Canon/Nikon thoughs?

[swanseamale47]

Right before we start I don't want a Nikon v Canon war.
My question is as someone who uses both Canon and Nikon on a daily basis (long story) I can't help wondering why Canon find it needs to add auto and program, and also the "creative" options like portrait/sports mode etc.
My thoughs are along the lines of... are they just giving us more bang for our buck, or are they trying to capture more of the beginner market?
Personally I don't miss them at all when I'm using Nikon, most of my shooting is on manual anyway.
Anybody else got any thoughts on why they add these extra options, and do you ever use them, I don't. ??

Wayne

 

[Dudie]

I suspect it's to capture more of the beginner market. I suspect it costs very little to add these functions so why not have them on there and appeal to a broader market.

I guess it's a bit like an evil smack dealer giving you your first hit for free. Before you know it, you're an addict and spending a fortune on feeding your habit. Just swap 'smack' for 'L series'

 

[amb3rsil]

Happy to be put right, but pretty sure that the higher end Canon's don't have the creative options. I call the green square "family&friend" mode, so if anyone wants to have a look and play with the camera, just shove it there and they can fire away without me going waffling on about iso/shutter/aperture etc. I also sometimes stick it on P to see what the "camera would do" with tricky shots (although most of the time it's not what I want)

 

[CT]

Canon don't put these modes on 1 Series cameras, so it's safe to assume they're trying to attract those who want the benefits of a DSLR without any technical knowledge. All those daft modes could be dispensed with if the user had the basic grasp of apertures and shutter speeds. To use 'Action' mode as an example, it just biases exposure in favour of a higher shutter speed asnd larger aperture. They're a waste of real estate on the mode dial - I've never used them.

 

[swanseamale47]

I haven't checked a one series but the 40/50d have them, the 5d/5d2 don't have them. Wayne