Introduction
I started my photography digitally straight
from the beginning. So I never owned any film camera or lenses
or other gears before. But I had heard enough about Nikon
and Canon reputation in photography world. Back in 1995, my
very first digital camera was Kodak DC40 (wonder if you'd
know it?), followed by Nikon Coolpix 990 (1999), Coolpix 995
(2000) and Coolpix 5000 (2001 until now). After a few years
of using the compact digital camera and learned all of it's
limitations, I then longed for the SLR body for a better functions
and capabilities. I was waiting patiently for the price to
come down. Finally, in Jan 2003, the lower end digital SLR
body like Nikon D100, Canon D60 became affordable for me.
I liked to try both Canon D60 and Nikon D100
but at that time, the D60 is very hard to find and there was
a rumour that the product is discontinued (or in the other
word, there will be another one coming out) corporate with
the reviews of these two that favors the Nikon D100. So I
ended up purchasing D100 and started learning about digital
SLR.
Nikon D100 is an impressive camera with it's
feature and functions. Learning Nikon D100 is very easy for
me as I have been using Nikon Coolpix cameras for years. For
those who came to this way just like me will be very pleased
with the capabilities of the SLR body which completely exceed
the simple point&shoot camera. Later, I also learn that
to get great pictures - we need a decent lens. Or the other
word, the lenses play more important role than the camera
body. And buying the camera body is just a start, there are
a lot more to invest.
Then, in March 2003, Canon releases the D60
replacement - the Canon 10D. Of course, getting hands on this
camera takes a while since it's a hot cake and still hard
to find it in stock even now. Finally, I received my first
10D in April. The Canon 10D is also a very sweet camera, there
are many things that are different from the Nikon D100 and
since I'm having both in my hands now. Can't resist to compare
both.
Comparing both
cameras
Since this is so informal. I just gonna go through
each topics at my own will.
1) Looks and feels.
Canon 10D has a Magnesium alloy body which feels
rugged and cold to touch while D100 , even feel the same but
according to one source, it's made from high impact plastic
with metal substructure. Obviously, the D100 is taller and
lighter while 10D is shorter and heavier. Holding them in
my hands, D100 feels more like holding the camera which may
be it's ergonomic design or it's weight. The power switch
is in the perfect place and both the wheel controls are just
right there with your thumb and index and feel very comfortable
to shoot with one hand. Holding 10D, it feels like holding
a brick because of it's shape and weight. Even though it has
more added curves (comparing to D60). Nikon D100 feels better.
They both came with the same accessories - 1
battery, 1 charger, no memory card, 1 camera strap, TV and
PC connector, CD software, manuals. Another thing is D100
come with the clear plastic protector (Nikon BM-2) for the
LCD which is a big plus.
The build quality in details e.g. battery door,
CF card door - the Canon 10D is better and more rugged. But
in general and the major point of view, they're both well
built.
D100 body is taller than 10D which becomes a
minus for me since it does not fit my camera bag as 10D. Also
when you attach the lens on D100, it tends to tumble down
to the front due to the lens' weight. The shorter 10D's body
allow both the camera and lens to stay flat and nice on the
table.
2) AF
The D100 AF is fast and accurate. It performs
very well in low light. This is one of the major winning area
of D100 over D60. Canon 10D is supposed to have an improved
AF over the D60. Canon 10D has 7 AF areas and each square
is so tiny compare to the focus areas in D100 (5 bracket areas)
which are big end more practical to use.
There is no flaws about AF in D100. It does
a perfect job and make me wondered how much better this could
be in the higher models like Nikon D1 series. Unfortunately,
the 10D does have some issues. There are many discussions
about front/back focus in the dpforum.
I, for one, was having problem with back focus and have to
send the camera back to Canon repair service center which
still didn't fix the problem. Finally, I got the 2nd 10D which
can deliver the more accurate focus.
From shooting both cameras : D100 focuses better
with no doubts. At the same intentionally dim environment
where the 10D couldn't focus, the D100 still can focus without
helps (I mean AF assisted light, etc).
Shooting the test chart ( I learned all this
from testing my front/back AF with my first 10D) with both
cameras make me know that D100 delivered the accurate focus
point with very minimal errors and doesn't need a lot of controls.
My 1st 10D before fix always slightly back focus at all time
and then had completely gone wacko after calibration done
at Canon Factory Service Center in NJ. My 2nd 10D can deliver
the dead on balls accurate focus with many controlled variables.
read on. In conclusion, it takes more work to get my 10D to
pass the test while the Nikon D100 doesn't.
To test your 10D, it's very important
to control all the variables. You'll need to use tripod,
delayed shutter (timer or remote cord), mirror lock
up (if the shutter is too slow). The famous test chart
can be downloaded from here.
The 10D need adequate light source and the square area
need to be right on the target.
If that square just happened to cover a bit to the
right, you'll perhaps get the front focus and vice versa.
The details about how to shoot the test chart can be
read at the above web site (that you downloaded the
test chart). My only suggestion is to shoot multiple
shots (at least 3) for each focal length. |
 |
In the low light, the D100 will use the AF assisted
light (the bright light in the front that do the RED-EYE reduction
job and flashing for the timer shutter release). This light
can be turned off and most of the time D100 can do the job
well without it. Canon 10D doesn't use this light (it's used
only as a timer shutter release indicator) but will fire the
short bursts of internal flash to help AF. I found this very
annoying since the flashing light is what we're using to provoke
the seizure electrical activities during the EEG (Electroencephalography)
and there was a report of seizure induced by the same kind
of flashing light from the TV. You can turn this off in 10D
as well but then, it can't focus in the dark!
Both 10D and D100 can use the infrared AF assisted
lamp if you connect them to the external flash. Honestly,
if I were to shoot in the dim/dark condition, I'd shoot with
the external flash which then the IR assisted AF will be used.
So the lack of in-camera AF assisted lamp doesn't bother me.
My first 10D (serial no 0302xx..) did have
problem with an inconsistent back focus. After I have my replacement
(the 2nd 10D, serial no 0402xx...), the focus seems to be
more consistent and accurate. However, my experiences of using
all those - D100, old 10D and my current 10D, I can not be
very confident shooting 10D with the narrow depth of field
like I can with D100. Either I have to increase depth of field
(mainly by increasing aperture) or shoot the same thing multiple
times. With Nikon D100, I feel more secure with the AF.
So, for AF. The Nikon D100 wins (probably -
not a lot : this is only when you got a non defective10D unit
like my 2nd one).
3) Flash
Internal Flash
The internal flash of 10D doesn't pop very
high above the lens so it can cast the shadow
with some lens at some focal length while the D100 suffers this
problem much less. . I found the internal flash of 10D is almost
useless due to the above reason. The structure of the hot shoe
on 10D is also more delicate or in the other word - easily broke.
My 1st 10D had this problem because one of the tiny button underneath
the left rail (see picture) fails to stretch all the way up
and kept telling the camera that the ext flash is still on.
That made the int flash refused to pop up and is one of the
reasons that I sent it back for repair. The int. flash of D100
will pop up mechanically which is very convenient and the hot
shoe is solid without a black paint. No worry about sliding
in/out the ext flash. The D100 also allows more controls which
you can choose from a regular mode (Front curtain sync), Red-eye
reduction, Red-eye reduction with slow sync, slow sync, Rear-curtain
sync and slow rear-curtain sync. In 10D, you can find each mode
of flashes spread all over the place, hidden unorganized in
the custom menu. So simply spoken - D100 has more solid (and
simple) int. flash structure and better flash controls.
External Flash
Comparing between the top model external flashes
of both- Nikon SB-80 DX and Canon 550 EX. They are both made
in Japan, (or MIJ which is one of my personal criteria for
buying stuffs). I like SB-80 better just because It's smaller,
looks cool, better mounting system (easy and stronger) and
the screen display is big and clearly seen (please note that
SB-80 DX come out later than 550EX). It also comes with the
white bounce card and the dome diffuser. Physically, the 550
EX just look like a brick (again ?!) due to it's size (much
bigger) and weight. The display screen looks kin da obsolete
with small text display. The one good thing about 550EX is
the mini stand for remote wireless flash. Also, the flash
head control in SB-80 DX is better - only 1 switch will let
you turn and tilt while on 550 EX they're separated. These
2 flashes both came with a mediocre pouch or bag and use 4
of AA batteries. One observation is the 550EX is significantly
louder (yes, that high pitch moaning noise).
Functionally, I like the Canon 550 EX better.
My flash pictures in D100 tend to be underexposed (can be
fixed easily if you're shooting RAW) while the 550EX plays
along very well with 10D and give a nice and well balanced
shot. That perhaps has nothing to do with the flash itself
but it's the whole system. I also like the wireless and High
speed sync flash in 550EX. The wireless control on 550EX is
on the physical button which is very easy while the SB-80
DX will need to go through the menu.
So by conclusion. D10's internal flash is quite
useless and this demands getting an external flash. Having
550 EX (or others) is a must and then will does all the job
and also answer the question why the higher model like Canon
1D, 1Ds or Nikon D1 series don't have internal flash.
4) RAW Conversion Software
Nikon D100 comes with the Nikon View (NV) 5.0
(you can download 6.0 now)
which is much better than Canon FileViewer Utility v1.2 (FVU)
that come with 10D. The Canon FVU is extremely slow and it
refreshes (with that slow speed) every time you apply the
changes. This slow speed has made Canon FVU become completely
useless to me.
Canon doesn't offer a better version of the
software but Nikon offer the Nikon Capture (NC) for $99 which
can handle the picture fantastically. It has many controls
and it can turn a bad shot into a stunning image. The NC also
can do the batch conversion in just a snap. It'd be my next
purchase if I'd stay with Nikon.
I have been looking for the good 3rd party software
that can handle Canon proprietary RAW format (CRW file) and
have not yet found anything like Nikon Capture. Many of these
software that I tried has some limitations and didn't make
me feel it worth the money. Not even with the one that most
people like - Capture
one LE. This lack of good RAW conversion software in 10D
has made me tend to shoot jpg in some unimportant event while
I always shot RAW with D100.
I do not find any benefits of having the jpg
tagged with CRW file in 10D. Because these jpg files are completely
embedded and nobody (no other software) can see it except
for Canon FUV or other Canon's software. And then to extract
these files, you still have to wait at roughly the same time
you spend to convert them from RAW. And these tagged jpg just
make the CRW file bigger than it should be without.
Also it's deserved to mention that shooting
RAW in 10D will give you 2 files simultaneously - CRW and
THM. I found this is annoying since you have to copy both
or delete one of these when you transfer the files. If you
put the CRW back into the CF card without the THM, the camera
won't see that image.
5) Noise
This is the one thing 10D is a clear winner.
This is mainly due to the differences of image capturing chip
CMOS (in 10D) and CCD (D100). If you have been using the point
& shoot digital camera before, like me, you'll be amazed
with the lower noise level in the digital SLRs (it has bigger
physical CCD size, so it has higher signal-noise ratio). Look
at the shot with the lens cap on for each camera and you'll
see that both D100 and 10D (10D image is cleaner when you
look at the entire image by click on each cropped) has much
less significant noise and dead pixels which can be appreciated
even with the cropped images.
| These are cropped images
from the following 3 cameras shot with the lens caps on,
M mode, 10 s, f/8.0 at ISO 800. Click on each image to
see the entire shot |
|
|
|
There are many factors that impact the noise
level e.g. the ISO, the temperature (noise is significantly
higher in the hot climate), and exposure of the picture.
We have already pretty much known that Canon
10D has lower noise. I wanted to point out that the noise
from Nikon D100 in a regular exposure time is not too bad,
actually quite good. If shooting in the adequate light and
any shutter speed that is higher than 1/60, the noise from
both camera at the ISO lower than 400 is quite good and usable.
For 10D some shots at ISO 800 is unbelievably clean.
This is the test image that I shot in
the control settings. Canon 10D + Canon EF 24-70 2.8
L USM and Nikon D100 + Nikkor 24-85 mm ED AFS. Please
do not compare the image quality since both lenses are
quite different in quality (and price) and these shots
are made only to compare noises between the 2 cameras.
As you know, the noise will become more noticeable
when you enlarge the image. So from the above test image,
I have enlarged it to 100% and placed a crop in the
neck area of the this ceramic.
Click on each crop below to display the entire images
in another window at 2000 x 1434. |
 |
| Nikon D100 |
Canon 10D |
| ISO
100 is not available in Nikon D100 |
|
| ISO
100, 1/20 sec , f/4.5 |
|
|
|
|
|
| ISO
800, 1/160 sec, f/5.0 |
|
| ISO
800, 1/180 sec, f/4.5 |
|
| ISO
1600, 1/250 sec, f/5.0 |
|
| ISO
1600, 1/350 sec, f/4.5 |
|
| ISO
3200, 1/500 sec, f/5.0 |
|
| ISO
3200 will be updated. |
|
| ISO
6400 will be updated. |
|
| ISO
6400 is not available in Canon 10D. |
|
|
| You can see that Canon 10D is a winner
at every ISO level but noises from D100 is not too bad.
Actually, to be able to get the shots is perhaps more
important than noise levels or inability to shoot at all.
There are many software that will eliminate noises e.g.
Neat
image or the noise reduction (NR) bar came with some
RAW conversion software (which you have to shoot RAW)
e.g. Nikon Capture, Breeze
Browser, etc (unfortunately, not NV 6.0 or CFUV 1.2)
will help a lot. And whether or not the noise will be
seen, it depends on what you do after. If you leave the
whole image cropped or use it for a small thumbnail or
display on the web site, those noises won't be noticeable
(see picture ->). But if you are gonna blow up and
print that image, now the noise is your enemy. |
A shot at ISO 3200 from Nikon D100. |
One thing about ISO adjustment that should be
mentioned is the range adjustability of each camera. The 10D
ISO started from 100 and can be increased by doubling the
number from 100 -> 200 -> 400 -> 800 -> 1600 (only
5 levels), while the D100 started from 200 and go for 250,
320, 400, 500, 640, 800, 1000, 1250, 1600, Hi-1 (3200) and
Hi-2 (6400). Honestly, D100 fine ISO adjustment is more useful
and the higher ISO at 3200 and 6400 can save you in some rare
circumstances.
Now the big difference in noise issue of
these 2 cameras are the long exposure shot. The CCD in Nikon
D100 does the mediocre job with the long exposure.
I did a comparison by shooting night images
from the rooftop of my apartment. The picture on your right
is the entire shot. Both cameras (D100 + Nikkor 24-85mm, 10D
+ EF 24-70mm) are on tripod, ISO 200, M mode and the exposure
time was set at 6, 10 and 30 seconds.
For Nikon D100, there are 2 series of shots
- NR on or NR off.
Both cameras are shot with auto WB, but for
each series of shots took a while and the sky keep changing
all the time. You may notice the color between each shot are
quite different.
The shots are made in RAW (CRW and NEF) which
then convert to a readable format by Nikon View 6.0 and Canon
FVU 1.2.
The images below are the crop at 100% around the Chrysler
building of each shots we took. Then you can click on each
thumbnails below to see the entire images.
| D100,
S 6", A 7.1 ISO 200 NR -OFF |
|
| D100,
S 6", A 7.1 ISO 200 NR -ON |
|
| Canon
10D, S 6", A 6.7, ISO 200 |
|
| D100,
S 10", A 9 ISO 200 NR -OFF |
|
| D100,
S 10", A 9 ISO 200 NR -ON |
|
| Canon
10D, S 10", A 9.5, ISO 200 |
|
| D100,
S 30", A 16ISO 200 NR -OFF |
|
| D100,
S 30", A 16ISO 200 NR -ON |
|
| Canon
10D, S 30", A 16, ISO 200 |
|
|
As you can see, the Canon 10D produces clean
images at any exposure time from 6 sec toward 30 second (you
can go for more !) with very small increasing of noise. This
render the un necessity of having Noise Reduction job. Meanwhile,
noises in D100 is more visualized than 10D's and at the extra
long exposure 30 sec, the noise is visibly very clearly at
even the crop picture. But the NR function works great, too.
The NR in Nikon can be turn on or off. It does
take a very long time (longer with longer exposure) to finished
and while it's working, the camera will be in a locked state
- can't use, can't change the settings. It is a big downside
of this feature. BTW, but this very same camera NR can be
done later in Adobe PS.
In conclusion. Noises from higher ISO with normal
shutter speeds (that you can hold with your hands) are not
too bad for either cameras. But noises from long exposure
is significantly less in Canon 10D. To each his own, if long
exposure/night shots are so important to you. We got a clear
winner here. I have known somebody who is so loyal to Nikon
and never wanted to switch but he bought the 10D for this
purpose only !
6) Features and Functions.
You will find that I am helplessly biased to
nikon in this area since I came from Nikon Coolpix and somehow
I've grown accustomed to using Nikon system. Shooting both
D100 and 10D are quite similar but also quite different.
 |
Nikon D100 function dial looks primitively
classic. Not a lot of shooting mode you got, the most
automatic mode would be P (Flexible
Program) in which you let the camera choose both A (aperture)
and S (shutter speed) for you. M =
Manual, A = Aperture priority and S
is Shutter priority.
As you can see that the ISO, WB, Quality (image type,
size), AF mode control are in the same knob. Some people
complain about this design because you have to turn
the dial out of your shooting set to change those. I
find this annoying but not too terrible. You actually
can control all of those (ISO, WB, Q, AF) through the
menu display as well. |
 |
Canon 10D came with more idiot modes
that called Basic zone and
the others called creative zone.
People who came from Canon or always shoot auto mode
before will love these Basic Zone. I do not find uses
of these much except for the sports. Note that these
basic zone will record only jpg type (no RAW). It's
a quick combination of settings that suit for each events.
For the creative zone.
Canon used a different abbrev. which looks more complicated
but pretty much the same thing. P for
flexible program, Tv : shutter priority,
Av : aperture priority and M
: manual. A-DEP is something I start
to get fond of, the camera will choose the A that provide
the widest depth of field. This mode will entitle you
to use dynamic AF area and you won't be able to choose
your own S or A but will be confident that subjects
in the shot will come out well-focused.
|
I will not go through every details because
it'd make this simple report too long. I'll mention what I
like and what I dislike on each camera.
-Canon 10D menu is easier to browse. The menu
looks more novice and sophisticated and browsing with the
quick control dial is just a snap. The control menu in D100
looks quite primitive and the arrow keys just need more effort
to get what you want.
-As you know, D100 will display the remaining
shots (in memory card) at all time (even off) and has instantaneous
start up while the 10D will require a few second before you
can shoot. I don't find this delay much problematic but some
people do. Having the remaining shots always displayed is
a nice touch.
-D100 can go forever with one battery while
10D does not (but still not too bad compare to battery usage
in p&s digital camera that uses LCD as a VF).
-Like I said before. I like the flash control
settings in D100 better. In Canon10D, these flash control
can be found all over the place through the menu and custom
menu, not quite handy. One thing about the slow sync. There
is no slow sync for flash in Canon10D but you'll achieve the
same thing by choosing the Basic Zone- Night portrait. If
you want the RAW shot of slow sync, you'll have to shoot in
Tv, Av or M
mode. For P or A-DEP with
the flash, the S will fixed at 1/60 with varied A. When I
was shooting Nikon, my most commonly used mode is A.
When the flash will be used, the shutter will be fixed at
1/60 which then I can dial A to wherever I want (if my flash
can reach far enough). To get the Av mode
with flash in Canon 10D works like A in Nikon
system, you'll have to go to custom setting no. 3 and order
the Flash sync speed to fix at 1/200.
-As mentioned before, changing ISO, WB, Q, AF
area is easier in 10D. You don't need to get out of your shooting
set.
-When shooting in the dark with 10D, I can't
see which Mode that I'm using (M, Av,
or else ?) because it doesn't display anywhere, not in the
top LCD, not in the VF (View Finder) and the control dial
doesn't light up. I am completely blind with this, not until
I get a small torch or some light source to look at the knob
and see where I am. Also the LCD light on 10D will automatically
go off very quick (in roughly 2 sec), not enough for me to
check everything and you can't control the length of this
light. In D100, the light will stay on until you turn it off
and you can set for it to come up when any button is pressed.
Not to mention that D100's VF displays a lot info, enough
that you don't need to look at the top LCD much while Canon
10D's VF doesn't do that and yet small enough to strain my
eye muscles. That make a purchase of Canon Angle Finder C
became necessary and very helpful for me.
-Some sort of battery saving strategy is going
on with 10D, besides of that LCD light that go off too quickly,
also the auto-metering status of the camera is gone too quickly,
too. After you 1/2 press the shutter button, you have only
about 5 sec to make changes on A or S, o/w it will be gone
and you have to 1/2 press again. This is very annoying to
me compare to D100 which you can set the auto-off time for
this auto-metering from 4 sec to 30min. I left mine on 30
min and do not feel any losing of battery power.
-Did I tell you that Nikon D100 VF is much better
(easier to see) with a lot of info and grids? The grids display
in D100's VF is very helpful when shooting landscape or buildings.
Of course, you can turn those off if you don't like but you
can't have it in 10D.
-Controlling the exposure on 10D is much easier
through the quick control dial. This could be a double-edged
sword since your finger may accidentally change it unknowingly.
That's why they made the lock button for it !
-Deleting multiple files in 10D could be painful
since you can not choose multiple images before command the
order "DELETE" like you can in Nikon D100 (and also
other coolpixes).
-Folder system in 10D is terrible, you can't
designate your own custom folder and the camera will automatically
start the new folder when the running number reach every hundredth.
This is annoying when you are transferring the images. Also
shooting Canon RAW, you'll automatically get 2 files for the
same picture - big CRW and small THM. Again, annoying for
transferring. You can delete the THM file as long as you don't
want to transfer that CRW file back to the CF card cause the
10D won't read the CRW without the corresponding THM file
that it creates !
-D100 will let you designate the folders and
the images stay in the same folder until you change it. You
also can key in (painfully slow) your text comment into each
picture !
-Format the CF card in 10D is much faster and
easier.
-Taking custom WB (Nikon called Preset WB) is
different in both. I don't know which one is actually better
but I like Nikon's way. In D100, it takes measurement by have
you release the shutter after the gray (or white) card that
placed and filled up in the viewfinder. Then, the camera will
tell you "good" or "no good". In 10D,
you simply take the real picture of that gray card and it's
stored in the folder as 1 picture. The good thing about this
is you can keep it and memorize the setting and come back
to use it again anytime. The bad is it'll take space in the
CF card unless you change the Q to the lowest (which again,
takes extra process) and also I do not know which WB I should
set when taking the picture of gray card for custom WB. In
10D's manual, it says anything but I bet that gray card look
completely different between each WB settings !
-Canon 10D has automatic image rotation detector
which work miraculously. These designated rotated images will
show up correctly only in some browsers e.g. CFUV, Canon Zoom
browser, BreezeBrowser, etc. It'll be useless in some program
which doesn't read this indicator e.g. ACDsee v.4.0.2 or QimagePro,
etc. But all in all, it's nice to have it.
-Canon 10D has some extra features about printing
e.g. direct printing, DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) which
doesn't give me any benefits. I still require a PC and some
post-processing jobs before printing but this could be a benefit
to somebody.
| -NikonD100 came with the LCD protector
(Nikon BM-2) which is a hugh plus for me since I'm scratch-protecter
freak. It's something I was born with and I proudly admitted
that I am obsessed to protect every scratchable surfaces
on any gadgets in my belongings. Obviously, some people
do not care about this. I, myself, was desperately looking
for something like Nikon BM-2 that work on Canon 10D,
something protecting but clear enough to see through and
meanwhile - easily removable for cleaning. Nothing a like
Nikon BM-2 the closest thing on earth could be the DA
protector (choose the one for Olympus) which is reasonably
priced. The DA protector use the sticky tape to go on
the original screen which mean that it doesn't easily
come off and it's pretty thick but yet very clear to see
through. Some careless folks will recommend you do not
put anything on because you can change that original window
by yourselves. I do not aware of how to get that LCD window
part but I can confirm you that it can come off and it
will surprise you with Sony brand inside ! |
| when I was removing the DA
protector from my 1st 10D, the original LCD screen
came off and this is what behind Canon's logo. Click
the image to see the bigger. |
|
-Shooting panorama ? In Nikon D100 (actually,
since Coolpix), you'll be able to lock the auto exposure and
taking your time to pan-shooting your shots until you finished
and unlock that auto exposure. The AE lock in Canon 10D doesn't
hold. After you pressed that lock button, it stayed lock only
if you keep the AE stayed on by either continue taking picture
or continue 1/2 pressing the shutter release (AE stay roughly
only 5 sec after you 1/2 press). So shooting panorama with
10D could be the pain. Either have to do a quick succession
of shots or go back to measure AE again (praying that it doesn't
change) or completely use everything manual.
-I like the Canon remote shutter release TC-80N3
(you can buy other cheaper models) that can connect directly
to 10D. In Nikon D100, you need to have the vertical battery
grip to connect the electronic remote control. But, in D100,
it allows you to use the conventional mechanical remote shutter
cord.
-Be careful, opening the CF card door in 10D
will interrupt the CF card writing which means that you'll
lose those writing images. Opening CF card door in D100 won't
do that. Turning the camera off while the D100 is writing
(green light flases) is not recommended by Nikon but the camera
still continue to write until but ejecting the card or pull
the battery out could make you lose the buffered images. In
10D, there are sensors that detect the CF card door and also
the battery door and make the camera know it's open or closed.
-Buffering in 10D will allow you to shoot more
shots (9 full jpg/ 9 CRW) in continuous shooting compare to
D100 (8 full size jpg and only 4 uncompressed RAW) and this
will make shooting sport in D100 with RAW format almost impractical.
One funny thing is - in 10D, when the buffer is full and the
camera is flushing images to CF card, you won't be able to
review your images (busy... busy ... busy..., I thought that
what we normally try to do when we can't shoot) but you can
in D100.
-Preview image. Well, they both have pros and
cons. D100 preview give you 7 different types of previews
(image only, image with file number, image with full file
name + date + time, image with 1st page info, 2nd page info,
image with histogram, mage with blinking highlight). In 10D,
there only 2 previews, image without info (file name, S, f)
and image with info (histogram, ISO, FE, Exposure compensation,
Q, WB). Some of these may be excess and unnecessary but the
one with blinking highlight is very useful (and this is not
available in 10D). So you can adjust exposure or do exposure
bracketing and this is what image preview is mainly for (in
my opinion). For 10D, first it doesn't provide this info (but
you can see from the histogram, too) and secondly the LCD
screen can be too bright and you don't know that your image
is under-exposure until you see it on your calibrated monitor.
Anyway, the zoom in function in 10D is easier,
better and allow you to 10X zoom in and out. Navigation to
each area of image is a little wired since you can move in
one direction at a time while D100 will let you zoom in only
6x but you can browse through each area easily with the multi-selector
button (the one with 4 arrows). Meanwhile, the 10D preview
stays forever until you shut the camera off or press shutter
button but D100 preview will automatically go off in about
based on your setting (Custom #6) from 10s to 10min. The auto-off
review time that you set in 10D's menu is only for auto preview.
It's ironic to say that the camera is trying to conserve the
battery power but doesn't control the major draining LCD usages.
-Bracketing (AE, AE with flash, Flash only or
WB) in D100 can be done easier cause there is a physical button
present compare to 10D which you have to go through the menu.
-Metering. Spot metering is not available in
10D and the closest to "spot" is partial metering
which cover 9% (Spot in D100 : 2%). I don't use much spot
metering and that 9% will be fine for me. But I wondered between
35 area evaluative metering in 10D and the 3D 10 segment matrix
metering in D100, which one is better ?
-Self timer in D100 can be chosen from 2,5 10
or 20 sec while in 10D, it's fixed at 10 sec.
7) Battery
Should I mention again that digital SLR will
not allows you to use LCD display as a VF (the mirror will
block the way). This tremendously save the battery juice.
When using Coolpix, I need to carry around at least 3 more
spare batteries. With the digital SLR, battery lasts very
long unless you use a lot of LCD for display. However, there
are still some differences between these 2.
For Nikon D100, the EN-EL3 is rated at 1400
mA and it seems to last unbelievably forever. Leaving the
camera on doesn't seem to drain the battery (unlike 10D) at
all. I remember shooting all day with only one battery and
still can't deplete it (try to use the other 3 in my spare).
Also the battery indicator on D100 is better since it tells
you at 3 steps before it actually exhausted. This battery
indicator is also shown in the VF. This EN-EL3 will automatically
charge the internal battery (not replaceable) that keep time
and date stored.
There are 2 batteries in 10D. One is the lithium
button battery CR2025 which store date and time. Another is
BP 511 for 10D rated at 1100 mA and it doesn't last as long
as EN-EL3. I was surprised to find that the camera is draining
the battery when you left it on but not using it ! I have
never achieved the number of shots per battery advertised
by Canon. The battery indicator also has only 2 levels, full
and partiall and next thing you know, it's out !
8) Cost of ownership
The price of 10D (street price = 1499 USD) is
significantly lower than D100 (used to be 1999.95 USD, now
(as of April,03 -it's 1699.95 USD) even it came out later.
In the digital SLR world, the cost of lenses could be much
more substantial than the camera body. Actually, since now
the camera body is digital - like the PC, it doesn't hold
the value over time. So paying a lot of money for the camera
body is not worthwhile.
By average, the prices of Canon lenses and accessories/lenses
seem to be more reasonable than Nikon's (some items - Canon
may be more expensive e.g. the Canon angle finder is more
expensive than Nikon's). They're both made in Japan and they're
both supposed to have the same quality, even though I tend
to like Nikon's gear better only because the cosmetic reasons.
I will omit to discuss about the lenses since I don't have
much knowledge about them. To my feelings, Canon has more
newer designed lenses than Nikon's. The feature that called
"USM" or Ultrasonic Motor (something that make the
lens focus faster and quieter) or AF-S in Nikon, these feature
are available in Canon lenses more than Nikon's. Almost all
Canon's lenses now are USM.
In United States (at least in NYC), you can
buy the "gray market" stuffs. The gray market or
sometimes called "imported" are authentic since
they're made by Canon or Nikon. Only they're in the states
without going through Nikon USA or Canon USA. So mainly, the
store who is selling them (usually big stores) will be responsible
for carry the warranty. And of course, the gray market stuff
is a little bit (sometimes, quite a bit) cheaper.
The reason I talk about this because I am impressed
that Canon USA who will repair any broken Canon's parts even
though you bought them as a gray market while the Nikon USA
will not. See the differences ? So Canon is always Canon,
anywhere in the world but Nikon is not !.
9) Sensor Dusts
This was a new topic to me since I came from
p&s digital camera.
Now I've learnt that in digital SLR camera, occasionally,
the small dust particle can enter the camera and make it's
way to reach and stay on the sensor (CCD or CMOS) surface
and cause speckles in the images. Normally, these dusts won't
show up until you're shooting something smooth and has continuous
tone like sky with a small aperture. (To appreciate your dust
the best, try shooting sky with f22)
Well, I have not owned 10D long enough as I
have owned Nikon D100. The dust issue is truly annoying and
you'll need to learn how to clean it and how to live with
it. Can't deny that dust is every where and the camera was
designed to have interchangeable lenses, so it's inevitable
to get dust on CCD/CMOS occasionally.
Now, there are many people who believe that
Canon 10D has less problem with this because the CMOS seems
to use less electricity and somehow generate less static attraction
to dusts. I have heard from some people that they don't really
appreciate this. The CMOS on 1Ds or 10D could capture dusts
as well. To me, owning the 2nd 10D for 7 days - I have already
had the dust that require the swab&wipe method. So I can't
really appreciate this less dust possibility on 10D either.
If you want to read more about cleaning dusts
on CCD, read this
and this.
Anyway, I want to praise Canon for giving us
the ability to clean the sensor with the battery supply. In
Nikon D100 or D60 or D30, the sensor cleaning requires the
AC adapter. This is actually not quite an improvement for
upgrade from D60 since D60 package supply the battery charger
with AC adapter. But in D100, if you don't buy a separate
EH-5 AC adapter (another $79), you can't effectively clean
the sensor. The cheat way is to tell the camera to stay open
the shutter (use bulb) and clean it. But this way, you'll
lose one finger that keep pressing that shutter button and
also the sensor still active while cleaning (may attract more
dusts).
10) Image quality
I think both cameras can produce the very good
images. Like I said before, the lens and the photographer
are way more important than the camera itself. The good photographers
can produce the excellent images from one of these cameras
if they have good lenses. To me, I don't see much differences
in image quality between these 2 camera with the comparable
lenses. Shooting RAW has now become my habit and the image
quality is just superb after some digital darkroom work. Only
that I wish I can find a better software for Canon's RAW manipulation.
The one like Nikon Capture.
| Phuket, Thailand.
Nikon D100 with Nikkor AF-S 24-85 ED. 1/100 sec,
f/9, ISO 200. WB -preset. |
|
Final Conclusion
I have hesitated for quite some time, holding
both cameras in my hands. Learning Canon system took me weeks
to get used to. Also facing problems with back focus issue
and internal flash with my 1st 10D. I almost decided to stay
with Nikon D100 since you can see that to my feelings, I like
D100 and Nikon very much (it's funny that my personal text-proofer
was wondering that I actually chose Canon after he read this
review ?). After all, I got the replacement 10D that actually
works. Comparing just only the camera body isn't enough to
entitle you to either Canon or Nikon world. There are many
other factors including lenses, accessories and which camera
suits you better. In reality, I can not stay with both since
they have different expensive expansions beyond the camera
body itself. I finally decided to stay with Canon 10D because
it's a digital world and Canon has shown to me that they are
aggressive in improving their products in the reasonable time.
Being with Nikon for years, it's very obvious that Nikon just
slowly making their move even though it seems to be more robust
and very conservative (should be good with the film camera).
Finally, choosing any camera is up to you. I
can't decide or answer for you. You may find yourselves more
comfortable with Nikon. Any cameras in a good photographer's
hand can produce the stunning images.
Orchid show
at Rockefeller center. Canon 10D + 550 EX + EF
16-35 mm.
1/200 sec, f/4.0, ISO 100, WB - preset
|
|
|
