Hockley Photography

Last week I noticed some information that Nikon is making a strong surge and gain in sales against Canon’s position as the market leader for DSLRs. In 2006, Canon’s market share was 14% above that of Nikon, but for 2007 that margin has dropped to only 3%.

Why the big change in one year? Are Canon’s products getting worse? Does Nikon offer a much better product all of a sudden? I don’t think it’s anything like that… I think it’s simply a question of product placement and availability.

When Canon introduced the original Digital Rebel (300D) in 2003, they offered the first sub-$1000 consumer/prosumer DSLR. Getting the cost down below $1000 led to a bunch of serious hobbyists buying the Canon DSLRs. At this time, the only Nikon options were much more expensive; Nikon simply didn’t have a product offering in this range. Nikon didn’t break the sub-$1000 mark until a year later with the D70.

The other factor I’ve noticed as I go about life is that I’m starting to see the Nikon products in a lot of places. Costco has been a big distribution outlet. They literally have palettes of Nikon D40x cameras right up front, for around $500. Mass marketing works.

My prediction is that we’ll see Nikon and Canon remain a few points apart, with neither holding a commanding lead. And that’s a good thing; it will keep them competing and giving us new features at affordable prices.

On a related note, if you want to see a couple of cool charts showing the timeframes for Canon and Nikon’s DSLR products, go here (Canon) or here (Nikon) and scroll down to the bottom.

Scott Hanselman is a software developer who has a weekly podcast called Hanselminutes where he dives into a variety of topics. I recently had the opportunity to sit down with him and be the guest on his show. Scott recently purchased a Nikon D40 and had some questions about some technical issues such as exposure, shutter speed, and aperture, so we talked about Digital Photography for Geeks. Topics include DSLR bodies and features, lenses, exposure issues, RAW files, and online photo sharing and editing.

The podcast is about 37 minutes long. Head over to the Hanselminutes web site and you’ll find a variety of ways to listen to the show.

I had a great time talking cameras with Scott and appreciated the opportunity to share our conversation online.

One question that I’ve been asked a few times recently is that of which DSLR camera is best for a beginner who wants to get serious about their photography? There isn’t one single right answer, but here are a few things to consider.

Brand

Go with Canon or Nikon. They’re the two big players in this market, offer a wide variety of lenses and accessories, and they both make a quality product. There are other options, such as Sony, Olympus, and Pentax, but Canon and Nikon will make purchasing equipment and seeking out resources much simpler. Which should you choose between Canon and Nikon? Either will produce great images. One major factor is that if a bunch of your friends have one brand, by choosing that brand you’ll be able to share lenses and trade equipment.

Price

Photography with a DSLR is going to cost money. You don’t have to break the bank to get started. An important consideration is that when it comes to image quality, the lenses (casually referred to as “glass”) are as important, if not more important, than the camera body. Keep this in mind when budgeting for equipment. Don’t go buy a $2,000 body and then put on a $200 lens. My recommendation is to get one of relatively inexpensive “lower end” DSLRs to learn with, and get some decent lenses with the plan that the lenses will outlast the camera when (and if) you eventually upgrade to a fancier body in the future.

Features and Numbers

Don’t fall into the megapixel marketing trap. The reality is that you can print perfectly clear 8×10 photos from a 5 megapixel camera. More megapixels will do larger sizes, but even an 8 megapixel camera can do poster prints. All of the DSLRs from Canon and Nikon will allow you to easily adjust the shutter speed, aperture, ISO, and exposure compensation. One thing that isn’t often talked about is the physical feel of the cameras. I’d encourage prospective buyers to head down to a local camera shop (I’m a big fan of Pro Photo Supply in Portland) and get their hands on a few different cameras to see how things feel.

So… which one?

If you want to go with Canon, I’d look at the Canon Digital Rebel XTi which offers a good mix of features at a reasonable price (around $500 for the body). If you decide to go the Nikon route, I’d recommend the D40x which has comparable specs and will run around $600 including a 18-55mm starter lens.

Either one will take great photos, and despite what some equipment brand-zealots might tell you, the quality of photographs will depend far more on the technical and artistic talent of the photographer than the particular model of camera being used.

Professional and serious hobby photographers can accumulate a lot of gear (bodies, lenses, flash equipment, batteries, storage, etc) and as I’ve grown my collection over the past few years I’ve adapted my gear-carrying methods as well. My first serious photography with my DSLR was outdoor photography and I purchased a LowePro Mini Trekker AW backpack. It worked well, easily carrying the body, several lenses, and some other small accessories. Over time, I came to realize the big drawback with a backpack system: accessing the back involves stopping, taking the backpack off one’s back, setting it down, getting the gear, then reversing the process. It wasn’t bad when I had somewhere dry to set things and had some time, but I wanted something with easier access.

Enter the Think Tank Speed Belt system. It’s a very flexible system consisting of a variety of bags that can be worn on a special belt. Bags can be added or removed from the belt as needed for a particular situation or shoot. A big positive is that the lenses or other items in the bags can be accessed while the belt is being worn, without stopping or setting anything on the ground.

I still use my backpack to bring a large quantity of gear to a shoot, but if the situation requires moving around and being able to swap equipment quickly, the flexibility of the belt system makes it my tool of choice. Photographers looking to invest in a bag should consider the type of photography, gear to be carried, and budget, and choose a system allowing for the best results for their situation.