I have been a ardent Canon DSLR user for past 4 years and for the most part, quite satisfied with the results I am able to extract from my Canon gear. However with the impending switch to full frame system, I have been weighing my options and contemplating whether to stick to Canon or switch to Nikon.
While I have used Nikon DSLRs in past, it has usually been for short duration, which wasn’t enough to help me make my mind. So when I decided to snatch Rajiv’s Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 VR at a wedding, I knew it was a golden opportunity for me to finally learn a little about this foreign system.
File photograph of Rajiv with his Nikon D800 and 70-200 f2.8 VR.
With Rajiv busy taking group portraits; I was free to experiment with his Nikon D800 and 70-200 f2.8 VR, as I took candid and posed photographs of guests at the wedding. Juggling 3 cameras at the same time (2 Canon bodies and 1 Nikon) was no easy task, but thankfully I did get a hang of it and managed to switch between all three effortlessly, based on situation.
As far as ergonomics are concerned, Nikon D800 was just great. However with the heavy 70-200 lens, my little finger did miss battery grip.
What I didn’t like was the fact that quite a few of the buttons required use of left hand (which isn’t the case with my 60D and 1000D.) Add to that, since I am not well versed in Nikon menus and system, I couldn’t put the camera on Auto ISO, hence had to end up shooting in Aperture Priority mode with fixed ISO and variable shutter speed. Sadder still, I didn’t know how to juggle AF points, so I was stuck to the choice of either a single point or group AF with wide cluster.
All this did result in a few missed candid shots, but nothing too serious.
Overall I did like the handling of Nikon D800 as well as its AF performance and accuracy, especially considering some of the low light places I used it. And I did manage to get a few good shots with it (sadly can’t share them yet, since we are yet to send them for approval to client.)
To make the long story short, in the 40-45 minute field trial of Nikon D800 and 70-200 f2.8 VR, I did like their performance and now know for sure, that even if I have to switch from Canon to Nikon, learning curve wouldn’t be too steep.
Hopefully I will get to test out Canon 5D Mark iii with 70-200L f2.8 IS II while on assignment, so as to compare both the equivalent offerings from Canon and Nikon, before eventually making up my mind.
One Response
Nikon Camera is the best one I have even found. I am actually very fond of photography, first I was using a sony camera and then I shifted to Nikon. Wonderful.