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Life is normal when there is a Canon VS Nikon debate. This time the opponents are the Canon T3 or Nikon D3100.
The line in the dirt is drawn. Which one will come out victorious this time?
First Into the Ring - Nikon D3100
The firstborn one out of the gate in this case was the Nikon D3100, an upgrade to the D3000. To be honest, the D3000 did not get the raving reviews and adoring fans of it is predecessor, the D40. The D40 had what could closely be considered a "cult" following. There are those who are still proclaiming that it is the best providing from Nikon, in spite of it is measly 6-megapixel effigy sensor and very basic set of controls.
In contrast, the newer model is getting the same kind of user satisfaction, so Nikon has done something right with the D3100 that it did not get from the D3000.
The Contender - Canon Rebel T3
As the Nikon model was profiting popularity, the Canon T3 was to be freed closely a year later. The goal: gain a big part of the "cheap DLSR" market.
Both Canon and Nikon are purposed at beginners and novice photo fanciers who are looking for a digital SLR that will not break the bank or require the sale of a first-born child.
Watching this fight unfold is rather amusing. Just drop in at a good deal of of the online photography forums. Maybe even ask for views when it comes to which camera is best for a first-time buyer. The results may almost be predicted, depending on where and how you pose the question.
The scenario is not new. After all Canon VS Nikon has been an ongoing debate since the days of film photography. However, now that more humans are doing the digital photography thing, there is a lot more interest from newcomers in the picture-making hobby. Canon persons will give you the splendid reasons for buying their favored brand and vise versa from the Nikon crowd. The discussion gets downright ugly at times, but if you go in with an unbiased attitude, it may be pretty amusing.
The fan base is a lot like the Cubs fans. They are loyal to their team, so don't say anything with regards to the guys all over town or you are in for a fight. Are you a Mac user or a PC user? You get the picture (pun intended)?
In this case, both camera models have been bettered from their older siblings. On the Canon side, the model being substituted is the Canon Rebel XS (1000D), and of course, on the Nikon side it is the D3000. The improvements for both include more prominent sensors, better effigy quality, and upgraded features closely all over the board, not the least of which is the inclusion of Video in both cameras.
If you were "making book" on this fight, you would have pretty much even cash on each contender. They are both showing strong in user gratification at the online stores right now.
Nikon Camera Control 2 Photo
Nikon Camera Control 2 Picture
Nikon Camera Control 2 Image
Nikon Camera Control 2 Image
Most helpful client reviews
127 of 131 persons found the following review helpful.
 Excellent software but...
By Paul T. Stewart
I wasn't sure with regards to this. I shoot portraiture photography and have seen how other similar software, Leaf Capture and Canon's Remote Capture performs. What captured my interest (pardon the pun) was of course the vantage of being competent to see the images on PC immediately. To in the end have the capacity to verify 100% of the time that focus, exposure, lighting, and of course composition were all the way I wanted them.....which means great shots all the time, ditching the bad ones immediately, and little to no time in post processing.
The Leaf and Canon software I have seen in use ran very fast which is utterly primary here. How utile would any of this be if when shooting tethered to the PC the pictures started stacking up or heaven forbid froze the computer?
So I downloaded a trial copy from Nikon first. I am pleased to say it runs fast. Previews pop up on screen in no more than one second, even when shooting tif on my D300 which are 35MB files. What pleased me even more is that it ran evenly fast on my notebook computer which does not have near the processor or graphics power of my desktop PC.
You are managing 3 windows when working with your camera tethered to the PC. There is a preview window that is resizable showing the images very quickly. It may be set up for dissimilar magnifications, single frame view or filmstrip view. A second, smaller, window shows a histogram and download status of the files as they are coming in. The third window is a camera control window that allows remote triggering and access to all on camera settings and menus. If you have a Nikon D3 or D300 you may also work in Live View on screen in both the handheld and tripod modes. Finally found a use for the Live View I suppose; which up until now I have found to be an exceedingly over hyped useless feature on the new Nikons.
So........what's the "but" all in regards to in the title of my review you ask? Leaf and Canon give their remote capture software to their clients when they lay out thousands of dollars. This seems to be a notion that Nikon hasn't seen fit to subscribe to, yet.
So that is my complaint. I may genuinely use this software or I would never have purchased it. It performs very good and is very useful, but Nikon clients must not have to buy something like this after they laid down 2000 to 5000 dollars for a camera.
Paul Stewart
Hendersonville, TN
28 of 28 people found the following review helpful.
Great tool but a bit expensive
By Christian E. Holfinger
I purchased Camera Control to shoot Santa Pictures for an event. I put my camera on a tripod and did all focusing and shooting through live-view mode on my laptop screen. I think I touched the camera once in two hours (to modify the battery, as shooting tethered in Live View sucked the juice... need an MB-10, I guess). From the capture, I printed to a Canon Selphy and handed the picture to each kid in when it comes to 1 minute. I may likewise see myself using Camera Control Pro when doing portraits, as the capacity to without any delay see the effigy on a high-definition 17" laptop screen makes adjustments and feedback a whole lot requiring little effort than just relying on the 3" sceen on the back of my D300. So, a lot of upside, including a outstanding feature set for your Nikon, but I would think something like this would be more like $99 and not $150 - $180.
28 of 30 people found the following review helpful.
 Overpriced with a Primitive User Interface
By Preston S. Page
I purchased Nikon Camera Control Pro 2 to use with a Nikon D700 to shoot tabletop projects and portraits. I installed it on a 17-inch laptop running Windows 7. The installation was a bit strange for a current software package. First, I was amazed by the "unknown publisher" on the installation - Nikon can't afford a digital certificate? Second, it seems to install twice, but the basi pass installs an older version of Microsoft C++ redistributable.
The user interface is the original MDI application I've seen in more than ten years and it is actually clumsy, with multiple windows doing sort of the same thing. The design shows no proof of stepping back and thinking regarding how a photographer would in truth use something called Camera Control.
To be fair, software's functionality is finelooking much as advertised. You may shoot tethered and control the camera from a computer. However, the capture and rendering of RAW files feels very slow, which will limit it is application.
Bottom line, the software has a $5 novice 1992 Windows 3 shareware look and feel, not a $199 from one of the top professional DSLR makers. As other reviews have brought up here, Camera Control ought to be given away with the DSLRs. I feel a bit of a chump paying even the splendid Amazon price for such an unrefined package.
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