Why Did You Select the Camera System You have Today?

[toomanycars]

Why did you select the camera system you have today?

Just out of curiosity why did you select the brand of camera that you use today?

Have you switched brands?

Do you have the same problem I do and have multiple brands of cameras with interchangeable lenses?

My story, in high school, I started a photography class and my friend was shooting Nikon so that's what I started with when I bought my first camera.
I have stayed with Nikon over the years and have grown accustomed to Nikon menus and the way they operate.

Here recently I have acquired a Sony in NEX 7 and have started to explore the mirrorless world.

My wife enjoys her Canon system. I tell people that's why we are still happily married, she can't borrow my lenses.

Disclaimer

I've been very careful in the selection of my wording. My intent is to ensure that this does not become a debate between brands. A my system is better than yours type of discussion with heated opinions on both sides. So many Internet forums on photography contain many heated debates on Canon and Nikon and other brands being superior but that's not my intent. Just a simple question why are you using the camera that you use today. Please no judgments on one brand better than the other, just what you enjoy and how you ended up there.

 

[DDuck4Life]

The reason I went with Canon was fairly simple. DW and I both liked the way it felt in our hands better than the rest. I knew starting out any DSLR I bought would be more camera than I knew what to do with, so we went to our local store and just held the different cameras and decided for our hands the Canon felt the best grip wise and for button layout. After learning how to use it and investing in more lenses Canon is the brand I stay with now just because I'm more familiar with the layout and menu structure.

 

[mcraige]

I have a Sony SLT-A65V, and purchased it because of recommendations from 2 different camera stores in 2 different states.

My story goes like this. I was travelling on business, had a few free hours, and noticed a camera store, so I decided to go in and inquire about a SLR. The salesperson said that for an "advanced beginner", either a Nikon D7100, Sony SLT-A65V, or Canon 60D were recommended. He said the Sony had more "features" than the others, and was cheaper than either the Nikon or the Canon.

When I returned home, I went to a camera store and was given basically the same information. I also looked at the NEX-7, but it was more expensive as well.

In the end, I found the A65v on sale and bought it. Overall, I've been very pleased with it, but have thought about changing cameras for a few reasons. First, I would like an extra battery / vertical group, but neither are available for the A65v. Second, I'm somewhat curious about the future of Sony's camera business. Third, someday I want a full-frame camera.

 

[Patrick in Oregon]

I started shooting in highschool with my dad's Canon AE-1. Some years passed and last year I picked it back up, relearning the basics. I picked up a couple of new-to-me lenses. Unfortunately, film can be an expensive hobby.

I bought a Sony a57 this past spring. I mostly used dpreview's reviews and camera-comparing system. Comparing with other cameras in its "class," a57 was reported to perform the best in low light, frames per second and quality (IIRC). As soon as I saw the price go down to $450 for the kit with 18-55mm I jumped on it.

Also, I have an issue with buying what's is the most popular and assumed to be the best (Canon/Nikon). I know from past experience that the most "obvious" brands are not always the best. For example, when shopping for headphones, Beats by Dre were clearly the most popular. When doing my own testing, shopping, and homework, I found the sound to be really bad, personally. While Sony isn't an off-brand by any means, it's no Nikon or Canon.

So while doing my research, I made it a point to heavily consider brands other than Canon/Nikon. I also considered m3/4 - mostly Lumix - for some time.

One of the issues I have with the system is also one of my favorite parts. The live view helps tremendously. While I use full manual most of the time, I find that my process of composing a shot deals mostly with spinning the dials around for the best iso/shutter until it looks right. This has made me a bit lazy when composing. I don't have to think nearly as critically about my shot as when shooting film. But I also don't pay as much for my exposures

 

[jimim]

I chose canon cause my first film slr out of college in 2000 was picked by my uncle who I learned from. I stuck with canon over the years cause I didn't want to relearn another brand. That's it. Kinda boring I guess bit at this point with multiple lens I prob won't ever switch out of pure laziness I guess! Lol. I would love to get a mirrorless camera down the road which I'm open to anything g at this point cause I don't think I would whip a canon lens on the m if I did end up with it. It will just end up being a new set of lens at this point.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

I have been shooting Pentax since the early 80's and have stayed with them since all the lenses are to some extent compatible. Over the years, I have replaced all the old legacy glass with newer. The wife likes the smaller size of their DSLR's.

 

[photo_chick]

I have a Canon DSLR because I was shooting a Canon EOS film camera. I actually didn't choose the film camera but it fit me quite well and I had what I thought at that time was a decent investment in lenses (Ha, if I only knew) so I stuck with Canon for my DSLR. I did consider switching brands at one point, came really close to getting a Pentax DSLR, but none of the others fit me any better than my Canon.

I also shoot with a Pentax 35mm (old screw mount), Canon A-1, and a variety of other makers in other film formats including a large bakelite collection, Pentax 645 and a Calumet 4x5. And my Pentax 110.. .can't forget that, it was my first SLR. I've just sort of accumulated all of the others for various wants and needs over the years.

 

[toomanycars]

I have a Canon DSLR because I was shooting a Canon EOS film camera. I actually didn't choose the film camera but it fit me quite well and I had what I thought at that time was a decent investment in lenses (Ha, if I only knew) so I stuck with Canon for my DSLR. I did consider switching brands at one point, came really close to getting a Pentax DSLR, but none of the others fit me any better than my Canon.

I also shoot with a Pentax 35mm (old screw mount), Canon A-1, and a variety of other makers in other film formats including a large bakelite collection, Pentax 645 and a Calumet 4x5. And my Pentax 110.. .can't forget that, it was my first SLR. I've just sort of accumulated all of the others for various wants and needs over the years.

I spent 18 months of my life with a Calumet 4x5, shooting a catalog. Thanks to that I hate loading sheet film holders.

 

[kofslinky]

I chose my system because that's what I inherited. I was given my current Nikon body, which was perfect for me because my father used to be a professional (back in the 80's) and his equipment was all Nikon, which meant I could use his old lenses (which are very good lenses).

My boyfriend has a Canon system and he really likes it. I don't mind it, but I still prefer my Nikon. It's probably familiarity with the brand, but I do like Nikon.

 

[My2Girls66]

My dad had Nikon's when I was a kid. In the 80's I used one of them for a high school photography class, soon after he ended up buying me a used N8008 and some lenses so I stuck with Nikon. My nephew has a Canon T3i, I used it a few times recently. It just isn't intuitive for me and the feel in my hand was 'off'.
I started with that N8008, then an N80(because I wanted an onboard flash) then a D50, now a D80. Unfortunately my dog got pretty sick last spring so the vet has what was supposed to be my D7000
Hoping to get a D7000 or D7100 soon.

 

[photo_chick]

I spent 18 months of my life with a Calumet 4x5, shooting a catalog. Thanks to that I hate loading sheet film holders.

I don't mind the loading. What I hate is when I take the dark slide out before I've closed the shutter and inadvertently expose my film. Inevitably I do it at least once a project.

 

[zackiedawg]

Since you're keeping it a general question and avoiding brand-defensiveness, I'll stick to that spirit by not even mentioning the brand I currently shoot with. Brand name honestly means less to me than any other factor when choosing a camera. How it feels in my hand, how well I get along with the controls, what features the camera has that will be useful to me, and price/value are all more important. I chose my first DSLR because I liked the grip and the general feel and controls, and liked a few key features which were either hard to get or not available in other models. I have gone with two more DSLRs in the same brand because the bodies were still a good fit, the features continued to be unique or what I wanted, value was good, and of course now that I have lenses in that mount I'm more prone to stay with it if I can find a body that meets my needs.

When I decided to add a mirrorless camera as a second body, grip and feel were once again paramount, though experience with the same brand I already knew well from DSLRs did play some part...moreover, the features were to my liking again, and the value was good.

 

[MAJPLO]

I was between two brands and the dis experts suggested a couple of others. There were only two brands I could find anywhere in a store that I could put my hands on and by then I was only looking at one of those two. I didn't like how it felt when I got my hands on it. So I took a chance and ordered the other brand. The in body stabilization and weather sealing were huge contributors to my decision along with the fact that for about the same price I was getting a little above the other brand's entry level model.

 

[Pooh2]

I always loved Paul's Simon's song, "Kodachrome", so I had to go with the Nikon!

 

[Animagic!]

I currently shoot Sony.

My first camera was a cheap Kodak P&S. The Kodak was retired for a megazoom Canon. I actually really liked the Canon. The 12x zoom and significant increase in picture quality made me happy. However, once I started getting interested in photography the Canon didn't quite cut it anymore. So began looking at DSLRs and mirrorless. After a lot of research I settled on Sony. They seemed to offer the best value. At the time of purchase the NEX 5 was at the top of the game for mirroless cameras under $1,000. So I bought and used the Sony NEX5.

The NEX5 was great but it never was exactly what I wanted and I found the E-Mount disappointing. So I upgraded to a Sony SLT A-Mount and have been very happy with it. For the time being I will stick with Sony. I really want to love Sony but sometimes they make themselves difficult to love. I would definitely switch to Canikon if Sony discontinues the A-Mount. I'm not interested in the E-Mount. I like Canon's images but Nikon feels better to me. But, that's just me.

 

[jewood1234]

It's really cool to hear the why and the how people choose systems. All have their pluses and minuses.

I chose micro 4/3 originally for the cheaper price to get into the system and the portability when heading to the parks and traveling in general. Like the quality of the keepers and fact that its a good way to begin to get past the "fully automatic" way of taking pix.

Good discussion

 

[boBQuincy]

We have two systems: Canon APS-C and Panasonic micro 4/3.
We bought into Canon when they came out with the first (barely) affordable digital SLR, the D30. Over the years we acquired a large assortment of lenses and five more EOS bodies. We like to carry a range from wide to long and it just got to be too heavy.

Micro 4/3 solved that problem. We knew we would take a small loss in image quality, mostly from the smaller dynamic range but it seemed worthwhile. Three lenses: 7-14; 12-35; and 45-175 (double these lengths for full frame equivalent) now weigh less than one of the big Canon L telephoto lenses. Image quality with the latest micro 4/3 is close enough to APS-C (and even full frame) to please us.

We still have the Canons, micro 4/3 is not as good for motorsports yet although that should be fixed soon with on-sensor phase focus detection.

 

[MedicBill]

I did months of researched weighing pros and cons of each system before I went with Nikon. I asked everybody I know and posted on several forums looking for opinions. Finally one of my friends who has been a photographer for a long time told me to go to the store and pick them all up to see which feels most comfortable in my hands. My hands fit nicely around the D7100 so thats the camera that I bought and I'm really happy with it.

 

[fractal]

Bought the Sony NEX-3 when it first came out. Loved the IQ and size of it but wasn't too crazy about the pancake 16mm lens and the kit lens. I bought the big 18-200 zoom mostly for sports and video.

Last year I purchased an NEX-7 along with a few more lenses. The 50mm 1.8 (which is a great lens), the Sigma pair of 19mm & 30mm 2.8 ( great value), and Rokinon 8mm fisheye. I loved carrying the NEX on my last trip to WDW - it's small, light and an absolute resolution monster. The downside is the amount of noise in the files at higher ISO which requires more PP. I was really happy with the results and was never a burden to carry - even in a hot,muggy & crowded park.

I have my eye on the Zeiss 24mm 1.8 or the Touit 32mm - The new A7 and A7r cameras look great but I'm at least a year or two away from upgrading.

 

[brivers222]

For point and shoots I was using a different varieties of Sony's... However as a wedding gift my wife bought me a Canon t3i... I immediately fell in love with the rapid shot and really good images. A year later we started a photography company in spare time and have upgraded a few times.

Our current set up is
5dmkiii
6D x 2
70-200 IS f2.8
24-105 IS f4 x 2
135mm F2
50mm F1.4
85mm F1.8
17-40 F4

My favorite is the 70-200mm however, for our Disney trip on Friday i am bringing the following:

5dmkiii
24-105mm for daytime
50mm F1.4 and 135mm F2 for night time shots
430EXII for fill light when needed