BetterPhoto Q&A
Category: Comparing Camera Brands

Amanda J. Hubbard

Canon or Fuji Digital SLR's

I'm debating whether to purchase the Canon 10D or the Fuji FinePix S2 Pro, 12.1 Megapixel Digital Camera. They are the same price, but different mega pixels. When I researched the Fuji, it said the number of effective pixels is 6.17 though. So would I be better off to get the Canon? (I love Canon cameras very much!) Is the Fuji a good camera?

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0 January 25, 2004

Shawn I.O. Yon

My advise is to visit your local camera shop and bring your memory card and test both cameras. If they don't let you take test photos, then consider renting them.

They are both good cameras and you can't go wrong with either one. I was in your situation and chose the 10D because Canon lens are less expensive than Nikon lens. Also, if there are any new camera body designs, I would not be sure if the Nikon lens system would be compatable in the longterm.

Hope this helps.

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0 January 25, 2004

Reid S. Mason

Amanda, As a long time Canon user I confess I'm a bit biased BUT when it was time to move to digital I did check out the other stuff out there. What I found was that though there are a lot of really nice Digi SLRs out there, I wouldn't say one in particular is better than another when considering bodies at the same price point. That being the case I picked the 10D for two reasons. One, it works just like my Canon film cameras - pretty much the same controls, layout etc. And two, Canon lenses are especially good. Though the body is very important, it really is the glass that makes it all come together. I'd recommend the 28 - 135 Image Stabelizer as your main lens, I keep it on my camera about 80 percent of the time.

Good luck in making up your mind - I know it's difficult but the end result is you'll have an entirely new way to communicate your art!

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0 January 26, 2004

Robert Bridges

Hi Amanda, I thought I would add my two cents worth to your question and this discussion coming from the film only world and moving away from Canon. Like you and many others, I too have done extensive research on various digital cameras e.g, Canon, Fuji, Nikon, Kodak. Were I in your shoes at this point there is no question that I would go with the Fuji. Its built on the Nikon N80 camera and uses Nikon glass. Contrary to some, I have not found Nikon lenses to be more expensive then the Canon but simply more honest then the Canon. Canon markets two classes of lenses - the decent and cheap, and the expensive and great. Nikon markets just the reasonable and the great. Personally I prefer the latter.

I tend to be a purist I suppose in that I would suggest that if you go with the Canon that instead of getting an image stabilizer lens that you buy a good tripod instead. Technology is fine - but hard work will, in the long run produce better images. Now what I would seriously recommend is that you wait till this summer and take a good hard look at the new Nikon digital which has not yet been introduced to the general public but will be coming out to compete price wise with the Canon Rebel Digital. It's not just about the number of mexapixals that determines image quality. Leaving aside the human factor things such as filtering, noise, moire filters, body quality, capture software, etc which are also extremely important. Unless you must have that camera today - I'd wait a few months and see what both Fuji and Nikon have in store.

Hope this was not too critical and I agree with Reid M in his advice to play with both. However I do disagree with the assumption that digital is an entirely new way to communicate your art, it's simply a different way.

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0 January 28, 2004

Michael McCullough

I have talked casually with a portrait photographer in regards to his Fuji S2 and he did mention that the colours were at times oversaturated and he was allways reworking his images in photoshop,any ways both appear to be OK cameras,but did you know that Nikon is coming out with a brand new D70 which is supposed to be under a 1000 dollars and looks to be very nice.

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0 January 28, 2004

Beth Espinoza

Hi Amanda!
While I LOVE the Canons, especially the EOS 1/10Ds, I found a very good deal on the Fuji Finepix S1 Pro (The 6.17 eff. mPix). While I am something of a novice, I have been EXTREMELY HAPPY with the performance of this camera! (It has the Nikon lense F-mount, for the Nikon/Nikkormat(?) lenses.)
Are you sure that maybe you didn't get the S2 Pro and S1 Pro mixed up while researching? A 6 mPix loss seems unusually large. The way that I learned how much mPix a photographer needs is dependant upon the largest size prints that you anticipate producing, figured at 300 dpi for the LxH of the picture.(This is the "rule of thumb" widely used for print-quality photo resolution, similar to print resolution from non-digital pix.) A 3-ish mPix camera will give you a 300 dpi resolution for a print photo equal to about an 8x10, while a 12 mPix I guess would give you something about 4 times those dimensions. I hope this isn't going over what you already know, but you'd be surprised how many people aren't aware of it. (I'm with you, though, if you can afford it--GO FOR IT!)
Trying the cameras out is EXCELLENT ADVICE! I think that no matter which you choose, you're going to be happy with chioce, as they are both fine cameras.
Best of luck to you!

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0 January 28, 2004

Gregg Vieregge

I have been shooting professionally for 3 years with the Fuji S2 and I have been very satisfies. I use Tamron lenses. They work great. I have never shot with a canon so I have no advice there. I have heard the new Rebel is alot of camera for the $$$. I am waiting for the new Fuji S3 to cone out this spring and I'm sure I'll purchase it. The 6.12 effective pixels will keep my files in JPEG for faster editing. I have great success in this range.