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Canon
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Nikon
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viewfinder |
insufficiently high-eyepoint for many eyeglass wearers, EOS-1v is probably the best |
excellent for eyeglass wearers on big expensive bodies (e.g., N90 and up) |
autofocus |
superb with ultrasonic lenses, especially with higher-end bodies where the focus and shutter release can be put on separate buttons, thus allowing MF and AF simultaneously |
superb with rare and expensive AF-S lenses and newest bodies; cumbersome with most AF lenses |
best lenses |
big long image-stabilized glass (100-400/4.5-5.6 IS, 300/2.8 IS, 600/4 IS) and unique pieces such as 35-350 |
wide angles and macro |
best body |
EOS-1V for the viewfinder, Elan 7E for the low cost, light weight, built-in flash, and eye-control focus gimmick, Rebel 2000 for ultimate light weight. |
F100 or N80; the F5 has great features but it weighs more than most medium-format cameras |
fill flash |
very good with newest bodies and EX flashes |
superb with D lenses |
macro |
difficult to use macro lenses with studio strobes or handheld light meter
because bodies don't compute effective aperture, latest macro lenses (100, 180)
include ultrasonic motors, no bellows but
MP-E 65/2.8 lets you go beyond 1:1 conveniently; current 50mm macro lens is weak (only goes to 1:2 and lacks ultrasonic motor) |
superb 60, 105, and 200, lenses, all of which go to 1:1, bodies compute
effective aperture, e.g., marked f/16 on the lens turns into indicated f/32 in the viewfinder at 1:1 |
durability |
incredible with EOS-1 and EOS-3 bodies, which are impervious to rain; excellent with consumer bodies |
incredible with water-sealed F5 and F100; excellent with consumer bodies |
perspective correction lenses |
superb, auto aperture and both tilt and shift in 24, 45, and 90mm focal lengths |
two primitivelenses, 28 and 35, available with manual aperture. Shift is useful for control of architectural perspective, but lack of tilt prevents useful
depth-of-field control. ( Kirk Enterprises will convert Canon TS lenses for Nikon use for about $200.) |
film transport |
revolutionary in speed and noise with the rubber-belt systems in the mid-range consumer bodies (e.g., Elan 7) but remember that infrared diode fogs IR film |
nothing special |
starter system
(for serious photography) |
Elan 7 (EOS 30 outside US), verticalgrip, 17-35/2.8L, 50/1.4, and
70-200/2.8L |
N80, 20/2.8, 28-70/2.8 AF-S, 80-200/2.8 AF-S |
starter system
(for one-lens travel photography) |
any low-end body (Rebel G is incredibly light but doesn't let you shift AF off shutter release), 24-85 USM lens or 28-135 USM image-stabilized lens. |
N65 or N80, 24-120 lens |