Hi all,
I made the switch to Nikon from a long time with Canon last summer, I primarily shoot landscapes, and the extremely brilliant high ISO noise control of the D700 was a primary stimulus in the decision to switch, in addition to the simply superb 14-24/2.8 wide angle lens from Nikkor. We still had a decent selection of Canon glass and my wife decided to hold with Canon. Just a few weeks ago I acquired a used D3x and my wife got a 5D2...
While we still had the D700 I conducted fairly exhaustive tests with all three bodies and published the results here:
http://www.pbase.com/availablelightimag ... _d3x_testsThe password is ALI.
To the claim that the D700 and Nikon lenses suffer from distortion & vignetting, NOT TRUE, these cameras demand the use of good quality glass and in your budget you should factor in buying the best lens you can afford, thankfully for fashion there are some very good options. Nikon lenses have a far better reputation than their Canon equivalents, as is simply reflected in the price, you pay a good deal more for Nikkor lenses. I use the 14-24/2.8 24-70/2.8 and the 300/2.8 and they are all razor sharp.
To the claim the 5DII is not capable of taking a sharp shot, also NOT TRUE. Admittedly, I have only played around with this body for a few weeks, but in the studio it is an extremely sharp camera packing in a huge amount of detail into its 21MP images, second only to the massive 25MP of the Nikon D3x, which is in a resolution class of its own in the DSLR market.
Either of these cameras is a superb studio option, if I was using it for mainstream fashion work I would probably go for the 5D11, as more pixels on the subject is always a bonus, but it depends on your output requirements, do you NEED 21MP, or is 12MP enough, in which case just about any medium priced DSLR in the marketplace will see you ok and invest the difference in some good glass. Bodies depreciate very quickly, a good lens will see you good for the rest of your professional career and will then be used by your grand-kids.
I picked up the little (and cheap) D5000 for playing around in the studio at home and it is capable of producing outstanding results:
http://www.pbase.com/availablelightimages/portraits ( Images taken with D700/D5000 and a couple with a Canon 1DsII)
It'll all boil down to your budget, both these cameras may be overkill for you in terms of the financial outlay to back up either with at least one, possibly two good lenses... The AF on the 5DII is not as fast as the D700, but the sensors are very far apart, but for fashion I would say this isn't an issue... The 50D was a disappointment for my needs, but I was shooting birds in flight in poor light. ISO performance above 400 poor, and not that great even at 400. My sister-in-law now uses it in the studio though and at 200 ISO in a well-lit studio produces very fine images indeed. Your specific needs need to be clear in terms of what and where you intend to shoot. Well lit glamor/fashion, or dingy underground hardcore fashion?
Hopes ome of that helps...
best wishes, Alister