What attracted you to Nikon?

[Peter7100]

Just curious as to how and why people became Nikon users. I took a long time to get here having been with Zenith, Pentax and Minolta(all film cameras) prior to the arrival of digital. At that moment in time it was a toss up for me between Nikon and Canon, only choosing the latter due to a larger selection of lenses. Over the years I was becoming more and more impressed with what Nikon was producing in the way of DLSR's. Only 12 months ago I decided at long last to make my first Nikon purchases and have no regrets. So much so that I am at the stage of considering selling all of my Canon gear and becoming a full Nikon user.
So how did you Nikonites come to be a Nikon user and were you ever using another system or even still do?

 

[Dangerspouse]

My wife started a small business in 2017 and the pictures she was taking with her cell phone were not good enough to be included in trade magazines and blown up into 8 1/2 x 11 display posters. She also needed macro capability because part of her biz was reproducing historical antique stiched samplers, and she had to have pictures of individual threads in order to be accurate. So she gave me a couple hundred dollars and asked me to get a camera and lens that could handle it, since she knew I was a film (Olympus) shooter back in college. Like all good modern persons, I hit up YouTube and searched for 'best entry level DSLR'. I happened on Tony & Chelsea Northrup's channel almost immediately, and they recommended the D3300 because of its superior sensor compared to other brands, for the price. Found one used at B&H for $250, and a used Nikkor 40mm micro for around a hundred, and away I went. It was everything the Northrups (and others) said it was, and when I upgraded I stayed with the brand. And intend to when I upgrade again (hopefully a D500).

 

[Peter7100]

My wife started a small business in 2017 and the pictures she was taking with her cell phone were not good enough to be included in trade magazines and blown up into 8 1/2 x 11 display posters. She also needed macro capability because part of her biz was reproducing historical antique stiched samplers, and she had to have pictures of individual threads in order to be accurate. So she gave me a couple hundred dollars and asked me to get a camera and lens that could handle it, since she knew I was a film (Olympus) shooter back in college. Like all good modern persons, I hit up YouTube and searched for 'best entry level DSLR'. I happened Tony & Chelsea Northrup almost immediately, and they recommended the D3300 because of its superior sensor for the price compared to other brands. Found on at B&H for $250, and a used Nikkor 40mm micro for around a hundred, and away I went. It was everything the Northrups (and others) said it was, and when I upgraded I stayed with the brand. And intend to when I upgrade again (hopefully a D500).

Thanks for sharing and hopefully one day I will join you with a D500.

 

[BeegRhob]

I had two Minolta 35mm bodies and a few basic lenses that I shot a few hundred pics with. I shot on AUTO and struggled putting the needle in the hole of the light meter. Some pics turned out "good enough" for me and I got hooked enough to research decent digital cameras when digital was just coming out, more or less. I ended up getting a Nikon Coolpix 5700, shot AUTO and jpegs a few hundred times and used Paint Shop Pro to edit (yes jpegs) to something that I was more happy with. I just loved the camera, but didn't understand how to set it up to use it better and it was cheaper than film to shoot! The Coolpix ended up getting stolen, so I went without a camera for years, other than pretty cheap/basic digitals and phone cams. When I moved to Alaska, after having been here on vacation a few weeks, I was really driven to get a DSLR. I found a used D3000 at the Stewarts in downtown Anchorage and bought it with a kit lens. Shot with it on and off for a few years, on AUTO and jpeg, until a year or so ago. I think I switched to RAW around then and started using aperture priority a few months later, or the other way around. Decided to upgrade and pretty much just used a comparison tool online to look at features. The one feature I really wanted was exposure bracketing and found a D5300 with a good price and snatched it up, and still haven't bracketed exposure hehehe. Bought a bunch of other Nikon bodies that I intend to resell. I like Nikons since I bought the Coolpix, but have nothing to compare them with really. I am learning the way they operate more and more, finally figuring out the method to the madness with their menu system to some extent. They have never taken a bad pic but their operator has! Switching, I would have to relearn a lot. I am happy with what I have, to say the least. I may someday upgrade to mirrorless, but who knows.

Rob

 

[Peter7100]

I had two Minolta 35mm bodies and a few basic lenses that I shot a few hundred pics with. I shot on AUTO and struggled putting the needle in the hole of the light meter. Some pics turned out "good enough" for me and I got hooked enough to research decent digital cameras when digital was just coming out, more or less. I ended up getting a Nikon Coolpix 5700, shot AUTO and jpegs a few hundred times and used Paint Shop Pro to edit (yes jpegs) to something that I was more happy with. I just loved the camera, but didn't understand how to set it up to use it better and it was cheaper than film to shoot! The Coolpix ended up getting stolen, so I went without a camera for years, other than pretty cheap/basic digitals and phone cams. When I moved to Alaska, after having been here on vacation a few weeks, I was really driven to get a DSLR. I found a used D3000 at the Stewarts in downtown Anchorage and bought it with a kit lens. Shot with it on and off for a few years, on AUTO and jpeg, until a year or so ago. I think I switched to RAW around then and started using aperture priority a few months later, or the other way around. Decided to upgrade and pretty much just used a comparison tool online to look at features. The one feature I really wanted was exposure bracketing and found a D5300 with a good price and snatched it up, and still haven't bracketed exposure hehehe. Bought a bunch of other Nikon bodies that I intend to resell. I like Nikons since I bought the Coolpix, but have nothing to compare them with really. I am learning the way they operate more and more, finally figuring out the method to the madness with their menu system to some extent. They have never taken a bad pic but their operator has! Switching, I would have to relearn a lot. I am happy with what I have, to say the least. I may someday upgrade to mirrorless, but who knows.

Rob

I also had two Minolta 35mm bodies in the 90's, a 7xi and a 500si.
Alaska sounds like a fantastic place to be with any camera!

 

[bluzman]

My first digital camera, back in 2000, was a 3MB Casio QV-3000EX with 3X zoom that took CF Type II cards . I used it with an IBM (340MB) Microdrive. I was totally clueless about what might be possible if I delved into the menu system. It used it strictly as a full auto Point-and-Shoot camera. A bit later, I gifted the Casio to a friend and got a 6MB Canon SD600 Elph with 3x zoom that took SD memory cards. Again, I used it strictly as a full auto Point-and-Shoot camera. I bought it for mainly for its small size and weight because at the time I mainly vacationed by motorcycle. I still have the camera.

Several years later, my brother showed me his new Nikon P510. I was fascinated by the idea of having that much zoom (42X). I bought my first Nikon, a P530, and decided to learn how to use its full capability - no more just full auto Point-and-Shoot. It was a great camera but as I used it more and more, I realized I wanted something that shot both jpeg and RAW. I gifted the P530 and bought a B700 (60X zoom) - great camera! Still hooked on zoom, I added a P1000 (125X) and later an A1000 (35X) as a "pocket camera".

As the novelty of mega zoom waned and my interest in photography grew, I decided that I'd dip my toe into the DSLR water. I bought a D5600 just before going on an extended vacation. It's a fine camera but it wasn't exactly what I was looking for so I bought a D7500...much better IMO. Along the way, I've sold the P530, B700, P1000 and the D5600 with several lenses. I've used that $$ to help fund a Z50 with the two kit lenses and a D750.

 

[BF Hammer]

My gateway was the Coolpix 995. I had gone through a couple of Minolta and Pentax point-n-shoot 35mm film cameras, and did acquire a 20+ year-old Minolta xd-11 SLR kit in the later 1990's. While attending/competing in some regional yo-yo contests around 1999 and later a friend showed up with a Coolix 990 and I fell in love with the swivel-lens design. DSLR was primarily for pros at the time, so I bought the Coolpix 995 the year it was introduced. And I just stuck with the brand as I was used to the interface. D80 bought in 2007. Bought a 2nd used D80 with accessories a couple of years later. D7000 about 2013. D750 in 2019. Along the way I also bought a Coolpix 2200 that I did an experimental DIY infrared conversion on to see if it suited me. Then I replaced the 2200 with a Lumix point-n-shoot with a really nice zoom-range lens that I still carry in my go-bag I always take on car trips. I sometimes have to use it to this day.

Today the Coolpix 995 is still in the home. I converted it to infrared some years ago and brought it out from time to time. I traded in a D80 when I bought the D750, and kept the older and crappy D80 which was in turn converted to infrared to replace the 995. That D80 died last autumn and I will eventually discard it I think. As for the future, I don't want to make long-term plans for Nikon gear. Their money problems have me concerned. When I eventually see a mirrorless body I have to have, it could just as easily be a Canon R-mount as a new Z-mount. I would be acquiring new glass anyhow.

 

[cbg]

When I got my first DSLR (D5000) the choice was between Nikon and Canon and it really came down to which one felt better in my hands. I liked the ergonomics of the Nikon over the Canon Ti, so Nikon it was.

 

[TwistedThrottle]

What attracted me to Nikon initially was the Christmas present my wife got me in 2007, a Nikon D40x with the kit 18-55 & 55-200. The body is still going strong, but the lenses died years ago. I have always enjoyed the pictures I've been able to capture with a Nikon. I like the menus, they have a familiarity I appreciate. I thought a step up to a D5300 would satisfy my needs a few years ago. Even though it was a big step up from the D40x, it still left me wanting. I wanted something I didn't have to worry about in the rain, something I could take with me everywhere without having to baby it too much, something that had a similar menu to other cameras so I am not learning with each new body, (the menu on the D5300 was awful). I am not hard on my gear, I just hate the idea of dropping all that dough to be lost to a rainstorm I didn't plan for or jostled around too much and not work anymore. So I got a used D800 off eBay and quickly found out its a horrible idea to buy a camera from just anybody off the internet. The body came cracked and the seller tried saying it wasn't even the same body he sent me, (lies). Anyways, I decided to fix the D800 as best I could, (pretty darn good job if I do say so myself) give it a run through the spa with a pro sensor cleaning and a once over and then went out and bought a D7500 to get that true protection from the elements I needed. I hit the sweet spot with that camera. It just about ticks all the boxes for me. I have a bunch of lenses for Nikon I have acquired over the years, mostly FX and a few DX lenses. Now, I feel like I am all in despite the fact I have 0/3 of the "Holy Trinity". I guess what draws me now is what is comfortable. I have all these lenses that work with whatever Nikon camera I get. I might loose a couple if I jump into a Z mount, but the thought of scrapping all the lenses and bodies I have acquired and starting from scratch seems too daunting of a task for what I use my cameras for. Maybe if I was a pro, I would be more concerned about having the newest and the best. For me and my needs, I like a good full frame camera and a good crop camera that I can interchange the lenses as I want to and the menus and buttons are very similar so I don't get lost using one body or the other. Even though some of the fancy newer cameras have drawn my eye, I have a huge love for Nikon because that is what I have always used and I don't see a need right now to learn a whole new system. Will I feel the same way after Nikon's money concerns turn into money problems? Probably. Sorry Nikon, I'm definitely a stage 4 clinger. Don't try to go anywhere, Nikon because if you do, I will find you! Plus, maybe then I would be able to afford a D850 and a D500! (not holding my breath though)

 

[kevy73]

Bought a 2nd hand F501 with a nifty fifty lens from a local 'Cash Converters' store.

It wasn't a conscious decision to go Nikon - It was just what the 2nd hand store had at the time. I got used to the layout of buttons and things and because all the lens' I purchased all fitted the new bodies - it just made sense to stick with it.

 

[Scott Murray]

I decided on Nikon due to how well it felt in my hand, even now other brands feel weird or uncomfortable.

 

[BackdoorArts]

I bought my first DSLR almost exactly a decade ago. My brother was an award winning news photographer who shot Canon, so I knew if I went that way I had stuff I could borrow. But when I compared the high end amateur stuff available in both at the time the D7000 beat out what Canon had available at the time in terms of price/performance, so I bit. Over time I added a D800, D7100, D600 that went to a D610 with the warranty issues, and a D750. Plus a bunch of good glass. And for the first time in half a decade I wasn't looking to buy anything else because there was nothing available that met a need I had.

Meanwhile, my brother had been laid off of his newspaper gig (as many were) and after a year of busting his ass doing other stuff he got a job as the East Coast Pro Rep for Canon. When he came over for Christmas that year (2015) he takes me out to his car, opens the trunk, and tells me that Canon has outfitted him with at least one of everything and that they only want him to use the latest and greatest, so here's all his Canon pro gear from his newspaper days and it's mine to use for as long as I want, so I can take my time swapping systems and figuring out what I wanted to buy for myself. I was a little overwhelmed and took the next couple weeks to look it over and try and figure out all the different menu stuff and button positions.

A couple weeks later Nikon introduced the D500, and as a predominantly wildlife photographer that body ticked all the marks. So I called my brother and told him I wanted to buy him lunch. We meet and I tell him that I'm blown away by his extremely generous offer, but that there's nothing I'm unhappy about with my gear, and with the D500 announcement it gives me something that Canon really didn't have at the time - at least not in that price point. He understood and respected the decision, but he also said that it was gonna put him in a bad spot with his boss, because he had said to him when he came on, "My brother's a Nikon shooter, and if I can't get him to switch within my first year then I'm not as good as you think I am." He's obviously proven himself otherwise.

Meantime I now shoot mainly with a pair of D500's, one that almost always has a 500mm f5.6 PF attached and the other swapping between a 300mm f4 PF and the 70-200mm f4 for backyard birding and wildlife. The D7000 and D800 are now IR conversions, the D750 got sold and I have a Z6ii on order. I do believe that if I were to start from scratch now I would have avoided Nikon, my brother's job notwithstanding (I couldn't even get a discount through him), mainly because of the persistent rumors of financial issues. But even knowing that I do not regret the choice and if they ever do go under I will be happy to shoot with what I have until they die in my hands.

 

[Peter7100]

I bought my first DSLR almost exactly a decade ago. My brother was an award winning news photographer who shot Canon, so I knew if I went that way I had stuff I could borrow. But when I compared the high end amateur stuff available in both at the time the D7000 beat out what Canon had available at the time in terms of price/performance, so I bit. Over time I added a D800, D7100, D600 that went to a D610 with the warranty issues, and a D750. Plus a bunch of good glass. And for the first time in half a decade I wasn't looking to buy anything else because there was nothing available that met a need I had.

Meanwhile, my brother had been laid off of his newspaper gig (as many were) and after a year of busting his ass doing other stuff he got a job as the East Coast Pro Rep for Canon. When he came over for Christmas that year (2015) he takes me out to his car, opens the trunk, and tells me that Canon has outfitted him with at least one of everything and that they only want him to use the latest and greatest, so here's all his Canon pro gear from his newspaper days and it's mine to use for as long as I want, so I can take my time swapping systems and figuring out what I wanted to buy for myself. I was a little overwhelmed and took the next couple weeks to look it over and try and figure out all the different menu stuff and button positions.

A couple weeks later Nikon introduced the D500, and as a predominantly wildlife photographer that body ticked all the marks. So I called my brother and told him I wanted to buy him lunch. We meet and I tell him that I'm blown away by his extremely generous offer, but that there's nothing I'm unhappy about with my gear, and with the D500 announcement it gives me something that Canon really didn't have at the time - at least not in that price point. He understood and respected the decision, but he also said that it was gonna put him in a bad spot with his boss, because he had said to him when he came on, "My brother's a Nikon shooter, and if I can't get him to switch within my first year then I'm not as good as you think I am." He's obviously proven himself otherwise.

Meantime I now shoot mainly with a pair of D500's, one that almost always has a 500mm f5.6 PF attached and the other swapping between a 300mm f4 PF and the 70-200mm f4 for backyard birding and wildlife. The D7000 and D800 are now IR conversions, the D750 got sold and I have a Z6ii on order. I do believe that if I were to start from scratch now I would have avoided Nikon, my brother's job notwithstanding (I couldn't even get a discount through him), mainly because of the persistent rumors of financial issues. But even knowing that I do not regret the choice and if they ever do go under I will be happy to shoot with what I have until they die in my hands.

No wonder you were overwhelmed by what you brother left you to try.
I can understand why the D500 helped to make your mind up as I think Canon made a huge mistake not producing a 7d Mark 3 as the mk2 although capable is not up to the spec of the D500.

 

[hark]

After having one or two point and shoot film cameras (126 and 110), my first foray into 35mm was with a Yashica rangefinder. Couldn't change the lens and focusing wasn't always the easiest through the viewfinder, but it took impressive photos. When I decided to switch to an SLR, the camera store had manual bodies for Nikon (by far the most expensive), Canon, and Minolta. The Nikon exceeded my budget. The difference between the Canon and Minolta was the Canon offered both full Manual Mode or Shutter Priority. The Minolta offered both full Manual Mode or Aperture Priority. So I chose the Minolta XG-M which was a great start into really understanding exposure. The owner's manual wasn't too big or long and easily explained the correlation between aperture/shutter speed/film speed (ASA). It was very easy to understand.

Many years later I signed up for an adult education class offered thru my local high school - the class was for printing black & white 35mm film. The instructor (who had been a teacher back when I was a student) and someone I became friends with both shot Nikon. Since I remembered how much more expensive the Nikon SLR was some 15+ years earlier, I figured it must be a good brand. So I never considered Canon or any other manufacturer. Wound up starting out with an N70 then upgraded to an N90s. Still have both of them.

I shot with the N90s until around 2011 when I purchased my first DSLR - a D90. Prior to that, I had a small point-and-shoot digital zoom camera by Kodak. Eventually I upgraded to a D7100 which offered more megapixels. But I never cared for the crop factor. Since I learned on 35mm, I always find myself calculating the focal length when using DX. When the D600 came out, I went full frame especially since many of my 35mm SLR lenses worked with it. But then came upgrading those lenses to ones with a little better quality plus the option of having VR.

I never intended to go back to a DX body, but I began to enjoy the telephoto advantage that the crop sensor bodies offered. So once again I upgraded to the D7200 which I still use. The D600 had numerous oil spot issues that Nikon couldn't resolve, so after striking out 3x with their repair service, I sent them the D600 for a refund. I immediately put the money towards a D610. After the D750 had been out for a while, I decided I wanted a second FX body so went with the D750. And then last year I upgraded to the D500 for DX while keeping the D7200 as a back up/supplemental body.

 

[Peter7100]

After having one or two point and shoot film cameras (126 and 110)

I also had the Kodak Instamatics but I never really counted them as 'real' cameras.
Goodness remember Kodak, they could have been so big today if they had followed the way technology was moving.

 

[Andy W]

I started out with an instamatic 110. By the early or mid 70s my parents and sister were using Nikons and I figured it must be a good brand. In the mid 80s when I was a tool dealer, one of my customers needed cash and offered some canon gear for sale. I noticed he also had an F3hp, 105mm f2.5 and a 300mm f4.5 which I wound up buying. I didn't consider other brands when getting into digital.

 

[BackdoorArts]

Goodness remember Kodak, they could have been so big today if they had followed the way technology was moving.

They made the original digital sensor assemblies and partnered with Nikon to put them in bodies. My brother used one of the first ones at the Star Ledger here in NJ with I believe it was an F3 in the mid-90s. That thing had a 200MB SCSI hard drive that could store a couple hundred images. He's been slowly collecting copies of the ones that he used back in the day and they sit in a corner cabinet in his dining room.

 

[Woodyg3]

I started with a Kodak Brownie when I was seven, and some of the pictures I took with it still stand up as pretty good, if I do say so myself. My dad really supported my photographic interest, even building me a darkroom in the house. He got me an Instamatic, then let me use his Agrus C3, and later his Koncia Autoreflex SLR. I used that in college and earned a few extra bucks doing sports photography. I stayed with Konica for a good long time, owning a few different bodies. Then autofocus came along. I could certainly see the value of this for sports photography, which was still an interest for me. I got a film Nikon SLR because as a kid that had always been my dream camera. I think it was an N85 or something like that. When digital came I didn't take it very seriously at first, and I got a Nikon point and shoot that was handy on trips and family gatherings. When I saw how easy it was to handle digital, and so much cheaper than paying for film and processing, I decided to go for a used Nikon D70. I had a 70-300 and went out to take pictures of some Pelicans we had seen at a local pond. That was the beginning my biggest passion in photography, wildlife. After a while a D7100, the D7200, then 2 D500s came into my collection, along with an assortment of lenses. Being retired, I can spend ridiculous amounts of time with my hobby, and Nikons remain my favored tools.

 

[mikeee]

I graduated college in 1986 and had a nice job, and a friend wanted to go to Hawaii to celebrate our graduations. I was coming from a Hawkeye Instimatic II by Kodak,
and wanted something nice for the trip. The camera store steered me to a Nikon N2020, which was the first autofocus SLR. I still have that body, but it stopped working.
Went back to the camera store and they sold me a used N6006 body.
I think the DSLRs were too expensive for me at the time.I never really got to learn much about just using these as a point and shoot with the cost of film. So I had a Nikon AF-50mm lens, and by the time
prices came down enough for me, I thought the lens compatibility a reason to stick with Nikon. I bought a refurbed D3200 and bought some lenses. I was somewhat dissatisfied with the autofocus on
the D3200 and upgraded to the D7100. Picked up a D7500 later on.

 

[Zev]

Many, many years ago (the 70s), I was using the Olympus OM2N. Great camera, had 4 bodies, all with motor winders, 4 flashes all with power grips, and tons of other Olympus gear. Then the new electronic version came out, the OM2SP. Stupidly, I got rid of my 4 reliable OM2N bodies, and bought 4 of the newer model - DISASTER! They were constantly breaking down. It was a good week when I only had 2 in for repairs.


So I sold all of my Olympus gear and went into every pro camera shop, and asked "What is more reliable, Nikon or Canon?" And except for one shop that specialised in Canon, everyone said Nikon, hands down. I bought an F3, then I had 4x F801 bodies, SB24, SB25 & SB28 flashs, then I upgraded all to the F100. Best camera I have ever used.

Before I bought my first digital Nikon, used a borrowed Canon for a few weeks, and hated it. Buying Nikon was a no brainer.


Absolutely thrilled with the D7200 - I now have 2 of them, both gripped. My partner uses my old D3200 (removed the grip - too big for her small hands) And my ancient D50 is now just used for Ebay photos.