Traitor

Last year, in November 2009, I upgraded my equipment and got a Canon 7D. Before buying the Canon 7D, I did some inquiries around. I was looking at the new Nikon D300s. I know this guy, Jon. He’s been a Nikon guy since “the dinosaurs roamed the earth”. His first camera was a Nikon Nikkormat. This was an “amateur” Nikon SLR build in the mid-60s. Jon only uses Nikon/Nikkor lenses. He always had Nikon, he will always be a Nikon guy. He’s a true Nikon guy. The camera strap is big and in yellow it says Nikon, his camera bag has a huge Nikon logo…

So I was asking him about Nikon. The lenses… He was telling me how great his Nikon prime lenses were. He even had a couple of zooms but… Somehow, he got in his mind that I was going to kneel in front of Nikon and get the Nikon religion.

Last week we saw each other, and the first thing he did, was to ask me which Nikon did I buy? I told him that I got a Canon 7D. You should have seen the disgust in his look and he muttered “traitor” as he walked away.

So why did I buy the Canon 7D instead of the Nikon D300s?

• It’s the resolution: 18 Megapixels allows me to charge more for XXXL files, just like the stock agencies.
• But mainly because Nikon’s missing “the lens”. The 70-200/4IS. Yes, Nikon has the 2.8, but they don’t have an f/4 version of it, which is what I need. The 2.8 is too big and too heavy at 3½ pounds or 1.6kg. That’s because of my elbow injury. The 70-200L f/4IS is such as good lens. The quality is fantastic, I love it.

These are the 2 main reasons I got the Canon 7D instead of the Nikon D300s. Notice that I didn’t say anything about the quality of the cameras…

Why am I a traitor? A camera is a tool for making images. We have enough religious fanatics that will kill you and me if they don’t like what I say. We need more good manners. We need more to discuss photos. We need to discuss the pleasure of taking photos. We need to discuss the feelings created by the photos.