ flash, but stayed with Canon and in 2006 I bought a 30D, 430EX and 17-40 f4L. No regrets.


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## digital paradise (Mar 14, 2013)

20D was the cream of the crop when I went digital. Nikon was still using the inferior CCD sensor.


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## helpful (Mar 14, 2013)

It's photography, and somewhat cameras and lenses in general, that I love, not Canon. I'm passionate about the art that I create with a camera, not about the word on the front of the camera.

So the reason I "chose" Canon was the exact reason I chose and use several other brands--the unique features that I need for making a specific image.

For Canon, this would be some of its lenses, which in their niche are either superior or unique.

And for the same reason I have almost an equal amount of Nikon equipment. For example, today I shot with a Canon camera about half the time and with Nikon camera combo for the other half of the time. Using both of those systems, as well as many others, and being proficient at them, allows one to see photography freely as an art form, not as the customer of a camera brand.

Just like a B.A. normally requires a foreign language, so an M.F.A. in photography should require knowledge of a "foreign" camera system until we know it just as well as our "native" language. Ideally, we should have no other native language except the language of art itself.


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## jocau (Mar 14, 2013)

risc32 said:


> electronic motor control of the aperture blades.(100% electrical contacts between the camera and lens)
> wide, high quality lens selection.
> fast AF.
> option of using nikon, and other glass with adaptors.
> ...



I LOLed because it's sooo true.


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## gary samples (Mar 14, 2013)

I was told by a camera jet eye to stay a way from the dark side


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## Jan Jasinski (Mar 14, 2013)

Was in front of a Canon Elan S SLR most of my childhood. My parents still have it...
Canon always came to me as the only brand, never really liked Nikon's grip feeling, design and layout. I much preffered the quicker and easier to use Canon and the great lenses they make.


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## woodywup (Mar 15, 2013)

I chose Canon simply can adapter many... many other lens, Nikon, Zeiss , Leica .....
now I got 6 Contax Carl Zeiss lens, 2 Leica R lens, 10+ other brand lens.
it is a lot fun to try different lens which Nikon can't do it.


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## Hobby Shooter (Mar 15, 2013)

When I was to buy my first DSLS Canon was all over the TV commercials with the EOS 400D so I went to check it out and it came with two kit lenses, it felt like à really good deal. The guy in the camera shop also spoke about it. I haven't looked back since. I then moved to a 60D and now a 5D3. I am really happy with My Canon gear and since I've invested in a few L lenses it would take much for me to change brand. I'll have my 5D3 for at least five more years and will likely pick up a couple of more lenses during that time. We'll see how it goes then.


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## digital paradise (Mar 15, 2013)

gary samples said:


> I was told by a camera jet eye to stay a way from the dark side



Good one!!! Thanks for the laugh. Gonna add that one to my set.


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## Jel_55 (Mar 15, 2013)

When I first started to get into photography 20 years ago, I was bought a second hand Canon AE1 Programme by my parents. Prior to this I'd been using a very old Pentax K1000 loaned to me by my University. The AE1 just felt and looked a million miles better than similar cameras in that range and category. This view was based on nothing more than gut feeling of what felt right for me. It was from then that my loyalty started. 

Currently I have the 5d3, but I've had numerous bodies over the years including the legendary T90, the not so legendary 500N and 50E. I still have a boxed and as new Eos 3 which I just cant bring myself to part with (for me this was the pinnacle of the Canon film SLR range and I hope one day some smart person will come up with a digital back for it!). 

Camera brand loyalty is like a religion in my view - just without the singing and prayers!


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## CharlieB (Mar 15, 2013)

Late in 1978, I was shooting with a pair of Nikkormats, a pair of FMs, and and F2 Photomic. I had 18mm, 20mm, 24mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, 105mm, 135mm, 200mm and 300mm. Around that time, my F2 died. Shutter is not opening. Second curtain follows the first. Sent in to Nikon. Came back dead - with a bill. Shutter still not opening. Not good. Send back... saying... hey guys, don't mind the bill (about $135) but at least FIX the camera. Another month passes... comes back again, dead. Shutter works, but the meter, which used to work, is not working. Send back again... meter is repaired for another $135. I'm getting pissed, as the camera was out of warranty by a month when it died, and now its about five months later... and it comes back, meter fixed, shutter dead - same problem. Send back, yet again, Nikon wants another $135 to fix it, even though I had not made image #1 with the "repaired" shutter, had all the documentation on the previous repairs. Called Nikon many many times... not budging. Send it back unrepaired - screw you, I told 'em. Also gotta consider that Victor Borod was my Nikon Rep, and his father in law Bernie Deitchman was VP head of Nikon Sales in North America, and used to come into our shop all the time... no luck getting any strings pulled.

Well, I finally got the F2 back, meter worked shutter didn't open. I whacked it soundly with my hand, it started working. I promptly sold/traded for a Canon F1, and a pair of AE-1 Programs with 17, 20, 24, 35, 50, 85, 100, 135 and 200.

To tell the truth, I liked the Nikon lenses better. Not in terms of sharpness, but in terms of snap and color rendition. In their day, the Canon FD glass (compared to the Nikon of the same era) was not quite as snappy, a certain lack of pizazz that is hard to describe. Not veiled, but just a miniscule amount lower in contrast I guess. And, the Canon's were a good deal cooler than the Nikon glass... but what seemed like nearly 1.5dM (although it wasn't that much ... it seemed like it).

Never looked back. Upped to EOS-5 film bodies, not as many lenses. Was shooting a lot of medium format at that time... so the 35 was relegated to birds and candids. I had bird and candid lenses - 28, 50, 300 and a 1.4x. Much more than that now... but thats how I did Canon.


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## PhotographAdventure (Mar 15, 2013)

I never knew anything else. I considered Nikon, but just didn't know anything about it. All the yucky photographers had one so...


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## cocopop05 (Mar 15, 2013)

I love Nikon and have a Nikon film SLR. But my cousin who worked at Canon could get me 40% off list. And that is why I chose Canon  And I love my Canon.


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## JAlmodovar90 (Mar 15, 2013)

My photographic adventures started with a hand me down Minolta X 370. For my 15th birthday I was given a Canon rebel G and begin investing. In '09 I bought a Nikon D3000. Although satisfied with the photos, I started shooting video as well. At the time (2010) Canon had the least expensive way to shoot professional quality video and came to realize that the lenses I invested in prior still worked, so I ended up with Canon.


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## willis (Mar 15, 2013)

Canon has something to offer what Nikon doesn't, one clearest reason why I choice Canon over Nikon.
For example line-up of FAST primes, but Nikon does have better flashes but thank god we can use PocketWizards to fire those Nikon flashes with Canon cameras 8)


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## Leejo (Mar 15, 2013)

Back in 1986 when I started with a film SLR, on a budget I chose a Pentax compatible due to the availability of second hand lenses then.
But still I yearned for a T90...
My interest died off - and was only rekindled much later in 2010 when I finally decided to buy a DSLR, after a few years of using a bridge camera. 
I looked at those available, and who was shooting what around me. Around 5:1 to Canon there. Borrowed a 5Dc - seemed fine to use.
Canon 7D against Nikon D90 or Nikon D700 - Canon 7D won through...


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## PureAmateur (Mar 15, 2013)

First round,

When I picked up photography as hobby during middle school, I worked hard one summer to save up money to buy a SLR. I had to choose among Canon AE1, Nikon FM and Olympus OM-1n. During that time I was told by a classmate that the full mechanic camera will be better and the Nikon FM system was a bit more expensive, so I chose the OM-1n, have no regret though. ;D

Second round

I started looking at digital camera in the year of 2000. The DSLR was either too expensive for the professional grade or its technology was not mature enough for the consumer grade. So I picked up a Nikon Coolpix 950 as my first digital camera but did not like it at all. Later I got a Canon IXUS 50 to go around with me during my business trips and like it very much (no iPhone during that time ). That was my first Canon. 

Third round

The Canon 5Dc started drawing my attention, it is a full frame DSLR and was affordable, almost made the cut but not until the 5D Mark II – my first DSLR.

Two main reasons for me to get the 5D Mark II: First, it is a full frame camera, important to transit from film camera. Second, the 5D series seems to have a longer product life cycle and to me, this means better value for my investment. I know, this contradicts to what we are now in the consumer electronic era – people keep complaining Canon does not release upgrade soon enough! 

Sadly, I felt into that trap recently – upgrade to 5D Mark III without any compelling reason! :-[


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## Ewinter (Mar 18, 2013)

willis said:


> Nikon does have better flashes


Not any more. Came for the 450d, stayed for the 600EX RT


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## jocau (Mar 28, 2013)

My parents wanted a digital camera in (I believe) 2003. I helped them with the decision after reading various reviews on the internet. After hearing my advice, they bought a Canon Powershot A40. My parents actually never used the camera. I always took the pictures even though I didn't know anything about photography back then and I always used the fully automatic mode. I have always been very satisfied of that camera except for the low resolution (1600x1200).

In the beginning of 2010 I wanted to spend some money on any "gadget". At first I wanted to buy a videocamera, but a friend of mine told me to get a DSLR since they could shoot video too. And the "reading reviews on the internet" phase was there again backed up by my good experiences with the Powershot A40.

I finally decided to get the 550D with the 18-55mm kitlens after reading the review on dpreview. I also learned everything about exposure/lenses thanks to the video tutorials of Ben Long on the lynda website. At first I was blown away by the difference in image quality compared to the Powershot A40. 

After about a year I experienced that anything past ISO800-1600 was too noisy for my taste. Last Summer (2012) I was really considering switching to Nikon because of the superior Sony EXMOR sensors even though I've always loved Canon. So I played around with a D3100, D5100, D90 and D7000. At that point I knew Nikon wasn't an option anymore even if it had 2234232 stops of dynamic range. Those Nikon DSLR bodies are ugly as hell (I guess I could get used to that), the menus are made by a "designer" who was born somewhere before Jesus Christ (I could probably get used to that too), but my hands didn't like the various Nikon DSLR bodies at all (this I *CANNOT* get used too). Ergonomics and especially grip were horrible in my opinion. If a camera isn't fun to hold, it will spend the rest of its life in a closed camera bag which would be a waste of money.

So here I am. Still owning the 550D, but preparing a move to the 6D/5D3 somewhere this year (5D3 is in pole position right now).


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## charlesa (Mar 28, 2013)

Cos I was an amateurish fool when I started out?


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## MrFotoFool (Mar 28, 2013)

Late 1990's was using a Pentax K1000 but wanted autofocus. Pentax AF bodies were cheap looking, so I considered Nikon (N90?) and Canon (Elan2 or A2?). Sent in a reply card for free brochure to Nikon, never received. Called Nikon's toll free phone number for brochure, they took my name and address, still never received. Called Canon and had a brochure in my mailbox in less than a week.

I figured if that is the kind of service Nikon provides, that is not a company I want to deal with. Bought a Canon Elan2e, eventually a second one, then a used eos1 (cheap cause everyone was going digital), and finally a 5D2 (the only digital body I have owned).


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## Valvebounce (Apr 3, 2013)

Camera history goes something like this, when I was at boarding school, dad had I think a Praktica MTL and I got a Zenit, so I could borrow his M42 fit lenses. I joined the school camera club and one of my friends, a Malaysian lad had an A-1, one holiday he couldn't go home so he came and stayed with my family, dad was impressed with the A-1 and decided to upgrade to a Canon and got the AE-1 Program, I was allowed to borrow this for a special treat, and really liked it, back to my old Zenit for several years. Finally I could upgrade and got an EOS 1000FN with a couple of standard lenses, then another 1000FN came along and I got a Cosina 100-300 zoom. Do you see a patern emerging, photography on a budget! 
Then a photographic revolution, APS film, got caught on that one with an Ixus Z something, not a memorable experience. 
Then my partner got our first digital camera, a Sony DSC F505V a brilliant camera, for certain things. Decided to go for a DSLR after going to 50 years of formula1 at Silverstone race circuit and getting lots of pics of empty track where the car was when I pressed the button, damn that thing was Slow. 
Went looking for Canon DSLR, bought an EOS 300D, it went wih the zoom lens I had! Love that camera, have taken thousands of pics with it and still use it for pictures of my car restorations, practically worthless so no too worried about putting it at risk. Upgraded to a 40D, it failed on holiday in Phoenix Az with about 2000 exposures on it, 300D to the rescue, nearly didn't take the 300D body due to luggage restrictions! Returned the 40D to Canon for repair and it was returned promptly fully repaired, good service. 
I have just recently upgraded again to a 7D as I wanted a body that could also do video as I got fed up with toting a bag with a video camera which never got used as it interupted stills capture for too long! 
Kit bag full of kit or third party lenses third party remotes and timers for time lapse photography.
Sorry for rambling on..


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## bycostello (Apr 6, 2013)

happened to be best camera when i first bought.. then i got locked in through lenses


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