Anyone ever think of or actually switching brands?

I am seriously wondering what Nikon has to offer. I have shot Canon since I picked up a SLR so it's been many years. However all the Nikon shooters here have me curious about trying out a Nikon. Has anyone switched brands? Sold the old gear and purchased new gear of a different brand? I have to say the idea of the D800 is mighty tempting for me to switch. I know most shooters are brand loyal but find I am super curious about my options. I have a nice Canon line up, nothing amazing but a good one, so switching would cost me a bunch of money, yet I find I want to try Nikon none the less. Any suggestions? Would a D3100 be a seriously crappy camera for me to see what Nikon can offer? I shoot a 5dmii, so I have a nice body, yet again find I am curious. OK just asking.

I'll be ditching my Minolta to switch to a Mamiya or a HBlad.

Try a D90 MJ- I switched to Nikon from being an avid Konica SLR shooter in 1992 and never looked back. Still have my Konica auto reflex but it's a keepsake more than anyhing.I currently shoot with 2 D90 bodies and can say I am very happy with Nikon film and digital bodies that I have. ( N90s and FE film bodies are built like tanks) buy a used D90 to try out with a 50mm f 1.8 and give it a go before you make the jump with both feet.
Rob

Karl that sounds more like upgrading/changing formats rather than ditching! - probably worth it with the landscape work you do. I've gotten interested in 120 film but started out cheap/vintage/used to try it out. Maybe MJ you could rent, or go w/used (closer to bargain than new condition??) and then sell/trade-in.

I have a variety of types and styles and brands of cameras mostly to collect and enjoy, but went with Ricoh digital since they came out with a unit that takes Leica M lenses. Not that I have any Leica but have a Voigtlander M rangefinder (which I actually bought new for a change!) so can get lenses to use with digital and film. It's developing into a system that works for me.

I agree with Rob, before you jump in (and maybe you're just perusing at this point) I'd try it out to see if the Nikon will work better for you than the Canon you have now, and if you think buying all new gear will make a difference in your photography.

I agree you have a good body

I use a Nikon D300 and would highly recommend it, a second hand one shouldnt be to expensive if you just wanted to try out Nikon first, if you have decided on the jump, and I dont blame you, then the D800 is the one to go for, I am buying one sometime in October hopefully.

It's mainly curiosity at this point. I can't afford to switch although the D800 sure looks worthy of the switch. I am finding I am a gear maniac and really what I have works really well for me currently. I just keep hearing how great Nikon is and well I want to know why. If that makes any sense.

I've had the same question myself...not actually that I'm ready to consider switching, but I do have to admit the D800 is pretty tempting. Then again, for me the Canon 5D MkIII is more inline with what I want when I finally do upgrade.

That's just because video performance is becoming more and more important to me, and because Canon has finally released a 5D with sports and action in mind. Nikon still owns Canon when it comes to low light/high ISO noise performance.

But if I did want to consider a switch, I'm sure the first thing I'd do is rent a Nikon body and lens. Might also wait for Scotty and/or Ninja to chime in, pretty sure they both switched from higher-end Canon gear over to Nikon, so they might have some insights based on their experiences.

Instead of the D3100 I'd look around for a used (or refurbished) D90 or D5000. D300 is really nice, but may be more pricey. Don't have a Nikon buddy who will let you barrow a camera for a bit?

Kelly

You should stay with Canon, and learn to use it. There are NO advantages from one brand to another that is permanent. Both brands are evolving to the benefit of all photographers, and if there's one thing lacking in this generation of cameras, it won't be lacking in the next....

effron wrote: You should stay with Canon, and learn to use it. There are NO advantages from one brand to another that is permanent. Both brands are evolving to the benefit of all photographers, and if there's one thing lacking in this generation of cameras, it won't be lacking in the next....

The advantage one has over the other is transient. The two brands leap frog each other and each will have an edge for a time. Probably not worth the big $ especially for one particular model.

I am a Nikon person, but I would not suggest for anyone who has a lot of Canon gear to switch. Both companies have awesome cameras with a lot to pick from....

I would say the cheapest thing is if you live near a camera rental center just rent a Nikon D300 or D700 and see if you like it. that way it wont cost you an arm and a leg

Yeah, I don't think I'd consider switching just for a camera body. Particularly not the D800; I don't think it offers anything revolutionary that the latest 5D doesn't offer. It might be incrementally better in some respects, but it would have to be something revolutionary to get me to dump my old current system and buy into a brand new system.

It has crossed my mind to sell my gear and invest in a different format, like mirrorless. In fact, before I bought my 5D and went full frame I seriously considered going that route.

I switched from a Canon 5d mark II, 40d for 1.6 crop, and 1d Mark III for sports.
Lenses I owned.
17-40L
24-70L
70-200 f/2.8L IS
50 1.4.
35 1.4L
85 1.2L Mark II
100-400L.

Switched to Nikon D3s, D700(sold, D800 is coming in about 11-12 days.)
Lenses
14-24 2.8G
24-70 2.8G
70-200 2.8G VR II
Ordering this year
24 1.4G
85 1.4G.

I would never go from the 5d mark II to the d3100. You're completely going backwards.
The 5d Mark III seems like a good fit for you. To be honest, unless you want a lot faster AF, I don't see a point in switching cameras. What is your camera not doing for you?

Have you considered upgrading glass?
What about learning strobes/flash better? (what I'm going to be working hardcore on this year)



All in all I like Nikon a lot more than Canon. I felt as if Canon was quite behind and was sick of low ISO banding on the 5d mark II, 1d mark III's focus problems (even after the fix, still had it, this is public knowledge though). Nikon to me had better metering, better auto white balance(by far), and can handle reds without murdering them. In my experience nikon struggles with greenish yellow hues, both can be fixed in post processing.

I have not used the 1d mark 4, the 1D X or the 5d mark III so I don't know what canon has and has not corrected, and what advances they have made. I have a lot of friends that shoot canon, one that has every super prime but the 800mm and the rare 1200mm. They've made beautiful images with them. Art Wolfe has been shooting Canon for a long time, and you can see the quality of work he produces(he's considering getting a d800). Both companies make great products.

My honest opinion is you need to get some L glass. Some primes if you can. I miss the Canon 35 1.4L so much i've considered getting a 5d Mark I just to use that lens.