Why did you choose your camera brand?

I chose Canon. It started with the 400D, then the 600D and later the 70D and the 80D. I switched from DSLR to mirrorless and that became the R7. They were and are all cameras with an APS-C sensor. The possibilities offered by these cameras appealed to me and were financially within my budget.
The Canon menu is logically structured and is often similar across the models. The camera feels comfortable in the hand and there is a wide choice of lenses.
In the analogue era I worked with Ricoh SLRs.
The current R7 will be the last one if it doesn't give up the ghost. I am happy with it. I especially like the AF system of the R7 very much.
Canon has never led the way with new developments and that is not necessary for me either.
So I will not change brands anymore.

I made my choice in 2007. It was a Pentax K10. Cheaper for the same quality compared to Canon and Nikon. Stabilization in the body (not in the lens) and waterproof to boot. Besides, I am also the kind of person who wants to choose something different from what the majority does. Stuck with Pentax. After the K10 came the K5 and now I have the K1.

On the advice of the camera store, I chose the Canon 70D. With my not-so-large hands, it works better than a full-frame camera.I am still very happy with this camera and the functions it has. My compact became the Panasonic TZ 90: easy to take along in a small bag or even a jacket pocket, lots of functions and a decent zoom possible. The latter was the deciding factor.

In the digital age I chose a Canon because I had also owned a Canon in the analogue past. Later I learned that this was the wrong choice because I should not have been guided by the choice of camera but by the quality of the lenses offered by a camera brand. In the end I stuck with Canon because switching body brands also meant switching my 5 lenses; too expensive. By now I can read and write with Canon and see no reason whatsoever to start over with, for example, Fuji (the frustration I saw in my photography friend for quite a long time).

Beyond the technical capabilities of current cameras, they all think that their specific color space is the best. Personally, I don't think Nikon green is all that great, but what if you bring your RAW image into, say, Lightroom or Adobe Camera RAW with Adobe Color or Adobe Standard, then little remains of your camera's color space. I'd rather convert my RAW to DNG to use within a piece of software that Adobe made in 2012 to linearize the camera image, which gives you all the highlights and even somewhat better shadows, but also defines color better. Adobe never updated this software, probably so as not to shoot themselves in the foot, because with a workflow preset you get much better results than with all those terrible wangbars that they shove down your throat as an update, like, look at us doing such a good job, and thus bind you like meek sheep.

I once started with Nikon! The first camera was an analogue one, from a Nikormat to the F2. After that the F501-F801
Switched to the D70, after various models such as the D700/810 because of weight etc. discovered the Z series
Had saved up a nice set because of the switch to landscape photography. Among others Nikon Z7II with 3 beautiful lenses and also a filter set and Gitzo tripod...until disaster struck in 2025! The complete set was stolen during a burglary. Fortunately well insured and then switched to a medium format, the Fuji GFX50II with among others the 20-35 and 100-200 lenses
What a beautiful set and how happy I am with it, even though I was always satisfied with Nikon. But who knows, maybe I would have started with Canon

I started with the Pentax MX and then various other Pentax cameras, and when I bought the MX it came with a lens that I can still use on my K3 3.

In the studio I mainly work with Nikon for model photography/nude photography D 850.
Furthermore with a Hasselblad.

Nikon, I started my education with it in the analog era. At work too (equipment rental service at the university college) it has always been Nikon, so I continued to follow this. Force of habit? But also very satisfied with the Nikon(Z) series.

I once started out with analog photography with an Asahi Pentax and switched to Nikon for quality reasons because I inherited a Nikon from my father. At some point, still shooting analog, I bought a Nikon F-60 with a few different lenses (with an F mount) in Singapore, and then when switching to digital I started with a D80, partly so I could continue using the same lenses. Then a D7200, followed by a D800, and now a Z7, with the Z50 as a lightweight option. Nikon feels comfortable in my hand and I have grown attached to Nikon's menu structure.

Initially, I started with (digital) Canon DSLRs. For several reasons: sturdy and robust bodies that feel good in the hand, controls that I find pleasant to use and a wide range of lenses. I have owned various models: 20D, 40D, 50D, 5D, 5Dii.
When mirrorless cameras became more commonplace, I switched to Fujifilm. An X-T3 and an X-H1. Mainly because of their acclaimed image quality and the quality of the lenses. I actually never really managed to get used to the Fujifilm bodies. I didn't find them particularly comfortable to hold (on the small side compared to Canon) and there were too many buttons and functions, which I sometimes activated unintentionally. It came at the expense of my enjoyment of photography and by now I have partly returned to Canon.
I sold the Fuji X-T3 and bought a used Canon 5Diii to replace it. Technically perhaps a step backwards, but I find it more enjoyable to take photographs with. I did keep the Fuji X-H1 because of the IBIS the camera has and because I have a decent collection of analogue lenses (including Helios, Jupiter, Volna), all with adapters to Fuji as well. So that has become more of my camera for “special projects”.
I am still struggling with the question of whether I should switch from my Canon 5Diii to a (full-frame) Canon mirrorless camera, but I haven't decided yet. It is of course another substantial investment, while I don't know whether that would outweigh an increase in quality and my enjoyment of photography. Time will tell…
I also wouldn't know yet which mirrorless camera model I should go for. That would then be another difficult choice.

Years ago I chose a Canon 450D. I liked the weight and controls and it felt good in my hand. I have never regretted this choice. In the meantime I have had several more types and more and more lenses have been added, which have now almost all been exchanged for RF lenses.

I will not switch to another brand anymore, Canon suits me well and replacing all the lenses would be far too expensive.
I would like to try a Sony sometime.

Sony. Because when I started, there was a lot being said and written about Sony, and I could relate to the price/capabilities of my camera at the time (compact). Since then, it has always been Sony, even though the menu is complicated (and I probably don't get nearly everything out of my cameras) and Dutch-language manuals are either impossible or very difficult to find. In the meantime, I have the Sony RX 10 IV and the Sony A6700 with various prime lenses. It is a shame that the local photography club consists almost entirely of Nikon and Canon users. Otherwise, I would definitely pick their brains to get even more out of my camera.

I once started out in my youth with an analogue Praktika SLR. An affordable Eastern Bloc camera with which I still took beautiful photos despite all its limitations.
Much later switched to Nikon.
It has always stayed that way. Simply because there was no reason to switch and the D lenses were still usable.
Now I use the Nikon Z 6 III
Very satisfied with all the bells and whistles, lightning-fast autofocus with eye, animal etc. detection.
Compact in size with the stacked sensor and 24 Mp is enough for me.

Olympus, since the 70s,
Digital since 2004.
Good quality, light in weight, small dimensions. Still satisfied, now with E-M1MII

I started in the analogue days with a Nikon Fm, on the advice of a friend's father, who was a journalist at the newspaper Le Soir. Then switched to a Nikon D750. Now, after water damage to my D750, switched to a Z6III. With an adaptor (FTZ II), I can still use all my previous lenses ( Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f 1/4 and Tamron SP 24-70mm f-2.8 ). My flash is the Nikon Speedlight SB-910.Next purchase probably NIKKOR Z 24-120mm f/4 S.

From an analog Minolta 3i I automatically ended up with Sony and I still have that because of the compatibility of the flash and lenses.
Had various models, great cameras and never had any problems even though the camera also often goes along on the motorcycle by now I have ended up with the A850 and A77II

As a former professional photographer, I photographed for a long time with Mamiya, Hasselblad and Bronica in the studio and successively Praktica, Pentax, (only two weeks) Canon, Fuji, Minolta and Leica as an analog photographer, and switched to digital in 2002 with successively Fuji, Nikon, another Fuji, Nikon and in 2015, after I stopped, Panasonic.

Why my choice for Panasonic? First of all, weight and size. It makes a huge difference whether you have to carry Nikon or Panasonic with you, not so much the camera, but the lenses. Moreover, I use it almost exclusively for photos on Facebook, so I absolutely don't need the quality of full frame. A Panasonic 14-140 (combined with a 100-300 in emergencies) and an Olympus 8-25 are more than sufficient.

Over 50 years ago I made a special trip to "the City" to get some good advice. It became Nikon and it has remained that way ever since, to my complete satisfaction.

I first had a Mamiya, but when I wanted to buy another lens for it, they had changed their mount. Eventually photographed with a Canon F1 for 30 years. The prints became so bad because the labs changed their baths less and less that, on the advice of my photo shop, I switched to a Canon 5D, which became a Mark II, Mark III and Mark IV. Recently added an R3 as well, although I have to get used to it a lot.

In 2006 I started with a Fujifinepix S9500 but in 2008 I switched to a dslr so I could also really do macro with a macro lens. This became the Sony alpha 350, which felt good in the hand and was also still somewhat affordable. I added a sigma 105 for the macro, certainly not a bad lens for that price.

Took quite a lot of nice photos with this combination but what I really ran into was that only iso 100 and 200 were usable, everything above that was immediately a horrible load of noise. Because I often tried to photograph under some dark bushes, that caused so much frustration that in 2010 I switched to the Canon 7D, which had just been released with very nice reviews. I enjoyed that for many years until I could switch to the 6Dmark, later a second-hand 5Dmark2 and now the R6mark2...
I did look at Nikon for a while but found it functioned so illogically and the lenses were even more expensive etcetera...

Besides this I also got an Olympus about 10 years ago, walking with a hernia calls for a lightweight camera. With that one I also progressed to the OM 1 mark for the typical possibilities such as Nando has already mentioned. It simply depends on what I am going to do and what I feel like doing but it is very nice to have the choice of those 2 completely different systems.

herman wrote on Tuesday 6 January 2026 at 13:54  | reply

Once upon a time, when animals still spoke, I started with a Zenith, later switching to a Canon (analogue).
my first digital SLR became a Sony, for the simple reason that it was the first one with a tilting screen, but now, after purchasing extra lenses and a flash, I have stayed with this brand because of the cost.
my "compact" camera is a Panasonic FZ82 because of the 60x zoom, and I still learn "new little secrets" from that device every day, I could no longer do without either of them!

For myself, I had made a wish list that the camera had to meet, including live view, light in weight, and a tilting screen.
The Olympus E M10 lll met all the requirements. Bought 3 lenses with it.
A macro lens 60 mm 1:2.8/ a 14- 150 mm lens and a telephoto lens 75-300 mm.
I mainly use the first two often.
I love macro and everything small that appears in my image (unseen to the naked eye), or even later on my Eizo monitor, during post-processing( Once won at Photofacts)
The 2nd lens for street and landscape photography.
I rarely use the telephoto lens. Mainly because I also have to bring my tripod for the best result
I have now had my camera for 7 years.
Had it checked again recently and once again everything is still in order.
Still very happy with it.
Kind regards.

for about 25 years, took exclusively black-and-white photos with a Pentax 67 (6x7 negative) format.
Only switched to digital in 2019, and since a ‘ display model’ Canon 80D, with 17/55 lens, was on promotion in my camera shop for about half the price, this became the one…

My father bought himself an Agfa Isolette V in 1954. From my 12th birthday onwards, I was allowed to shoot some black-and-white pictures with it from time to time.
I 1993 bought my first analogue camera myself on the recommendation of a friend (professional photographer with a shop), a Minolta 3xi. In 2003 I acquired a Minolta 7 Limited. A fantastic camera that, by the way, I still own.
From 2006 I made the logical switch to the digital world and logically bought a Sony A100 (because I could continue using the lenses from my analogue camera), later followed by a number of successors.
Currently, to my great satisfaction, I photograph with a Sony A7RIII and a Sony A1 equipped with a number of Sony lenses.

Started with Practica in 1972 and switched to Pentax in 1977 (various models up to the LX). I liked them very much, unfortunately Pentax couldn't keep up with the transition to digital. Digital photography allowed me to save considerably on film and printing costs. First with a Fuji FinePix (the first model). Good camera with few setting options. When the Nikon D70 came onto the market, I bought one. Now I photograph with the Z8. The best camera I've ever had. Before buying Nikon, I looked at Canon and Olympus, but ultimately I went with Nikon. Because of all the current accessories, switching to another brand would now be a costly affair.

It started with my first digital compact camera that I bought from Olympus while on holiday. I could read and write with it. When I wanted to take photographs for real, I stuck with Olympus and bought the OM-D E-M5 with a prime 19mm lens from Marktplaats. That was so nice and still is (okay, it has now become the Mark III), this is the camera that goes on holiday with me! For my photography at farewells I needed a camera that was good in dark situations and was silent. I went for an update of the Olympus but came home with the Sony A7iii. A real 'workhorse' for me and still super happy with it. Although my feeling is still with the Olympus OM-DE-M5. Nice to read everyone's stories!

Started with a Yashica (twin-lens reflex). Then moved to 35mm, Mamiya Sekor 1000DTL. That one didn't survive the Paris uprising of 1968. Later photographed architecture with a technical camera (Linhof). But that belonged to my work, not privately. Then moved to Canon 35mm, AE1 and A1. The latter met its end when I fell into the water.... Then digital, the Minolta (among others 5D) with quite a few lenses, so after that Sony, among others 700, 99. Now an A7RV, after my A7RIV (and the 700 and the 99) were stolen in a burglary, with some lenses. Now actually just 1 camera and my mobile. I mostly use the Tokina 35-150, especially in the studio. Besides that, a Sigma 2.8 24-70 (quite a bit lighter, so for going out), and A-mount 24-70 Zeiss and 100mm macro Minolta, and a Minolta 80-200 2.8 with converter and some more from the beercan series. But I hardly do anything with those anymore. Why these cameras and lenses; first as a school pupil and student because I could get them cheaply, later a bit on feeling, especially regarding the handling. And from the Minolta onwards I stayed with Sony because of the lenses I have, although in the beginning it was making do with the very poor support for Minolta customers.

My first camera (60 years ago) was a Kodak Brownie Model I made in England and won in a raffle. It did introduce me to the love of photography. I then switched to a Miranda Sensorex. Enjoyed it for years. When the brand stopped, I switched to a Canon 300D. It fit very well in the hand and I found the controls simple. I stayed with Canon after that. I have a lot of confidence in it and now have a Canon 7D and have just bought a second-hand Canon 5D Mark III from someone who switched to a system camera. I am convinced that Nikon makes cameras that are at least as good. It is all very personal. I would also like to take this opportunity to mention once again that your courses are very well put together and I have already learned a great deal from them. Congratulations.

I started with an Olympus E510.
I liked this camera, except that it quickly produced a lot of noise at higher ISO values.
Partly because of that, I switched to a full-frame camera.
That became a Nikon 610.
Then a Nikon 800E as a second camera.
I traded in both cameras in 2025 for a Nikon Z6 iii.
A fine camera, BUT I am dissatisfied with the manual because it is very user-unfriendly.

My first camera, an Olympus Trip 35, was given to me by my uncle. After that I bought an Olympus OM-1 and could also use my father's lenses. Digitally, it was first a Sony compact, then Panasonic with a Zeiss lens. It became serious witht he Canon 100D, followed by the 700D and 6DII. In my eyes, the latter had too poor a dynamic range, which is why I shot a lot of brackets.
Professionally, I was already working with Sony BSI sensors at the time, including the IMX253 medium format 150-megapixel sensor. My current camera is therefore the Sony A7R4 and I am very satisfied with it. Dynamic range and detail are insane. There are an awful lot of lenses available that are certainly affordable second-hand. The only disadvantage I find is that the sensor gets dust on it very quickly.

Years ago started with chinon and three lenses for what would cost 500 euros now, after years of having nothing, a few years ago I happened to end up with Canon 1300d , 200d , 80d and now R7 and hopefully this year still an R6 mii or M3iii to add, I haven't decided yet .

It was in 1977, I was 16 at the time, that I went to a well-known photography shop and, on their recommendation, bought a second-hand Praktica SLR for 100 guilders, with a 50 mm standard lens. I learned the basics with this, and about 4 years later, based on my budget and with advice from the photographer, a Ricoh KR5 with a 50 mm standard lens and a Tokina zoom lens max 150mm. I photographed with this until 1992. After that I switched to Nikon, a choice based on “ how it felt in the hand and also what was in stock in the shop. The advantage was that I already knew what was possible, rather than looking at the specifications. After that I stayed with Nikon for the SLR, because it was a camera that had never let me down. First with the D300 because it performed very well in the tests and about ten years later my current camera, the D500, purchased because I wanted a higher light sensitivity as a base in combination with my 24-70 -2.8 lens for photographing indoor sports moments while keeping my available lenses. Besides the SLR, I soon had a compact camera, a Canon camera, because Canon's gave better images. Later, to discover digitization, I had a Kodak, which at that time was one of the first that was still somewhat affordable and available. Later I switched back to Canon, the handling and menu structure still suit me. Current one is the Canon G5X

Started in 1968 with a Pentax Spotmatic. I also bought a second-hand Rolleicord (twin-lens) back then I soon grew to love the larger formats. Later I bought the Mamiya 645 with 3 lenses. Mamiya Sekor 55 mm 2.8, 80 mm 2.8 and the 150 mm F4. I still have the latter with the 3 lenses but I no longer use it. I switched from photography and filming (Super 8) to analogue video first and later to digital video (always with Sony video cameras) That is how I later ended up with Sony mirrorless cameras

Currently I have several Sony A7IV bodies and have 3 lenses. Sony 20-70 F4, Sony 16-36 F4 and a Sigma 60-600 F4.5-6.3
I do a lot of professional filming and with their full-frame sensors, these cameras deliver excellent television quality. For photography, this Sony A7IV with its 33 megapixels is certainly not among the top, but it still does excellent work for what I need it for. And yes, just as I was in love with the larger negative formats in the old analogue photography, I remain a big fan of full-frame, mainly because in video it allows me to crop seriously into the image during editing.

,, I have been a fan of Nikon since the 1960s, with an analogue Nikkormat camera that was not only used ,in Vietnam,for photography but also as a weapon and was really a Top camera and used for a very long time .With the digital era, the Nikon D50 was the beginning for me, followed by the D7000 & the D7100, this because of the use of the lenses I already had with the D 7000 ,, the current end result is the Nikon D750, which I use with great pleasure almost every week for many receptions and otherwise in the centre of Amsterdam, but the only thing that remains and is that a certain weight is added and at a certain point I came across a message with and about cameras without a mirror and so I came into contact with the Panasonic G series, which I am very happy that I did, even if it was only for the weight, which is much less than the Nikon D750 . With this consideration I started with a Lumix G70, which I recently replaced with a Lumix G90 (my camera shop is 80% ,Foto Koch in Düsseldorf). I also bought a Lumix G9 body a year ago and 3 months ago the 12-60mm f2.8-4.0 ASPH lens, and I already had most of the lenses for the G series ,, I am actually very happy with this equipment, even if it was only for the weight ,, With friendly greetings from Amsterdam Johan Huiskens

Started with the first Olympus digital and now years later still Olympus (0M-1) because it has the best stabilization and sensor cleaning in the camera. Also because I mostly photograph birds and the crobfactor of 2 is an advantage, a 500 mm lens becomes 1000 mm FF.

I bought a Pentax P30 in 1985 and later expanded it with lenses, then the K10, K5 and now the K3 and also acquired quite a lot of lenses via Marktplaats, including ones that are 45 years old and prime lenses for a small price that you can simply use on the Pentax because of the green button on the camera and focusing is also no problem, you can see it in the camera and you hear a beep. I don't know if it is the same with other brands. That's why I have remained loyal to Pentax

After my period with Minolta, I started with a Sony alpha 100 and last year I switched to a Sony 7 A IV and I photograph in RAW and Jpeg, which also led me to start taking courses for Lightroom I am very satisfied with my camera, although sometimes you have to be an IT specialist and there are countless possibilities. I usually photograph in M. furthermore I still want to expand my lenses.

Erik wrote on Wednesday 7 January 2026 at 16:31  | reply

At a certain point came the switch to digital. that first became a Kodak to see if it would be an alternative to film. Soon I wanted more, a Sigma DS10 came and later a DS14. The latter died much too quickly and repair turned out not to be possible. a visit to a camera shop resulted in the advice, Nikon"" on their advice a Nikon came with a Sigma 18-55 f2.8 lens. and a Lensbaby composer pro . that had not been available for the Sigma. but had been on my wish list for a very long time. the seller didn't understand it at all. I never left Nikon again. several cameras further on and active in the Nikon Clun Nederland. What more could a person want.

Once tried and played around with my father’s and uncles’ twin-lens Rolleis and Leica rangefinder cameras. Then in the early ‘70s of the last century, I bought two new Canon 35mm analogue SLR cameras with a few lenses. Which turned out to be a total failure in hindsight. Very shortly afterwards, traded them in for two Nikkormats with a few lenses. In addition to the various medium-format cameras from Pentax 6x7; Bronica 6x6; Hasselblad 6x6; various Fujis and the Cambo 4x5/8x10 inch cameras. So far I’ve had various types of Nikon cameras and have always remained loyal to Nikon, mainly because of their reliability and sturdiness! In addition, I still have the Fuji X-Pro 2 with matching lenses for added variety and of course because of the good quality and the weight saving on the road.

As a press, medical and documentary photographer, I had the advantage of being able to try out and use various camera brands and types, even Leicas. Of Leica, the M6 and M11 rangefinder cameras are my preference, but the latter have become unaffordable nowadays and I haven’t even mentioned the lenses. Even a former Focus editor couldn’t see the difference in image between Nikon and Leica SLRs, and that says quite a lot about Nikon!

I chose Panasonic MFT. This is a lightweight camera at an affordable price.
The choice of lenses is also sufficient, so you can find something across the full range

Which type of Panasonic do you have, Gert-Jan?

@Jim. I agree with you. It actually has nothing to do with the subject. My camera has a 1000-page manual and even then they are too terse in their explanations on many points.
But I also have to admit that Nando has already made the necessary videos in which he explains how to use different cameras. Of course, it can always be more extensive, but the interested hobby photographer can also study the camera at home on the couch and settings in oeten that he/she uses most in his/her branch of photography.
And then there are the necessary workshops organized by various companies and professional photographers. I, for example, attended a workshop about the AF system of my Canon Eos R7. Such a workshop really does take you further. Just like Nando's videos.

I really think this latest addition is great!
Half the world gushes over AI but this is the best description

I started with Canon sometime in the 1980s. At the time, I liked the user-friendliness and the then-modern EOS USM autofocus system with an electronic connection between camera and lens. Once you're in such an ecosystem, switching to another brand is difficult since you have to replace all your lenses, flashes, etc. So I still photograph with Canon to my satisfaction.

I had that for a short while too.
Took 16 shots 4x4 on 120 film.
But it was 'plastic fantastic', fun but hopeless. They're now being sold again as so-called "Lomography", whatever that may be .

Bought my first camera in 1984, a Nikon F-401. A huge improvement over the old Olympus that I was sometimes allowed to handle at my parents' place.
Now, well, I stuck with Nikon in the analogue days, right up to the digital D800, Nikon's first full-frame camera. And that was a disappointment. The device worked fine in the studio, but during assignments it was simply too slow to respond quickly to action.
Still slightly disappointed, I started trying other brands. A Canon 5D from work - not my thing because it worked quite differently from Nikon.
I bought a Fujifilm X-T1 myself. Actually quite a nice little camera, although it was a crop sensor. The menu and operation were (logically) close to Nikon. I even stuck with Fujifilm for a while (X-T2 and X-T4), only to eventually return to Nikon when the Z6ii came onto the market.
In the meantime, I work with the Nikon Z8. My best camera ever. The best price too :-( But the choices are now definitive. My older lenses were sold and replaced with a few Z lenses. What a difference again.