Is Canon now two generations behind Nikon?

Put another way, it took Nikon two generations to come up with a camera that approaches the 5DIII in overall utility...and I bet the 5DIII outsells the D810 just as it did the D800/E.

Same thing one step up – it took Nikon until the D4s to approach the 1D X.
 
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For what it's worth, I bought a Powershot S95 a number of years ago. At the time, I intended to buy a new DSLR. I looked almost exclusively at Nikon products at that time. I came close to buying the d7000, but held off because I really wanted to go full frame and the rumors for the d800 (at the time it was rumored to replace the d700, which I've heard since is debatable).

So, that's why I bought the Powershot S95. It was solely intended to keep me occupied until the d800 came out.... and believe me, I waited years for that camera to come out.

I fell in love with that Powershot. It put my father's DSLR to shame (which was admittedly dated). I was able to take fantastic looking photos with that camera alone. I even bought studio lighting for it which came in handy. It was just some cheap hotlight and tripods.

Anyways..... When the d800 finally came out, and I read more and more about it, I got concerns. I had no intention of printing billboard sized prints, and the smaller pixels worried me when it came to astrophotography which is an interest of mine. In fact it concerned me in general for low-light photography. I wasn't sure what to make of the color balance being somewhat cold either. These were just a couple of what grew to be a mountain of concerns. I had the money saved up and ready to go. I was going to get the d800 + the Nikkor/Nikon AF-S 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VRII.

Months and months passed. Do I recall that there was a light leak issue at some point too, or was that something else I'm remembering? It doesn't matter ultimately.

So, then one day a law school friend of mine told me he'd bought the Canon 5D3. I felt stupid not looking at Canon given how much I loved the S95. I did my research on the 5D3, and after a few weeks, maybe a month, I ordered it.

I've been very happy since and don't regret my purchase.

So to answer your question, do I feel it's dated compared to the d810? Not in the slightest. Do I have a problem with you preferring a d810 (assuming you do?)? Nope. Have fun. I'll be enjoying my camera in the meantime though.

(Also, I'm not trying to slam the d800 or d810 - I'm just saying they're very different cameras from the 5D3, and each appeal to different people). My concerns might not be of any concerns to most or all Nikon users... which is great, I hope they enjoy their camera as much as I enjoy mine.

Unfortunately, I'm realizing right now that you seem to be extremely opinionated about this so I may be wasting my breath.

ie: http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=20761.msg392670#msg392670
 
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neuroanatomist said:
Put another way, it took Nikon two generations to come up with a camera that approaches the 5DIII in overall utility...and I bet the 5DIII outsells the D810 just as it did the D800/E.

Same thing one step up – it took Nikon until the D4s to approach the 1D X.

810 doesn't just approach the 5d3, in tech, it pulls out and passes it and flips the bird at it on the way by. ;)

I wonder if Canon has the 'nads to play leap-frog now.
 
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neuroanatomist said:
Aglet said:
810 doesn't just approach the 5d3, in tech, it pulls out and passes it and flips the bird at it on the way by.

Yes, we all know you think "camera" = "sensor". Frame rate...5DIII > D810. AF system...5DIII > D810.

Wouldn't that logic mean that the Sigma Merrill is the best camera unless you count Medium Format cameras too?
 
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I bought a D800 after reading the hype. It was a waste of money, I sold it and bought a 5D MK III. The D800 appeals to armchair spec readers, but few that actually use one are happy. It is very good for landscape at ISO 100, but as a all-around camera, the 5D MK III is better.

Hopefully, the D810 is going to work out, but I'm not about to get one after my experience with the D800 and the high CA's in Nikon lenses. Nikon has improved some of their lenses since the D800, but their 24-70 f/2.8 is way behind the Canon version. Since you have to put a lens on a camera, a poor lens wipes out any advantage the body might have.
 
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neuroanatomist said:
Aglet said:
810 doesn't just approach the 5d3, in tech, it pulls out and passes it and flips the bird at it on the way by.

Yes, we all know you think "camera" = "sensor". Frame rate...5DIII > D810. AF system...5DIII > D810.

I fully agree with Neuro. A camera is much more then a sensor. I see and compare regular photos of a d800 with my 5d3 on our local photo club. They are really great, and indeed at lower ISO, they are better then the 5d3 when you zoom in. However the 5d3 is a much more versatile camera then the d800. I can do landscape, portrait, sports, wildlife, studio,... This can't being said from the d800and even not from the d810. That's what Neuro mentioned by a camera is much more then the sensor only. So in my opinion the current d810 of Nikon is still behind on Canon, but that's of course how you look at the camera. If you use it only for landscape and portrait then the D800/810 is a challenger, but for sure not the most versatile. So, I can agree that the sensor of nikon surpasses canon, but in the other areas they are still behind !
 
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Yes Sir, the D810 is has an better image quality and dynamic range than the 5DIII. But, as you can read in many postings on this forum, an optical system is more than just the picture sensor. The whole system has to work perfectly together to help you to get an - technically seen - good picture.

In my family, you can find the D810, D800 (both my husband), 5DIII (my son), 6D &7 D (myself), and A7r (my daughter).
And each camera has its benefits. My daughter needs a light camera with an good image quality (like my husband does - but he owns several Nikon lenses). My son and I prefer to shoot birds, planes and animals, so we stayed with Canon).
The 5DIII is an all-in-one package. The image quality is not as good as the Sony´s and Nikon´s, but its autofocus system is superior. The D810 has an superior image quality, bit the autofocus system lacks of speed, if you shoot moving objects.

I think, each camera has its own field of application. Sometime you can not directly compare them betweeen.

I it true, that Canon should get better in resolution and dynamic range, but Nikon should hurry up to get an fast autofocus system. (This is my opinion).

By the way: My husband, who stayed at the soccer WM told me, that there were several modified cameras "in the field". With bulky housings, others with an odd combination of cameras and lenses or leneses that were not printed with their specifications). So you can be sure Canon is working on succesors of the 1Dx and 5DIII.
 
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ramonjsantiago said:
D800 -> D810

The 5dm3 is looking really old.

D70 looked very bad against a 350D! After 5 sample shoots (in 2005) with each camera I decided to go with Canon. Colors of the Nikon were greenish and unnatural. Sharpness of the Nikon was good but "texture fidelity" was bad: Nothing looked like the real objects surfaces/textures - a very subtle difference but very annoying. Both were equipped with its kit lenses: Nikons lens hat vast distortions and mustache style while the Canon had strong distortions but was much better in comparison.
I gone with the 20D and the EF 2.8 60 which showed a vast improvement in image quality just against the 350D and its kit lens.
In 2005 Nikon was 2 generations behind Canon. In 2010 I think both have been on a similar level. Now Nikon is ahead in sheer IQ at low ISOs but I think that will change in the next 2 or 3 years.

Now I have some pain to decide where to go but I am shure I just cannot exploit the potential of my 40D or 600D or EOS M ... so I will work with these "simple" but very reliable tools until I decide for a new body.
 
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Maiaibing said:
neuroanatomist said:
Aglet said:
810 doesn't just approach the 5d3, in tech, it pulls out and passes it and flips the bird at it on the way by.
AF system...5DIII > D810.

Everything I have read from people who have tested says the opposite - what do you build this claim on?

From practical experience in our photo club. The D810 has mainly added a group compared to the D800. The group consists of 5 points. That group is called on Canon Point expansion with 4 points. Canon has more AF modes and most important the possibility to easily place 6 different working modes on top of that. Canon prepared 6 templates which you can easily adapt as a user to get the required behavior and the possibility to switch easily between those templates. The accuracy of the 5D3 is really top of the AF system. Ai-servo is really great on that camera. The 1Dx is even marginal better. The Nikon D810 does not reach that level.

This all is NOT from reading but from practice !!!
 
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Mt Spokane Photography said:
I bought a D800 after reading the hype. It was a waste of money, I sold it and bought a 5D MK III. The D800 appeals to armchair spec readers, but few that actually use one are happy. It is very good for landscape at ISO 100, but as a all-around camera, the 5D MK III is better.

I agree. Two years ago my wife tested a D800 for her Nikon gear thoroughly against my 5D3 and was quite disappointed, in particular with the D800's out-of-camera colors. She's a true photographer and only interested in a camera's real life output. The 5D3 proofed to deliver in practice (!!) just with auto settings much more natural colors with different ambient light sources. The D800's greenish LCD screen made shooting experience even more weird because one couldn't check its color rendition right after the shot, whereas the 5D3's screen really shows you what you got. Plus, the D800 AF response was much less snappy than the 5D3's. So overall the 5D3 proved to be a much better allround package than the D800.

But the D810 obviously has changed this game. I appreciate this as customer (no fanboy of any brand but I like my Canon glass), because I love to see Nikon and Sony kicking Canon to improve its camera technology. I am pretty sure that Canon will come up with an answer to the D810 next year, if not yet this year at Photokina.
 
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daniela said:
Yes Sir, the D810 is has an better image quality and dynamic range than the 5DIII.
Nope.

It has better dynamic range (if you don't know how to maximise DR in Canon files), but that does not equate to "better image quality", and the 5D Mk III lacks for nothing in terms of overall IQ compared to the Nikon at the image level.
 
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daniela said:
Yes Sir, the D810 is has an better image quality and dynamic range than the 5DIII. But, as you can read in many postings on this forum, an optical system is more than just the picture sensor. The whole system has to work perfectly together to help you to get an - technically seen - good picture.

In my family, you can find the D810, D800 (both my husband), 5DIII (my son), 6D &7 D (myself), and A7r (my daughter).
And each camera has its benefits. My daughter needs a light camera with an good image quality (like my husband does - but he owns several Nikon lenses). My son and I prefer to shoot birds, planes and animals, so we stayed with Canon).
The 5DIII is an all-in-one package. The image quality is not as good as the Sony´s and Nikon´s, but its autofocus system is superior. The D810 has an superior image quality, bit the autofocus system lacks of speed, if you shoot moving objects.

I think, each camera has its own field of application. Sometime you can not directly compare them betweeen.

I it true, that Canon should get better in resolution and dynamic range, but Nikon should hurry up to get an fast autofocus system. (This is my opinion).

By the way: My husband, who stayed at the soccer WM told me, that there were several modified cameras "in the field". With bulky housings, others with an odd combination of cameras and lenses or leneses that were not printed with their specifications). So you can be sure Canon is working on succesors of the 1Dx and 5DIII.

From my experience of handling Nikon and the newer Canon lenses...is that Canon's lenses are several generations ahead of Nikon. Nikon may make the finest resolving SLR on the planet, but their lenses are not able to match or exceed their sensor tech. Where as with Canon, their lenses are far out resolving their sensors.
 
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Keith_Reeder said:
It has better dynamic range (if you don't know how to maximise DR in Canon files), but that does not equate to "better image quality", and the 5D Mk III lacks for nothing in terms of overall IQ compared to the Nikon at the image level.

Agreed.

How many of these "Is Nikon better?" threads does this forum have to endure? I mean really...is Nikon paying people for this?
 
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I thought that Sony produced the sensor for the d800/e and d810. So does that mean the op really thinks that SONY is 2 generations ahead of Canon? Nikon's actual contribution to the camera is in no way 2 generations ahead.
 
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I got back from 2 weeks holiday in the snow last weekend and in that time I shot landscape, night landscape, astrophotography, low light/natural light portraits, product shots, macro, in camera HDR, sports, birds, changed from shooting night skiing to fireworks at the flick of a switch... but the 5D3 is crap and I really wish I had the new generation Nikon ::)
 
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