I'm thinking of switching camera makes....

[Jonathan Long]

Afte much thought and consideration I'm thinking of switching camera makes... from Nikon to Canon. To me this is no small deal, I've got a ton of Nikon equipment that I've invested lots of money into. I've been a Nikon user since 1977 (when I purchased a F2A body and several lenses).

I mentioned my thoughts to a fellow professional photographer and he offered to purchase much of my equipment as a lot, some of the stuff I own he didn't want so I'll end up with a few camera bodies and lenses after all is said and done. I've already given away all of my film bodies and the older lenses...

My professional photography hasn't changed much, but I find myself shooting more people using available light and I'm not satisfied with the results using a higher ISO and my current cameras...

Jon

[Dave McClung]

Afte much thought and consideration I'm thinking of switching camera makes... from Nikon to Canon. To me this is no small deal, I've got a ton of Nikon equipment that I've invested lots of money into. I've been a Nikon user since 1977 (when I purchased a F2A body and several lenses).

I mentioned my thoughts to a fellow professional photographer and he offered to purchase much of my equipment as a lot, some of the stuff I own he didn't want so I'll end up with a few camera bodies and lenses after all is said and done. I've already given away all of my film bodies and the older lenses...

My professional photography hasn't changed much, but I find myself shooting more people using available light and I'm not satisfied with the results using a higher ISO and my current cameras...

Jon

That is a major change. The only reason I am still with Nikon is because I had a Nikon back in 1969. I still had a lense from 1969 that I thought I could use, so I bought a Nikon. Each time I have replaced the body, I have stayed with Nikon so I could use the lense from the previous camera.

If you are pleased with the Canon after you have used it a while, I could be persuaded to change too.

[Hans Deventer]

My professional photography hasn't changed much, but I find myself shooting more people using available light and I'm not satisfied with the results using a higher ISO and my current cameras...

Seems Nikon is doing something totally wrong then. I'm kind of surprised because that's not what I've been reading in the reviews so far. Like dpreview's comments on the D3S:



Unmatched image quality at high ISO settings. Incredibly efficient sensor. A new benchmark. (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond3s/page33.asp) [...] To take the improved high ISO abilities as an example, the D3 set new standards when it was released in 2007, and the D3S sets the bar even higher. Throughout this test, and in the gallery, you will see images taken at ISO settings at and above ISO 12,800 (itself unthinkably high only a couple of years ago) which are not only usable, but detailed, free of banding, and impressively color-accurate. The sensor of the D3S is simply unmatched in terms of its ability to convert light to useable signal. [...]

Obviously, one of the main selling points of the Nikon D3S is its performance at high ISO settings, where it is currently unmatched by any other current DSLR. Considering its higher pixel count and smaller sensor, the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV does remarkably well in low light, but the D3S offers an unequivocal 1 stop advantage, at least, at ISO settings higher than ISO 6400. JPEGs get a bit mushy and increasingly lifeless above ISO 12,800, but careful processing of the D3S's raw files can yield good results (albeit rather grainy) even up to ISO 102,400.

But if you feel that's still the case, and it's what you do for a living (and it is), by all means, you should change.

For me, I'm more than happy with everything the D300 does. It's much better than I am. But I'm at a completely different level.

[Jonathan Long]

Hans,

Let me clarify something. To me an ISO of 1600 is really the upper limit of what I'd shoot. Anything above that doesn't produce results that I'd care to use.

Regardless of what a review states, the best way to decide if a piece of equipment meets your needs is to try it for yourself. For my studio work I'm in a controlled environment. The lighting is exactly what I setup, and I can use a low ISO to capture images that will have the detail and tonal range my clients require. It's when I venture out on location and shoot available light that I feel I'm losing detail. The sensitivity of the Nikon sensor to capture detail and tonality is lacking in lower light levels without a bunch of post processing.

With that in mind my camera is a tool and if the tool doesn't function the way you want... My thoughts are also about the workflow and the ease of processing the images I shoot... I run scripts all of the time to help adjust images and make the workflow easier, but if I didn't have to make some corrections every picture...

Jon

[Hans Deventer]

Jon, I'm happy with whatever piece of equipment you'll be buying. No problem at all!