rebride

The monkey has the choice of which manufacturer (bias).

TheDman Loc: USA

95% of it is the person.
5% of it is the camera.
0.00001% of it is the camera brand.

Elliern Loc: Myrtle Beach, SC

I know professionals who use both brands. They all take stunning shots. Their printed works are both equal in quality and clarity. I do think an advanced camera in a pros or very experienced or talented photographer's hands will probably get better results than an advanced camera in a hobbyist's hands, however.
But...I have read on here that you cannot possibly have the best photo without pp. So, were those photos so vibrant because of the camera....or because of better pp skills? Or the better pp software?

I am still a novice...may be one for quite awhile (LOL) but I am working hard to improve.
But it seems to me, if it were just the camera then all those pictures by other novices who use Canon (my dslr is Nikon) should look much better than mine as far as color and clarity and they do not. Now some in our club do improve significantly and they move on up to intermediate level or to advanced level. But my own belief is that very little of that improvement comes just from the camera.
If I can be convinced otherwise, then I will trade in my Nikon D5100 on a Canon. ;)
But for now I am very happy with my Nikon and my Canon sx50. I am a novice no matter which one I use.

amehta Loc: Boston

You did not just see the "quality coming out of the Canons", you also saw the quality of their post processing and display medium. I think the brand of camera is the smallest factor in all of this. And I would say the same if you had reversed the scenario, asking if you should switch from Canon to Nikon.

You have about $5k invested in Nikon lenses (including the 14-24mm f/2.8G), you are not likely to recover all of that if you switch. BTW, your lenses aren't a big factor in this issue either. :-)

Cbphotos Loc: Riverside, CA

What I saw coming out of their camera was them shooting and it tethering to their laptop to the big screen. There was not time for post processing. I know I won't recover all I have spent on my lenses but my quality of my photography needs to be the best it can be. I am willing to put up with the loss if it means I am getting better quality. Why do so many people prefer Canon over Nikon. There is a huge difference there.

mdorn Loc: Portland, OR

Are you sure the difference is not marketing?

amehta Loc: Boston

If the tethering is through Lightroom, for example, then post processing presets are still applied.

Perhaps you could post one of your "dull" pictures and we could discuss what might be going on.

While some people prefer Canon over Nikon, and others prefer Nikon over Canon, some of us simply have one system and stick to it because we're invested, not because of a preference. If my equipment instantaneously changed to comparable Canon gear, within a week of shooting, I doubt I would notice a huge difference. If my equipment instantaneously changed to Nikon entry-level gear, then I'd be really frustrated. :-)

Pine1 Loc: Midland & Lakeway

If you don't like what you have, you probably won't like what you get. I think you should make yourself happy. Both Nikon and Canon makes great dslr equipment. Your lenses are great so....

amehta Loc: Boston

Totally agree with all of this, except to make yourself happy, don't replace the gear, solve the problem. It is not the camera or lens, I assure you.

What post processing are you doing with your raw images?

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

I sell both and always let my customers make their decisions with their checkbook. In the last 9 months (and as late as 1 hour ago) I have had 34 Canon shooters change their gear for Nikon in my store. I have yet to have a single Nikon shooter come in and want to change over to Canon. Canon spends almost 4 times as much as Nikon in marketing and advertising, they have to, simple.

Cbphotos Loc: Riverside, CA

Thank you so much for this information.

coco1964 Loc: Winsted Mn

I think also that it depends what you were comparing your D700 up against. Although the D700 is a good FF camera you have to remember that since that camera was made Nikon has upgraded their FF systems 10 times over!! The D600, D610, D800, D800s, Df, D3s, and just recently the D4s. I'm sure I may have missed some but you get the idea of comparing apples to apples versus apples to oranges. What were you comparing your D700 up against as Canon has upgraded in the same manner as Nikon..........

amehta Loc: Boston

Excellent point, the D700 came out in 2008, the trade show people were probably using the 5D Mark III and the 1DX, both from the past two years.

Here is a SOOC shot (straight out of camera), with the D800, cropped but not resized. Is this what you (Cheryl) see as "dull"?

(Download)

Cbphotos Loc: Riverside, CA

The bird looks great but why is the background so dull?

amehta Loc: Boston

It was an off-white brick wall, and I used f/2.8 to get the wall out of focus. The point is to keep the viewer's eye on the bird, not the wall, so a dull wall was the intent.