In the world of professional photography, Nikon and Canon are the two toughest kids on the block. Nearly every professional photojournalist uses one of those two systems.

Invariably, the question arises: Which system is better? While I put my money into Nikon systems, I must say that you can't go wrong with either one.

While Nikon has been in the professional SLR business for decades, Canon is relatively new to the party (arriving with their pro models in the late 80s and early 90s). Both systems technologies are similar and both systems have first class optics to choose from.

Truth be told, I chose Nikon because back when I was taking Photography classes in high school, and devouring all of the latest photography magazines, Nikon was at the top of its game with nearly every professional photojournalist using Nikon systems. Over the next 10 years, though, Canon made huge inroads and is now arguably the dominant player sales-wise.

While other camera manufacturers exist, producing world class cameras and lenses (e.g. Leica), Nikon and Canon keep battling it out for the lion's share of the market.

My money's with Nikon ... but you can't go wrong with either one.