The photographers’ feud — Canon or Nikon?

Alex Brizee | Rawr

Nikon or Canon?

It’s a simple question, but the answer varies depending on who you ask. Both cameras can do the same things with aperture, exposure, ISO and shutter speed, so for most photographers, it comes down to preference.

Maybe you prefer whichever camera you had first or what you learned to work with initially. I personally hold Nikon dear to my heart as Nikon was my first camera and the camera my mother used.

While I might be fond of the brand, Nikon cameras are superior to Canon in many aspects not related to my personal sentiments.

Nikon lens are interchangeable, regardless of the year the camera came out. For example, I’ve used a lens on my Nikon D3200 that my uncle bought twenty years ago. They work perfectly, which is quite an amazing considering how much camera technology has evolved over the years.

Canon’s old lenses are not interchangeable. When autofocus became a technological advancement, Canon changed the mount on their cameras. Nikon did not change their camera mount, making it possible to use a Nikon lens model from 1977 and beyond on any of the company’s cameras.

Secondly, Canon’s are infamous for their overly saturated and unrealistic color quality without Photoshop. As a photojournalist, I find this appalling.

No matter what type of photographer you are, when you take a picture it should be as realistic to the actual setting as possible. The beauty of Nikon is that the camera provides you with the actual image. When you take a picture, you’re photographing something as it truly is as opposed to the unrealistic, already processed version produced by Canon.

The dial on Nikon’s camera also makes more common sense. On a Nikon camera dial, the manual setting options are M, A, S, P, which stand for manual, aperture, settings and program. On a Canon you have M, Av, Tv and P to describe the same settings, which are more difficult to decipher.

Finally, Nikon outshines Canon because of the brand’s long history in the camera industry. Nikon was created in 1917 while Canon was founded in 1937. Not only have people been using Nikons longer, but the company has also had more time to develop new technologies.

All of this combined — the quality of Nikon’s photos, the simple camera settings and the reputation of their company makes for a more user friendly camera. Nikons are easier to pick up and learn while with a Canon it may take some time to even understand basic features.

Their realistic photographs, universal lenses and user friendly system and functions make Nikons the overall better camera choice.

All differences aside, at the end of the day, whether you’re a Nikon or a Canon user, the most important thing is that you’re a camera person. No matter which side you’re picking in the old debate between Nikon and Canon, both are good cameras. Although Nikon is obviously better and I will never admit to saying that Canons are good cameras, if you do have a Canon, at least you have a camera so you can keep on snapping pictures.