What made you choose Canon in the first place?

[Jan]

My first (D)SLR was the 400D, I chose Canon over Nikon, because I liked the colors out-of-cam better...

However, nowadays, I'd go for the D5200...

 

[sandymandy]

1100D was just the cheapest DSLR option i could find

 

[psolberg]

They used to be the only game in town about a decade ago when it was strange to shoot anything else, so I did pick them. Thankfully for everybody, the days when it was canon or nothing are long gone. Choice is awesome and I went from 5DI/II/III-> D800. Mirrorless, I'm set on m4/3 at this point. Video, Sony easily trumps anything canon, although I'm more interested in the small low cost players like blackmagic, specially their m4/3 offerings.

 

[AG]

I ended up going canon for few different reasons.

First and foremost is i prefer the way it felt in my hand compared to the Nikons. Just felt more natural.

Then there was the video option that other brands didn't have at the time.

Lastly it was the fact that i started shooting Canons back the film days, moved to Pentax then when digital came around went back to Canon. So i guess a bit of brand loyalty there as well.

 

[gigabellone]

I bought my first dslr 2 years ago. I went to the shop to buy the Nikon D3100, and out of curiosity tried handling a Canon 550D. It was love at first sight. ;D

 

[BLFPhoto]

I bought my first EOS camera in 1991, moving over from the old FD system. I quickly built a stable of lenses which has continued to evolve and which is a primary argument for me to stick w/Canon as my personal kit. I added digital beginning with the second-gen D60. At that point, Canon, along with Kodak, was leading the way into the DSLR realm.

I don't play favorites, though. I like and use competing products, especially Nikon. A camera is simply a tool for me, and I'll use what is available, or when applicable, what will work for the particular situation I'm shooting for. For the vast majority of what I do, my Canon gear meets the requirement.

I see no reason to change at this point.

 

[Albi86]

My first DSLR was a 500D. Back in the day I was a student and couldn't afford anything too fancy, and I liked the Rebel line better than its Nikon equivalent. I also felt that Canon color rendition was more pleasant - which is different from more accurate, as many like to say. Many of my friends had Canon rebels too, so at that time I trusted their opinion.

 

[jm977]

As a side note, a local college has photography courses and dictate the use of Nikons. Personally, I find that distasteful and don't see how they can get away with that as many students enroll only to find out their Canon gear needs to be sold to fund Nikons. On the upside, there is always a plentiful supply of very unused, used Canon gear for sale every fall.

Wow really? That's really distasteful. I'm not surprised if there's some kind of under the table deal...

I don't know if it's a "backroom deal" or simply laziness on the part of the school so that they don't need to teach both systems. The problem in either case is that graduates are going to likely go into their craft tied to that system. If I were an enrolling student, I'd be putting up a protest (though I'm sure some have tried and failed) and giving Canon a call. In any case, this college gets a big thumbs down from me and I'd never recommend it. It's not about Canon vs. the other guy, it's about teaching photography and allowing the student to choose the gear they are comfortable with.

 

[bbb34]

My brother had a Nikon. I didn't want to buy a bigger Nikon than he had. With a Canon instead, I could have a more advanced model, and he could still look down at it, because it wasn't Nikon. Everybody happy!

 

[mrsfotografie]

My brother had a Nikon. I didn't want to buy a bigger Nikon than he had. With a Canon instead, I could have a more advanced model, and he could still look down at it, because it wasn't Nikon. Everybody happy!

My sister and brother-in-law use Nikons, and Apple products for that matter, while in my household it's Canon and PC's (and a little bit of Sony and Panasonic). I wonder is there is a connection?

 

[rahkshi007]

My first DSLR is nikon d3000 at my age of 19, i purposely bought the cheapest model to test whether i have any interests in photography. in between i have some newbie lens also eg, 35mm f1.8, 18-200mm and 55-200mm. after 2 years of doing photography , i found that i have passion in photography so i decided jump to FF. that time i only have 2 choice, 5dm2 or d700.. finally i choose canon cause,
1) 5dm2 have video capability d700 no.
2) 85mm f1.2L II
3) 24-70 2.8L is cheaper than nikon version (in my country)
4) 50mm f1.4 is cheaper than nikon version (in my country)
5) 17-40mm L cheaper than 16-35 f4 nikon version..
6) For Asian skin tone, i really like what the 5dm2 produced . in d700, our Asian yellowish skin tone look even worst.

 

[RGomezPhotos]

Simple reason: It felt better in my hands. Ergonomics I also think navigating the menu is easier.

When I picked up the Nikon, my fingers didn't fall naturally on buttons. I had to hunt for them. I also thought using the buttons was confusing to use. In some ways I like the display of the Nikon. But I wonder why they change the sizing of numbers... That's kinda 'off' to me.

I didn't consider any other brand simply because of the support and lens availability. I think the Sony A99 is pretty darn nice and the Pentax systems are pretty sweet too. But I want more lens choices.

 

[bigal1000]

IMHO, I think that Canon is better with skin tones. Also, low ISO performance of the 5DM3 put me squarely in their camp.

Canon glass is better for the dollar, bodies feel better in the hand, ergonomics are outstanding, and therefore even with all my heavy glass it all seems easier to carry and use.

I've always been impressed with Canon's attention to IQ, Processors and ISO. I don't need Mega Mega-Pixels for what I do (Weddings, Events).

+1 I seem to think Canon images just seem to look more natural,more film like than digital,I sold my Nikon gear and switched to Canon and I'm glad I did.