Why are there significantly more Canon posts than Nikon

Tom McBride · March 4, 2008

I am rather new to photography and know that there are many varying opinions as to why you use what equipment.
But I'm trying to make a "smart" purchase and wonder why the difference in numbers of posts in each forum.
I don't have any real reason to want to choose one from the other at this point and wonder if I'd be making a mistake in choosing one over the other.

I want to buy used and preferably from this forum. It seems that all of you take really good care of your equipment so what ever I buy it most probably will be well taken care of. (IMO)

Can anyone offer their "opinion" on this?

All comments are welcome and appreciated.

Tom McBride
Long Beach, CA

CarnalSigh · March 4, 2008

Ford n Chevy
katsup n mustard
canon n nikon
apples n oranges
tea and coffee

As for my opinion....more peeps (from what I have observed) who use cameras for a living shoot with canons. Photographers whose work I respect, use canons. At the pro ball games, all I see are canons with those huge lenses. Papparazzi.....all canons that I've seen. I've played with nikons...and just don't like the feel of them. So, I own 3 canons. No doubt I'm not alone. No doubt there are those that will brutally disagree with me. You have to decide for yourself.

colourbox · March 4, 2008

Tom McBride wrote:

I don't have any real reason to want to choose one from the other at this point and wonder if I'd be making a mistake in choosing one over the other.

I bought Canon because it was the best at the price I wanted, at the time. This is no longer true. If shopping today, I could go either way. At the high end, Nikon is closing the gap with Canon in full frame and high ISO. I shoot Canon but have a lot of respect for the Nikon D3 and D300.

Try forgetting about brands, and start with how you shoot. Then pick the right lens for that. Then pick the body that fits that lens and also fits how you'll shoot. At that point, you can look at the logo.

DoctorIt · March 4, 2008

Hi Tom,
as far as this forum is concerned (flea market) it is very simply a result of the market size. Canon sells more stuff, so more of it ends up here.

this really is a question without an answer... well, unless you stop for a second and re-evaluate your observation: you've noticed that there is more Canon trading going on here, so if that is important to you, then you already have your answer.

And now, not to spoil the party, this thread really has nowhere to go... if you (collectively) wanna sling mud, we've already got a multi-page Canon v. Nikon thread (and that's all we'll have, bit of a no-win, no right/wrong, purely opinion-based debate).

Seymore · March 4, 2008

Tom McBride wrote:

Can anyone offer their "opinion" on this?

Well, everyone has offered valid opinions IMPO... But my $.02?

Nikon shooters who have high quality Nikkor glass often find that they don't need to sell to upgrade, hence not all that many lenses FS. Most are already upper end anyways. Even some of the slower lenses are still high quality and render exceptionally well.

Take 10-15+ YO Nikkor MF lenses for example, there is still a demand on these as they are still quite usable on Nikon digi-bods. And with the release of the D40/D40x, metering aside, even pre-AI lenses can be used on these without any mods. But MF Prime AI/AIS lenses are still fetching quite the premium.

IMPO, it's all about quality, not quantity...

cmason · March 4, 2008

Simple math:

Canon has a 46% marketshare in the dSLR market, and Nikon has a 14% share.

More Canon cameras than Nikon cameras

JLim · March 5, 2008

it could also be because some people are actually dumping their Canon equipment to switch over to nikon for their D3 and lenses.

i use canon. people say nikon is easier to use, but that wasn't true for me. i really love the fact that there are a lot of used canon lenses.

afmdmc · March 5, 2008

one more thing to consider is do you know any one with a nikon or a canon.
because if you do you have some one to compare notes with and from time to time share equitment with.

My 2 Cents Worth
Dave

P.S. What ever you buy Have Fun.

Tom McBride · March 5, 2008

OUTSTANDING!~
Thank you all for your comments and contributions.

I think I will just "make a choice" and see how it fits my needs.
I am impartial to brand and really don't have any real specific needs, although may develop some as I grow and learn more about photography.

I certianly am not and will not be a "professional" by any means but it will serve me for my needs to take and share some really nice photos as I am out on my adventures.

Thanks again everyone.

GroovyGeek · March 10, 2008

It is a complete toss-up as long as you are not a pro

Nikon = truly outstanding "kit" lenses. Exhbit #1: the 18-70, which can be had for under $200 used. The 18-200VR sells used under $600. I just saw an 18-55VR go for $140. Canon has improved their kit lenses, but som of them are still nothing to write home about.

Canon = much larger lens selection, MUCH cheaper long tele's (300mm+), to the tune of 30% cheaper. This is one of the reason you see all the sports photogs and papparazzi shoot white Canon lenses. Canon had them with USM and IS long before Nikon had AFS and VR on their super-teles. And if there is one range where that matters, it is the super teles.

Nikon = the shorter you go, the less the difference disappears, some may say that Nikon has the edge there. Nikon has the <200mm range covered with some truly outstanding lneses: 14-24, 24-70, 70-200VR on the high end. The older lenses are no slouches either - 17-35, 28-70, 80-200. This, and history is one of the reasons why many "old pro" landscape photogs still shoot Nikon.

Canon = reasonably priced FF camera, the 5D. Sure, it is a long in the tooth, but it is still one heck of a camera for $1700 used. This could be important if you shoot WA. The cheapest (and only) FF camera Nikon has is the D3, which will set you back $5k, if you can find it.

Canon = CMOS sensor that have better high ISO performance. The only exception is the Nikon D3, and the possibly the D300 is approaching the same class. If you shoot at night, or do astrophotography, the choice is clear, go Canon.

Nikon = much better entry level offerings. Few people would argue with a statement that D40, D40x, D50, D60, and D80 are better than the corresponding Canon offerings.

Nikon = better ergonomics. OK, this one is highly subjective, but to me it is not even a contest. I have never held the 1D series, but I have never liked the handling of the rest.

Canon = MUCH better prime lineup, particularly some legendary primes such as the 85/1.2. Nikon's prime lineup is at least 30 years old, and needs a refresh, particularly on the wide end.

If I were starting now, I would make the decision based on the following factors:

1) How much would you be willing to spend on a body TODAY. Under $1k Nikon's offerings are arguably more compelling than the Rebel XTi. This is likely to change in the future, but for the moment Nikon rules the roost.

2) What do your friends shoot? Lense sare expensive, and if you develop a taste for photography you are sure to also contract LLD (lens lust desease). If you can borrow lenses from your friends until you figure out what you want, you will save yourself quite a bit of $$$

3) What range do you shoot? Wildlife, sports - Canon, everything else is a toss-up

4) How important is high ISO/long exposures, e.g., weddings or night photography. Go Canon if the answer is "very important"

5) How much are you likely to spend on glass? Assuming that you are immune to LLD and the answer is "I just want a few lenses to do everyting under $1K", then Nikon is probably a better bet.

6) Primes vs zooms? If you know you like primes, and oyu insist on the best, you are probably better off with Canon.

7) Ultra-fast primes? The Nikon mount is not very condusive to <f/1.4 lenses. Canon if you need (and can afford) a selection of f/1.2

The balance of all these for me came to Nikon a few years ago, you will have to make your own choice

ProAc_Fan · March 16, 2008

cmason wrote:

Simple math:

Canon has a 46% marketshare in the dSLR market, and Nikon has a 14% share.

More Canon cameras than Nikon cameras

Your figures seem misguided. Don't know where you got that from but in 2006 DSLR market share was 46% for Canon to 33% for Nikon with all other makers being barely a blip on the screen.

Mike

cmason · March 16, 2008

ProAc_Fan wrote:

Your figures seem misguided. Don't know where you got that from but in 2006 DSLR market share was 46% for Canon to 33% for Nikon with all other makers being barely a blip on the screen.

Mike

"Canon increased shipments by 30.7% to almost 2.5 million units. The company's global DSLR market share fell by 2.8% to 46.7%, still a fairly commanding 13.7% lead over nearest DSLR competitor Nikon Inc."

http://www.imaging-resource.com/NEWS/1175724860.html

LensCap · March 16, 2008

cmason wrote:

"Canon increased shipments by 30.7% to almost 2.5 million units. The company's global DSLR market share fell by 2.8% to 46.7%, still a fairly commanding 13.7% lead over nearest DSLR competitor Nikon Inc."

http://www.imaging-resource.com/NEWS/1175724860.html

OK I got this figured out

Canons lead is 13.7%, 46.7(canon)-13.7(lead)=33(nikon) Right???

brianhanley · March 16, 2008

The general build quality of the buttons and dials on the Nikons seem better. The Canon' seem a bit chincey..

cmason · March 16, 2008

LensCap wrote:

OK I got this figured out Canons lead is 13.7%, 46.7(canon)-13.7(lead)=33(nikon) Right???

Ah I see my goof...though hard to tell what Nikon's number is....is this 13.7 points higher for Canon, or 13.7% higher, which would be 41% 41x1.137= 46.6, meaning 41% share for Nikon...poorly written to be sure

bham · March 17, 2008

cmason wrote:

Ah I see my goof...though hard to tell what Nikon's number is....is this 13.7 points higher for Canon, or 13.7% higher, which would be 41% 41x1.137= 46.6, meaning 41% share for Nikon...poorly written to be sure

It was poorly written by the author. 46.7% Canon and 33% Nikon, so together they account for right at 80% of the DSLR market.

% of DSLR market

46.7 Canon
33 Nikon
6.2 Sony
0 Kodak
5.9 Olympus
5.4 Pentax

So the top 6 accounted for 97.2% of the market.

Shima · March 18, 2008

Just to add my two cents. I'm writing a paper comparing the marketing, history, etc between Canon and Nikon... not looking for who makes the better camera because as has been stated several times it's like many other classic battles (coke v pepsi and such). But yeah these two companies hold over 80% of the market share which makes them the market leaders.

jchin · June 11, 2008

Maybe just more Canon shooters on here than Nikon?

MT Stringer · June 11, 2008

My thoughts are fairly simple.

Pick a brand - doesn't matter. Get behind the camera and get to work. Sooner or later you'll figure it out. You can always sell and upgrade, or switch brands for that matter.

It's not the camera, it's who is behind it that makes the difference. Sometimes, I think someone else should be behiind mine!

Good luck.
Mike

Why are there significantly more Canon posts than Nikon

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