Nikon or Canon?
Albert Pedrosa
Photo Mania
A FEW days ago, my student called me about deciding what camera to buy. Incidentally, National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) president Scott Kelby recently shifted from Nikon to Canon. I know that this topic has been a never ending discussion, and I’m not expecting to seal this with this column. What’s surprising is I recommended Nikon to my student despite the fact that everybody knows I’m a Canon user.
I’ve been teaching photography for about four years now and I have been accustomed to the way the two major brand works. My shooting buddy is also a Nikon user, so I get to compare my shots against his. I’ve received post-processing projects for both Nikon and Canon, and through those experiences, I have come to notice the differences between the two.
During the film days, the reason you choose between the two is entirely about the experience and the features. The quality of the lens may vary, but the type of film you use will greatly affect the image. Kodak was always a little warmer and Fuji has a bit of a green cast.
With digital, the sensor replaces the film, and the way the sensor computes in converting analog to digital and whatever algorithm they include in coming out with an image will greatly affect the result. Just like film. This is where taste comes in. You couple that with camera experience through button positioning and features, then it wouldn’t be hard to choose.
Disregarding Picture Style or Picture Control, I find Nikon outputs to be a bit stronger in contrast compared to Canon. Nikon gives you a tighter mid-tone contrast, which results to higher clarity and sharpness. In post-processing terms, this is applied as Clarity in Raw or High Pass filter in Photoshop.
This is the reason why Nikon appears to be sharper than Canon, and many Nikon users would find their outputs to be print ready. If you have tried Fujifilm, the output is very much similar to Nikon. I used Fujifilm sparingly with my Canon for almost three months shooting landscapes in Australia and believe it or not, I like the Fujifilm output.
Canon, on the other hand, gives me more tones. Because of the slightly less “contrasty” algorithm during analog to digital conversion, Canon gives you better tonal graduation. These are normally seen in skin tones and softer tones. In digital terms, you get more bit depth with canon or more color information.
In the end, we all have our own tastes and styles to express our art. There is no preferred camera for a particular genre. It’s what looks right to your eyes. It’s what feels right in your hands. It’s a matter of personal choice.
Meanwhile, I would like to congratulate all the winners of the Sinulog Photo Contest, especially to my students who were able to make it to the list of winners. Keep it coming f/GRP alumni. Keep on shooting everyone!
photomania.sunstar@gmail.com www.grp.ph
