Snap of the Shutter

Before you read this, please realize that this is my opinion, not the law. Therefore take it with a grain of salt.

Yes, I use a Sony DSLR. Not a Canon or a Nikon, like the rest of the world.

But that’s just it. Every soccer mom buys a Canon. Not because of its features or selection; most don’t move beyond the kit lens. But you are buying into a brand, one which may be with you your whole life. Not to say that just because it is popular it is bad- often it is quite the opposite; but it pays to actually weigh in different brand and not automatically go with the most popular brand out there.

So here are my reasons for liking Sony:

In my opinion, Sony has much better ergonomics and build quality compared to Canon. To each his own, but I find the feel of Canons to be cheap and plasticky. Even the premier Canon 7D feels cheaper than my entry a200 to me. Others obviously aren’t bothered by this, but if you don’t like how your camera handle then you picked the wrong one,

Sony has legacy compatibility. They can use everything from Minolta AF lenses from 20 years ago to the newest Sony Carl Zeiss lenses. In stark contrast, all Nikon cameras below the $1200 d7000 can only use autofocus with newer Nikon lenses with a built in AF motor (it can use the rest of Nikon lenses only in manual focus). That means that those entry level Nikons have vastly fewer lenses with autofocus available than Sony.

Sony, in my opinion, has more innovation than Canon. Compare the groundbreaking Sony a55 to the two latest Canon releases, both of which are merely cheaper versions of current Canon cameras with basically no new features.
However, you cannot have innovation without a negative side.
The EVF and translucent mirror on the Sony a55 aren’t for everyone- it has caused many purists to leave the brand. However, it has brought in thousands more new customers that PREFER it. Edit: And the new a77 finder is garnering universally positive reviews, and proof that he technology can get so much better
From what I’ve seen, Canon is the most constant and less likely to have drastic change. Since they aren’t exciting for me, that is actually a negative aspect for me. But if you like what products they have now, you will likely be satisfied with them for a long time.

The primary disadvantage of Sony is that Canon and Nikon both have much more extensive line of equipment and support.
From what I’ve seen this is often an overblown problem, especially for entry to mid level users.
Sony can use the large selection of older Minolta lenses, and Sony’s line by itself is pretty complete and ever growing.
Further, the difference between selection only begins to vary more when you reach higher tiers of lenses- my experience is that this is with lenses costing above $1000 or so. That means for most of us poor people there is little difference. Also many lenses are made by third party manufacturers such as Tamron or Sigma, which offer the same lenses for all mounts.
And for those that say Sony lenses are worse quality, Sony is partnered with Carl Zeiss, and together they offer perhaps the best quality lenses available with autofocus. Those in addition to Sony’s premier G lenses leave little to be desired.

And yes, Nikon and Canon have support centers all over the world. These are primarily used by pros, so I don’t care too much. But if you are a pro it can make all the difference. This is however in my opinion Sony’s biggest fault, but that comes naturally from not being as big a corporation.

Furthermore, it is not well known that Sony actually makes the sensors (the part that actually records the image) for Nikon and Pentax and other companies in addition to those for themselves. That means Sony’s cameras have virtually the same image quality as those of the competition, and they get the new sensors first. Also, many leaps in image quality for whatever brand are a result of Sony’s innovation.

Sony includes image stabilization and autofocus in all their camera bodies, as opposed to all other brands (except pentax) which put both in the lenses. This means that Sony’s lenses are cheaper and can have better image quality than competition. Also, this means whenever Canon or Nikon upgrade their stabilization or autofocus systems, if you wish to upgrade to the new technology you must re-buy all your lenses, whilst with Sony you must only buy a new body. This means much more to professionals who have thousands and thousands of dollars in their equipment.

The most important variable though is you. If after reading this you reluctantly buy a Sony camera, even though your heart wants a Nikon, send it back and get the Nikon. If you end up blaming your camera brand for your bad pictures and feel discontented with it, then you will get no where.

That brings me to my final point. Remember that the camera is but a tool, and a poor workman blames his tools. Whatever brand or even camera you get, getting good photos depends on you. In the words of the great photographer Edward Steichen, “No photographer is as good as the simplest camera.” People such as him have done great work with crude film cameras. So instead of sitting here comparing brands all day, get the camera you know you won’t have regrets about and get out there shooting!!

In summary

• I dislike the feel of Canon cameras – they feel very plasticky. This is a personal preference, and an important one. The feel of the camera can decide the brand for you. So if you like how Canons feel, that is a good reason to go with that brand. I just don’t.
• Canon is boring to me. They basically just add megapixels, not real innovation. And for some, this is a good thing; you’l always have the same type of camera. But I like some excitement!