Alan Bell wrote:
>
> A couple of people have asked this question. First off, this is a camera
> history that spans about 35 years. Second, I have been happy with the Nikon
> system. I only moved from the 8008 to the N70 because the 8008 was stolen. I
> moved from the N70 to the N80 because--supposedly--the AF was faster and the
> controls were more logical and made more sense, i.e., it was easier to
> operate.
Yes, this has been THE major complaint about the N70, easy but slow user
interface. Although I'm a computer guy, if they want me to use a user
interface like that, they should better provide me with a mouse and a
keyboard ;-) Other than that, the N70 was a nice camera.
> [...]
>
> Here's where I was at: I had sold my N70, old zoom and SB25 flash on eBay. I
> had bought a new SB28 flash on eBay. I had ordered the N80 and the 28-105,
> but they hadn't arrived. Meanwhile, I had just discovered IS and USM. When
> my new equipment arrived, I was happy with it...really. But I still read the
> newsgroups. Finally, I bit the bullet and did an exhaustive comparison of
> Canon and Nikkor lenses on Photodo and Photozone. In general, the Canons
> beat the Nikkors.
Well, maybe the teles. Nikon still has a slight edge IMHO on the wide side.
What I don't understand is, why Nikon uses silent wave only in expensive
lenses and fails to combine it with their version of IS. This will cost them
a bunch of customers.
> [...]
> That night I went Ritz camera to try a 7e. The salesperson put identical
> third-party lenses on a 7e and a N80. One of the things that annoyed me
> about the N70 and the N80 was that the AF tends to hunt in certain
> situations, but I just thought that was characteristic of all AF systems.
> The Canon focusing locked in without hunting and did it faster than the N80.
> That's what kicked me over the edge. I came back and looked for a 7e and a
> 28-105 USM (or maybe a 28-135 IS) on eBay. The next day I made arrangements
> to return my new Nikon equipment.
Interesting. What kind of situations do you mean? It's always good to have
some ammunition for the never ending Canon vs Nikon flame war (It's more like
a game than real bashing. Whenever I should do that and forget the smilies,
just insert them wherever appropriate ;-)) After all, those flame wars - as
ugly as they seem - have brought up A LOT of information about both systems
that would not have been revealed in the public otherwise. So they have
their place, as long as noone is personally attacked or insulted.
>
> While I was looking for a 7e on eBay, I came across a EOS 3 with three Sigma
> lenses: 28-105mm f2/8-4.0 Aspherical, 70-300mm f4-5.6 APO Macro Super and
> 400mm f5.6. I won the bid for $1225. Interestingly, although it was Canon
> quality lenses that started all this, I've wound up with Sigma. But I'm
> happy with the variety I have and, for my work, I'm more likely to need long
> lenses than wide angles. It was a perfect deal. I'll replace the Sigmas,
> each in turn, as my money will allow.
Sigma lenses aren't bad optically. Sometimes, especially at the lower end
of the price spectrum, better than the Canons. They have a reputation for,
hmm, not so very good mechanical construction, though. Maybe they have gotten
better with their EX line of lenses, some of the older lenses literally fell
apart. And you might run in problems with incompatibility when you buy a
new camera. But they handle such issues reasonably well. Although, having to
send a lens in for an upgrade is still annoying.
>
> My next purchase will be a flash--a 550EX. And I still have to sell the
> brand-new Nikon SB28 and a 50mm 1.8 Nikkor.
You might also have a look at Metz flashes. Don't know about the 550EX, but
the equivalent Metz flashes provide a more even illumination than my old
Canon 420/430EZ flashes.
>
> Summary: Nikon and Canon bodies are roughly equivalent. Canon lenses are a
> little better. Canon has a whole range of USM and IS lenses. Nikon's SW is
> good but expensive. Nikon's VR isn't very good and is expensive. Pros are
> switching from Nikon to Canon. And.....one night in Ritz Camera the AF on a
> 7e didn't hunt while on a N80 it did.
Yes, that's the kind of stuff that drives Nikon users into the Canon camp.
Nikon should really wake up and offer a line of affordable SW and VR lenses.
No doubt they finally will, as always. But as always, this will happen when
it's (almost) too late.
Thomas Bantel
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