In 1959, Nikon's legendary Nikon F was born, helping the SLR to replace the sideshaft. Released in 1980, the Nikon F3 was mass-produced for more than 22 years and accompanied NASA spacecraft into space, making it known for its reliability. Nikon's rugged body has accompanied generations of photographers to the corners of the globe. Its glory continues to this day, and Nikon is the world's second-largest interchangeable-lens camera brand and the only rival to compete with Canon in the SLR field. In 2017, Nikon celebrated its 100th anniversary, and Nikon also set a world record of 100 million lenses sold.
Nikon cameras have always been known for their high sensitivity and high tolerance, and image quality is Nikon's trademark. In Nikon's next-generation products, the optical low-pass filter on the sensor has been removed from almost all of the products, and the sharpness of the image has been further improved. In DXO image quality reviews, Nikon is close to the top performer in the DSLR category, with the Nikon flagship D850 taking the first place in full-frame cameras. Better sensibility and greater latitude bring more creative space, and shooting RAW files with Nikon can retain more light and dark details, and a large proportion of Nikon's DSLR fans are landscape photographers.
On the other hand, the same difference in sensor technology, Nikon SLR in live view mode, focusing speed and accuracy are behind Canon SLR with "all-pixel dual-core focus" technology, the gap is more obvious when shooting video, few professional photographers take Nikon SLR video.
Product sequence
Nikon and Canon account for almost 95% of the DSLR market, and the competition between the two can be described as a zero-sum game, with the two going toe-to-toe on the product line, with almost every product having a corresponding competitor. In terms of naming conventions, Nikon's thousand-digit models are consumer-grade products, which are divided into D3000 series, D5000 series, and D7000 series from low to high, and the hundred-digit models are professional-grade products, divided into D500, D600, D700, and D800 series.
For example, D3500 is an upgrade of D3400 and D810 is an upgrade of D800.
Entry-level model
Nikon's entry-level cameras are D3000 series and D5000 series, the body price is about 2500-3500 yuan, the price difference between the two series of products of the same generation is about 1,000 yuan, the continuous shooting speed is 5 shots / second, and the image quality level is basically the same, the new generation of D3500 and D5600 are equipped with 24.16 million no low-pass filter sensors, and the picture sharpness and high-sensitivity performance are ahead of the Canon SLR at the same price.
The Nikon D3000 series is simple in function and lacks flip screen and Wifi function, which is suitable for consumers who only need simple shooting needs, and is benchmarked against Canon's thousand-digit models. The Nikon D5000 series complements the flip screen and Wifi function, which is easier to use, and is comparable to Canon's 100-digit models.
Overall, the Nikon has a lower price, better image quality, and faster continuous shooting speeds in the entry-level segment, while the Canon is easier to use and has more reliable live view focus. But the biggest competitors of the two today are not each other, but the wide range of mirrorless cameras in this price segment with better performance.
Advanced models
The Nikon D7000 series is positioned in the mid-range with a shoulder screen, which is benchmarked against Canon's double-digit models. The models currently on sale include D7200 and D7500, of which the 2017 update D7500 ushered in a major upgrade, replacing the same image sensor and image processor on Nikon's professional model D500, although it is only 20.88 million pixels, it is significantly ahead of its competitors in terms of latitude and high sensitivity performance80D, and has 8 frames per second high-speed continuous shooting and a 51-point focusing system, which can capture high-speed moving objects, and supports 4K video to make Nikon win back in video.
Professional-grade models
Nikon's three-digit model is positioned as the equivalent of Canon's single-digit model, positioned as a professional-grade model, with a full-frame sensor, a dust- and splash-proof metal body, and dual card slots.
The Nikon D800 series is the flagship model that focuses on ultra-high image quality, and image quality is Nikon's traditional strength, and Canon doesn't even have a competitor that can fully match it. Over the years, the D800 series has iterated several flagship models such as D800, D800E, D810, and D850, all of which were benchmarks for image quality at that time, even if they were released as early as 2012D800, with 36 million pixels, it is still a first-line level today.
Released on the occasion of Nikon's 100th anniversary, the latest addition to the D800 series, the D850 is Nikon's trump card for ten years, combining several contradictory characteristics of high pixels, high sensitivity, and high-speed continuous shooting, resulting in a camera with outstanding advantages and almost no shortcomings. 45.75 million pixels without a low-pass sensor, while maintaining ultra-high pixels, the high sensitivity performance is excellent, the highest ISO can reach 102400, with the handle up to 9 shots per second high-speed continuous shooting, the image quality and speed are better than Canon ace 5D Mark IV, the price is about 20,000 yuan.
The D600 series is Nikon's "entry-level full-frame", positioned on the same level as the Canon 6D series, and the main features are a professional-grade full-frame sensor with consumer-grade accessories, and the focus, continuous shooting, screen, control, and battery life are comprehensively reduced compared with the D800 series. The early Nikon D600 was on the CCTV 315 party because of the "slag door" incident, and then carried out a large-scale recall, and was forced to upgrade toD610, the current D610 price is only more than 5000 yuan, which is the cheapest full-frame SLR. Compared to the Canon 6D Mark II, the Nikon D610 was released earlier, and it does not have a flip-up touch screen and Wifi function, but the configuration of dual card slots is its highlight.
The D700 series is positioned half a grade higher than the D600 series, and the configuration has been slightly improved. In 2019, the SLR industry cooled down in an all-round way, and Nikon was even newer, and at the beginning of 2020, it came up with an insincere D6, and the market feedback was poor and the Olympics were postponed, and it was finally decided to re-develop, which was also the first time. In this year of the withering of the SLR, Nikon can only get its hands on the new D780.
D780 is a comprehensive upgrade of the D750 released in 2014, and many configurations are close to the mirrorless camera Z6, including enhanced video shooting performance and the 24.5 million pixel back-illuminated sensor, the image quality has been significantly improved, and it costs about 13,800 yuan. Due to the close configuration, it is generally recommended to buy the lower-priced Z6, but the D780 has better low-light focus in optical framing than live viewing, and there are dual card slots that Z6 does not have, which is still more suitable for serious photography. Of course, the D780 is not very cost-effective, and mirrorless cameras such as the Sony A7M3 are also optional at this price point.
The overall design of the Nikon SLR is similar to that of Canon, with a black shell, rounded shape, and the design is entirely for functional considerations, but a camera called Df is an exception, which is a commemorative model created by Nikon, with a silver-black metal shell and an angular shape that reproduces the legendary SLR Big F half a century ago, which can support the lens of half a century ago, full of feelings. Its configuration doesn't seem to be top-notch now, but it's above the D600.
Flagship speed machine
The Nikon D5 is the flagship speed machine used to benchmark against the Canon 1DX Mark II. If a camera wants to be called a "speed machine", the necessary conditions are top-level high sensitivity, continuous shooting, and focusing performance, and D5 is such a camera, and the price also reaches 40,000 yuan. Compared to its competitors, the Canon 1DX Mark II and Sony A9, Nikon's high-sensitivity performance is the strongest, but its continuous shooting speed of 12 fps is slightly inferior. All in all, the D5 is Nikon's most advanced and comprehensive camera at the moment, and its best use case is to capture high-speed moving objects, and its price also determines its professional use.
Nikon D500, which is priced at about 10,000 yuan, is a more realistic choice, corresponding to the competition Canon 7D, although it is an APS-C format sensor, but the rest of the configurations are professional-grade: all-metal body with a high protection level, the same 153 focus points and image processors as D5, 10 shots / second of high-speed continuous shooting, the highest ISO can reach 160,000, 14-bit lossless RAW file recording, 4K video shooting, all are the most first-class configuration in the camera field, and it is the APS-C flagship that is closest to D5.
mount and lens
Since the release of Nikon's first generation SLR big F in 1959, the F-mount has never undergone major changes in appearance, and in the past half century, the camera lens has undergone from manual adjustment, mechanical adjustment, and now pure electronic adjustment, Nikon's engineers have made unremitting efforts to rely on minor repairs and repairs to keep up with the pace of the times half a century ago. The support for old lenses is not only Nikon's feelings, but also Nikon's historical baggage. Nikon's mid- to high-end models often have body motors that drive lenses older than years ago, giving Nikon users a lot of options for inexpensive large-aperture lenses.
Nikon's lenses are on par with Canon's, with more than 110 million units sold to date. Nikon refers to the APS-C format as the DX format and the full-frame format as the FX format, and it is not recommended to mix the two lenses. Like the Canon, Nikon does not have in-body image stabilization, which is completely dependent on the lens, and an image stabilization lens with the "VR" logo in the optional model is quite necessary. Nikon usually has a gold ring on a large aperture or high-quality lens, which is the hallmark of Nikon's high-quality lenses, roughly equivalent to Canon's red-circle lenses.
