7. Shooting

One big advantage of digital cameras is the ability to instantly change the apparent sensitivity of the sensor, allowing you to go from full sun to semidarkness easily. Canon offers a range of ISO 100 to 1600, while Nikon is ISO 200 to 1600. Both models stick to standard values, with Canon using the common whole increments (100, 200, 400, 800 and 1600) while Nikon offers steps of 1/3 value (which we don't feel is indispensable.)

White balance is a function that seems to obsess quite a few amateurs. You have a choice between automatic - which we recommend unless you have a very good reason to choose another setting - and the usual range of preset values. There is also a custom or preset mode, where you shoot a white or gray area and let the camera calculate the necessary white balance. To this already complete range, Canon and Nikon both add the possibilities of fine tuning and even bracketing. But if you need a particularly precise white balance, it seems more appropriate to us to shoot in RAW mode and then adjust the balance at your leisure in front of your computer screen, rather than taking multiple shots without being sure of the result.

Aside from white balance, another choice that will determine the results you get is the color space you use. Canon offers sRGB or Adobe RGB; Nikon does the same, but with two options for sRGB, one of which is particularly suited to landscape shooting. We should stress the fact that color management is a fairly complex subject; if you don't know anything about it, stick with sRGB, which is the mode used by default for consumer equipment. Adobe RGB mode offers a more extended color space and will often be preferred by professionals or very demanding amateurs, but it requires a good knowledge of color management and the use of software that's compatible with it.

Naturally, with both models, it's possible to adjust the image conversion settings, including contrast, sharpness, and saturation. Nikon is slightly ahead in this area too, with adjustments by type of photo (portrait, landscape) but also customized transfer profiles you can create with the Nikon Capture software. Again here, if you want precise control over your pictures, it makes more sense to work in RAW format, which lets you adjust settings later. The choice you make at the time of shooting isn't necessarily as appropriate as you might have thought, and RAW lets you change it at your leisure after capture.