Canon vs. Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

Page updated: November 2008

Canon vs. Nikon - which one? It's a common question that comes up when consumers are comparing digital SLR cameras.

These two companies were the first to make the leap from film to digital, and their initial presence in the market make them the dominant players.

Today Canon and Nikon constantly battle for the top spot in the SLR market, while Olympus, Pentax, Sony, Panasonic and Sigma duke it out for a position in third.

If you pay attention to the digital SLR press releases, you'll notice a pattern: when either Canon or Nikon announce a new camera designed to capture some niche aspect of the market, the other company is soon to release a camera to compete.

This page is designed to help you get a handle on the current state of Canon vs. Nikon digital SLR cameras, with a focus on consumer SLRs, not those made for professionals.

Consumer Level Cameras

Let's begin with an introduction to the cameras that get a lot of attention: those geared toward average consumers (i.e. not professional photographers).

The focus of many of the digital SLRs that I list below is simplicity: the cameras aren't cluttered with a lot of buttons and features that would be overwhelming to the beginning photographer.

Instead, they are optimized to produce clear, bright, colorful images whether you use them in full AUTO mode or leverage some of the manual settings.

Canon has two cameras in this this category, while Nikon has three (although the D40x has been discontinued and is hard to find):

Let's take a quick comparative look at the Canon Rebel XS and the Nikon D60, since these are the latest cameras in this category from each manufacturer.

These cameras have a lot in common, and for me it's a bit of a tie in terms of features and performance.

While you are certainly welcome to try to determine which one has better "image quality" (an imprecise term that is the result of a variety of camera settings), experience using and reviewing photos from a wide range of both Canon and Nikon cameras has demonstrated to me that the photos captured by SLRs from both manufacturers are exceptional.

Since the cameras themselves are so similar I'm going to talk about something completely different: lenses.

One big difference between the Rebel XS and the Nikon D60 is that the Nikon D60 is NOT 100% backwards-compatible with older Nikon lenses — while the Rebel XS works just fine with a large number of Canon and third-party lenses.

If you try to use a lens on the Nikon D60 that does not include AF-I or AF-S (internal focusing motors) autofocus won't work - you'll have to focus manually.

So what does this mean for you - the consumer photographer?

It impacts both the flexibility and price of owning a camera like this for the long term:

• Flexibility - if at some point in the future you decide you'd like a nice specialty lens (for wildlife or closeups or architecture), your choices with the D60 will be limited (if you'd also like the lens to autofocus)
• Cost - with the Rebel XS, you can purchase any Canon lens you like, or you can also choose from a wide range of compatible third-party lenses that are often much cheaper - with the Nikon D60, your potential for finding a good deal on a lens is reduced, snce very few third-party manufacturers make lenses that have their own focusing motors

So a lot of your decision about which of these two cameras to get comes down to how you intend to use the camera in the future and how you plan to upgrade.

If you think that you'll replace BOTH camera and lens when you upgrade, then either the Rebel XS or the Nikon D60 will work fine. If you'd like to build up a collection of lenses (without spending a forture) that you can continue to use on future cameras, then the Rebel XS is the better choice.

Pro-Sumer Cameras

The next stage of the Canon vs. Nikon battle are the cameras geared toward photographers who have some experience taking photos with SLR cameras (either film or digital).

This group is often referred to as "Advanced Amateurs", "Professional Consumers" or Pro-Sumers for short.

Pro-Sumers are looking for a bit more functionality from their cameras than what's offered by the true consumer models, and they're willing to pay more for increased image control.

The cameras in this category often bridge the gap between the entry-level cameras and those designed with more professional photographers in mind.

Currently, there's one Canon and one Nikon camera in this category:

Let's compare the two:

If you consider these cameras based solely on their ability to capture high-quality photos, then you'll find that these two cameras are quite similar.

But the Nikon D90 includes a feature that's not available on the Rebel XSi (or virtually any other DSLR for that matter): it's the first digital SLR that can capture both photos and video.

So if you're looking to capture some motion with your stills, the Nikon D90 is the camera to choose.

However, if you already have a dedicated video camera and just need a really nice camera to take photos with, then either camera should serve you well.

The XSi is slightly easier to operate and therefore less intimidating if you're just starting out in the world of DSLR cameras but want to learn more about advanced features.

The high ISO noise performance on the D90 is exceptional - some of the best that I have seen - making it a good camera if you tend to take a lot of photos in dim available light.

And yes, let's not forget about lenses: while the XSi 18-55mm kit lens is quite capable (and a huge improvement over some previous Canon kit lenses) the 18-105mm Vibration Reduction (VR) lens bundled with the D90 provides more zoom range and has a more professional feel.

Semi-Professional Cameras

If you have a dream of one day making some money off this "hobby" of yours, or just take a lot of action shots, then these are the Canon and Nikon cameras to consider.

Considerably more expensive than the other models listed above, what sets these cameras apart from all others is their sheer speed.

Most digital SLR cameras are capable of capturing about three consecutive photos per second - and this is just fine for anyone passionate about landscapes and portraits.

But action junkies need a bit more from their digital SLR - the ability to rapidly capture several consecutive frames for that one action shot that is a real winner.

The minimum consecutive capture speed of cameras in this class is 5 photos per second (the maximum - if you're curious - is 8 per second).

Paired with this impressive speed are advanced autofocus systems, and about a hundred different ways to customize the camera to suit your specific shooting style.

Here's the comparison of the two latest models:

Once you get up to this level of camera, the question of which one to get - Canon vs. Nikon - is less about comparing features and more about name recognition.

I've talked to enough people interested in digital SLR cameras to realize that they often have a built-in bias about one company.

Some people lean toward Canon because it is such a prominent name in the industry (and because they also have a wide range of very popular compact cameras) while those that have used Nikon gear in the past are firm that they will never switch brands.

Both companies are well aware of this brand loyalty, so the cameras that are available in this category satisfy the needs of the most demanding photographers.

If you're fanatic about Canon cameras, then the 50D has all the features that you could ever need to capture stunning images. Those who lean toward Nikon should be blissfully happy with the D300 in hand.

I will state one personal difference that I have found working with these cameras: if you are interested (now or in the future) of taking a lot of photos using flash instead of natural light, then go with Nikon.

Nikon has done a great deal of work to ensure that their cameras communicate well with their flashes - something Nikon calls the "Creative Lighting System" or CLS for short.

With relatively little fussing, you can quickly set up three independent wireless light sources, and you're able to control the amount of light output from each flash directly from the camera.

While you can certainly achieve the same effects with a Canon digital SLR it takes more gear, costs more and doesn't have quite the same plug-and-play simplicity of the Nikon system.

Related Links

• Canon Digital SLR Cameras
• Canon Rebel XSi (450D) Guide
• Canon 40D Guide
• Nikon Digital SLR Cameras
• Nikon D40 Guide
• Nikon D60 Guide

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