Canon Vs Nikon: A Selection Guide
It has been a debating issue for a while now that which of the two camera systems are, Canon and Nikon; is the best. While it may be really crude and false at the same time to claim one to be better over the other; but to select your next DSLR camera, you definitely need to do some in-depth research based on your requirements and expectations to get you the best system.
Our guide will surely help you in your selection.
High Mega-Pixel Sensor
The £2K worth Nikon D800 is a full frame DSLR with 36.3 mega-pixel sensor. It is at present leading the market since the Canon EOS 5D Mark III offers only a 22.3 mega-pixels at around (or even a little higher) price, producing comparatively smaller pictures.
Vari-Angle Touchscreen LCD
It is very convenient to shoot pictures at awkward angles and also shooting movies with a vari-angle LCD; an added advantage being it a touchscreen. While Canon offers this superb technology in EOS 650D, 700D, 70D and 100D; Nikon has yet to explore vari-angle touchscreens in DSLRs. However, you can find this feature in the Nikon 1 camera system camera range in Nikon 1 V3.
No Anti-Aliasing Filter
The anti-aliasing or low-pass filters are used to reduce the ‘moire’, shimmering lines or extra color that is sometimes noticeable in the forms of undesired patterns. It softens the images thus, reducing these effects. Nikon D800E, D7100, D5300 and D3300 do not have this low-pass feature enabling them to record sharper images; whereas, Canon EOS 20 Da and EOS 60Da allow the infrared to be captured in the images making them best for the astrophotography.
Hybrid Auto-focus
In most of the DSLRs there are two types of autofocus, viz. fast phase detection AF for viewfinder shooting and slower but more accurate contrast detection for live view autofocus.
And since these are not compatible, meaning one has to be disabled in order to use the other; Canon has come up with hybrid autofocus system, EOS 1200D, Hybrid CMOS AF and a more advanced Dual Pixel CMOS AF system in Canon 70D.
On the other hand, Nikon 1 series of Nikon compact system cameras are the only systems featuring this technology.
Video
Nikon D800 is quite popular in usage for shows such as Dexter or even London Live, 24hours TV-Station; while Canon 5D Mark II has made its mark in Hollywood with movies such as The Avengers and Iron Man 2. Although both the systems are fully capable of shooting full HD videos with manual exposure controls, audio jacks for stereo recording etc., Canon is the first camera system with focus tracking system (Dual Pixel CMOS AF) along with compatible STM and specifically designed lenses for video-shooting.
Handling
Canon gives a Quick Control Dial on the backside of the camera, with a command dial near the shutter release, and a multi-controller nipple for quick movement of active AF point.
Nikon, on the other side, has two command dials- one on the front of the grip and the other at the rear, in addition to a multi-selector D-pad at the back of the camera.