[happymac]

This topic has been dealt with in numerous places judging by the number of Google responses. But, I want to hear from "Mac" people what their take on Canon vs Nikon DSLRs is as I'm ready to jump to this level of camera soon. Since we all use Macs, I thought perhaps that aspect of the argument might have some weight. I wanted to know specifically (more than I get great pix, etc) what drove folks to choosing their particular outfit. I'm not a professional, but, probably won't be upgrading cameras after this, so, I want something that will let me grow as my skills develop.
thanks.

[Chris Breen]

Oh man, this could get ugly.

I shoot Nikon for a reason that a lot of people choose one or the other ? I had Nikon lenses from my film camera and I didn't want to have to go out and buy a lot of new glass along with a new camera. With the D300 I'm glad I made that decision but I certainly had Canon envy for a number of years.

Either way, you're going to have a machine that's capable of shooing tremendous pictures. The weak link is the one looking through the viewfinder.

[WarrenS]

I have had 2 Nikon cameras. the software that Nikon sends with the camera works well. the digital 5700cd i have now works like part of the mac. I use iphoto, and photoshop elements. Both work well at downloading and editing the pics i take. iphoto has a problem with raw the pictures are converted to jpeg for editing. If you use both photoshop and iphoto, read carfully the way raw is transfered between them. (macworld has an article about this)

[JackMac]

Ok, I'll jump in on the Canon side. I might be in a similar position to you in that I recently went to DSLR from point and shoot. My reason for choosing the Canon XTi over Nikon was that I was not happy with Nikon's user interface in the earlier era of the digital revolution. I can't really say that having a Mac influenced my decision it was more about the camera for me. I think Nikons are great I just like Canon a little better. Some of it was just the timing of the camera with the specs I was looking for becoming available when I wanted to buy. Check out http://www.dpreview.com

[happymac]

well, I kinda like Chris' answer; it's really left to the experience of the user. Having the original Rebel DSLR, I'm ready to jump to the next level of camera. Any thoughts on the latest Rebel XTi vs D40 (the 'prosumer' Canon DSLR)?

.

[JackMac]

This from dpreview:

So in conclusion, the D40X really is just as good as the D40, with the
added benefit of a little bit more resolution and slightly faster
continuous shooting. But is it enough to take the pole position as the
ultimate compact ten megapixel DSLR? That's harder to say, image
quality-wise it's a dead heat with the EOS 400D [XTi] (except at high
sensitivities); it's quicker and more comfortable to use, but very
slightly less featured, especially if you consider lens compatibility.
It would be hard to recommend one over the other and the answer would
depend solely on your preferences (I'm calling it a draw).

If you have Canon lenses I don't think there is a compelling reason to jump ship.

[Mike_Atamian1]

Yikes, I normally never get involved in these threads. I have Nikon D200 and D40. In the past I had Canon point and shoots. I have always been happy with products from either manufacturer. I think your decision depends on what lenses you already have, as it is just too expensive to switch once you have one or the other. I like the Nikon system, except for the nonintuitive, crappy menu system. I think the ergonomics are great and I am super happy about quality. I find for most things, the D40 is good enough. If I want to really focus on color or close-in macro I go with the D200. The D40 does lack the ability to autofocus with older lenses, which is a drawback. But its lightness and super battery life makes it a winner.