Why Did You Select the Camera System You have Today?

[jiminyfan]

My first SLR was a Canon T-50 35mm and we loved the pictures we got from it. When it was time to go digital I initially bought a Sony, but was never thrilled with the shots (probably combo of user issues as much as the camera). I decided to go back to Canon and fell back in love with them and shooting pics again.

Waiting for my 70d to arrive. I shoot for myself not a pro and my son is in plays, so the 70D will allow for some great video as well as stills.

 

[SrisonS]

My first decent digital camera was a Nikon p&s; and I really enjoyed using that camera. So one year, my wife bought me a newer Nikon p&s. But that camera was such a pain to use. It took too long to hunt for focus. And quite often, I'd even get blurry pics in the middle of a sunny day.

So my thought was "how is the newer Nikon much worse than the old one!?!?". So when i could no longer take it, and wanted to get something new, 90% of me didn't want to go Nikon. I wasn't ready to make the jump to a dslr, but a Bridge camera is what I was looking to get. And honestly, I did try looking at Nikon options; but I don't really recall seeing one in my price range (unless I just forgot). But eventually, I wound up with the Canon Powershot S3 IS; and absolutely loved it!!!!

I was pretty much a Canon fan from that point on. When i was finally ready for a DSLR (the T1i) i didn't even look at other brands. My last film camera before going digital was a Canon p&s, that I had no issues with. And the S3 was doing me very well. So Canon is the brand I've stuck with.

 

[Stitch_Is_King]

I got my first SLR camera back in high school, a Pentax A3000. After high school I really lost interest in photography and got back into it a few years ago.

My first DSLR was a Canon Rebel XTI. My wife gave it to me as a Christmas present when I said I wanted to take photography back up as a hobby. I tried most of the brands out there and the Canon felt the best in my hands. I just upgraded to the Canon 60D a few months ago and that is what I currently shoot with.

 

[PoohLover78]

My dad always had Canon SLRs. When I was 11, he sent me to a camera class for teens (I was by far the youngest) with his Canon A-1. From that day on, the A-1 was mine When I got older, he would occasionally let me borrow his AE-1. When the Canon 300D came out as the first consumer DSLR, he bought it. I borrowed it until I had money saved up for the 450D. I have since upgraded to the 60D.

I also have a couple point and shoots. One is an old 3 megapixel Olympus camera. I still use it mainly for night shots because it goes down to f1.8 and the noise handling at ISO1600 is amazing! Only bought it because it was one of tue first digital P&S at 3 megapixel with optical zoom instead of internal cropping. The other point and shoot is a Samsung which I mainly got to shoot HD video.

 

[dansamy]

Pentax K-x. Smaller than the Canikons that were available. In-body image stabilization. Huge legacy compatibility. AA batteries. The AA batteries actually sealed the deal for me. I didn't want to fool with special batteries and chargers.

I was actually looking at Sony, Pentax and Olympus. If I had it to do over, I *might* have chosen Olympus and bought a DSLR body and a micro body and an adapter.

 

[Daisy14'sDH]

I had considered all brands, pleased that I too ended up with Pentax! Started with the Kx, than, a Kr, K100, Km, and now a K5 is in my lineup... going to sell my Kr and pick up another used K5, its enough camera for me lol! The K3 looks awesome though! My lens lineup covers most everything between 12-500mm, however I'm a pack rat and don't usually sell stuff!
Which was another reason I loved Pentax, the lenses are sharp enough for me (I cant tell the difference between my tack sharp images and any of the other manufacturers) I'm sure I'd notice if I was printing posters which I have no plans of doing anytime soon. But they are significantly less to buy than CaNikons... I like that

 

[edwardv2]

Back in the late 80's I had a Minolta 35 mm film camera that I lugged around. After a trip to Europe for a month after college, I decided it was just too much to carry around; too big and too bulky. I had several cheapies until I purchased a new Canon Powershot SD1100IS. I purchased that one because it fit my budget at the time, was 8 MP which was pretty good back then, had a decent zoom and it was small!!! I used that for several years until I purchased a Canon Powershot SX210IS. It was an upgrade to 14 MP, a better zoom (14x) and was still small. I also knew all the Canon settings so moving from one Powershot to another was easy. I added a grip and larger off-camera flash to use as well.

I wasn't happy with the control I had with the Powershot and wanted more but still wanted to keep it small. I missed having interchangable lens but didn't want to go back to a full sized DLSR. I then found out about 4/3 and mirrorless cameras and thought, wow that's what I've always wanted. I looked at them but didn't have the money at the time to purchase. It ended up being fortuitous since when I finally had some money to spare, Canon came out with their EOS M! I initially was turned off by all the negative reviews of the EOS for its slow autofocus and I just waited. When the new autofocus firmware came out I was almost tempted. Glad I waited again because the price of the camera dropped dramatically. I purchased when it was $300 for the EOS M with the 18-55 mm lens. I also picked up the 22 mm pancake lens for only $99 online along with the 90EX flash for only $89. So for less than $500 I had a small versatile camera with interchangable lenses. I plan on adding the EOS-EF to EOS M adapter and getting 55-250 mm zoom for a trip to Disney in December.The 55-250 is light and small enough to be well balanced with the EOS M.

 

[eblong]

To me, it was - and still is - all about how the camera feels in my hand. I admit, I'm a Canon user, and I even have friends who are Nikon users, but they just don't feel right in my hand - the shutter button is just in the wrong place, of course, with DSLRs, it isn't long until you have too much invested in accessories that are brand-specific (lenses, fashes, etc) that going off to another brand is just not cost effective, so try them all out. You'll find one that "feels more comfortable" than the rest, and press on.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[sporadic]

Bit of a Canon fanboy I guess and have always stuck with them. It all started when my mom got her Minolta 35mm and handed her Canon AE-1 down to me with a 50mm prime and broken Vivitar telephoto zoom. I eventually moved to the EOS system with a Elan IIe. Why can't Canon bring eye controlled focus to their DSLRs?!?! That was awesome!! My interest in photography faded off and on throughout the years. When digital compacts started to become affordable, it was a wondrous 2MP Canon Powershot A20 that got me back into it. I eventually plunged back into the SLR world with a Canon XSi / 450D. The menu system was familiar, the controls felt right, and I already had a lens for it. Canon had already molded me. It just felt right in my hands! Now with a 7D and couldn't imagine moving to another platform. I pickup my friends Nikon and everything just feels out of place. I've seen many people jump from system to system chasing the latest greatest. IMO, stick with what you're comfortable with and the latest snazzy features and performance will eventually come to your system.

 

[1Grumpy9]

Back in High School, my mom bought a Minolta 35mm from one of those electronic stores in NYC. We kept buying the lenses for it and finally upgraded to the Konica Minolta 5D. We went to a local camera store and they recommended that one since we already had the lenses from the 35mm camera. I wanted something a little smaller, so I went with the Konica Minolta Z3. After Konica Minolta went out of the camera business and Sony bought their aperature, I went with the Sony A300. That was my digital camera up until 2011 when it broke on a trip to Disney. I went back to my 5D until I saved up the money for a new digital camera. During this time, I really was debating about switching brands as the range of lenses from other companies were a little more variety. After some looking and holding of other brands, I went back to Sony and bought the A57. I could use all of my lenses I already had and not have to buy all new equipment. There will probably come a day that I will need to completely buy a new system, but as of now, I am completely happy with my choice. I did buy a Nikon P&S, but I truthfully did not like it and I donated it when I bought a different P&S.

 

[disneybride96]

My husband bought me one of the first Canon Digital Rebels. Great camera, but after taking it to Disney a few times in it's own dedicated backpack, it started sitting at home in the closet. The weight was an issue in itself, but when airlines started charging for bags, that was the end of it. The best camera in the world doesn't take good photos when it is at home. I sold it and moved back to point and shoots.

A couple of years ago we planned a big trip to Maine. I wanted to take some photography classes and possibly purchase a new DSLR. Upon researching, I discovered micro 4/3. Perfect fit for me between weight, control and image quality. Currently shooting Panasonic, but thinking about Olympus for my next camera.