gear and camera loyalty through the years

I wouldn't stick with a brand just because a camera had its badge on it, that makes no sense. With dslrs it's more a case of its too expensive to switch. But I do like to stick with brand compatible lenses and accessories for my camera as there pretty much guaranteed to work and I avoid incompatibility problems.
 
There is a bit of Canon vs Nikon going on as expected :) Of course you can produce great photographic work with either. I think it is crazy to suggest otherwise.
 
For myself it was Pentax (screw mount) from early 1960's to around 1980.
Played around with a TLR, however I really didn't like using it.
Purchased a Canon DSLR in 1991 (I think) and still shoot with Canons a lot .
Purchased into Olympus M4/3 recently however for some shoots I still prefere Canon system.
As a hobbyst the cost of completely changing system is prohibitive.
 
When I got my first DSLR, I only had obsolete equipment, so was starting from a clean sheet. At the time, the main choice came down to a Nikon D70 or Canon 300D. Both were available as a kit with a zoom lens. After much deliberation, my decision came down to the sound of the shutter and mirror mechanism. The Nikon sounded better.

I have progressed from the D70 to a D7000 via a D200. The main reason for sticking with Nikon isn't the hassle of changing lenses etc. It is the consistency of the buttons dials and menus. I like the Nikon approach and although I can use another brand of camera, I prefer a Nikon body every time.

Having said all that, I would definitely recommend choosing a camera based on how it fits you. The rest is immaterial.
 
I've switched so many times: Canon - Sony - Nikon - Fuji - back to Nikon but FF.

I've promised myself I won't switch again, it's a pointless exercise bought on by lust for new gear. I'm slowly realising that collecting older Nikon mount & manual focus glass is what im more interested in, of which can easily be used on other systems (mirroless) etc.
 
If I remember correctly mine goes something like this.

Nikon D40
Nikon D90
Nikon D7000
Canon 5D Mk3
Canon 6D
Nikon D750

That's as far as DSLRs go but I've had flings with Fuji, Olympus, Sony and a few other smaller cameras too.

Still remember the first images I made with the D40. I honestly thought I was the dogs b*****ks :oops: :$
 
There is a pattern forming here and it's pretty damning of Canons ergonomics. Is this really so Canon people? Or just chance?
 
ianp5a said:
There is a pattern forming here and it's pretty damning of Canons ergonomics. Is this really so Canon people? Or just chance?
Click to expand...

In the the lower ranges maybe but once I got to the models with two command dials I found the layout just fine.
 
When I had my Canon 1D Mark IIn, I considered moving to Nikon, as I have an FE, and F3 and an F4. I bought a D300 - from Grays - just to dip my toe in the water, and the functionality of the Nikon seemed better than the Canon. However, the image quality of the Canon - to my eyes and the 'uninterested' views of my wife and son - was better.

Still with Canon (5D and a 1D Mark III) but still hankering after a Nikon DSLR.....
 
ianp5a said:
Or just chance?
Click to expand...
•
I've been a Nikon user since the end of the F era. Then, no body makers were aware
of ergonomics. The first solution found to ensure a better grip was the introduction
of the "extra battery/motor drive" unit to be added. Later, came the idea that the body
itself should be covered with non slip material and special attention to layout was then
new to ease and secure the grip as one manipulates the controls (F3).

Real full ergonomic techniques were introduced with the F4 and went on evolving with
the F5 and F6. It was during those days that digital technologies showed up still reflecting
the respective advancements on the analog equipment.

These real full ergonomic techniques included:
• body shape,
• surface materials,
• control layout.

Growing more of a lazy bear as I acquired experience, the idea of getting used to a different
layout and feel send nasty chills in my spine.

…and who thinks that a black body's best pall is a white lens anyway! ;-)
 
Last edited:
ianp5a said:
There is a pattern forming here and it's pretty damning of Canons ergonomics. Is this really so Canon people? Or just chance?
Click to expand...
I think it might have something to do with the stretched feel of Canon bodies. Nikons feel like more of a lump to me which I find easier to hold.
 
I've used Nikon for a very long, why, well simply because I know my way round them.
If asked what I would recommend I tell people to go and handle different cameras and see what they feel suits them.
Picture wise etc there is very little difference these days, that is down to the person behind the view finder.

Recently I lent my main, newer body to my daughter for some London night photography, I reverted back to the D300
and one thing it showed was that despite the fact that it does still work fine I just couldn't get the results
I can with the D7100, yes the pictures were ok but I could have done far better with the newer body.

So my D300 is now leaving me and I'm going for a different 2nd body, either a used D7100 or wait and see what Nikon do next
but whatever it will be Nikon as I have far too much invested in decent glass to change
 
RE: ergonomics - a very personal choice. I was looking at the Canon 60D and the Nikon equivalent at the time. I found the Canon much easier to use. At that point I ended up buying the Powershot G12 over the P7000 and ergonomics was one factor.
 
redsnappa said:
I do not understand the person who loudly proclaims their allegiance to a particular brand, what's in it for that type of person?
Click to expand...

Normally I'd say nothing is in it for the person. But if the brand is a company that actually listens to its customers and produces new equipment accordingly, firmware updates etc then there is something in it for both.

Not sure how much Nikon, Canon etc listen though.

Software, games, things such as dashcams which may need firmware upgrades etc are probably more keen to have customers with brand loyalty.
 
Kodiak Qc said:
•
I've been a Nikon user since the end of the F era. Then, no body makers was aware
of ergonomics.
Click to expand...
Oh many were always very serious about ergonomics. Maybe some companies didn't have the talent for it. But it's not a new field. And the results may not always be obvious to everyone.
 
Last edited:
I prefer the way certain cameras handle (Nikon) but using other brands have never really gotten in the way of my shooting. For me its more about the sensor and the AF. I switch systems a fair amount and use two brands most of the time... Canon, Fuji, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic and Sony in the past.
 
Sorry I have to disagree about the ergonomics of Canon cameras. For me they are spot on and the buttons and their functions are all in the right place. Having gone from a 60d to a 5d3. I did look at Nikon but couldn't get away with the fussy layout of the buttons. I got to ask why did everyone pick a particular brand dslr? I'm sure you all didn't go try one out in the shops 1st.
 
When got my first DSLR, a couple of my friends already had Canon systems. Purely down to their experience with being able to help and guide me, and lend some of their lenses, I entered into photography in about 2003 with the Canon 300d. We all bought Canon gear and shared lenses about. Whenever I used a Nikon, thing felt Alien. At the time, for what I wanted to shoot I preferred the Canon lenses as well. They excited me more. Their was more choice and the cheap nifty fifty lens was very appealing to many people getting into DSLRs.

Over the years I always stuck with Canon due to investment in lenses until I downsized and went to Micro Four Thirds in about 2012 and bought a Panasonic.

For me it's about buying into a system and what suits my budget and requirements at the time. I never end up with a decision where I go with the brand I prefer because there is nothing between them. There is always something between them. :)
 
[QUOTE="clicktor, post: 7090625, member: 19582"…]it's about buying into a system…[/QUOTE]
•
This was the baseline: the system.

It was the time of the new F2, I was at the university and Monsieur Tremblay was,
at the time, responsible of the photo department for all the faculties. My best buddy
was the son of M. Tremblay and introduced me… it was a love–hate passion at once!

I spent much time with M. Marc-Aurèle Tremblay… so much that he taught me, and I
learned avidly, a lot of the bells and whistles of scientific photography. So that, as he
was close to retirement, I was asked to join the many expeditions to the Arctic, western
Canada, Labrador, etc as well as taking over the house work that his health did not
permit him anymore: lab experiments, didactic productions, etc.

Every time, Marc-Aurèle would suggest me the gear to take and why. I had then a
Minolta SR-t 101 with 2 or 3 lenses. He explained that of all the available brands like
Topcon, Canon, Pentax, Minolta, and Nikon, the two later were prosing the better
system and, in those days, he felt that Nikon was the one tough enough for the job.

In my young mind then, he was like a godfather that did not have the brand name on
his lips but the extendibility of the system.
 
I was all set to buy a Canon 70D as my first DSLR, but then a friend lent me his D90 and it just felt right. I've now got a D7200. Wish Nikon did a 24mm pancake though.
I would probably have gone with Fuji but I wouldn't have been able to afford any lenses!
 
I'm with Canon because the 300D (Rebel) was the first DSLR I could afford (I think it was the first sub £1000 one) - progressed through 20D, 30D, 40D, a couple of 1d mkiis, 7d and 5dmkiii - some of them new, some second hand - Still got the 5d mkiii and a 1dx and just bought a 7d mkii - for what I do (photograph football) there isn't anything better than a 1dx, but I'd have been just as happy with Nikons post D3 - they changed the game for sports photographers as did the 1dmkii a few years before - but both companies make great sports cameras - though it would take me a minute or two to get used to everything being wrong way round if I switched to Nikon.

That's a scary amount of cameras I've owned in a decade
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top