It’s been over 10 years since I got my first digital camera, and in that time I’ve changed brands a few times – but never Canon. I know they make great cameras and Canon users are loyal, but never had a camera that I really wanted (or could afford).
My first camera, long before I owned a DSLR, was a very basic point-and-shoot from Sony. I loved it and I took it everywhere, taking advantage of anything and everything. When I got a little older and decided to take photography more seriously, I started researching the best cameras for beginners. (opens in a new tab). At the time, the Nikon D3200 was recommended to me by many people and I think this is where I started to have an unfair bias against Canon.
• Read more: The best mirrorless camera (opens in a new tab)
For me, the Nikon D3200 (opens in a new tab) is the perfect camera for beginners. It has helped me embrace the ability to shoot in all the different modes and has allowed me to enhance my photography more than before. I was experimenting with portraits, landscapes, macros, abstractions, street photography and even a bit of nightlife, so I was very disappointed when it got stolen during a house party. In hindsight, it might just be what needed to happen as it prompted me to consider it more seriously.
Not long after I switched to full frame and invested in the Nikon D750 (opens in a new tab) – it felt like a natural progression after owning a Nikon body as I’m used to the layout, menus and feel of Nikon products, switching to Canon would feel alien.
Buying the Nikon D750 was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Suddenly I was booked to shoot at festivals, evening outs and even weddings. I finally felt like a ‘proper photographer’ and not only that, people were paying me to do something that I loved. I started thinking that maybe this was the job I could do, and with that, I started looking for more jobs and more clients.
When it was time to upgrade again, I thought about sticking with Nikon and switching to Nikon D850 (opens in a new tab) but something about the Fujifilm X-T3 (opens in a new tab) attracted me. It feels more like an extra step than an upgrade when I go back to an APS-C sensor, but for the price, it offers some amazing features that I just can’t get with another brand. Once again, I completely skimmed the possibility of switching to Canon.
The last time I upgraded, I switched from Fuji to my current camera – Sony A7 III (opens in a new tab) – as I would like to have back the low-light capabilities of the full-frame sensor as well as better video features like in-body stabilization and the ability to record s-log. I knew I wanted to stick with mirrorless cameras and at the time it was a CHEAP Canon EOS (opens in a new tab) do absolutely nothing for me. Canon EOS R6 (opens in a new tab) too expensive and not many affordable RF mount lenses are available.
Having worked at Wex for a few years, it’s not that I haven’t used Canon cameras and it’s not that I don’t like them, but there’s never been one that I really wanted. I don’t want to admit it one bit, and the fact that the first camera I owned was a Nikon will probably always make me choose Nikon over Canon. Comparatively speaking, both are excellent brands – there’s a reason they’ve been the biggest names in the business for a long time and that’s because neither brand makes a single camera. bad. But they’re late to the mirrorless game, and for that, they have some work to do.
Who knows – maybe one day I’ll surprise myself and have a change of heart for Canon, but for now, that doesn’t seem likely. While Canon makes some of the best cameras (opens in a new tab) In the world they are also some of the most expensive and until I make most of my income from photography I will be looking to make the most of it. For now, I don’t think that’s going to happen with Canon.
