is Canon better/more popular than Nikon?

Slipperman

Senior Member
only asking because last week i was on vacation in Boston and i ran into at least 3 other DSLR owners and all of them had a Canon. i come home Fri then today go to a local park today and run into 2 more DSLR owners both of whom had a Canon as well. you would think that with all the photographers i ran into in the last week, that at least one other would have a Nikon but no such luck. i was the only one. was this just a fluke or does Canon just plain sell more cameras than Nikon? btw, i happen to love my D750.
 

Catherder

Senior Member
At Zion and Bryce earlier this year I only remember seeing 1 Lady with a Canon, several point and shoots. And 8 to 10 Nikon's. Lots of people taking pictures with phones, and even tablets.
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
The short answer to that question is yes; Canon maintains a larger market share than Nikon and has for some time.

Yes, there are more Canon cameras sold than Nikon. Back in the 1980's when I bought my first DSLR, the store showed me a Canon, a Nikon, and a Minolta. The Nikon was at least twice as expensive as the others. I believe over time, more and more pros and consumers turned to Canon. Watch some of the pro sports games. You should see quite a few white lenses when they pan past the photographers.
 

Michael J.

Senior Member
Here in Thailand Canons are dominant. Almost every day I see advertisements on TV and Billboards, but no advertisements of Nikons.
 

singlerosa_RIP

Senior Member
I live in the middle of the US and I've been in the minority for decades. I finally stumbled into a volunteer group that's mostly Nikon (it's mostly gals), but all the local Clubs are mainly Canon. But I don't care. Been shooting Nikon for 40 years and don't know any better. :)
 

Patrick M

Senior Member
Remember though that because Canon may sell more product doesn’t make it the better brand. THIS is a NIKON forum after all. But like so many things, it’s really down to personal choice.


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Slipperman

Senior Member
Remember though that because Canon may sell more product doesn’t make it the better brand. THIS is a NIKON forum after all. But like so many things, it’s really down to personal choice.


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another point of interest - i bought a Canon p&s (A4000 IS) before my first Nikon and the Canon pretty much sucked. the images always came out with a slight haze/cloudiness to them. i was able to find a process to get rid of the haze on the internet (using GIMP) but i shouldn't have had to do that.
 

jay_dean

Senior Member
I've come across people who've tried Canon and say Nikon is better, and vice versa. I had a Canon user a couple of months ago telling me all about how he'd bought into Nikon and had the Nikon 500mm f4 (which is why he started talking to me as it was what i was using at the time) but went back to Canon as the colours were better and his Canon 500mm f4 was a better lens. Ugh, whatever:rolleyes:. I just laughed at him. But then i've come across those who use both and some say that Nikon lenses are better. Tbh, i dont think theres anything in it, all about personal preference
 

TL Robinson

Senior Member
Canon has deeper marketing pockets and a much larger presence in markets outside of photography that the brand is more prevalent which makes for more sales imo. In the photography world I see a more Canon at professional sporting events. Does that mean they're better - certainly not.

A really good friend of mine is a cameraman for a local TV station and a phenomenal photog and he shoots Canon - and we jab at each other about our preferred brand all the time. But he loves my work and I love his work, there's respect there, because at the end of the day we both produce images we are happy with.

At the end of the day, a camera is a tool. In conjunction with other tools, we, as artists/craftsmen, build images with those tools that work best for us and our customers.
 
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singlerosa_RIP

Senior Member
another point of interest - i bought a Canon p&s (A4000 IS) before my first Nikon and the Canon pretty much sucked. the images always came out with a slight haze/cloudiness to them. i was able to find a process to get rid of the haze on the internet (using GIMP) but i shouldn't have had to do that.

I still have a Canon S90 that I use when I want something better than my iPhone and don't want to lug a DSLR around. Had it for about 8 years. Great little P&S. Agree that the kit is a tool, Nikon, Canon, whatever......
 
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tea2085

Senior Member
Here in Central NY, I've noticed that Canon users are usually of the liberal bend and Nikon usually of the conservative slant. Just like Apple and IBM. Seems like it anyways. Paul
 

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
Haven't read the full post but somewhere on here in early 2016 I posted a thread about how my brother, a Canon Pro rep, offered to give me all his personal Canon gear on "permanent loan" as an incentive to get me to switch. This included two 1D's and a 7D plus the full suite of pro lenses he used as a newspaper photographer, figuring I could buy what I wanted as I chose to and sold off my stuff. The offer came just as I'd told myself that I was completely settled on my Nikon gear, happy as a pig with the new D500 announcement. I had two backpacks of his gear in my house for about a month and I'll tell you this - they're both great, and for a serious amateur/semi-pro like me one was no better than the other. They're just different, and I had no desire to spend time relearning menus, buttons, focus & zoom ring positions and directions, etc., so they all went back with a thanks but no thanks.

Where Canon wins, and should, is in their professional services. Before he worked for them my brother shot Canon at the Star Ledger. Why Canon? Because when the Ledger used Nikon and something went wrong all they got were excuses and no answers. This is something I've heard independently from a number of pro shooters, most recently last month when I ran into a news photographer at a winery in the Finger Lakes. Nikon dropped the ball there when it counted and they opened the door to the drubbing they're getting in the pro market. And when folks like us look at pros shooting at events and see a sea of white glass it can't help but make you wonder why and start leaning in that direction. Canon is committed to crushing Nikon and that's a problem for those of us using it, but until they give up the ghost (I don't think they will) I'll keep shooting them. It's hard to fight from behind, and in the internet age every mishap and misstep is amplified and exaggerated immediately, so Nikon can't afford any.
 
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