# Against the odds?, or Common sense...



## Apop (Jan 26, 2013)

Hey all, i just joined this forum!

I have been into photography for a short time but and never registered here.(I did read the rumors and some topics)
I am not really familiar with canon gear, because i used to own nikon.

So why did i recently switch to Canon?, it's not that their sensors are better on paper.
It's the ergonomics !, i just love the feel of (any) canon camera.
Also there are a lot of lenses to choose from, and the second hand market is quite big.

It doesn't matter if it's a 650d, 7d, 5d, 1d, they all fit my hands better then the nikons
I have used a d7000 and recently sold my d800 and 200-400 (have been ridiculed for that  )

Yesterday i bought a used 1d mkiv , it will be quite the learning curve for me.

I had a lot of doubts about switching, internet is full of unhappy canon users envying the sensors nikon is using.
A lot of people are talking about switching to nikon ever since the d800 and d600 were released.
I am quite new to photography and that lead me to read a lot on the internet when purchasing gear. You kind of become a victim from the pixel peepers , trolls and bashing.

So when i was buying my first camera is was either a d7000 or a 60d.
I don't think i encountered any reviews that favored the 60d.
Hence i ended up with the d7000 ( even tho i hated the placement of the shutter button and the camera didn't really feel that good in my hands)

It took me over a year to make the switch to canon ,quite a costly one to make the switch, but i see that as punishment for my ignorance.

I have learned photography is not only about technical specs of a camera, and that waiting 2.5 hours for an animal to make a run for some impala is not fun when you are holding a camera that doesn't fit your hands well ( especially when constantly focussing with the af-on button). 

It is a tool, and when your working in the ground, i rather have a shuffle made of a slightly inferior metal that fit my hands well, then a superior metal made which gives me cramps or blisters.
In the end both will get the job done, but i think i will be happier in the first situation.

So even though i don't expect to get the same level of detail in my photos, i hope i will enjoy photography more!
I hope to learn a lot about using canon equipment in these forums ( especially the auto focus is still somewhat of a mystery to me)

So to anyone who is thinking that the grass is greener on the other side(maybe on the lcd yes), I would advise to also think about the ergonomics, costs of switching and other things then only the superiority of a camera(sensor)!

Anyone who has some good links about the auto focus system in the canon cameras or some other tips that can be useful to me, please don't hesitate to post them!


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## Badger (Jan 26, 2013)

Welcome to the club! We all have different paths to Canon, but glad you have been able to find a tool that works for you  At the end of the day, that is all that matters.


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## Patrick (Jan 26, 2013)

Welcome to the Forum Apop! Like you I first bought into Canon because it just felt right in my hands - in a large retailer (now gone under like so many!) I tested both the then top of the range Nikon (it might have been the F3) and the Canon T-90. The Nikon was a very good camera and felt well built. Then I picked up the T-90 and it was an immediate 'game over'...it felt like it had been hand made to my measurements with all of the controls exactly where they needed to be for me to use them instinctively. Had the same experience with the EOS 1 when I bought that some years later.

I hope you get as much pleasure out of your canon gear as I've had from mine over the years!

Patrick


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## tortilla (Jan 26, 2013)

Apop said:


> So to anyone who is thinking that the grass is greener on the other side(maybe on the lcd yes), I would advise to also think about the ergonomics, costs of switching and other things then only the superiority of a camera(sensor)!


Actually, I think most people discussing sensor quality are aware that the sensor is just one factor of a whole system. That's why there are also discussions about lenses, AF etc. Also, which camera is right for someone depends pretty much on what they are shooting. If you shoot animals you want good AF and a high framerate. A landscape photographer doesn't care much about that, he want's as much resolution and dynamic range as possible.



Apop said:


> Anyone who has some good links about the auto focus system in the canon cameras or some other tips that can be useful to me, please don't hesitate to post them!


Roger Cicala did very interesting AF investigations: http://www.lensrentals.com/blog


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## lvanzijl (Jan 26, 2013)

Not a tip but a question for you. 

How annoying is it that Nikon and Canon use opposite ways to turn stuff tight and loose?
Or didnt you notice yet?


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## Apop (Jan 26, 2013)

lvanzijl said:


> Not a tip but a question for you.
> 
> How annoying is it that Nikon and Canon use opposite ways to turn stuff tight and loose?
> Or didnt you notice yet?





lvanzijl said:


> Not a tip but a question for you.
> 
> How annoying is it that Nikon and Canon use opposite ways to turn stuff tight and loose?
> Or didnt you notice yet?



Hey, i did not find it annoying at all, but i don't have a canon zoom lens yet....
The mounting doesn't take any getting used too, i just look at the dots

I do like that the mount is bigger, somehow it ''feels'' like lenses are attached more firmly, but that is probably psychologically, will still hold the lens and not the body


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## Nishi Drew (Jan 26, 2013)

For ergonomics I go Canon, but for all cameras it depends on each model/line of bodies.
Canon in general with the likes of the 5Ds and 7D feel more rounded and built for the hand,
fits my palm and will stay there longer.
Nikon with their grips like with the D600 are bleh, it wants to leave my hand right away.
While the booster grip on the OMD feels great, albeit the controls on that are too small and close together.

In considering everything else, you made your switch and experienced the costs and time involved.
It's up to you, but for what reason you have behind the consideration is it something that really concerns you?
Every technical aspect is just right or a limitation, but whether or not the DR, ISO performance, different grips,
types of lenses and whatnot matters depends on what you do and how you shoot. Best to learn more in photography
as you are doing and... well by then Canon might have improved in the areas they're behind in 
But you've got yourself a fine 1D body and they're built for the toughest longest lasting work


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## paul13walnut5 (Jan 26, 2013)

Even when I was selling them I never got on that well with Nikons, i just found the EOS system transparent to use.
When it comes to automated slrs at least. I liked the heft of the f4, just not the silly ways of getting to the more advanced functions, and I liked the feel of the f5 and the interchangable prisms, the rest you could keep.

A bloke in work was having bother with his newly acquired d80 and he would have been as well giving it to my brothers dugs to look at. 

With the exception of the clumsy (& inexcusable in the day of live view) manual white balance, its easy to set up any canon the way you want. You'll love the 1dmk4, like all 1 series its a camera you can truely control at the eye.

To be fair, despite mp count, the d800 is pitched quite a bit lower than the 1d4 market.

Folk do great work with Nikons and great work with canons.
Anything as tactile as a camera has to fit the hand. Perhaps this is more important than anything else when they all take great pictures.

Welcome to the club, you'll take better pics with a cam you enjoy using, and if thats a canon, great!


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## Apop (Jan 26, 2013)

Thanks for the welcome all and ill do my best to learn.


Btw one thing i really do NOT get about the 1d mk iv , is that it cannot use all 39 cross types with f4 lenses(like the 500 f4 it can only use 19), but a few exceptions it can, 24-105, 300 2.8+1.4 converter, 70-200 2.8 1.4 converter and 400 f2.8 with 1.4 converter

Does anyone knows why that is? and if there is a way around it , other then acquiring one of those lenses.


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## Drizzt321 (Jan 26, 2013)

Apop said:


> Thanks for the welcome all and ill do my best to learn.
> 
> 
> Btw one thing i really do NOT get about the 1d mk iv , is that it cannot use all 39 cross types with f4 lenses(like the 500 f4 it can only use 19), but a few exceptions it can, 24-105, 300 2.8+1.4 converter, 70-200 2.8 1.4 converter and 400 f2.8 with 1.4 converter
> ...



I think I remember that it has something to do with how the AF sensors are place in relation to each other, and how the light travels through the lens and hits the AF mirror and prism. I don't remember the details (Paging Dr Neuro), but there was some discussion about the new 5d3/1DX AF when it came out and how it was optimized somewhat differently than the older 1D AF system which allowed for more points to be used in a wider pattern. Or something like that. The reason definitely has to do with physics and optics, which I'm not an expert in.


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

Welcome aboard, laddie! This site is a goldmine of information.


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## RustyTheGeek (Jan 26, 2013)

Welcome *apop*! You should find that this forum is a positive place with a smaller than usual amount of malarkey and a lot of solid advice and frequent posts. Enjoy the ride and have fun!


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