The retirement of the two Canon Mark II bodies and the 16-35 and 70-200 lenses that have served me so well over the last 6 years. These two workhorses have been the tools which have helped me earn a living. They have been by my side through thick & thin, and then some. I’ve lived with them and enjoyed them as friends. I’ve slept with my head resting on them during train rides across India, I’ve protected them from would-be robbers in Haiti, and hid them under beds in Kabul, Cotabato and Cali. I’ve been tossed out of Cuba with them when I couldn’t convince immigration officials that I was a vacationing tourist who just happened to have worn-looking professional cameras.
My Canons have been locked up with my PackSafe in countless five-dollar-a-night hotels around the globe. I’ve shot them, unprotected, in heavy downpours in East Timor and in the dust storms of Southern Sudan. I’ve made images of Rajasthani rickshaw drivers and watched their eyes light up as I showed them their picture on the screen. I’ve handed them to novice monks in Burma and watched in delight as they discovered, wide-eyed, about the magic of digital photography.
Although I have mishandled them, including one incident when I dropped my 70-200 nine feet down, off of an elephant, (that story here) and Ken Rockwell’s review of the amazingly undamaged lens here), only once did these Cameras ever let me down; that was in Sri Lanka, back in 2006 while shooting one-year anniversary of the Tsunami when a shutter broke (story here).
But alas, technology marches forward in this new age of building faster, lighter, better, sharper cameras every 6months.
In “digital camera years” these Mark II bodies are dinosaurs. In order to serve my clients well, and provide them with the best images I can deliver, it’s time to replace them with upgraded technology. So, a few days ago I pulled the trigger and ordered two Nikon D3s’s from Adorama…..Nikon you gasp…yep, that’s right, Nikon. After much thought and a thorough analysis of the costs, I have decided to switch back to Nikon. You may remember my story in 2004 when I was robbed of my two trusted D1X’s while in a really bad neighborhood in Lima Peru (story here).
The debate that many photographers have over Nikon vs Canon, is something that has never really interested me, and I’ve always said that which camera you’re using doesn’t make a difference (see my quote in the last paragraph here.
My decision to “upgrade” is based on the improvement in picture quality at high ISO’s which I believe to be the most significant advancement in recent years, and my decision to switch from Canon to Nikon is based mostly on economic reasons….Let me explain: The way I see it, at this time, Nikon offers a full frame pro body with high ISO capability for $5000 while Canon’s full frame Mark IIIs is $6,115 and lacks high the newer, cleaner, high ISO settings. Since I have to buy two bodies, the math is simple. I can get 2 Nikon bodies, the 2 new lenses I need (the17-35 f2.8 and the new 70-200 f2.8), one extra battery and a flash (SB-400) for $14,609, while with Canon, it would cost me $12,229 for 2 full-frame 1Ds Mark III bodies, (old technology with max 1600 ISO), plus another $2499 for the new improved 70-200 2.8, for a total of $14,729 . (Replacing the 16-35 2.8 would add another $1,520, but of course, I could just keep using my existing 16-35, 2.8).
Perhaps some would say, “but you can get the 5D Mark II for $2,500”…..I know, I know, but I need the toughness of professional bodies which can withstand the rigors and abuse that I will be subjecting them to, as well as ergonomics that don’t allow dials to be accidentally rotated when bumped (this is a problem I see with the command dial on the 5D Mark II). And then there was the option to get the new Canon Mark IV but I really wanted to get back to a full frame, for the little bit of extra wideness rather than stay with the 1.3 crop factor.
So; soon, I’ll be shooting Nikon again. Frankly, I’m looking forward to something new. Change is good, that’s one of the reasons I love my job so much…whether it’s traveling to a new country, covering a new story or in this case, getting new camera gear; change offers me an opportunity to learn something new.
Sure, I’ll have to get used to lenses that mount and zoom in the reverse direction, and yes, I’ll have to read an owner’s manual the size of an encyclopedia, but hell, why not, I need something to do on my next 16 hour trans-pacific flight.
858.689.1963As for the future of my 2 “gently” used, near “mint condition” Canons (ha ha), I’ll be selling those in order to help defer the cost of the new Nikons. So, if you know someone who might be interested in buying them, let me know, I’ll give them a great deal.
Cheers,
Karl
I'm wondering which wide angle lens you decided to use on the D3s?
I'm currently using the 14-24 for Editorial work and found it to be too wide and too unprotected. It even collects water inside the hood when I used it in the rain.
Thanks for catching that omission, I just updated the post to include that info….I got the 17-35 f2.8 and the new 70-200 f2.8 VR. I agree that the 14-24 is a bit too wide and with the bulbous front element it's would be too difficult to protect. I also updated the post to reflect that the flash I bought was the tiny SB-400, which is just enough for those few instances when I need fill flash.
Cheers,
Karl
Welcome back to the Dark Side…
I don't care either about brand loyalty. But it's good to see you using Nikon ;-).
I think Nikon lacks a usable range f/2.8 wide angle. The 14-24mm is excellent! but not for using in travels and stuff as yours… the 17-35 f/2.8 is the only left option, it's really good but I think needs an update. Anyway, I's going to be great to read your impressions on the new gear, your finds out.
Thanks Karl,
Heber.
I was afraid, when I read the post title I tought it was about your retirement !
Bonne continuation et bravo pour votre travail.
Amicalement,
Hi Karl,
Keep up the great work! I’d be interested to see how you compare the Nikon gear to the Canon gear after some time using them both. Let us know. BTW: Many of the links in your “camera equipment & advice” menu don’t work. Your probably working on updating the site but just thought I’d pass it along as I was curious to read some of those links.
Safe travels!
thank you for the compliment Fawad. I plan on blogging about my experiences with the new Nikon cameras and explaining my impressions about how they compared to the Canon cameras that I used to carry. Thanks also for your comment regarding the links to camera equipment and advice. You’re correct I am working on updating the site as we speak and hope to have all the links working soon.
Very nice Karl. Impressive work.
Thanks,
Zak
Hi Carl
Thanks for the chat the other week, you comments are really helping me to improve my work. Loving the new blog and the picture are as spectacular as ever. I’ve recently retired my battered Billingham bag and now using the ThinkTank modular system. Taking some getting used to, but it works really well. Not as comfortable to sleep on though when traveling!!
Hope your enjoying the Nikons
Regards
John (UK)
Just wanted to see if you’ve sold the Canons :). If not, I might be interested in one of them. Please let me know.
Thanks,
Adrian
Hi Adrian, I have not sold them yet, I will be back in the states on Sept 6th. I have an offer on the whole system, if it falls through you are next in line. Please just email me on or after Sept 7th.
Thanks, Karl
Hi Karl,
Great work here, I’m currently using a 24mm prime for wide and 70-300 for tele;
I must agree with your 17-35 selection for the wide end; I’ll go out to look for
one here in my country.
PS. I have a 50mm, but it find it too narrow for my style of shooting.
more power
Ferdinand