Canon or Nikon? Which is best for portrait and wedding photography and why?

Right now Nikon has the best performance for low noise at high ISO and the better backward lens compatibility. Otherwise they are both great systems. I have used Nikons since the 70s so if I were recommending for a professional I would day the Nikon D3X, D3 or D700 in that order. As was noted your D300 is a super camera that will certainly do what you need till you can move to a full frame. And if you stay with Nikon you can use the accessories you already have for your D300. A huge numer of portrait and landscape photographers use Nikon while more sports photographers seem to use Canon ( I am told the autofocus on the canons was faster before the silent wave motors were put into Nikon lenses, but I do not have hard data on that ) . I've only been using Nikons since the 70's and the first one I ever bought still works as well as the day I bought it. The D300 and above have titanium frames not just plastic bodies and the MB-D10 battery pack also has titanium frame. The nikons speedlights and creative lighting system lets you control any number of speedlights in 3 groups from the built in speedlight on the upper end Nikons.

Then on that full frame put a AF DC-NIKKOR 105mm f/2D

Added: emma on the D300 and above ISO, drive, White Balance and Quality are all buttons on the camera ( easily reached with the left index finger) not just accessable from the menu also on the body are metering modes and autofocus modes and areas , Auto exposure lock,and AF on off. If you are comparing the D40 or D60 to the 1D or 5 D you are not comparing apples to apples. Correct me if I am wrong but is not alot of that in menus on the XS and XSi also ? If you go to DXOs comparison software on camera raw data benchmarks the D300 is nearly as good ( I did not say as good but for a 12 mp APSc sensor you would expect a great deal more difference compared to the 21 mp 5D Mark II) as the 5D MarkII and the D3 is almost identical numbers with the Nikon edging above on the graphs on dynamic range,tonal range and colorsensitivity The D3s also surpasses on the low noise graph

http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/eng/Image-Quality...

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It's not the camera, its the photographer and lighting. I wouldn't worry, the D300 is a fine camera. So are Canon's Your D300 will work for 99.9999% of the shots for a wedding. Since its DX sensor camera, you might consider getting a backup (like a D80 or D90) body as a backup that will fit your DX lens.

People get all caught up in equipment, when in reality unless you are making billboard size prints, your D300's sensor is completely adequate for your needs. A "professional" camera is whatever you make money with and what makes your clients happy.

You have to remember it is a business, and this is a tool. Why spend more money on a tool if it doesn't return you any more money in the end? Do your clients really care if you shoot with a D700 or D3? Or Canon 1D for that matter? They care about getting those moments and getting it right. Spend your money on lighting a couple lenses, and a backup body. Don't get caught up reviews or opinions. Shoot what works and what makes you money. Most "artists" starve.

i am free lance photographer for world papers and local companies so i have had experiance with a lot of nikon and canon cameras, and your all round best bet is using Canon.

I love my Canon's because they put the important adjustments, ISO, DRIVE, WHITE BALANCE and QUALITY, right where I need them. I don't need any menus to tweak them, and I need to adjust them many times each day as the light and subjects change. Nikon hides more of this, like manual and trimmed white balances, in menus, which gets in my way and is extreamly difficult to use when you need it to work in emergencies or difficult times haa.

I'm enthusiastic about Canon's gear today because it's so much better and cheaper than a few years ago. Life was tough in the manual focus days. Even the crappy Nikon & Canon zoom lenses today are much better than the classic manual focus ones I used before. Nikon & Canon has never given me so much as a free hat, even for all the free publicity I give them on them when i review camera's in magazines.

I could go on all day about the differences in cameras and the pro's and con's but your best bet is a Canon, try a 5d or 1d if you can reach that price range and ask if the shop your buying it from the recommended lenses :)

BUT... you need to go and try the camera's, well at least get hold of them as you may find them too small, big or heavy or even awkward for you.

good luck with your cam and new job :) xxx

Both brands are excellent for most sorts of photography, and only hands-on experience for a dozen or more weddings with both brands (impractical!) would get you feeling which brand was best for you.

If the D300 is working well for you - why change? No change of equipment is a "magic bullet", however much you spend.

The current king of professional sports and photojournalism is the Nikon D3, indicating Nikon are one of the top cameras around.

I use Nikon lenses for some applications for their sharpness- 80-200 f28 zoom and a 300mm f2.8 prime and they produce good result in a wide range of difficult lighting conditions.

as you already have Nikon gear stick with it, the D300 is a good camera and is still vital as a spare or second body for location wedding shots.

http://photography.suite101.com/article.cfm/nikons...

The D300 is excellent

don't listen to others

decide for yourself

check out Dr.Sam on flickr

he owns a D300

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If I were you I will stay with Nikon the D300 is excellent or if you want to invest more D3X or Nikon D700 are great choice.

Quote from EMMA"I love my Canon's because they put the important adjustments, ISO, DRIVE, WHITE BALANCE and QUALITY, right where I need them. I don't need any menus to tweak them, and I need to adjust them many times each day as the light and subjects change. Nikon hides more of this, like manual and trimmed white balances, in menus, which gets in my way and is extreamly (extremely) difficult to use when you need it to work in emergencies or difficult times haa."

That is a lode of BS.

Of coarse Canon users going to tell you to get Canon because they don't know the truth if it bite them on the *** case in point quote from EMMA, beside Nikon user don't have to worry about their lens becoming obsolete. Just ask them if their EF-S lens can be mounted on a full frame camera bodies or if a FD mount lens can mounted on any of their DSLR.