Canon D6, D60, D7, D70 as upgrade from Nikon D5000

[peety3]

I guess my point is, "best" for what? The best compact pocketable? The best landscape camera? Action shooter? Waterproof? For some people, the "best" camera is the one they got in their phone when they plunked down $49 with a 2-year contract with Verizon.

 

Camera shoppers should do some research, ask questions and if possible, get a hands-on moment with the camera before buying it. The "best" camera is the one that you will use to take the pictures you want to take. A $200 camera in the hand trumps a $3000 camera in the closet any day.

Agree fully. I own two of the best cameras, a pair of Canon 1Dx. They've got one of the lowest shutter lags out there, perhaps the highest frame rate out there, and they have a responsiveness that is hard to measure but easy to feel. I swear the mirror is down again and the viewfinder is functional again before it's done taking the picture. But their size, weight, and price tag can easily make them "not best" for many (I bought both of them after they served as rental cameras for about 40 weeks, and they each have "odometers" so I know I bought them at about 8% and 14% of their expected shutter lifetime, so "lots of tread" is left and I got them for about 20% off as a result).

 

That said, of the many "favorites" I cherish, all too often it was the choice of lens that propelled them to "favorite" status, and I could easily take almost the same shot with an entry-level DSLR but the same lens. However, a 1Dx and a cheap lens probably couldn't duplicate the shot I've come to favor.

[ny cruisequeen]

Wisely spoken! I am learning much. I ave heard and read and been taught about the importance of lenses. Dare I even ask...Canon or Nikon lenses for "best"?

[peety3]

Wisely spoken! I am learning much. I ave heard and read and been taught about the importance of lenses. Dare I even ask...Canon or Nikon lenses for "best"?

 

First off, I usually suggest that people looking into DSLR aim towards Canon or Nikon vs the other brands, as Canon/Nikon have a fuller lens lineup than the others. After that, I usually make two pointed pitches for Canon:

 

1: Autofocus "gear choice simplicity": Canon AF lenses have a focus motor in the lens, period. For Nikon, many AF lenses have a focus motor in the lens, and many Nikon DSLR bodies have a focus motor in the body: as such, it's quite possible to buy an AF lens for your AF camera and end up with a Manual Focus combination. It won't matter when you're starting (all of the cheapo lenses have a motor), but it'll bite you when it's time to start buying some "prime" (i.e. non-zoom) lenses. An 85mm lens for Nikon can be as cheap as $400, but to get one with an AF motor (to work on an entry-level motorless camera) is $1400. Just go to Wikipedia and look up any Nikon camera; at the bottom, you'll see a blue bar with "Nikon DSLR timeline". Click [show] on the far right; any camera in yellow does not have an AF motor.

 

2: Fluorite elements: if you're going to (someday) use a "supertelephoto" lens (i.e. 300mm or longer), Canon is (perhaps) the only company capable of growing fluorite, which is a synthetic crystal that works well as a lens element in supertelephoto lenses. It's capable of more refraction with less distortion to contrasty edges than glass, helping to control the size (and weight) of the lenses they make. Although you might never buy one, you might rent one for a cruise, and therefore this is a worthwhile factor.

 

Canon also has a great line-up of tilt-shift lenses, and I've met several wedding photographers who regretted going to Nikon because they couldn't use the beloved 85mm f/1.2 lens by Canon.

 

That's my $0.02...but choose what means the most to you!

[Smilin'Wave]

An 85mm lens for Nikon can be as cheap as $400, but to get one with an AF motor (to work on an entry-level motorless camera) is $1400.

 

Sorry but this is actually incorrect. This may be so for the Nikon af-s 85mm 1.4g lens, but the af-s 85mm 1.8g is approx $500 & has a built in autofocus motor so will work on all Nikon bodies.

 

I'm not going to make this Canon vs Nikon as I believe both are incredible systems & you can't go wrong with either. Both make great lenses.