It's been more than 10 years since I owned my first digital camera and in that time I have changed brands several times – but never to Canon. I know they make amazing cameras and Canon users are fiercely loyal, but there’s never been a camera I’ve really wanted (or that I could afford).
My first ever camera, long before I owned a DSLR, was a very basic Sony point and shoot. I loved it and I took it everywhere with me, snapping away at anything and everything. When I was a little older and decided to get more serious about photography I started researching the best cameras for beginners. At the time the Nikon D3200 was recommended to me by several people and I think this is where my unjust biased against Canon began.
• Read more: Best mirrorless cameras
For me, the Nikon D3200 was the perfect beginner camera. It helped me get to grips with shooting in all the various modes and enabled me to push my photography further than I had before. I was experimenting with portraits, landscape, macro, abstractions, street photography and even a bit of nightlife so I was devastated when it was stolen at a house party. In hindsight, it might've been just what needed to happen as it pushed me to take it more seriously.
Not long after I made the jump up to full frame and invested in a Nikon D750 - it felt like the natural progression after owning one Nikon body as I was already accustomed to the layout, menus and feel of Nikon products, switching to Canon would’ve felt alien.
Buying the Nikon D750 was one of the best decisions I ever made. Suddenly I was being booked to shoot at festivals, nights out and even weddings. I finally felt like a ‘proper photographer' and not only that, people were paying me to do something I loved. I started to think that maybe this was something I could do as a job, and with that, I started seeking out more work and more clients.
When it became time to upgrade again, I thought about sticking with Nikon and moving to the Nikon D850 but something about the Fujifilm X-T3 was drawing me in. It felt like a bit more like a side step than an upgrade as I was jumping back to an APS-C sensor, but for the price, it offered some incredible features I just couldn’t get with another brand. Once again, I completely skimmed over the possibility of switching to Canon.
The last time I upgraded I switched from my Fuji to my current camera - a Sony A7 III – as I wanted the low-light capabilities of a full-frame sensor again as well as better video features such as in-body stabilization and the ability to shoot in s-log. I knew I wanted to stick to mirrorless and at the time the Canon EOS R did absolutely nothing for me. The Canon EOS R6 was too expensive and there weren't many affordable RF mount lenses.
Having worked at Wex for several years, it’s not like I haven’t used Canon cameras and it's not that I dislike them, but there has never been one that I’ve really wanted. As much as I don’t like to admit it, I’m a bit of a creature of habit and the fact that the first camera I owned was a Nikon will probably always make me pick Nikon over Canon. Comparably speaking, they are both excellent brands – there’s a reason they’ve been the biggest names in the business for so long and it’s because neither brand make a bad camera. But they were late to join the mirrorless game and because of that, they have some catching up to do.
Who knows – maybe one day I’ll surprise myself and have a change of heart towards Canon, but for now, it doesn’t seem likely. While Canon does make some of the best cameras in the world, they’re also some of the most expensive and until I'm making most of my income from photography I'll be looking to get the most I can for my money. For now, I just don't think that's gonna be with Canon.
