Switching from Canon to Nikon – A love story

All images copyright 2010 to Ara Roselani

I get questions almost every other day about why I switched from my beautiful little Canon 40D to my brand-new Nikon D700, so I’m blogging the answer. I benefited greatly from a lot of advice during this heart-rending process, so here is my tale.

“I love my camera.”
My 40D and I have been through America and Canada together, shot some of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen, and have shared many wonderful moments. I love that camera, and I’ve always been a “Canon girl”. I started with a point-and-shoot, got a 300D, and then bought a brand new shiny 40D. They’ve all treated me well, and I had no intention of switching. Both brands seemed even to me, one better at some things than the other, but even as artistic tools. I still believe that.

“Do I need a new camera? Really?”
When I made the decision to become a professional wedding photographer, the first thing that my fabulous mentor, Scott Bourne, poked me about was my camera. (Well, to be honest, the first thing he informed me I must fix was my tripod, which he was embarrassed to be seen in public with, but that was a $500 fix, not $4500 one.) We went back and forth for a few months, mainly because I thought I could limp by with my 40D until I had a few weddings under my belt. He advocated a switch to Nikon, and argued two main issues:
1) I 100% had to get a backup body, or I was irresponsible
2) My 40D wasn’t a professional camera with capabilities I would need during weddings

“Okay, can I just get a 7D?”
After some discussion, I agreed and put forth the idea of the Canon 7D. At this point, I’m trying to avoid getting rid of my albeit limited Canon lens collection (10-22mm, 50mm 1.4, 70-200mm, Lensbaby) and invest in a body and a 24-70 2.8 lens. On another afternoon of discussion, Scott convinced me that I needed full-frame and at least a 5DmkII, and Nikon’s low-light performance was far superior. He had showed me in a tutoring session that Nikon’s flash control was easier than Canon’s as well.

I drove home from Gig Harbor, sad but resigned. I figured I’d try to 5DmkII and see if I liked it, but I was terrified of the QC issues I’d personally experienced through good friends with lenses falling off or fusing to the body. I also had to do some serious financials to figure out the best way to buy an expensive body and at least one expensive, fast lens.

“Let’s do this thing–but can I keep my Canon?”
I took a trip to Camera World in downtown Portland, tried both bodies, and I fell head-over-heels in love with the D700. I’d been warned that the interfaces between Canon and Nikon were quite different (I had a bad moment when I almost dropped a lens, as Nikon screws in the opposite way–WHY?), but I found them really intuitive on the D700. The sheer silkiness of an ISO 6400 image was enough to sell me on the spot. Holy cow, that was sexy! Even compared to the 5DmkII, whose images were almost double the file size with no seeming improvement in quality when blown up to a large size. More pixels doesn’t always mean more quality.

I bought it. And the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, and a battery grip, and an SB900.

“I’m waiting for buyer’s remorse.”
And I did. And it never happened. My photographer friends are probably really sick of hearing me get all excited and do a happy dance when I take pictures. Honestly, the difference is incredible. The D700 is an artist’s tool, a paintbrush and a best friend all in one. There is so much detail captured, and so much color and sharpness. I don’t have to worry about what ISO I shoot at–it’s clean all the way up, and the light look of film grain is beautiful on 3200 and 6400. Weddings are a blast, with great feedback on the screen when needed, beautiful sharpness and color, and fast capture. It is heavy, let me tell you.

In summary, I switched because:
1) Low-light ability
2) Ease of flash control

We all have to make the decision that makes sense based on where technology and individual companies are at the time we need the tool. At this point in time, Nikon had the advantage for me. And wow, do I LOVE my camera.

Fun stuff:

1, Canon 40D. 2, Nikon D700.

Blog post showing the low-light capabilities of the D700 in a dark, red room.