Why so much Canon?

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Thegreatroberto

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Ok, I'm letting myself in for this one, but here goes.

At an air show yesterday, there was significantly more canon dslr users than Nikon. Everywhere I looked were white L lenses. Yes, there were a few d600 and d800 users ( and they were using sigma lenses) , but they were significantly outnumbered by the Canon users.
Is it an air show thing, or something else?
 
Thegreatroberto said:
Ok, I'm letting myself in for this one, but here goes.

At an air show yesterday, there was significantly more canon dslr users than Nikon. Everywhere I looked were white L lenses. Yes, there were a few d600 and d800 users ( and they were using sigma lenses) , but they were significantly outnumbered by the Canon users.
Is it an air show thing, or something else?
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Something else. Techy types love their white L lenses... make them look pro innit! :)
 
Probably due too canon having cheaper and more off an offering of longer glass than nikon.

It was defiantly the case that most sports events would have more canon users, but I think that gap has closed a lot of the past few years. They probably still have the lead though as once in a system only a few are willing to swap and start again.

Walking around my town and when I travel to china I see a large shift the other way. My first trip to china about 5 years ago I saw a lot more canon cameras, but the past few years I've gone theres been a lot more nikon and not just low level cameras but pro and semi pro models.
 
I must be in the minority on this, but I've always found white lenses to look tacky.
 
White lenses are awful, but they do the job too, how else are you to advertise you're a div.....aaaand bring home the bacon at the same time ??
 
pmac said:
Probably due too canon having cheaper and more off an offering of longer glass than nikon.

It was defiantly the case that most sports events would have more canon users, but I think that gap has closed a lot of the past few years. They probably still have the lead though as once in a system only a few are willing to swap and start again.

Walking around my town and when I travel to china I see a large shift the other way. My first trip to china about 5 years ago I saw a lot more canon cameras, but the past few years I've gone theres been a lot more nikon and not just low level cameras but pro and semi pro models.
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Just maybe Canon offer a better product for this type of photography. What's your problem? Would you have posted if there were more Nikon DSLR's and lenses? :shrug:
 
To be fair I don't think the OP has a 'problem'. A shared observation, surely.
 
It was the same at the Olympic games. There was Canon white lenses just about everywhere in the official 'tog areas. There was a number of Nikons and other brands but by far the majority was Canon. Maybe it's just that Canon made top class cameras that take top class photos for their owners.

I use a Sigma 150-500 OS and 120-400 OS on my bodies when I'm at an airshow, the only white lens I have, 70-200 f2.8 MkII, is too short for the majority of the shots at an airshow so at least I wont look like a 'div' this year.
 
modchild said:
It was the same at the Olympic games. There was Canon white lenses just about everywhere in the official 'tog areas. There was a number of Nikons and other brands but by far the majority was Canon. Maybe it's just that Canon made top class cameras that take top class photos for their owners.

I use a Sigma 150-500 OS and 120-400 OS on my bodies when I'm at an airshow, the only white lens I have, 70-200 f2.8 MkII, is too short for the majority of the shots at an airshow so at least I wont look like a 'div' this year.
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This reminds me of my own experiences of the Olympics actually. I also noticed more Canon than Nikon being used by the pros, but I also noticed a lot more Nikon cameras around the necks of the spectators....make of that what you will.
 
If I was a regular at airshows or in the supertele market I'd go with Canon. A better selection, more of them on the used market and easy to rent. I always liked the colour of the great whites.
 
The new Nikon 80-400 VR would be a good lens for airshows, still a hefty price though.
 
Laudrup said:
The new Nikon 80-400 VR would be a good lens for airshows, still a hefty price though.
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for hefty price how about Canons latest 400mm f/2.8 at £12000 and their 200-400mm f/4 for the same price, now who said that Nikons were more expensive:D:D
 
Maybe the white L lenses made the canons stand out, but whenever I saw a huddle of photographers most times it was Canon in their hands. Guessing now with a ratio of Canon:Nikon of 5:1 or slightly more.
But the "few" with D60 and D800s, had sigma glass on the front. Maybe 150-500's.
Never thought about it, but maybe Nikon don't produce what these guys want.
All I worked out from yesterday was that 70-200 was no way enough lens. Or that I was not pitched out next to the fence line.
 
It certainly seems to be true that for years most aviation enthusiast/photographers have tended to use Canon DSLRs rather than Nikon or w.h.y.
I think that the availability of the 100-400 & the 400/5.6 have had a lot to do with it (as probably did the original EOS body breaking through the £1000 barrier).
Nikon's 80-400 was too slow to AF & it's only the last few years that Minolta/Sony had a lens in the 70-400 G that outperforms the 100-400 L. Pentax still seem to be MIA.
 
heidfirst said:
It certainly seems to be true that for years most aviation enthusiast/photographers have tended to use Canon DSLRs rather than Nikon or w.h.y.
I think that the availability of the 100-400 & the 400/5.6 have had a lot to do with it (as probably did the original EOS body breaking through the £1000 barrier).
Nikon's 80-400 was too slow to AF & it's only the last few years that Minolta/Sony had a lens in the 70-400 G that outperforms the 100-400 L. Pentax still seem to be MIA.
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i would agree with this, the 100-400 was canons inspired product and perfect in that arena and at a price keen enthusiasts could just about afford. Nikon have products eminently suitable too, but the bank manager would be considerably less happy with you for buying them, especially if they aren't earning their keep. IN sports, I can't comment generally, only on what i see at at the cricket. I was at a a day of Eng v NZ test cricket at Lords back in May and there were actually more Nikons than Canons in the press snappers slots, but that does seem to be recent thing.
 
Yv said:
IN sports, I can't comment generally, only on what i see at at the cricket. I was at a a day of Eng v NZ test cricket at Lords back in May and there were actually more Nikons than Canons in the press snappers slots, but that does seem to be recent thing.
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Think a lot are still hanging on to the crop of the 1D MKIV for such as Cricket, now the Full Frame 1DX is out Canon sports/wildlife shooters have now lost the advantage they had over Nikon with the crop.
 
I think it is much more likely to be that Canon is more used by certain communities of photographers than any definitive statement about the availability, quality and cost of the full range of each brand.

Certainly at the camera club local to me there is an overwhelming majority of Canon system photographers - but it doesn't necessarily translate into anything other than simple ownership. I started on Canon 25 years ago, and it does seem to be a more obvious choice for people starting out in photography, and it often takes an exceptional reason to cause a switch.

For at least the last 4-5 years there has been very good coverage across both models of cameras themselves (full-frame and crop sensor) and across longer lenses. In fact you could say that only in the last month has Canon had a 200-400mm which has been in the Nikon stable for over 4 years - and has been a big differentiator for wildlife photographers. Maybe 8-10 years ago you could have pointed to a lack of VR in Nikons super-telephotos, limited tilt-shift options and no FF DSLR but those are all long gone now.

It has also been the case that Nikon have by and large been cheaper on both bodies and lenses, certainly at the pro end of the market and in telephoto lenses for some time. Gary is correct - 400mm f2.8 is £6,700 for Nikon and £12,000 for Canon. The D4 continues to sell around £500-600 less than the 1Dx.

So the comments above about Nikon failing to deliver quality equipment or less expensive equipment just isn't true.

At the Olympics there will have been a massive presence of agency photographers - using equipment that is determined for them by their employers. Getty and PA are on Canon, AFP on Nikon. With Getty having a huge presence at the games due to their arrangement with the IOC. Chances are that had you switched the manufacturer for those photographers like for like the images would have been of exactly the same quality.
 
The camera club I joined was all canon heads too. And an elitist snobby bunch on top. I tried to fit in with my old D200 but it was hopeless.

There is definitely a much stronger Canon user base in this county, and it holds a lot of photographers. Much more so than my home town. I like to think I stand out by not being one of the tacky white lens wavers.
 
My guess would be that Canon offer a very good range of lenses for this type of photography. If you're into photographing airshows, you only need to briefly browse the internet to see that Canon is a favoured brand in that area.
 
It's interesting to see the views on here that just because you have a white telephoto lens you are both a "Div" and own something "Tacky". If I had similar views of black lenses, then I would consider myself a "Div". :cuckoo:
If you need to gain reach from a lens and have a Canon body, then you are going to end up with a lens that is white. End of story. :bonk:
 
I also believe there is some truth in that users that are new to photography, may be more likely to head in the Canon direction. As has been said above, it would normally be quite a dramatic reason for someone to change systems (on the whole).

Im not sure why this is, maybe the advertising is geared more towards the amateur/novice, or maybe its purely the fact that Canon is a more well known brand.

I am of course only basing this on personal experience, but because a lot of people in my immediate vicinity (be that work or personally) know that I love photography , and know a little about cameras, I do get approached by them regularly when they are considering buying a camera. I would say, that probably 90% of those people have done a little bit of internet window shopping, and pretty much all of them have started the conversation with something along the lines of 'What do you think of the Canon Blah blah, or ive seen a Canon blah blah for £400, what do you think'?

So, are Nikon not advertising in the right places, or are Canon simply just that more well known? I suppose it helps that Canon make more than cameras... :thinking:
 
wippers said:
It's interesting to see the views on here that just because you have a white telephoto lens you are both a "Div" and own something "Tacky". If I had similar views of black lenses, then I would consider myself a "Div". :cuckoo:
If you need to gain reach from a lens and have a Canon body, then you are going to end up with a lens that is white. End of story. :bonk:
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:agree:

I'm glad you replied Gareth 'cos my response was going to be a bit more strongly worded... I think there's a few green-eyed monsters in attendance! ;)

It's taken me over 20 years of photography to be able to afford my pair of off-white lenses and neither of them were bought for their colour... Performance is what counts!

This 'tacky-lens' owning 'Div' will see you in the Loop soon I hope! :)
Si
 
Spiritflier said:
:agree:

I'm glad you replied Gareth 'cos my response was going to be a bit more strongly worded... I think there's a few green-eyed monsters in attendance! ;)

It's taken me over 20 years of photography to be able to afford my pair of off-white lenses and neither of them were bought for their colour... Performance is what counts!

This 'tacky-lens' owning 'Div' will see you in the Loop soon I hope! :)
Si
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Yes Si, this Div here with the tacky lens will be out and about soon. ;)
 
as i mainly shoot birds my white lenes are covered in camo tape but i do like plane's too so unless someone looks close they would not know what im shooting.
Rob.
 
I don't suppose you have much choice over the 'tacky' colour and you could only be labelled tacky if there was a choice of colours and you chose white.
 
ernesto said:
I don't suppose you have much choice over the 'tacky' colour and you could only be labelled tacky if there was a choice of colours and you chose white.
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There is a reason it's white... reflects the sun.. stops it getting hot.... although not much point in england :)
 
"You can have any colour lens you want, as long as it's black (...or white for Canon L teles)".

I'm surprised that in this day & age manufacturors don't offer a choice of colours and designs for lenses and camera bodies.
 
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ZoneV said:
I'm surprised that in this day & age manufacturers generally stick to Henry Ford's colour options and don't offer a choice of colours and designs for lenses and camera bodies.
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Shocking pink for me please :)
 
It could just be people locked into a system perhaps due to the range and cost of canon lenses.

However, at a lot of weddings recently it seems to be all Nikon
 
ZoneV said:
I'm surprised that in this day & age manufacturors don't offer a choice of colours and designs for lenses and camera bodies.
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Pentax do (for bodies,if not lenses ). :) http://ww1.prweb.com/prfiles/2012/05/21/9523045/K30_Group_Wet.jpg

http://www.thelovelyroom.com/2009/09/a-techicolor-dream-pentax-k-x-dslr-in-100-color-combinations/

Nikon do red bodies: http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/camera...amera-with-18-55-mm-vr-lens-20499221-pdt.html

Olympus Pens (csc) come in a variety of colours: http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/camera...amera-with-18-55-mm-vr-lens-20499221-pdt.html
 
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