Why did you buy the Camera that you have?

[Furgus]

I bought my Nikon D50 cause of Paul Simon

When I think back
On all the ##### I learned in high school
Its a wonder
I can think at all
And though my lack of edu---cation
Hasnt hurt me none
I can read the writing on the wall

Kodachrome
They give us those nice bright colors
They give us the greens of summers
Makes you think all the worlds a sunny day, oh yeah
I got a Nikon camera
I love to take a photograph
So mama dont take my kodachrome away

If you took all the girls I knew
When I was single
And brought them all together for one night
I know theyd never match
My sweet imagination
And everything looks worse in black and white

Kodachrome
They give us those nice bright colors
They give us the greens of summers
Makes you think all the worlds a sunny day, oh yeah
I got a Nikon camera
I love to take a photograph
So mama dont take my kodachrome away


Actually when I went to Disney World last April I only had my Kodak Point and Shoot camera. After that trip I told my wife I was ready to get more serious about my photography and wanted to upgrade to a DSLR. I researched Canons and Nikon for the next 30 days straight. I finally had it down to the Rebel XT and the D50. They were pretty much even in rating and reviews. I went into our local camera store so I could feel both of them before I made my final decision. I picked up the Nikon, heavy, felt like it was constructed well, and just felt right in my hands. Picked up the Canon, wow this thing felt cheap. I felt like if I dropped it from an inch it would shatter into a million pieces. So I bought the Nikon, and I can honestly say I will never buy another type of camera as long as Nikon is around. Since getting my camera in late May, I have convinced 3 co-workers to buy Nikons. They have been very happy with them, and I think I should get some sort of kick back from Nikon

I don't want this to become a flame war on cameras, just honest answers. I really felt like the rebel is cheaply made, but I do realize it take wonderful pictures and is a great camera, and the one thing Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentex, and all other camera owners have in common, we love taking pictures.

 

[Scottl]

I originally had the rebel xt and the pictures were blurry, even when other people took them. I returned it and got the D50 and love it. I will stay with Nikon as well.

 

[ndelaware]

I bought a Canon because I feel that Canon makes the best cameras. I currently own an XT and I love the way it feels and I am not a small person.

 

[spoon2003]

I was looking at D50 and XT as well and I chose XT. I'm small person with small hands. The D50 felt too chunky and heavy, Canon fits my hand just right. For me, it was the right choice.

Sue

 

[cryssi]

we got our D200 b/c we were doing a photo shoot and wanted a good camera...

...also we like nice toys.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Does lighter automatically translate into cheaper necessarily?

I've always loved photography. I've had Nikon and Canon 35mm cameras and liked them both.

When I bought my first digital camera, I went with an HP because it seemed to work fairly easily with my HP desktop system. I loved my HP 720 and it captured many great memories of my children's early years. But because I carried it in my pocketbook for daily use it got pretty beat up (and was on the heavy side compared to today's models), so I moved along to an HP M515 which was part of a bundle I bought with small printer. I haven't been as happy with the newer camera primarily because it eats up batteries and takes too long to recover between shots.

I decided it was time to upgrade to a better camera, one that would allow me to improve my skills and allow me to grow as a hobby photographer. I thought about what I wanted in a camera, researched various models, looked at many beautiful photos posted here (noting who took what with what type of camera ), and decided to go for the Canon S3. It had what I was looking for, save for the size. Learning to use it to its fullest is a work in progress but I know I'll get there - albeit slowly. I'll still keep my HP in my bag so I don't miss any shots, but for nicer pictures I'll use the Canon.

 

[handicap18]

I learned on a Canon AE1 Program way back in high school. I've used a Kodak 126 and a Kodak Disk. After taking photography in HS I bought a Canon hybrid SLR. I don't recall what the model was. It came with a zoom lens that could come off and other Canon lenses could fit on it, but would be only manual. It was around this time that Canon signed Andre Agassi and I really didn't like him. Canon came out with the Rebel and Nikon just released the N6006. The place I bought the camera was big into Nikon's and I was hooked on Nikon. Unfortunately that camera was stolen back in '96. I replaced it in '97 with the Nikon N70 which I still have. When I went digital in '02 I bought a Canon S30. I liked the look of it better than the Nikon's and it got better reviews. After 3 1/2 years of using the S30 and a trip to Disney in Nov of '05 I realized that I wanted back into SLR, but wanted digital. I was still occassionally using the N70, but film was such a pain. So for the month of Dec in '05 I researched like a mad man about the Nikon dSLR's. At first I was convinced that the D70s was what I was going to get. But the D50 kept sneaking up. A cover review in one of the major photo mag's, a review on epinions.com and a few reviews on amazon ended up convincing me that the D50 was more than enough camera for me, especially because at the time there was a $300 difference between the D50 and D70s. As a Nikon user for almost 20 years Canon or Pentax never was an option. Though I did read a lot about the digital rebel. I finally pulled the trigger in Jan of '06 on the Nikon D50 and over 4000 clicks of the shutter later, I'm very happy. In the end, no matter what camera you go with, you should be happy with it.

 

[makinorlando]

I bought my on impulse one night in February on line after noticing many great photos on the board taken with the camera, S2-IS. As I said impulsively - had I researched and realized what DSLR was (I didn't know back then - I've come a long way) - I would probably have invested more $$$ (which I had available to play with at the time) and gone that route. That's okay - I love the camera it will be a hand me down to Tara when I do upgrade.

 

[Groucho]

I'm just shocked that I've heard Kodachrome a zillion times (including one time live here in Rochester, home of Kodak), and never realized (or forgot) that he mentioned Nikon. Off the top of my head, I would have guessed that he was saying "photo camera" or "micro camera" - guess I might have to give it another listen, then throw it out for supporting one of the unspeakables.

Just kidding, I love that song!

He has updated the lyrics once or twice, so maybe he changed that as well - I think that recently, he usually sings that "everything looks better in black and white", not worse.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Canon S2 IS here.

My first digital was a Nikon 995, with a swivel body/lens. I got so use to the swivel aspects so much, that was almost mandatory for me. The 2S has a swivel LCD, accomplishes the same as the Nikon swivel body. The 2S is pocketable. The 2S has a good optical zoom. Canon has a good reputation. The reviews on the Net were excellent.

 

[YEKCIM]

...I could not afford a DSLR, at the time (early 06). Now, however, the funds are available and I'm poised to enter Nikonsville. Just waiting on Mrs. YEKCIM to greenlight the purchase:

D50 body
Sigma 17-70
Nikkor 28-200

~YEKCIM

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I started with a Canon Rebel G back in the film days. I picked it because I liked the ergonomics of the Canon and because they were the only ones with image stabilized lenses at the time. Since I took a lot of my pictures from inside a canoe (which is never steady), I really liked the idea of a stabilizer.

I really wanted to move to digital when they first came out, but the low quality and high cost kept me away. I looked long and hard at the Canon D30 (the first "low cost" DSLR), but it was still too much money ($3K) for too little resolution (3mp) for me. When the D60 came out at $2,300 and 6mp, I snapped one up. Nikon was the only competition at the time and I was already invested in Canon glass and accessories, so the choice was easy.

Most of my gear was stolen in '03, so I had the chance to start over. Canon still had a lead on stabilized lenses and I still liked their ergonomics, so I got a 10D.

In hindsight, that was a mistake. I was already annoyed by limitations of the D60 that weren't addressed by the 10D, but I couldn't bring myself to spend the money on a 1D.

In '05, I changed jobs, which resulted in making some money selling my house, selling stock options, etc and so I decided to move up to a 1D. I really wanted the larger shot buffer, the faster AF, the larger number of AF points, and the quicker access to the controls.

I bought the 1DM2 because it was Canon's fastest camera at the time. Nikon's equivalent is about as good, but I'd been with Canon for a long time and didn't feel the desire to switch. No one else had or has a camera with similar characteristics.

 

[wdwpluto]

I had a Canon film rebel and the lens worked on the xti, so that kind of helped make my choice for me. I also like the lighter construction of the Canon (I'm a wuss when it comes to lugging equipment). I did a shoot the week I got my d-rebel and I took my boss's Nikon dslr (I'll be darned if I can remember which one it was) as back-up and I just felt that the rebel was much more intuitive to use and more comfortable for me. To each their own.

 

[JR6ooo4]

I bought the Sony F717 as my first digital. At the time it had the fastest shutter lag of all the prosumers available.
then I needed better lowlight capabilities which means DSLR
I compared the Rebel Xt and the comparably priced Nikon. Other the than about two minor differences, they were so close I chose which I could have sooner..
Mikeeee

 

[boBQuincy]

I was solidly in the Minolta camp until late 2001, when I really wanted a dSLR and the only one that was remotely affordable was Canon's D30. Minolta kept promising a dSLR but it was vaporware, while the Canon was real, highly rated, and *only* $2200!

"If you want to cross a bridge, my sweet
You've got to pay the toll
Take a gulp and take a breath
And go ahead and sign the scroll!"

I ordered a D30 and two lenses, then sold most of my Minolta equipment on eBay. Three Canon dSLRs later, no regrets at all, and it would take a lot to get me to change again!

 

[ktulu]

I went with the XTi, although my photog friends both use Nikon, so the logical choice would have been a Nikon. I often 2nd guess myself, but eventually I want the Canon 1DSM2 so I figured I might as well start with Canon and save money on lenses down the road

It's also nice when my friends re-assure me that there is nothing wrong with the XTi and it's a good camera body.

 

[MOmousefan]

I am currently using the Canon S70. It meets my #1 requirement that the camera must fit in my pocket. I lugged a Canon AE1 P around for years and detest neck straps. The S70 has a wide (28mm) lens and takes good pictures. I will probably get a DSLR camera, but for now I am satisfied with this camera.

 

[Mom2Ashli]

I originally had a Canon A70 (which I love and still do that it is fixed and working again). Canon makes a great product. But I went with a Sony H5 this time because of the good reviews and the larger viewing screen.

 

[Cheeky in TN]

I have the Rebel Xti. My SD550 got lost/stolen (somehowit ended up in my mailbox two months after "losing" it and all the pics I had taken were erased and the battery fully charged). Anyhow, I was three days out from my Disney trip so I needed a camera. Went down to Best Buy and decided I would upgrade to the SD800 since it had 28mm lens and optical image stabilization. They did not have any instock, but would have some in the next day or two. That gave my wife and I time to look at the other displays and we kept coming back to the DSLRs. We were pretty uninformed on SLRs and kept looking at the lens thinking it must be able to zoom to the moon. Long story short, we both wanted to take photography to the next level and bought the Rebel XTi.

I had friends tell me about the D80 and second guessed myself for several weeks. I am used to the Canon menu system and decided in the end I wanted to stick with the Canon. Now that I have multiple lenses and flash, I will be sticking with Canon.

On a side note, we decided the day before we left for Disney to go back to Best Buy and get the SD800. So now I feel I have the best of both worlds, a great DSLR for taking photos/portraits and a great pocket camera for on the go. One of my photo buddie's wife after hearing my rationale ended up ditching the S3 for the SD800 also. He did not talk to me for a few days after that

 

[Groucho]

...I could not afford a DSLR, at the time (early 06). Now, however, the funds are available and I'm poised to enter Nikonsville. Just waiting on Mrs. YEKCIM to greenlight the purchase:

D50 body
Sigma 17-70
Nikkor 28-200

~YEKCIM

Somewhere, there's a K10D weeping.