gear and camera loyalty through the years

jamiebonline

jamiebonline

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H guys,

I am sure there are some people here who have been using the same system for more than 20 years. Let's say Nikon. Have you ever tried or thought of trying another one? What kept you with that one system? Familiarity or something else?

And on a related, more interesting note, I guess there are some of you who are still using the same camera for a very long time also. An old favourite from the film days that means the most to you or you feel you have done some of your best work on. I am just curious to read people's experiences as regards long term ''photographic companions'' :) In this day and age where the next model in a series is being introduced every two years or so, I am interested in attachments that go back many years.

J
 
Nikon from F301 -> D40 -> D300 -> D700 -> D750 :)
I tried canon, but Nikon just fitted my fingers better.
 
I got a secondhand Canon AV-1 in 1988 when I was 11 or 12 as my first SLR, then moved on to a couple of EOS (650 and 600) in the nineties, so when I decided to go digital after a hiatus, the 30D was a natural step. That was ten years ago, and I've progressed fairly significantly in the quantity and quality of Canon kit I now own. I can't envisage changing systems unless Canon really drop the ball with the 5D4. I've had to use Nikons at work every now and again for the last eight years and I absolutely hate the layout.
 
Brand loyalty is a great thing... for the manufacturer
I never understand people who are loyal to one brand when buying gadgets.
 
I inherited some old Nikon cameras from my father, so when I decided to buy a dslr, I just bought a Nikon d80. I didn't even consider or investigate other brands. Have since invested a lot into the brand, so even if I wanted to (which I don't), it would be cost prohibitive to switch.

I do however own a Fuji x100s, but have no interest in any other Fuji camera.
 
Lenses and other associated ancillary equipment play a big part in sticking with a brand. There would have to be a massive difference to sell up all your gear simply to go to another manufacturer.
 
I mixed things up early on with D40/D60/500D/600D/E610 then got a D90 and stuck with Nikon from there.
 
Ady N said:
Lenses and other associated ancillary equipment play a big part in sticking with a brand. There would have to be a massive difference to sell up all your gear simply to go to another manufacturer.
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Agreed, this is because manufacturers try to force brand loyalty by making lens fittings etc different to other manufacturers.
I do not understand the person who loudly proclaims their allegiance to a particular brand, what's in it for that type of person?
 
Been fairly loyal to Nikon thought the years,but also have used Olympus Pentax etc,at the moment i am with Fuji and don't think i will be changing any time soon :)
 
Carl Hall said:
I use Canon but it's got nothing to do with loyalty; It's because it's too damn expensive to change after you've got a couple of bodies and a selection of decent glass!
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•
I use NIKON but it's got nothing to do with loyalty; It's because it's too damn expensive
to change after you've got a couple of bodies and a selection of decent glass!
 
redsnappa said:
Brand loyalty is a great thing... for the manufacturer
I never understand people who are loyal to one brand when buying gadgets.
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The problem with cameras (especially dSLRs) is that it isn't as simple as other devices such as phones - you can't just change the camera when a new one comes out etc, you have to change everything pretty much so that does bring about a sort of brand loyalty.

I can't be arsed to change as my pictures wouldn't look any different if I bought any other camera manufacturer.
 
First AF camera was a Canon and never seen the need to change. Pluses and minuses to all brands. Unless one brand has something that you need that others don't can't see the point in changing. Although I'd be reluctant to buy a Nikon after reading how shabby their repair service is.
 
It is the person who loudly proclaims their allegiance to a particular brand I don't get. You often see the in love Nikon, in love canon remarks on this site.

Being locked in to a brand is different to brand loyalty.
 
I switched from Olympus to Canon, not looked back :canon:
 
Kodiak Qc said:
•
I use NIKON but it's got nothing to do with loyalty; It's because it's too damn expensive
to change after you've got a couple of bodies and a selection of decent glass!
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It needn't be, i switched all my used gear direct via the manufacturer approaching me for equivilant brand new gear
 
Gary Coyle said:
It needn't be…
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•
In my operation, I plan a 5 digit budget every year for acquisitions, repair, etc.
Sometimes I use it, sometimes I don't. I mean to say that I can afford anything
I would need for the practice of my trade under the condition that I can justify
the expenses with proper business thinking.

The brand I use has never failed me in 43 years! …changing brand would be
an expense that I could comfortably execute but, in terms of business would
make no sense at all; therefore too expensive.

I was explaining a student that I could afford to buy the new 800mm ƒ5.6 for
just under 18 000.USD but I would feed the brand, not extend my capabilities
as it would cost me more than twice the money for only 25% more focal length!
Since I already have the 600mm ƒ4, a much cheaper TC would do just fine. So
it goes for the D4/D4S, I can do everything I need with my actual arsenal.

My loyalty is a business decision based on the evolution of the products of that
very brand. If I ever get a good reason to change, I will… but it will not be GAS!
 
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I tend to hang on to stuff. I got my first camera, Kodak Instamaitic 36, when I was 10 (now 54) and I still have it although I haven't put any film through it in a long time. I had my Nikon SLR for over 10 years but switched to Canon when going digital as everyone said they were better and I had my 20D for over 7 years and Canon DSLR's in all for something like 10 years.

At the mo I have a Sony A7 and Panasonic G1 and GX7 and a few compact-ish cameras and of these the one that I feel the most affinity for is the G1 but it's a love/hate relationship. It's creaking in old age now but I'll probably keep using it until it goes to camera heaven.

I can't say that I have any brand loyalty at all though. It's just down to spec, handling, image quality and of course the cost v benefit equation.
 
Switched to Fuji from Nikon via adapter rings and speed boosters. This allowed me to switch at my own leisure and get a good price on my kit (except for the D600, I'll never spend that much money on a body again, they're worth naff all in a couple of years or so).
 
I started shooting with Nikon, then swapped to Canon which I really liked, but am now a Fuji fan.

However, I still have a yearning for a 5D mark2 and although long gone, loved my 5Dc.
 
I've used Nikon since I bought my first digital camera in 2002. The camera I bought just felt right and I bought a Nikon DSLR in 2005 also just felt right, as did the one that I replaced it with in 2009 (which I still have). Ive not felt the need to swap systems as I don't feel that another brand would take a difference to my photography. I've got numerous lenses and to swap systems would be a hassle as I find researching lenses and buying them a joyless experience.
I've also got a Canon compact and a couple of Fuji's so I've no real preference for brands as such. I just pick the right camera for the task in hand.
 
I had a fairly fortunate time in the late seventies to eighty's,my late wife at that time was manageress of a camera outlet,this meant i could swap and change as much as i wanted with secondhand gear at very little cost,so i got through a lot of cameras roll film and 35mm,after a brief spell with nothing i bought my first DSLR a Nikon D70 and have stuck with Nikon for the last 15 years for no other reason than its swings and roundabouts between all the manufactures and i think i cant be bothered to go through a gear change again.
 
My first serious camera (if you could call it that) was a Praktica L with an f2.8 Tessar lens. I kept it for a couple of years, but saved up for a Canon FTb, with the standard f1.8 50mm which I bought when I was till at school, aged about 15. It was Canon all the way for me then, owning an A1, T90, EOS100 (35mm) and an EOS5 (35mm), before turning digital SLR with and EOS350D, EOS40D and finally and EOS5D MkII.

Earlier this year, I tried a Fuji X-T1 and loved it, so sold all of my Canon kit and bought more lenses to go with the Fuji with the proceeds.

As far as compacts go, I had a Panasonic 35mm zoom compact back in the late eighties, when my son was born, the idea being that it was to be used as a 'snapshot' camera and kept it for years. My first ever digital was a Minolta Dimage S414, bought in 2003 because it offered quite a lot of manual control. I later bought a small Panasonic digital and now use a Panasonic TZ60 as my 'in the pocket, carry everywhere' camera and exceptionally good it is too.
 
Nikon FG (my only camera for about twenty years) - D100, F, another F, FE2, F601, F801. Still have them all except the D100 (I have lots from other manufacturers too but I wouldn't claim any loyalty to them).

Steve.
 
Kodiak Qc said:
•
In my operation, I plan a 5 digit budget every year for acquisitions, repair, etc.
Sometimes I use it, sometimes I don't. I mean to say that I can afford anything
I would need for the practice of my trade under the condition that I can justify
the expenses with proper business thinking.

The brand I use has never failed me in 43 years! …changing brand would be
an expense that I could comfortably execute but, in terms of business would
make no sense at all; therefore too expensive.

I was explaining a student that I could afford to buy the new 800mm ƒ5.6 for
just under 18 000.USD but I would feed the brand, not extend my capabilities
as it would cost me more than twice the money for only 25% more focal length!
Since I already have the 600mm ƒ4, a much cheaper TC would do just fine. So
it goes for the D4/D4S, I can do everything I need with my actual arsenal.

My loyalty is a business decision based on the evolution of the products of that
very brand. If I ever get a good reason to change, I will… but it will not be GAS!
Click to expand...
I started Nikon, switched to Canon until the MKIII AF fiasco meant returning 3 cameras, went to Nikon D3 then back to Canon for the MKIV which also had issues so made the switch back to Nikon and the D3S and am still with Nikon, not once did any switch cost me a single penny and im talking about switching £20,000 worth of gear, if you plan wisely it can be done.
 
Don't do brand Loyalty, in the last 5 years I've owned Olympus, Panasonic, Ricoh, Pentax, Fuji, Minolta, Sony & Nikon. It's far easier to be disloyal shooting film and mirrorless.
 
Gary Coyle said:
I started Nikon, switched to Canon until the MKIII AF fiasco meant returning 3 cameras, went to Nikon D3 then back to Canon for the MKIV which also had issues so made the switch back to Nikon and the D3S and am still with Nikon, not once did any switch cost me a single penny and im talking about switching £20,000 worth of gear, if you plan wisely it can be done.
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I don't think thats the case now a days though, the prices seem to have dropped a lot compared to a few years ago, I looked at switching a couple of years back and it would have hit me hard even buying used. D800E cost £2400(£1600) nikon 24-70 cost £1200 (£900/950) nikon 70-200vr2 cost £1600(£1100) nikon 85 1.4g cost £1350 (£1000) thats a loss off nearly £2000 back then on just my 4 most expensive bits, you can drop each of those by another 100-150 for the lenses at least now and ended selling the body for over 500 less.
the canon equivalents seem to have held there price slightly better or they were just more to start.

I think once your a body and few pro lens deep your stuck unless you have money to waist or the competition pays for your transfer to them.
 
My Dad had a Canon camera when he was younger, when researching what DSLR to get I think that's all we looked at. Have used a friends Nikon and really couldn't get to grips with the layout, likely only a familiarity issue.

My holiday walkabout camera is a Sony NEX-3N, when researching (now with camera experience) I went for the best that I could afford at the time. Fuji, Canon, Nikon etc were all considered - manufacturer loyalty had nothing to do with my decision.

As said above, the reason I'll stay with Canon, the sheer investment to change would be enough to deter - especially since it's only a hobby and not a money making enterprise!

Scott
 
wibbly said:
I started shooting with Nikon, then swapped to Canon which I really liked, but am now a Fuji fan.
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Exactly the same here.

Switching is a pain, but as a hobbyist, it's not as bad as professionals who has to always have a LOT of working gear. Luck for me, I've not invested too heavily on brand specific TTL flash. Manual flash is the way forward :D

frod said:
I'll never spend that much money on a body again, they're worth naff all in a couple of years or so).
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Agree with Kev. Spending money on the digital rot inside those cameras are a fool's errand. They are worth drooling over but end of the day, it's the idiot behind the camera that makes the image.
 
So I am the OP, I might as well contribute ;)

I have very little money :( But... in a way it has been a good thing. Where I live wages are low and electronics prices are similar to UK. Switching is very costly. I lost money doing it. Actually I made a bit of a mess. I had Nikon and switched to Sony mirrorless. I was dissatisfied with it and went back to Nikon! Fortunately, you might say, I discovered or rediscovered film so I got old Nikon bodies relatively cheaply (I know film is expensive in the long run but I am a very careful shooter as a result). I never realised how important ergonomics and handling are until I tried Sony and then those older cameras.
It's obvious you should physically try out a camera in a shop. I might have been influenced too much by Sony fanboys.
Nikons lenses up to D work on the old film cameras and the new DSLRs and I like that and have considered that too because of lack of native lenses for sony e-mount.
 
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It does depend on what level you are in the game.
I started photography with a Practika MTL5 (M42 mount) and then when I went for a AF film camera, I got a Minolta Dynax because that was what my dad had. When I went digital, I went for a Sony Alpha 100 because it was the same lens mount as the Minolta Dynax. Later I upgraded to the Sony a350 DSLR (not SLT) which was good, but as I got more serious I found it frustrating not being able to hire gear or borrow from friends. So I switched from Sony to Canon a few years ago.
I sold all my a-mount lenses and my Sony a350 body. But since Sony gear doesn't keep it's value as much as other brands, this only gave me enough cash for a Canon 60D body (new from HDEW) and a 50mm prime. Since then I've had to spend extra cash on all my lenses. Not even my flash was compatible, so I had to get a new one.
That said, I used the Sony gear for 4 years and I think that although the gear was worth less when I sold it, I got my moneys worth, so I don't count it as a loss. I used the gear, got more experienced, so it was worth it.
 
I first came across brand loyalty in the early 80's with CAD software. I was lucky to get to know the pros and cons of 3 different systems. But discovered fanboys who would slate systems they had never used. This stood me in good stead when Windows / Mac fanboys got going. I think fanboyism is detrimental to all these 'divides' and so are things like incompatible lens systems. Where it is expensive to change and thus limits freedom of choice.

Currently I love what's going on in the mirrorless world with each brand giving us new goodies as fast as they can. Which causes the rival brands to offer even more. Great for photographers. Especially with the firmware update wars.

*Fanboy meaning one having an 'irrational' preference for a particular brand or system. Which is different from a straightforward 'fan'. Hooray for fans.
 
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Canon 300X, 1000D, 50D, 5D Mk2......

Then I jumped onto the Fuji X wagon and haven't looked back ;D
 
I've made one swap from Olympus to Nikon. At the time I was looking at upgrading lens and camera to better Olympus ones. I had an Olympus E-450 but Olympus seemed to be reducing their M4/3's line up so it was the ideal point to make the swap before I got too much invested. I don't see myself changing now as I have too much to swap and it's far too much hassle for the very minimal gains that may be had. I think it's all swings and roundabouts as things change every year. If I planned it and sold/bought second hand it's probably possible to swap systems for very little cost.
 
Used Pentax in the '70s and early '80s then went away from the hobby for some years but still took some "photographs" as opposed to "snaps" with assorted compacts. When I could afford to get back into it, I researched the bodies I could afford, found a retailer who had 4 of the shortlist in stock and tried them on. The Nikon F65 was the best fit for my hands so I bought it. Almost went to Canon when they released a DSLR under a grand - got as far as trying it on but it didn't feel right so I stuck with film. 6 months later, the D70s was released and the D70 was reduced to an affordable level, especially after a significant cashback and an in-store offer. The D70 fit me well. Since then, I've tried a few other brands for feel and none seem to feel right so I'm sticking with Nikon, besides, I now have a reasonable sized (or, as I'm sure other wives think, an UNreasonable sized!) Nikon fit system so it would also be uneconomical for me to change, not being bribed by other manufacturers to change!
 
Chinon, olympus, Nikon, then digital - canon, olympus and now Nikon. This is over about 38 years I guess. Bit of a wife swapping type I guess...
 
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