NIKON VERSUS CANON III.

PRICES OF LENSES.

August 2013.
In situation, where the fees of Czech photographers are by 50 - 75% lower than their foreign colleagues (Germany, USA), but we buy the equipment at the same prices, sometimes even more expensive, the financial side of things cannot be overlooked. Until recent, they were Canon lenses usually cheaper than Nikon. Today the situation is different.



The comparison is not complete, I deliberately chose only lenses, that I consider to be universal, more or less the final equipment of a professional photographer. An exception are lenses with a focal length of 85 mm, which I would like to include, but they cannot be compared due to different luminosity (for Nikon 1.4, for Canon 1.2). Furthermore, I did not include lenses that are interesting, but they are manufactured by only one of the two companies: Canon MP-E 65 mm/2.8 Macro, Canon EF 400 mm/5.6 L USM and Nikon AF-S Nikkor 14 - 24 mm/2.8 G ED. Retail prices are in Czech crowns, including VAT.

Nikon.		Canon.
Lens.	Price.	Lens.	Price.
AF-S 24 mm f/1.4G ED	50 990,–	EF 24 mm/1.4 L II	43 490,–
PC-E 24 mm f/3.5D ED	49 990,–	TS-E 24 mm/3.5 L II	54 490,–
AF-S 35 mm f/1.4G	44 490,–	EF 35 mm/1.4 L USM	37 490,–
AF-S 50 mm f/1.4G	9690,–	EF 50 mm/1.4 USM	9690,–
AF-S VR Micro 105 mm f/2.8G ED	21 590,–	EF 100 mm/2.8 L IS MACRO USM	23 990,–
AF-S 300 mm f/2.8G ED VR II	139 990,–	EF 300 mm/2.8 L IS II	179 990,–
AF-S 400 mm f/2.8G ED VR	228 990,–	EF 400 mm/2.8 L IS USM II	284 990,–
AF-S 24 - 70 mm f/2.8G ED	42 990,–	EF 24 - 70 mm/2.8 L II USM	57 490,–
AF-S 70 -200 mm f/2.8G ED VR II	55 590,–	EF 70 - 200 mm/2.8 L IS II USM	62 990,–
Total price:	643 310,–	Total price:	754 610,–

A practical note to the table: At a focal length of 35 mm, I recommend, instead of the two listed here, the new Sigma Art. You will save 13 - 20 000,- and get the sharpest variant. In addition, if you go from Canon to Nikon, for example, you will not have to buy a new lens, Sigma service will only replace your mount. Probably the only downside is the lack of a sealing against dust and moisture.

The table is intended to serve mainly those, who plan to invest in technology and do not have any lenses or accessories yet. Prices of lenses are, of course, only one criterion. Sharpness, contrast and color transmission, light reflection in the optical system, overall durability of the construction, the materials used, etc., are especially important for photography. Here I would like to state, that the situation is practically balanced, both companies have their better and worse lenses.

Other, no less important features are the dynamic range, color depth and resolution of the sensors, all with a sufficient signal-to-noise ratio. That is, the properties of the bodies, where the offer is now practically incomparable, mainly because Canon lacks many new models and Nikon offers significantly more. Despite Canon's claims, 1Dx is mainly intended for reportage photography; for the studio, investing in it is disadvantageous due to low resolution. The 5DIII has a almost identical sensor to the 5DIII, only the AF and user interface have been improved. Canon cannot compete with the Nikon D800, let alone the D800E, and paradoxically not even in price. I was expecting much earlier a small professional body with a resolution of around 40 Mpx in response to the D8oo and also, shortly after the 1Dx show, the 1Dxs studio model. None of this happened, we can only think about the reasons - Canon seems to rely on customers to buy existing models under marketing pressure, even if it's not really a bargain. Either the mere pursuit of profit is behind it, or there are simply no better technologies at the moment.

But what is crucial - the current offer of both companies already allows an experienced photographer to create images of high technical quality in virtually any size.

© Martin Mojzis, 2013.
Illustration photographs: © Nikon and Canon press archives.

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