What kind of camera is THAT?

As a photographer, I get asked this question on a near-daily basis. This post will cover the three main brands of consumer-level cameras. However, please note that there is no right or wrong answer to the question "which one is better than the other?"

The Three Brands

There has been the long standing brand-debate of which one is better: Nikon, Canon, or Sony? To be put simply, I would argue that there is not a correct answer due to the fact that they each have a more desires target market/audience. Nikon prides themselves on their color space in photos, Canon believes they do both well, while Sony puts emphasis and quality into their video results. However, in modern times it's really hard to push these brands too far apart since it is now a game of "who has the better specifications?" For example, a Nikon camera might shoot 30 megapixel photos where a Canon might shoot 31 megapixel photos. This is a negligible difference. But if for a fact you know you'll be shooting more video over photos, then you might want to choose Sony for their more manageable video color spaces. There are a plethora of more comparisons that would take up books-worth of writing, but that's the argument broken down. 

How can they be used in Marketing Photography?

Let me go back to the different brands. Each would be applicable in a different situation.  For example, if you were shooting fast paced action shots or wildlife, you might want to go with Nikon.  Nikon offers a lot of telephoto lens options but prides themselves in the wildlife aspect. If you were shooting portraits or images of people, you might choose Canon (or even Sony) as both brands' autofocus has a tack-sharp reputation. You might fall on the Canon side of things for portraits since their skin-tones tend to be the most realistic. Lastly, there's Sony. If you're shooting in lower-light conditions, Sony would most likely be your go to. Their dynamic range (how much light the sensor detects) is superior to that of Nikon and Canon. Additionally, Sony falls mostly on the mirrorless vs. mirrored aspect of cameras (to be covered in a future article)

Again, each brand is very strong in every aspect so this is getting picky-choosy.

The Nikon D850

The Canon 1Dx Mk iV

The Sony A7R IV