Got my gear stolen...do I stay with Canon?

<p>Hi all,</p>

<p>I'm a hobbyist photographer, and was recently the victim of a car theft. I had practically all of my good camera gear stolen, including my 7D, 70-200 f/2.8 IS, 10-22, 28-135, etc, etc. Fortunately, most of it was insured. <br>

So, it's time to start fresh again and buy new gear.<br>

If you were in my position, would you buy the same gear you have now? Or would you upgrade/downgrade your camera? Jump ship to Nikon or Sony?<br /><br />I have been giving thought to the new Sony NEX-7. Anyone know enough about it to compare it with a 7D?<br /><br />Mike </p>

 

<p>I don't know much about the NEX-7 but I did hold one and play with it a bit. Great feel with a pancake or small zoom but horrid with larger zooms. The grip is just too small so you need to squeeze the crap outta it with heavier glass (or use a tripod). Imagine your 70-200 2.8L on a thin and small grip. Probably Sony will come out with--if haven't already--a grip extension/vertical release to make using telezooms more secure and comfy.</p>

I'm a canon fan, but mainly due to all the old manual glass I can shoot on canons. If i was in your situation I would be

tempted to replace the 7D with a full frame 5D II. But to be honest, I would be hard pressed not to get a Fuji X Pro 1.

That camera just pushes all the right buttons for me. And it should be able to use almost any old glass known to man.

 

Nikon? ...meh.

<p>That's completely your decision, but I know the other day I was playing with a D7000 and couldn't even figure out how to switch the AF point. I'm not saying that if you switch you won't be able to use the camera, because you'd eventually get used to it, but I know if I switched brands my photography would suffer for quite awhile just due to the fact that I've spent the last six years learning the Canon system like the back of my hand. If I switched, I'd be back on square one, as far as camera familiarity.</p>

<p>"I was playing with a D7000 and couldn't even figure out how to switch the AF point. "</p>

<p>Push around on the control pad thingy. Like a joy stick.</p>

<p>Just had to rush in and help. :)</p>

<p>As a Nikon shooter, I'm not sure why this theft would make you consider changing brands. Unless you were dissatisfied with how it was working for you, and this just pushed you over the edge, you have a lot of time invested in one way of menus and buttons. </p>

 

<p>Why consider a change...did you not like your gear? Different gear won't miraculously make you a better photographer.</p>

<p>I went from Voigtlander to Minolta SRT 101 to Nikon FE, F90x, F5 to Canon EOS 5D, 1Ds Mark II in four decades of growth. If it were me, I would take a serious look at Nikon again when the D4 and D800 are availabe for sale.</p>

<p>Why would you switch from something those nefarious _blanks_ thought worthy of stealing?</p>

<p>Sorry, my sense of humor can be a bit odd... ;)</p>

<p>I wasn't unhappy with my equipment, but lugging around a big SLR can be quite a pain (literally). I'm a big Canon fan, and the 70-200 is an amazing lens, but due to its size and weight, I really didn't use it very often. I'm interested in the NEX because of its APS-C sized sensor and relatively small size versus an SLR. So, given this chance to start over again, I'm considering a different camera system altogether.<br>

I also had a ton of trouble trying to move the AF point the first time I picked up a Nikon SLR!</p>

<p>Here in the UK you don't get a cheque in settlement of an insurance claim any more: you generally get replacement equipment, of at least the same or better specification. So if you had Canon gear stolen, you'd get Canon get back.</p>

<p>I know this for two reasons: a) it happened to me a few years ago; and b) my local camera shop told me that they don't get "insurance replacement" buyers any more.</p>

<p>First of all, I'm very sorry about your loss. I've been there, so I feel your pain. Glad you had it insured though!<br>

I would like to address your concerns:</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I'm a big Canon fan, and the 70-200 is an amazing lens, but due to its size and weight, I really didn't use it very often</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I would suggest that you check your EXIF data from the past few months/years and figure out what focal lengths you used most often. Maybe you can have the best of both worlds. Get the 7D, 10-22 or Tokina's 11-16, maybe Sigma's 17-50 f/2.8 OS (<a href="http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/531-sigma1750f28os">highly regarded</a>) and then add a Canon G12 for when you want to go lightweight. That way, you won't want a DSLR and not have it, yet when you want a compact setup, you can just pop the G12 in your pocket :)</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Comparing NEX-7 and 7-D, well, they both have the number 7, and I really love the SR-7, XE-7, XD-7, Maxxum 7, 7D,... and they both have a control dial in the back (but maybe for totally different things)</p>

<blockquote>

<p>lugging around a big SLR can be quite a pain</p>

</blockquote>

<p>The 7D should be considered as a small DSLR,and if I have to move from the Canon 7D to a Sony NEX-7, the things that I will miss the most are your lenses, then the second thing is... the mirror (which is obvious). Besides that:<br>

- the size and shape of the NEX make it very hard for me to hold it, not that I need to hold it tight to avoid being snatched away by some bad guy, but because holding a camera that way would surely take away my ability to take a shot at slow speed<br>

- I still have to deal with the thing I hate the most about DSLRs, that is the sensor will get dirty<br>

- We must move the thumb to use two different dials, both in the back, instead of a thumb and index in fixed position</p>

 

<p>I think you should jump ship. If the size/weight of your gear was inhibiting your photography, which, by your statements, I must conclude it was, then your current gear is a problem to <em>you</em>. </p>

<p>I would take this opportunity to explore some alternative systems that are lighter and easier to handle. Don't take our word for it either, get out there, and find a shop who carries this stuff in stock so you can feel for yourself the ergonomics of different platforms. As one can tell quickly (from reading this thread), the experience is based on the user as much as the camera.</p>

<p>Be aware that you may not find the same kind of photographic capabilities in alternate camera systems, but when you compare the 'benefits' of a 7D/70-200/2.8 that's left in the car to a NEX7 w/ an all-in-one zoom that you carry with you, the better camera/glass is hard to justify.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Try 'em out. As you say, if you were ever to change, this would be an opportunity.</p>

<p>On the other hand, when you handle other equipment, the likelihood is that you will find you have been "imprinted" on the Canon control system (see "imprinting" and ethnology on Wiki).</p>

<p>If you have, Nikon and others will seem "awkward" to you, just as Canon would if you had been imprinted on Nikon.</p>

<p>I certainly would not "downgrade" the camera if you stay with Canon. The 7D is a top performer in the APS-C category. You might look at a 5D family body. I use both APS-C and a 5D and each have their advantages. Many people have both.</p>

<p>Depends what you shoot - if you want to shoot macro, sports, fisheye or architecture then I suggest you stick with Nikon or Canon. The Sony NEX7 looks interesting and is trying to position as a cheap Leica. I love my Leica and find it's size, weight and performance and I suspect that the Sony should have similar attributes. I am not sure how it will perform shooting wide angle and I suggest that you test this. I was never happy with my Panasonic G1 at wide angles as they always appeared to have a rather processed look. I understand that the Panasonic performs significant corrections for the lens in camera - the Sony may do the same.</p>

<p>I own a NEX 5N with three lenses and an EVF. I also own a Canon 5D. The 5N is roughly the same size and uses the same lenses and about the same software as the NEX 7. The 5N has a 16.1 MP sensor and the NEX 7 24MP. I use the 5N a lot but it has limiations. Most telephoto lenses for the 5N or 7 or are too slow for the sports that i shoot. If you use larger lenses with an adapter then you lose the size advantage of the NEX 7. I revert to my Canon 5D and L lenses when I need to use the big L lenses. Getting good action shots at longer distances is not as easy with my 5N as it is with L lenses. The 5N with a 1.5 sensor is just as good at high ISOs as the 5D, I think. The picture quality I get with 13x19 prints is undistinguishable between the 5N and 5D provided exposures are good. The 5N is reported to have slightly better high ISO capability than the NEX 7.</p>

<p>As far as convenience goes my 5N camera bag with three lenses, the EVF, upgrade flash weighs four pounds as opposed to my twenty pound Canon bag. In fact when I do swimming meets I stick my less than two pound 5N in a corner of my Canon bag and use it for head shots and small groups. I take the 5N with me whenever I go out of the house because it is so much more convenient. I have had the 5N since last November and I simply have been taking more pictures because it is almost always with me. Although the NEX lenses are slow I think they are surprisingly good. The 18-55 and the 55-210 have the equivilent of IS and it works.</p>

<p>The Sony software, IMO, takes some getting used to as it is different from the Canons I have been using for over twenty years. I don't think the software is as friendly initially as the Canon but it contains many more features like in camera panorama and HDR. I did sell some Canon gear when I went to the NEX but I have retained my long L lenses and the 24-105L. They still produce great pictures. Given what I use my cameras for I will retain the Canon gear but I find the 5N or the NEX 7 to be great adjuncts to daily photography needs. The 5N is absolutely great on the street with a 16 mm pancake of even the 18-55 because nobody pays attention to it and I can use the vertically articulating LCD like a waist level finder. It has a touch screen that the NeX 7 does not that I find very useful. The NEX 7 has an internal view finder, a more universal flash mount than the 5N and as said earlier a larger sensor. I would recommend it if you don't need the more capable, IMO, Canon glass but that is what makes the Canon 7D more capable in my opinion.</p>

<p>Both the sony 5N and NEX 7 do in process lens corrections but, I think only for Sony lenses. </p>

<p>I've shot with a lot of different cameras -- Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Leica, Mamiya TLR, Yashica, Pentax, etc. And I know that a good photographer can take a good picture with just about any reasonable camera. But having used a variety of gear, I highly, highly recommend sticking with either Nikon or Canon unless you have a very good reason to use something else. There's nothing wrong with the Sony unto itself. But the DSLR world revolves around Nikon and Canon. They are the two most extensive systems to begin with. Virtually every third-party lens and accessory is made for them first and may not come along until later, if at all, for other brands. (PocketWizard ttl units for example, or Tokina lenses). When you need a special lens or extra body, you can rent Nikon and Canon in any major city. There is no rental market for Sony, etc., that I've seen. I'm not saying no other company should be allowed to compete, but life is a lot easier with them.</p>

<p>I have been using the Sony EVF for a while now. This is the same EVF that is internally installed in the NEX 7. I also use the VF in the 5D. The Sony EVF is every bit as good, and in some ways better than my 5D. Sony has developed as part of their camera software "focus peaking" which shows up in the EVF or LCD in the form of colored outlines(I chose red) around parts of the image that are in focus. The EVF shows actual exposure as the image is taken directly from the sensor. You can see DOF. It shows the usual exposure data and actually enlarges the pictures when manually focusing. The EVF gets grainy in low light but is usable at high ISOs as it does not actually grow dim unless the set exposure is off. </p>

<blockquote>

<p>On the other hand, when you handle other equipment, the likelihood is that you will find you have been "imprinted" on the Canon control system (see "imprinting" and ethnology on Wiki).</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Don't you mean "ethology" rather than "ethnology," JDM?</p>

<p>Yes definitely <em>ethology</em>--that was a simple typo from the Pavlovian-conditioned fingers of an anthropologist.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Sorry to hear your gear was stolen. But, why would you consider switching to an unknown system? Were you not happy with Canon? There is a reason why most professionals use Canon & Nikon. The 7D is a good dslr. I shoot all Nikon, but would not be tempted to go with a little brother in the dslr market...Sony. At least with Canon, you have knowlege of the system and have much more flexibility in lenses.</p>

<p>OR be totally different and try a Canon SX40 or the Nikon Coolpix P500. Bigger than pocket size, no good for dimly lit sports but otherwise, all around good cameras. If you decide that either one isn't enough, you could buy what you would then know, you need!</p>

Get Canon digital Rebel with kit lens or Gx1 use rest of money to go Disney World!

<p>Holding a Nex7 with a lens attached is like holding a deck of cards with a brick attached.</p>