Why did you choose Canon?

[Zv]

I had prev used Canon compact cameras and found them easy to use. Moving to DSLRs was an easy choice and one I never regretted!

[AudioGlenn]

most of my buddies had Canon stuff when I started out (lenses, flashes, etc.) so I decided to go that route so we could trade lenses when needed.

[rpt]

I live in redneck country..... When you say you are going out moose hunting with a Canon you get respect!

LOL ....and Nikon rhymes with an asian vegetable (daikon)

LOL! Both of you are hilarious!

[florianbieler.de]

I don't really know. My brother got a Rebel T1i before me, I was somehow always Canon fixated and then got my own Rebel T1i. Had a Nikon to play around a bit, it just did not feel... right... you know so, 5D Mark III it was.

[Paul_B]

The L glass. Simple as that. The 85 1.2L II is simply unmatched.

[cuzza]

Simply Put: Market share.

My first DSLR was an olympus (purchased because of the advertised uniformity of the 4/3rds system) and shortly after they stopped making DSL as they were struggling financially and all support for 4/3rds disappeared with the introduction of micro and I could not get the glass I wanted for the things I wanted to shoot (Such as a nice fast portrait lens).
Dismayed at this I sold it and got a camera from the manufacturer with the largest market share as I figured they would be the least likely to go out of business. Thus the choice of a Canon 600D and 50mm 1.4

[tcmatthews]

I was always interested in taking pictures even as a kid.  But my mom put a stop to that when she refused to develop my film because of rising development costs.  So it was a long time before I bought another real camera.  Digital was in its infancy so I made do with disposable film cameras through high school and college.  I should have begged my father for an AE-1 but I doubt he would have let me borrow one of them.

The first thing I bought after getting my first job was a Kodak ease-share 3.1 megapixel P&S camera.  I used it until it was about dead.  It made me realize I would never by another camera that did not have a view finder that match the picture framing.  On point and shoots that would be a EVF.

When I got my current job I needed a new camera.  I realized I wanted something more.  There were no P&S cameras capable of taking the pictures I wanted to take.  In the end I realized I wanted an interchangeable Lens camera, and would like to go full frame at some point in the future.  So I started looking. 

• I though about getting an Pen but was put off by the high prices for the performance.  I also did not see them as a real SLR but some weird in-between. I also needed a EVF for one and that drove up the cost.
• I though about getting a Nikon but all the old glass is a pure manual affair with entry level cameras.  The lens compatibility is confusing.  I also found their higher end cameras must have been developed by nut jobs that fiddle with settings, more than take pictures.
• Sony was the new shinny shinny camera on the market lots of features but short on lenses and more expensive.  There entry level was more than I wanted to spend.
• Canon had the cheapest price of entry and the best lens selection. It also had the clearest path to full frame.  I was attracted to the Canon system as a whole and not any one camera.

The plan from the very beginning was to develop a lens system.  Canon was the best match for this.  I bought my Rebel  XS and a 70-200f4L.  Lets face it canon cameras also just feel right.  I used the Rebel for 6 months and felt I needed a better camera.  (Learned just about everything I could from it.) Started looking for an upgrade I ended up waiting for the 60d to come out.  I wanted something smaller than the 7d after hiking the Grand Canyon.
 

[markwilliams279]

Canon lenses has always been known to be of the highest quality. Canon cameras has accurate color reproduction with the settings "flat" or "neutral"

[axtstern]

I started with the 600 RT and the EOS 100. The reason to choose Canon was not Canon itself but the stupidity of the competition. Nikon had 401-601-901 series which had that lousy narrow bayonet with the engine build into the Chassis and Minolta had the even worse Dynax series which had all disadvantages of Nikon + the additional pain that you had to buy all electronic skills which Canon and Nikon had built in via expensive chip cards. Got nearly any piece of glass from that Age either stolen or sold it but never stopped to be heavily invested in glass with Canon EOS bayonet. So if People currently are worried that Canon is 15 years behind in AE and 3 years behind in sensor Technology, do not worry Nikon limped through the whole 80ies and most of the 90ies behind Canon and managed to catch up. Give Canon some time.... they will get out of their rather conservative phase.

[markwilliams279]

Canon lenses has always been known to be of the highest quality. They have a huge range of great lenses available.

[stipotle]

5Dc.

[TexasBadger]

My first camera in 1974 was a Canon F1.  I wanted a Nikon F2, but the cost was considerably more.  I shot the F1 for several years until they changed the FD mount to plastic.  I did not like the change and when I had a chance to buy a used Nikon F2as I did and sold my Canon gear.  Big mistake.  I never liked shooting the Nikon as much as the F1.

When I got married, I needed money and sold the F2as.  I did not feel bad about this as I never liked the Nikon.

Fast forward to early 2000s.  I decided to get back into photography and purchased a Canon Elan7.  I loved this camera and bought it with the 85mm f/1.8 as a standard lens.  Shortly thereafter, I wanted something wider and bought the 28mm f/1.8.  Around 2005, the digital bug bit and I chose the 5DC as I wanted full frame.  Since then I have acquired the 24-70 f/2.8L, the 70-200 f/2.8L, the 50mm f/1.8 ii and the 135mm f/2L.  Last March I bought the 5D3 and am in total camera bliss.  Almost as good as having my original F1.

I cheated on Canon, went to Nikon, learned my lesson and found my way home.

[pedro]

I was shooting a Contax 139 Quartz some 30 years ago. After pausing quite some time from dedicated photography I worked in Southamerica. So by 2003 I bought a 3.2 MP Sony DSC-P 30. Getting back I upgraded to the Sony DSC-F828. As I went to the limits of the camera I got to the conclusion that only a system change would get me further:
1. IQ
2. interchangeable lenses
3. longexposures and other possibilities.

When I unvolunteerly dropped the Sony while slippering out on Ice I started to save up for a 30D.

I went for Canon due to the enthusiastic 20D user reports and because the price range was lower back in the day compared to Nikon. Especially for lenses.

I never regret it. The 30D was a great body, still have it, borrowed it recently to a friend.

Cheers, Pedro

[Rienzphotoz]

I used to shoot Nikon but the Nikkor lenses were very expensive and I felt Nikkor lenses were of lesser quality than Canon e.g. 80-400 vs 100-400 L IS etc ... after having checked out a few Canon lenses I sold my Nikon gear and bought Canon in 2007 ... I still prefer Nikon DSLR's to Canon but I like Canon lenses even more especially the L series lenses. Although I use a Nikon D7000 & 18-300 VR lens for everyday shooting, when it really matters, my gear of choice is Canon 5D MK III with 70-200 L IS II & 16-35 L II

[TexasBadger]

I was shooting a Contax 139 Quartz some 30 years ago.

The Contax 139 Quartz was a great camera.  So were the RTS and 137.  Too bad Contax/Yashica bit the dust.  The Zeiss glass was incredible.