Switching from Canon to Nikon? (and Vice Versa) - Well, Think Twice

There are many photographers who decide to ditch their old photography gear, and choose another company photography gear. Whether you are switching from Canon to Nikon, Canon to Sony or any other combination, it is a hard decision to make. There are several reasons why a photographer will want to switch a company, and choose another one instead. Here are what I think, are the main reason why photographers do so:



1. Not the right tool for the job

"Damn, I wish I had Nikon's exposure metering system on my 7D."

When you just start as a photographer, you don't really know what photography gear you will need. You read reviews, compare prices, and buy what you think that will suit you best. After some time, when you get more experience and knowledge, you find out that the you current gear is unsuitable for your needs. All camera manufacturers are a bit different in the way they target the photography market. Some companies like Canon, offers more flexible choices for telephoto prime and zoom lenses (arguable), and some offer better wide angle lenses, like Nikon (arguable too). It can be extenders, flash, batteries capacity, AF system, some companies are better in the other in different products.

Would you choose Pentax as your gear for professional sports photography?, Do you need HD video capabilities or a Wi-Fi transmitter?. The are many questions that can be answered only by you. So some times, you just get to a point that you discover that what one company can't offer, another company can.

2. Grass is always greener on the other side

"Wow, Nikon new DSLR is much better than my old Canon."

Let's admit it, some of us just get envy our friends' DSLR camera, especially when a new, better one appears. We go to the camera shop, pick up a camera, and after two months, we feel that we might make a mistake. Of course in many circumstances, there is no real reason for that concern. After all, the camera is a tool, and when utilized correctly, with a bit of imagination and practice, every camera can achieve great results. I have seen beautiful pictures taken with P&S camera, which have won prestige awards online.

I also know that it sometimes can be frustrating when you have a Canon, and Nikon comes up with a "killer" dSLR camera. It can really ruin the party. But this is more of a concern for gadget lovers, not for professional photographers, which understand the evolvement  of technology. One time Nikon has the upper hand, and another time, Canon has the upper hand. If you choose to continuously look with envy on the competitors' innovation, you will probably need to upgrade you photography gear, at least two times a year. If you have all the money in the world, you can buy 3 cameras from 3 different vendors. Even so, it will probably mean that you don't know what you want to achieve or/and you didn't set target to yourself. After all, it is not (only) about the camera, but the photographer talent, skills and creativity. If you eagerly want to take photographs, you would have bought a P&S camera, until you have the money to afford yourself a pro-grade camera & lenses.

3. Enjoying your friends and co-workers photography gear

"Can you lend me your Canon 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM lens for the weekend?"

In some cases, you get to acknowledgment, that switching to another company will get you better chances to enjoy many different lenses without buying them. How?, well, you can borrow them from you friends or co-workers that have the same photographic gear, from the same vendor. There was one weekend, that I went shooting some pictures with my friends. I had the Canon 400D back then. I brought two lenses, the Tamron 55-200mm and the Canon 50mm F1.4 lenses. My friend has brought the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM lens. Because both of us had Canon DSLR cameras, all I had to do is ask.

There are some photographers who are not lucky like me. Some of them have friends with a wide variety of lenses and camera accessories,  that they could have used, if they just had the same camera mount. You can always buy a lens adapter, but this is arguably the most appropriate solution. Some photographers decide to switch from one vendor to the other, only to enjoy their friends gear. It can save you a lost of money, especially if you need an expensive L-lens to shoot photographs at your sister's wedding for just one day.

4. I want to become a professional Videographer, Yes I Can!

"HD Videos are SO Cool! - Great companion for my YouTube Channel!"

Having a HD movie function in a DSLR camera is probably a great thing, especially if you want to enjoy taking videos of your family. Video is the best media for sharing your thoughts, ideas, creativity and unforgettable moments on the web. Whether you want to upload your videos to YouTube, share them with your family on your brand new Apple iPad, or shoot a short film with professional audio accessories. HD Movies can be found on almost every new DSLR on the market. Both Nikon Canon and Sony, have proven to be strong contenders in the field of videography. They offer photographers the ability to shoot high quality HD videos. Taking into account the large sensor of a DSLR camera, you can really create amazing videos with shallow depth-of-field, to maximize your creativeness.

Some professional photographers have taken Videography very seriously. They bought themselves a Canon 5D Mark II or a Canon EOS 7D, a 27-inch Apple iMac computer and Final Cut Pro, and they are ready to conquer Hollywood. However, there is a reason why photographers might switch from one vendor to another, regarding videography. As for this day, Canon is by far, the best vendor in the field of DSLR videography.

Cannon showed that it is THE company, which dominates the DSLR cameras' video products. Canon has a long History, knowledge & experience in digital photography market section. Cannon has used this knowledge to introduce the most advanced technologies and highest available image quality inside their new DSLR cameras. On YouTube.com, you can find many comparison videos, which compares the video quality between Canon EOS 7D vs. Nikon D90 for example. There is no doubt who is the king of the hill.

Some photographers have found that HD movies are the way to go. Because they want the best equipment for the job, they have chosen Canon over Nikon, selling their old equipment and buy new Canon gear. Even so, I think that it is only a matter of time, until Nikon will catch up with Canon in that field.

5. Want to try something new

"After selling my Canon equipment to buy a car a year ago, It's now time for something New!"

There are times that you just take a break, or don't have time to enjoy photography at this point. When time passes by, you feel the photographer inside you, waking up again. After settling some depths, finding a better job, saving money, it's now the perfect time to wake up an old hobby.

It usually happens to amateur photographers, who look at photography as a hobby, not a profession. That means that sometimes you don't have time to enjoy photography, and you decide to sell your camera and lenses, instead of putting them in your closet. After all, every day their market value gets lower. So you log on to a second-hand website, and put a selling ad for your Canon EOS 7D with two expensive 'L' lenses... and one SpeedLight flash. After a year after, you suddenly feel the passion to shoot some pictures all over again. You have met a nice girlfriend who enjoys traveling with you, and you go straight to photography reviews websites, start reading reviews and get updated with the latest prices.

Now you feel a tingling sensation that tells you: "Canon...I have tried that, I want to try something new from the menu please.". You feel that you have already experienced Canon cameras and lenses. How it will be trying something new for a change. Both Nikon and Canon have everything you need, and you just want to know how it feels to buy the other vendors' photography gear.

6. You have gotten CONVINCED!

"Wow, Everybody thinks that Nikon is better than Canon.. I must switch!"

"Convinced" is not a disease, but a sometimes (just sometimes), it is a  weakness. There are people who are easily convinced, even after reading two totally biased, heavily marketed reviews on the Internet. The Internet is full of marketing, spammery, disappointed & confused photographer comments, debated and forum posts. Just dare to try to raise your voice and post a Nikon vs. Canon thread on a popular blog, and you will see of the envies & unsatisfied customers, jumping all over you. Professional photographers will give you professional answers, which you can learn from them. Some of them will shed all their current frustrations upon you. You Should not take it personally, it's just their way to deal with their problems and frustrations.

Even so, there are always some people who take it "personally" and "professionally", or maybe I might add "officially". Why, maybe because they lack of confidence in their ability to understand their needs. It is like going into a clothing store, where you don't exactly know what you want. You ask the salesperson if the T-Shirt looks good on you, and the salesperson says: "OMG, It is absolutely looks amazing on you!".  All the salesperson had to do, is to give you a positive reinforcement, in order for you to make the final decision.

I personally allow myself to spend time on the Internet, comparing features and prices, reading reviews, and try to get answers from professional and serious photographers. Of course you can make mistakes, there is nothing wrong about it. Just in some cases, you might pay for those mistakes, and it might cost you a lot. If you have just spent a minute on deciding what you need for your photography needs, you could easily filter out undesired and professional comments from you head.

Do you still want to Switch or Not?
I hope that this article give you a reason to stop and think twice before switching, and take your thoughts into perspective. We all learn from our mistakes (maybe there are some people who don't), and there is always a room for gaining more knowledge. When you think about switching from one company to another, you should carefully think about WHY you actually want to switch. When you sell your current photography equipment, you lose money. Money that you worked hard for. You might have found that there is a specific functionality that you don't find on Canon, for example, but it might be there a year henceforth.

You can even take a pen and paper, and write your special equipment needs, and what you want to achieve with it. Sometimes you can find that there is a solution for a specific need or problem, which you didn't know about. Making a switch to another vendor, after finding out that there is a solution for your problem, it is very frustrating. Sometime switching can be a smart move. The most important thing is DON'T TAKE  DECISIONS WHEN UNDER PRESSURE!

Even after you decide to switch, take a day or two, settle you thought out. Maybe after two days, you will finally realize that you might make a mistake doing so. There are many things important in life, so think twice about what it is that important for you, and what is not.

Switching from Canon to Nikon (and Vice Versa) - Well, Think Twice before you make the switch!