Why I am a Nikonian..?

For me, I'm a Nikonian bcoz I'm using Nikon D5000..
Lens (s) AF-S DX 18-55mm VR

Why do I choose Nikon?

•  love Nikon's colour rendition (tested Canon, but the colour is not punchy as Nikon's)

•  a 'camera only' brand (Canon reminds me of a printer n a calculator! hehe)

• Nikon's 18-55mm VR kit lens is the best kit lens when reviewed with other kit lens.

• readings so many blogs (mainly professionals) that switched their Canon's kit to Nikon's kit and being very happy with their switch (but I know that some Nikon users that switched to Canon)

• Nikon's low light quality/cleaner noise in high ISO

• Nikon's flash system (Nikon's CLS)

• Nikon's lenses optical quality (Nikkor)

• my budget permits me to a Nikon D5000, not Canon EOS 500D.. (both cameras were announced almost at the same time, and their specs are quite the same)

• Nikon berat sikit, so it's a stable grip for a big hand like me..

but, some cons for Nikon:

• my D5000 is an entry-level camera, thus it doesn't have an in-body autofocusing motor and I need AF-S Nikon lenses, or HSM Sigma lenses that have autofocusing motor in their lenses.  Other than these lenses, I need to manual focus only.(it's a pity because I love to have a normal '50mm' lens, but Nikon only have AF (not AF-S) 50mm f1.8D that costs only RM400++. For AF lenses, they need an in-body autofocus motor to enable them to autofocus. The equivalent AF-S 50mm f1.4D costs RM1800++! For 35mm f1.8 DX, it costs around RM800+.)

• Unlike Canon EOS that have autofocusing motors in all their lenses, thus the connections between the body and lenses are electronic-only connection and can autofocus with any Canon camera body. A Canon EF 50mm f1.8II only costs RM350++, and can autofocus on any Canon bodies. I've tried manual focusing using that Nikon AF 50mm and it's quite hard to get in-focus pics bcoz it's hard to see in the viewfinder whether it's in focus or not. U also need to adjust your distance between the subject to have focus on your subject. Gosh~

• Nikon's after sales services were known to be bad... (for this point, i think i'm a lucky customer because Nikon Centre KL service for my Nikon D5000 is good actually..)

• I'll like if Nikon can have like Canon L series group of lenses.. Yup, there are Nikon equivalent lenses, but it's good if Nikon can group them (as example the Canon EF 70-200mm f2.8L IS USM II is the same as the Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f2.8 VR II, both RM7000++).. maybe "Nikon N series" or others..(but I can see that Canon premium L lenses are marked by a red stripe, and Nikon premium lenses are marked by a gold stripe)

err.. it's like that I'm writing a review here.. so loonngg~
sorry if u're tired reading it..

these informations above are from my readings and also my own experience and observations..

(the above post is an edited version of my post in an online forum)

I'm trying to have a speedlight/flashgun next year and the thing I waited for a long time, a new Nikon Speedlight, replacing the SB-600 (maybe) has been announced by Nikon, a Nikon SB-700.

But I still need to wait for the official price in Malaysia. If quoted from Nikon USA price (USD 330) and converted to RM, it will be around RM1024, but i'll think it will be reduced to around Rm900++. If it's true and afforadable, then I can go to SB-700. But if not, I will use the Nissin Di622 speedlight (around RM430++).

Now you can see the enormous difference in price (it's rm500+ you know!). Why? Because Nissin is a 3rd party brand unlike Nikon (it's an own camera brand). 3rd party is not 2nd hand. It's another brand, but can be used with your DSLR camera (example, for lenses, not only Nikon lenses you can use, but 3rd party brands like Sigma, Tamron, Tokina etc).

It's actually an investment. If I think I need to sell my SB-700, I will get a much better price if compared to the Nissin one. 3rd parties equipments are actually made for its value (cheaper).  

Some 3rd party lenses actually can surpass the quality of Nikon lenses. But that's not usually the case for speedlights. Because it's an electronic equipment, it's better to use own brand speedlights because both the camera and speedlight will be in-sync with each other and will not create too much problems (And it's actually an advice from Nikon).

But, as I said before, it's only a planning. If I can't afford it, maybe I'll resort to an older sibling of SB-700, the SB-600, or the Nissin Di622. After all, the reviews I read in internet forums favours the Nissin Di662 compared to other 3rd party speedlights made for Nikon. There's no problem in using the Nissin speedlight for their Nikon camera bodies.

A speedlight is actually a necessity for me. Since I usually cover in-door programs for my societies, the built-in flash is usually just enough, but I need the bounce capability of a speedlight. It can improve my photos by giving a more subtle light and get rid of the ugly shadows from my photos.

I hope I can get a hand on that Sb-700 later on. We'll just wait and see.
But for now, I'm still trying to hone my photography skills before the addition of a speedlight. And I have 2 customers waiting for me to somehow 'rent' me for their convocation ceremony..
I hope I can be a good photographer for them...