Re: The Canon Brand Still Means Something-musings
I agree that the Canon brand still means something to me, and I have the bodies and lenses to prove it. Sometimes though, I don't know that I mean much to the brand. For professional sports or news photographers, or those doing constant professional shooting, Canon and Nikon are the systems. They have the full range of glass. For others, though, I wonder.
I wonder why Canon, who got a complete jump on digital SLR photography seemed to fall into a funk as competitors were more inventive. It could be that most of us grew up using 35mm SLRs and didn't want a different approach. It could be that pros need reliability, service, and versatility. Prosumers and artists can worry about bleeding edge effects, and spend days in post processing. Perhaps many want to use the same equipment as pros, even if they would do better with different cameras. Maybe we still think that we'll keep our cameras for decades–although my Hasselblads are just gathering dust. I don't know.
I will say that when a Sony a7II died in the middle of a firmware update (and yes, I do generally know what I'm doing with cameras and computers), it took a day to get an authorized warranty repair order and a 2.5 week turnaround (canon is awesome).
I think that sunnyVan made a fair recommendation to his friend. You know, if you only want a camera and one or two lenses, it doesn't much matter if he changes cameras in a year. I can afford to play with other systems, especially since sometime I want to carry small and light. But to me, Canon has been my go to camera for 30ish years, and I have a massive investment. Digital has brought the promise of medium format print sizes to a 35mm form factor. Now, it remains to be seen whether Canon can transition its customers to the best possible imaging system, preferably with the ability to continue with some gear.
I don't know if, outside of professional shooters, Canon or Nikon have the same cachet that they used to. Certainly, Nikon has made an amazing comeback from digital obscurity (which its old reputation for quality must have helped-who else would have stuck by Nikon when Canon was so much better).
I hope Canon can keep its reputation, with both amateurs and pros. We'll see. Right now, it's my lenses. When I drift over to DPreview, I wonder if they only do tests, or if someone actually uses the cameras that they review. Canon still seems to be desired, even though the reviews aren't so favorable. If I were buying a camera based on reviews and not experience, I wonder just how much the brand would matter to me. Well, the Swiss watch came back from the brink of extinction after electronic watches hit the market. Maybe Canon can hang in when everyone with an iPhone thinks that they're photographers.
That was quite a ramble. Sorry if I bored you. I often wonder about the future of photography. I also wonder if I'm being an idiot spending serious bucks on equipment.