Nikon Vs Canon - Do comparison reviews really matter?

Nikon Vs Canon - Do comparison reviews really matter?

Great reviews abound online of various camera models. I generally like reading them and trust many of the review sites for in-depth and detailed review. However occasionally some like to do comparison reviews pitting one camera brand against another. for entry level cameras and point and shoot models I think this is fine. However in high end models such as the flagship pro models from the likes of Canon or Nikon I find them a waste of time and often jaded depending on the brand preference of the reviewer no matter how much I think they are fair in normal product reviews.

Case in Point

PhotoProHome.com has a review of Several upper level and pro level Canon and Nikon cameras comparing high ISO. The review it self seems fair and accurate but does it mean anything at all to most professional and advanced photographers? I think it does not and heres why.

First, Like many professional photographers I'm way too far invested in my system to change. So the comparisons mean nothing as I'm not going to dump a collection of bodies, lenses, and add-ons that have taken many years to accumulate.

Second, Brand features and performance constantly flipflop. The leader of the pack today may be the follower in 3 months.

Third, Workflow, like a professional basketball player who knows the ball like an extension of his body professional photographers become intuitive with their gear. Knowing where settings are and how to control the camera like a polished musician playing their instrument adjusting for imperfections, pulling the most from an instrument at rapid speed, in high pressure situations without even thinking about it. Changing brands can knock your entire process out of whack. Productivity can suffer, creativity too when you have to stop and think about the menus, buttons and capabilities of your tools. When you have to get to know the quirks and "features" of a given camera design, the color fidelity and many other nuances causes you to loose that intuitive ability for awhile.

Sure most pro's can pick up any camera and make art with it, after all it's the artist, the professional and the creative vision of the photographer not the tool that makes the art. However ask a carpenter if his workflow would slow down and his errors go up for a time if you replaced all his saws, blades and files with something else. Sure he could use them but the real craftsman, the artist will have to readjust and the laymen is really going to take some time and perhaps make many mistakes.

I once bought my grandfather a new saw, he was a master handyman but had been using the old saw for 40 years. I updated his with a modern one with laser guides and all the latest safety features. He hated it. It took him months to regain his speed and accuracy with it. Sure he would admit it was far superior to his old saw in every way. But it lacked the intimacy he had gained over decades of use with the old saw.

Cameras and camera brands, lenses and flashes can be like that too. I always find comparisons of high end cameras a bit amusing due to these issues, 99% of us even if one brand blows away another are not going to switch to the latest better brand for the reasons stated above. Moreover, top name brand camera makers take turns swapping positions and Canon will have it's turn again at some point even as Nikon leads in high ISO quality at this time. Some may recall that for years it was Canon who led the high ISO standards to be beat. To be honest if PENTAX came out with a full frame weather sealed camera I'd consider a switch. I've always had a soft spot for PENTAX products.

The cost of Brands like Nikon, Canon, and Leica are like buying a over-priced brand name car. Is a BMW really better than a Lexus or is it just brand preference? Would a nice Toyota perform just as well, last just as long, handle equally well? Cars can be a tough one for this argument to compare. We all have favorite brands and luxury has it's value too. Maybe a fairer example with cares would be a Cadillac Escalade compared to a Chevy Suburban? They are really the same vehicle with a few trim changes. Some like the understaded power of the Chevy (or GMC version) while another may prefer the bling of the Caddy.

Or take the Chrysler Crossfire, the average person may not no this but car buffs do. It was mostly a Mercedes-Benz SLK product with all the high performance and features you'd expect, well appointed, and sexy. At half the price of a Benz SLK equivalent with a different body style. If you needed the Mercedes logo on the front you paid twice as much, but it was not a better car, just a more expensive one. And the Crossfire did not do too well, people could not associate a small luxury sports car with Chrysler. people large muscular sports cars from US automakers.

We could go on and on about market perceptions, the value of reputations, certain people's need to over spend and way the price tag like a flag etc.

But that's not the point. If you were just starting out and needed a pro level camera would you only consider a Nikon or Canon? What about the well made high end Sony cameras that are rebranded Minolta's? Sony offers a great line of lenses and pro level SLR camera bodies but you don't see to many professionals using them. What about Fuji, Sigma, Pentax and Olympus? You may know that Kodak no longer makes pro level SLR's. Brand perception killed that market even though many pro-level SLR's and 2 1/4 cameras have Kodak sensors and other technology in them. Most pro's would not be caught dead with a professional Kodak camera and thats why they no longer exist. I guess brand awareness and perception do matter in that case.

Yes I know there are user preferences and all that for me I prefer Canon as I've been using them since 1979 but I also have Mamiya's, Olympus, Rollie, Pentax, Hasselblad, Fuji, Toyo, Sinar, Leica Horseman, and a dozen other brands - each with specific qualities. Point is I know some will argue the issue but regardless of test results most of us can't and won't switch. I'd bet I'm safe in speculating that most buyers of pro level cameras already own that same brand.

So what about you?

Would you switch? Better yet, any stories out there from working professionals who did switch brands? I'd like to hear you. Share your brand switching story in the comments.