Gets the Job Done....Every Time

Great post! And it sums up my hobbyist experience as well. I always felt like the Canon system had everything I would ever want for the situation I am facing. I like doing portraits and I found the perfect lenses for me to do that with, both at a very god price point. I am using a 100 2.0 and a 50 1.4 on a 5D2 and this kit never disappointed (except the 50 wide open, as everybody knows...).

The thing is, you have to appreciate your gear to appreciate the photos you take with it. At least that is what I think. :)
 
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axtstern

EOS M(ediochre)
Jun 12, 2012
278
23
Let me reduce this to

Gets the Job Done....99 out of 100 times
Don't want to split hairs but I had my little issues.

Still less than with any other manufacturer I have tried so far. However in my case a certain large Internet warehouse may impact the results. As easy it was whenever required to get a new bought faulty piece exchanged as easy I fear it was for other customers to receive exactly the one I sent back....
If a Canon lens type for example was said to have a soft spot than I wonder how often different people were actually reporting about the same flawed lens being returned and sent out again and again...
 
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I absolutely agree with much of what has been stated. The Canon kit and my feelings about it are definitely subjective from the the vantage point with which I have made my assessments.

I agree that everyone has different needs and differing systems may serve those specific needs much better. I also recognize that large companies like Nikon are also very developed and would be a great choice for any photographer should they decide to go that way.

My main goal was just to point out that through my own experiences of trial and error, I have found that I always return to my Canon kit when I need something faithful that I know will not fail me through any of the shooting scenarios I find myself in.

Yes. There is lighter, smaller, more DR, more resolution, better this, and better that. But what I have found is that with those advantages from other systems come with plenty of disadvantages.

I know that when I pack up my Canon rig to go out (regardless of what I am shooting that day), I have every single tool I need to choose from right in front of me.

I also know that none of those tools will be compromised in such a way that would make it supremely difficult for me to accomplish my goal for that day.

To briefly illustrate:
Canon kit = multiple fast portrait lenses, multiple macro lenses, multiple 2.8 stabilized zoom lenses, multiple telephoto lenses, TC, multiple tilt shift lenses, multiple fast wide angle lenses, a specialty zoom in the 8-15, and multiple native flashes/triggers.

All of those items work seamlessly together for everything that I do.....ever. I don't have to worry about focus issues, battery issues, compatibility issues, lack of lens or tool choice issues (adapting brings a slew of other issues), amongst other things.

All of it just works. And while there are things about it that could be slightly improved, all of the characteristics of the system are already pretty stellar. I have tried the other systems that are supposed to yield great improvements over my Canon kit. However, it takes more work to get myself the shots I want and they don't always look better than what I would have gotten with the Canon kit anyway.

I've learned now that it is much better to have the ability to get any job done either well enough or excellently than to be able to do one or two things slightly better and be crippled in a multitude of other significant ways.
 
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Lee Jay

EOS 7D Mark II
Sep 22, 2011
2,250
175
I've just had my first (in 35 years) significant failure of Canon equipment.

One of the little tiny screws holding in the back plate of my 5D fell out and is missing. The whole plate moves around and sort of crunches when you squeeze it. The camera still works fine.

$10.80 on ebay for a new set of screws.

I called Canon. They sent me a set as a courtesy, no charge.
 
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Rienzphotoz

Peace unto all ye Canon, Nikon & Sony shooters
Aug 22, 2012
3,303
0
Agree with the general consensus here ... as long as the photographer is satisfied with the gear he/she uses, the brand name really does not matter. I recently started using Sony mirrorless cameras & lenses most of the time, as I really like the small form factor, which makes it very convenient ... but when it comes to serious work, I use Canon. Like others have mentioned, every system has its strengths and limitations ... the trickiest part is to know how to get around the weaknesses and use the strengths to their full potential ... having said that, for the vast majority (myself included) the modern cameras are far more capable then the skill set we possess.
 
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Mar 25, 2011
16,848
1,835
Lee Jay said:
I've just had my first (in 35 years) significant failure of Canon equipment.

One of the little tiny screws holding in the back plate of my 5D fell out and is missing. The whole plate moves around and sort of crunches when you squeeze it. The camera still works fine.

$10.80 on ebay for a new set of screws.

I called Canon. They sent me a set as a courtesy, no charge.

I bought a used 5D recently with a screw or two missing. I keep a stock of tiny screws that I save from broken cameras and lenses, so I had just the right one.

I pickup a used film SLR or Broken lens from Garage sales for a buck or two, and, if they can't be fixed, I keep the screws and other frequently needed parts like the eye piece.
 
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Keith_Reeder

I really don't mind offending trolls.
Feb 8, 2014
960
477
63
Blyth, NE England
AcutancePhotography said:
There was nothing in my post that indicated that I missed the point. I was actually supporting your position, just from a system agnostic position. :D
Uummm... I think there kinda is - that'll be why I posted!

;)

While of course you're right to suggest that other systems' users can say something similar to what John said, his point can't be made system-agnostically - it's explicitly about Canon ownership and use.

And it's not about him "demonstrating that Canon kit is best for [him]" - he's not really "demonstrating" anything at all. What he's saying is that it's not for other people to tell him that he's wrong about that. It's a different nuance, and the key "take-away" from his original statement.

Like a lot of us, John appears to have been shooting long enough to have established what his needs are and how to satisfy them, which on the face of it is why (like me and others) he is tired of comments which characterise expressions of satisfaction with a brand - satisfaction based on experience and objective analysis - as being fanboyish and/or indicative of low, easily-satisfied standards.
 
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Tabor Warren Photography

I want to go shoot something with a Canon...
Feb 2, 2012
275
2
Tulsa, OK
www.photosbytabor.com
Excellent post.

I own a good amount of Canon gear, only used a Nikon once, and the button layout was confusing. That being said, had I begun with Nikon, Sony, whoever, I'm sure the Canon layout would have felt very foreign.

It always cracks me up when wedding guests attempt to one-up the superiority of their xyz system over the gear I'm using. If theirs has better DR, autofocus, MP, whatever, that's cool, I like my Canons.

I often mention to clients that the debate is similar to the superiority of Ford, Chevy, and Dodge in the truck world. They all make excellent machines, I just happen to own an F150.

Thank you for the refreshing, real world, take on the different systems. It is good to know at least some one has done the experimenting. ;D

Cheers,
-Tabor
 
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Rienzphotoz said:
Like others have mentioned, every system has its strengths and limitations ... the trickiest part is to know how to get around the weaknesses and use the strengths to their full potential ...

Figuring out how to get around those weaknesses is the part that starts to get the most troublesome after a while. This is especially true when you have multiple systems to choose from which offer very different shooting experiences.

Taken by themselves, I could imagine that my Fuji or Sony rig would be just fine. But when used in conjunction with my Canon rig and my sometimes borrowed Nikon rig, I realize how much having to "get around" weaknesses truly bothers me.

This was a key point to bring to light regarding work arounds. While I do not mind thinking about and planning for getting around obstacles with shooting a certain rig, using the Canon rig after all is said and done reminds me of how it feels to shoot (for all intents and purposes) in a hassle free fashion. I am not preplanning for how I am going to get something done and how to deal with the compromises of the rig I'm holding. I am simply just......shooting.

It all goes back to what it is I can accomplish with any given system. When you latch onto specific strengths and ignore weaknesses is when you get into the trap of seeing the greener grass on the other side. GAS, unfortunately grabs ahold of you during this period. I have now gone through the a7r, xe-2, xt-1, and a slew of adapters, work-arounds, etc.

If I have a rig out with me, I don't want to have to think to myself "oh sh*t, wish I had the other rig." And that is where the Canon (for me) comes in. It is the only kit I have currently that allows me to feel confident in that I can shoot absolutely any scenario that I come across. I may not have the most dynamic range/resolution, it may not be the smallest/lightest, but I never have to worry about solving the problem of how to get a shot because my rig makes it difficult to do so.

The other issue I have with this is that often times, I will go ahead and work around the issues of the rig I'm using. But then upon review of the images, I realize that the end product isn't really much, if any improvement at all over my Canon kit which then makes me feel as though it was all done in vain.

There will always be the guys that only shoot this, or that, and don't concern themselves with other things. For me, I chase my kids around, landscape/travel, events on occasion, portraiture, macro - food and product, and possibly some other things I have forgotten at the moment. The Sony and the Fuji can get a lot of that done. But neither one handles all of it very easily. The rig that has consistently allowed me to get the most usable/keeper shots in general? Still the Canon.
 
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