PJT Loc: Sarasota,Florida

As the photographic industry continues its one upsmanship with every manafacturer adding the next must have camera body the main intrest has been diverted from the key element which is the glass up front.
Any camera it dosen't matter which will take a tack sharp, image if (A) The person taking it has a good photograhic skillset. (B) A good functioning reliable camera. &
(C) Good optics upfront.
The brand is really a moot point.
It is a mater of several combined factors namely reliablility, durability, ergonomic comfortablility and build quality. Well I guess maybe with a little bit of bragging rights thrown in because you now own the latest and greatest brand XXX has to offer. ( assuming that you buy top shelf ) All the bells and whistles in the world won't help make someone a better photographer, just make it easier to take different types of snapshots.
The tools and how you use them, not what brand you use seperate a snapshot from a photograph!
Snapshots are taken,but photographs are created!!!
In summation let me say this, the better your equipment is the better your chances become of continously taking quaility images all of the time, By this I mean less down time with malfunctoning equipment . You do get what you pay for afterall.
That is not to say that we all need the newest improved brand XXX camera in order to shoot what the pros use.
Again it just boils down to the quote " What's in your wallet ? "
I myself would rather shoot with an older camera and have several high end lenses than to shoot with a high end camera and be limited to one lens.
My reasoning is such, a painter has many brushes to choose from . Each brush is used for a special technique.
As photographers are brushes are replaced with lenes.
As we know changing lenes will give us different prospectives as to how an image will be captured. It matters little what brand. The result in itself is the justifaction of the means!
Please just buy what you can comfortably afford. The brand is up to you, as are the features offered. What matters most is that the system you buy into will let you expand your photographic horizons now and in the future ! :-P

arphot Loc: Massachusetts

Yes . . . Canon certainly does as I'm sure Nikkon does. :lol:

gessman Loc: Colorado

I have been known to smoke a little salmon and a little brisket now and then. Maybe that's my calling - photography sure isn't.

aaron Loc: brooklyn ny

all that aside, i love! Canon products. there is someone to talk to if you have any issues. they have a great toll free #, 800 828 4040 and there's never a fee. they dont tell you the camera is out of warranty. for that alone, assuming cameras are equal, i vote for Canon. why not experiment and try calling Nikon tech support and Canon tech support. let me know the results.

BigD Loc: The LEFT Coast

You wanna have a lot of guys offer advise carry an Olympus. I've said here many times that I seem to get more "input" from older men of the Mercedes Benz driving crowd offer an opinion of my equipment than any other.

I really would like to have a couple of Nikon 3Gs's or a few Canon 1DMk4's and a dozen or so of their best lenses but I don't. I have four high end Olympus cameras and lots of their nice glass. Almost every time I'm at a High School of College Sporting event one of these PhotoDad's finds it necessary to waltz over to me with his D300 (The D5100 is starting to be the new popular model) and a Best Buy 70-300 f/4.0 lens and look at my camera, scrunch up his nose a bit then they almost always say the same thing "oh an Olympus huh, I have a Nikon". I swear I have heard that so many times I couldn't tell you a number. I have an automated reply that I use that seems to make them go away I say "Nikon huh? yeah a lot of beginners use those" HaHa.

Hey don't get mad Nikoners its just a little fun with the Gear Heads LoL... I actually had one guy stand his ground and start following me trying to convert me or something. So I started in on him about his equipment versus mine and I think when he did finally go away I converted him.

Its a guy thing, some just have to be reassured that they made the right choice. I remember thinking I should ditch my Olympus stuff a few years back and go Nikon or Canon. Then I looked at my Portfolio and figured out how much money I would loose and decided I was being stupid. Like the people here have said its the pictures not the gear. But come on guys the gear is really cool right haha....

jokescache1 Loc: SW Utah

yea for BigD..[changed brands]-I'm a Pentax man myself.
started 60 years ago with pentax[us snobs thought canon was a highend kodax box LOL]and am still am a pentax man.currently have a highend/low shelf x70,I can get decent pics,even as shaky as I am[use tri/monopod more now adays]or
going down the road at 65 mph..on "viewbug"[jokescache1]if any one wants to see.. go pentax/nikon/olympus--LOL
ITS THE NUT BEHIND THE TRIGGER!!!!!

RonaldLewis Loc: Chicago, Illinois

If you shoot with a Rebel with a kit lens and shoot at F 5.6 and don't enlarge it larger than an 11 x 14 you will get adequate prints. The D90 is an excellent camera. I am saying that and I all I own and use is Canon equipment. I think that he really doesn't have his facts right.

les_stockton Loc: Eastern Oklahoma

I'm a Canon user but I've always liked Olympus cameras. My choice to buy a Canon DSLR was primarily driven out of the misguided notion that since most of the photographers that I was around used Canon, that we'd compare notes better. As it turns out, I could've just as easily compared notes using an Olympus.
I also considered Sony before making my purchase.

I can definitely sympathize (or gain some humor) out of some inexperienced know-it-all coming up and telling you that you should trash what you have and get a camera like what he uses.

problem child Loc: Kingman AZ

Diet Coke, Chevy Monte Carlo, Wrangler jeans, and old Canon film cameras here.

BigD Loc: The LEFT Coast

I tell you I drive a Ford F250 V-10 Truck. I have had so many guys in a Chevy come up and just fling out "hey my truck is more powerful than yours". And I always fling back "maybe but mine is payed for" HaHa.

Overall when I add up the Pro's and Con's of the Olympus versus trading out to Canon or Nikon I find that what I have is perfect for what I do which is shoot for Newspapers and Magazines mostly sports and events. I do plenty of stuff like weddings and portraits as well and my clients seem plenty happy. So me thinks I'll keep what I gots...

les_stockton Loc: Eastern Oklahoma

I agree.
I'm not married to Canon, but since I have the lenses I have, which are good ones, and they work with Canon, for now, I'm sticking with this line.
If I were changing out to better glass (but I have top of the line right now), then I'd look at several other manufacturers before making my purchase. Who knows; I could buy Canon again. Not sure.

I'm glad that we have confident photographers that can tolerate some of the nimrods that think they're giving you good advise.

What really gets me is how they can think they're not insulting a person.

BigD Loc: The LEFT Coast

I know I would NEVER just walk up to someone and insult them like this knucklehead did to the OP of this thread. I wonder if they get punched in the nose a lot???

les_stockton Loc: Eastern Oklahoma

You know, I shoot a lot of sports, and frequently there are other photographers there. Sometimes, I'll see someone using a P&S or low-end DSLR by one of the popular manufacturers. Although what I have is likely better than what they're using, I feel more fulfillment talking about techniques and experiences. Occasionally, I am asked newbie questions, which makes me feel good when I can answer and help them out.
Sometimes, I actually learn things. For instance, I was photographing a junior hockey game and at one game, there was a parent visiting that was shooting in the area where I also shoot. He was using a Fuji DSLR. I'd used Fuji film in the past, but really knew nothing about their cameras. Great film, but not sure about the DSLR.
The guy explained to me that for portrait photography, there was "nothing better". And he convinced me as such. Basically, the Fuji is manufactured by Nikon. The camera is the same as Nikon in every way, except for the sensor. Fuji has their own sensor which essentially takes two exposures for every shot. So it's a built-in HDR of sorts; allowing for beautiful tonal range in photos.
The camera wasn't all that great for sports, as he had less than half the frame rate I had in burst mode, but I was convinced that the Fujifilm camera was a top-notch piece of photographic technology.

So why insult a guy by suggesting that "mine's bigger than your's"? Why not just talk about enjoying photography.

BigD Loc: The LEFT Coast

I have had some similar experiences. Honestly when I have a couple of big Oly's with their Battery Grips and my Vest and Dual Camera Strap with a few monster lenses mounted up I look like I'm one serious guy. I usually get "WOW those are nice cameras" and I just smile and say thanks a lot. Then I too get a lot of guys that ask for advise and I happily give them my two cents worth. I have had some fantastic exchanges with other shooters that have ended up in long term friendships as well. So it always floors me when some guy pops off to me, not something well centered people do.

gessman Loc: Colorado

Don't you think it often amounts to about the same thing when you're the guy with all the experience unless you hold back which is sometimes hard to do especially when you encounter a "mine's bigger than your's" guy when his is a mirage. I mean, I don't have that problem but it would seem it would be that way with someone with all the experience you have. (I've read a lot of your posts.) Of course, it's easier to hold back than to hide your gear in the middle of a shoot. You know, with me, no matter what edge I might think I might have, I ordinarily try to downplay issues especially when out in public. We're getting more and more folks who apparently do not see any merit in my philosophy. It has always been my observation that modest superiority takes the wind out of sails quicker than anything.