I took the plunge... Canon here I come!

[Jonathan Long]

I took the plunge and sold off all of my Nikon gear. I'm waiting for my new camera's to arrive... a 1D Mark IV and a 5D Mark II. I already picked up a 1D Mark II as a backup. My lenses and camera bodies should arrive in a few days.

For lenses I got the following: (all Canon brand)

28-70 f2.8L USM
70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
20mm f/2.8 USM
100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
50mm f/1.4 USM
85mm f1.8

Thank God that this has been a fairly easy transaction. I ordered from one dealer and they had the 28-70, 70-200 and the 20mm in stock. Plus ordering that much gear allowed me to get a reasonable discount from their advertised prices.

This is the perfect time of the year for me to make the change. I just completed a big project for a client and had nothing scheduled until after the holidays. So that shold give me enough time to adjust to the new equipment...

Jon

[Dana Grant]

I am in shock!!!

Are you sure you're Jonathan Long???


LOL

[Jonathan Long]

Dana,

I did a ton of research and even rented a Canon setup for a week before I decided to switch brands. It was quite an expensive endevour, but I was due for a few lens updates either way.

The Canon seems to fit my work flow better. Test images I shot required less post processing, that alone makes the move easier, it will save me editing time later.

Overall I think that I'll be very happy, my biggest complaint so far is that Canon lenses zoom the opposite direction... something that I'll learn fairly quickly.

Jon

[Dave McClung]

I took the plunge and sold off all of my Nikon gear. I'm waiting for my new camera's to arrive... a 1D Mark IV and a 5D Mark II. I already picked up a 1D Mark II as a backup. My lenses and camera bodies should arrive in a few days.

For lenses I got the following: (all Canon brand)

28-70 f2.8L USM
70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
20mm f/2.8 USM
100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
50mm f/1.4 USM
85mm f1.8

Thank God that this has been a fairly easy transaction. I ordered from one dealer and they had the 28-70, 70-200 and the 20mm in stock. Plus ordering that much gear allowed me to get a reasonable discount from their advertised prices.

This is the perfect time of the year for me to make the change. I just completed a big project for a client and had nothing scheduled until after the holidays. So that shold give me enough time to adjust to the new equipment...

Jon

Keep us posted on how you like the new equipment. I value your judgment.

I am still satisfied with my Nikon, but will consider other options when it is time to change.

[Jonathan Long]

Dave,

I'll keep you posted. I'd suggest that you start keeping track of what equipment you use the most and how it meets your needs. For me it came down to the amount of post processing I was doing. I need a workflow that saves me time, with my previous equipment I found that I had to make more corrections due to color bias and dynamic range (something you may or may not experience depending on the use of your images).

Both Canon and Nikon make great products, their lenses are outstanding and the bodies can't be matched. In my case the Canon system matches my needs better.

I even gave up some focal length making the switch. I gave up my 300mm f2.8 (which I hardly used ever) and I still don't have an ultra wide for the Canon (which will get used rarely). I'm sure that I'll pickup additional glass as needed...

I didn't purchase a Canon flash either. I don't use TTL. I still use a manual flash (Metz 70MZ-5) or I use a studio flash setup when I can. Although I've been thinking that a TTL flash system would be easier to use... so I may end up buying one...

Jon

[Thomas Oord]

Very interesting! As one who appreciates both Nikon and Canon but who shoots with Canon, I can see why you made the switch. And now perhaps you can teach the rest of us who use Canon some tricks or give tips we hadn't yet discovered!

[Jonathan Long]

Thomas,

I think that you have at least a years worth of experience on me using Canon. I should be coming to you for tips and advice!

Remember that my professional photography is usually product (tabletop) with an occasional portrait, and that's very different from travel photography. I shoot in a controlled lighting environment 95% of the time with one lens....

I didn't even get my new bodies yet, I'm playing around with the 1D Mark II I got and a couple lenses... My new bodies should arrive today! Using the older 1D Mark II I can tell you that Canon got that body right! The new lenses are wonderful too! Very quick to focus, terrific contrast, they seem to be very user friendly.

I'll post more as I gain experience with the new setup. Don't be surprised if I ask you a question or two....

Jon

[Jonathan Long]

Well after just about 6 months after switching over to Canon, I can say that I made a good choice. Overall I'm very pleased with my equipment selections. I did add a few extra pieces: Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 and 70-200mm f2.8 lenses, plus a Canon 580EX flash and off camera cord. I did also get a Canon 14mm f/2.8L to fill my wide angle needs.

The Sigma lenses I purchased to use with the Canon 1D Mark II body that I use for my "fun" photography. I try to not use my work cameras and lenses unless I'm being paid...

I'm happy to say that my workflow of editing has been reduced by switching from Nikon to Canon. The images I'm producing are better than what I was producing using my Nikon gear, and it takes me less time to edit!

The gear itself is working great! If I compare the Canon lenses to the Sigma counterpart I can say there is very little difference (other than a huge price difference). In fact the Sigma 70-200 gives me better contrast than the Canon! I have to admit that while I like the 14mm lens I do miss having a super wide angle zoom, but the 14mm lens produces terrific images!

If someone were to ask I would say that I'm very pleased with the change! I actually do feel that all of the work making the switch was well worth the effort!

Jon

[Dave McClung]

Well after just about 6 months after switching over to Canon, I can say that I made a good choice. Overall I'm very pleased with my equipment selections. I did add a few extra pieces: Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 and 70-200mm f2.8 lenses, plus a Canon 580EX flash and off camera cord. I did also get a Canon 14mm f/2.8L to fill my wide angle needs.

The Sigma lenses I purchased to use with the Canon 1D Mark II body that I use for my "fun" photography. I try to not use my work cameras and lenses unless I'm being paid...

I'm happy to say that my workflow of editing has been reduced by switching from Nikon to Canon. The images I'm producing are better than what I was producing using my Nikon gear, and it takes me less time to edit!

The gear itself is working great! If I compare the Canon lenses to the Sigma counterpart I can say there is very little difference (other than a huge price difference). In fact the Sigma 70-200 gives me better contrast than the Canon! I have to admit that while I like the 14mm lens I do miss having a super wide angle zoom, but the 14mm lens produces terrific images!

If someone were to ask I would say that I'm very pleased with the change! I actually do feel that all of the work making the switch was well worth the effort!

Jon

Jon, I thought of you when I read about the new Hasselblad camera: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2385933,00.asp

When will you be ready for one of those?

[Jonathan Long]

Dave,

A number of years ago I dumped all of my medium format gear. I still have my Leaf 4 X 5" digital camera back.... it's really outdated now, but when I first got it... it was cutting edge! It output a 200mb file, did 3 passes (one for each color) that took 2-3 minutes for each pass. It required non flicker lights due to the scan times, and it had to be connected to a Mac computer because there was no onboard storage...

My clients are happy with the files I give them now... of course once any art director reads about this huge file size someone will soon be asking if I can shoot their job using it... That's why I have to upgrade camera bodies every 18 - 24 months, not because my clients need a larger file.... but because someone thinks they need a larger file size....

Jon