There's More to a Camera System Than Just the Gear
- Thread starter Canon Rumors Guy
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Listened / Watched the Granger YouTube Video.
I really don't see Sony Professional services taking off. Sony right now is a niche in the camera industry. There is an economy to scale. Nikon and Canon have such a large population, especially in the Pro community, they can have several world wide dedicated service centers. Sony on the other hand, has a few Pros, more enthusiasts, and in general, my past experience has been Sony ALWAYS outsources, so the same service center that treats the camera, DVD players, laptops, etc.
This to me is a case for Sony to provide the same level of service as Canon for example would be EXTREMELY expensive, because there just are not the volume of lenses and bodies in the wild, so to have convenient World Wide Service Centers, there would be too much down time to properly staff.
As an example. Canon has produced over 100 MILLION EF lenses. How many are still in production? Who knows... But When I start looking at the number of Canon Lenses, 1D and 5D bodies, there is enough demand for Canon, and I just don't see it with Sony
I really don't see Sony Professional services taking off. Sony right now is a niche in the camera industry. There is an economy to scale. Nikon and Canon have such a large population, especially in the Pro community, they can have several world wide dedicated service centers. Sony on the other hand, has a few Pros, more enthusiasts, and in general, my past experience has been Sony ALWAYS outsources, so the same service center that treats the camera, DVD players, laptops, etc.
This to me is a case for Sony to provide the same level of service as Canon for example would be EXTREMELY expensive, because there just are not the volume of lenses and bodies in the wild, so to have convenient World Wide Service Centers, there would be too much down time to properly staff.
As an example. Canon has produced over 100 MILLION EF lenses. How many are still in production? Who knows... But When I start looking at the number of Canon Lenses, 1D and 5D bodies, there is enough demand for Canon, and I just don't see it with Sony
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Canon gets s**tcanned relentlessly on these forums a lot of the time. There's no shortage of negativity. On a few counts it is justified but mostly not.
However, nice to see here that so many people have positive things to say about the quality of Canon's service.
The present thread actually reminded me of one from the past. I never thought I'd be able to find it in the archives, but to my surprise I did:
http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=14036.0
Really outstanding story and nice that the person was appreciative enough to post it on the forum too.
I had one experience with Canon's service centre, also here in Australia, regarding a burnt out motor within one of my macro lenses. Problem was fixed very quickly, with good communication, and not exorbitantly either. Was totally pleased with it.
However, nice to see here that so many people have positive things to say about the quality of Canon's service.
The present thread actually reminded me of one from the past. I never thought I'd be able to find it in the archives, but to my surprise I did:
http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=14036.0
Really outstanding story and nice that the person was appreciative enough to post it on the forum too.
I had one experience with Canon's service centre, also here in Australia, regarding a burnt out motor within one of my macro lenses. Problem was fixed very quickly, with good communication, and not exorbitantly either. Was totally pleased with it.
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I think Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax, et al all mean different things to different people. They all market to certain target buyers and offer a different product and system to the market.
My personal impression is that Canon/Nikon have been consistent for decades in marketing two product lines to both pros and consumers respectively and cater to both in a different way. Both companies enjoy a long tradition of loyal customers and decent service to both. Over the past decade, I think Canon has pulled ahead in all areas but that doesn't mean there aren't still a lot of Nikon shooters out there.
The rest of the camera market is more complicated to discuss and fragmented. Various levels of everything. For the retail consumer, comparing and choosing is a big challenge. For the experienced pro, I think the Matt Granger video is a good example of what most pros probably think.
For quite a while, I have considered buying a Pentax for its rugged weatherproof design and interesting feature set. But this would mean having to buy more lenses, flash, etc. Building another system. (At least Sony can mount the EF lenses.) While I would love to play with the Pentax (or maybe the Sony), I honestly don't have the time or need to store even MORE gear. But I digress...
The point is that I have a winner with Canon. No camera or company is perfect but I am very glad that Canon takes their time and releases gear that is reliable and works. It may not be as cutting edge as Sony but I think that is probably a good thing. The key thing is that the Canon images are great and consistent. I don't feel like a beta tester for Canon when they finally release a new product. (At least as far as bodies and lenses are concerned.) And if things do go wrong, I can count on their service which is getting pretty rare these days in this throw away world we now live in.
My personal impression is that Canon/Nikon have been consistent for decades in marketing two product lines to both pros and consumers respectively and cater to both in a different way. Both companies enjoy a long tradition of loyal customers and decent service to both. Over the past decade, I think Canon has pulled ahead in all areas but that doesn't mean there aren't still a lot of Nikon shooters out there.
The rest of the camera market is more complicated to discuss and fragmented. Various levels of everything. For the retail consumer, comparing and choosing is a big challenge. For the experienced pro, I think the Matt Granger video is a good example of what most pros probably think.
For quite a while, I have considered buying a Pentax for its rugged weatherproof design and interesting feature set. But this would mean having to buy more lenses, flash, etc. Building another system. (At least Sony can mount the EF lenses.) While I would love to play with the Pentax (or maybe the Sony), I honestly don't have the time or need to store even MORE gear. But I digress...
The point is that I have a winner with Canon. No camera or company is perfect but I am very glad that Canon takes their time and releases gear that is reliable and works. It may not be as cutting edge as Sony but I think that is probably a good thing. The key thing is that the Canon images are great and consistent. I don't feel like a beta tester for Canon when they finally release a new product. (At least as far as bodies and lenses are concerned.) And if things do go wrong, I can count on their service which is getting pretty rare these days in this throw away world we now live in.
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I am one of those who have had extremely good experiences with Canon cameras and lenses for many, many years. And when I have on rare occasion needed service it was top rate. Why would anyone switch to a second-rate camera manufacturer like Sony if Canon has never let you down?
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I had a Pentax K-1000 and then moved to an Elan IIe as well. The AF and motor drive were nice, but man, talk about a huge downgrade in viewfinder. Pentax K1000 was the best viewfinder I have ever used to this day.MrFotoFool said:
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Customer service does make or break a company. I went to a seminar all about this, the speaker made the point how important good customer service was to the return customer. With excellent customer service, expect a 87% return rate and positive word of mouth bringing in new customers.
I have used my Canon Gold service three times. My old 50D- a new shutter was only $136. I broke my 10-22 into many pieces. All but the front lens group was replaced- $59.(!!!!!) The 100-400L had a sticking lock ring- estimate $234. Here's where it gets good. Canon found the sticking wasn't the main issue. They had to tear it down completely and replace the entire inner barrel assembly. Canon stuck with the original estimate! When I got it back, the lens was like brand new and all the elements had been cleaned.
That is customer service!
Canon 10-22mm Lens- forced disassembly by Keith Breazeal, on Flickr
I have used my Canon Gold service three times. My old 50D- a new shutter was only $136. I broke my 10-22 into many pieces. All but the front lens group was replaced- $59.(!!!!!) The 100-400L had a sticking lock ring- estimate $234. Here's where it gets good. Canon found the sticking wasn't the main issue. They had to tear it down completely and replace the entire inner barrel assembly. Canon stuck with the original estimate! When I got it back, the lens was like brand new and all the elements had been cleaned.
That is customer service!
Canon 10-22mm Lens- forced disassembly by Keith Breazeal, on Flickr
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About a year ago, I sent my 70-200mm 2.8 IS in to Canon for a free cleaning as a member of CPS Gold. On the form I mentioned that the IS and AF switches on the lens get bumped out of position fairly easily and asked if there was something they could do. When the lens was returned about a week later (door to door), it included a note from a technician that said he replaced the entire panel for free even though it was outside of the scope of the free cleaning. The lens felt like new again! Now that's customer service! 
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I agree. Customer service is an often overlooked criteria when choosing a camera system.
Customer service is a difficult thing to quantify like FPS, Megapixels, Dynamic Range, or AF points.
In the early 90's I had several problems with Nikon service in Torrance, Ca. They wouldn't fix an aperture
ring that was clearly too tight. In those days you would manually adjust the aperture with the ring on the lens.
This is in the days before Yelp and the internet in general. I had to go back and forth and threaten them before
Nikon finally fixed it. This left a real bad taste in my mouth.
In 2006, I bought a Sony PSP from the Sony Store in SF and it had two bad pixels. I took it
back the same day and the sales person wouldn't exchange it for a new one or refund
my money. I told him and his manager I'd never buy a Sony product again and the
manager just said, "that's store policy." So I told him my policy will be to never buy a Sony product. Ever.
In 2010 I dropped my 2 month old Canon t2i. It hit some rocks and busted open.
I kept shooting with it but there was a line throughout every shot.
I sent it in to Canon and I got it back within 2 weeks. Fixed. Free. Wow. I've been shooting Canon ever since.
I've bought 8 Canon bodies and 10 lenses since getting my t2i back.
Of course this isn't the only reason I've bought so many Canon products but to have a fast and generous
repair facility makes me confident that I'll always have working equipment when I need it. Moreover, it
creates brand loyalty. Other companies should learn from this. Since the t2i I haven't had any reason to
send in any of my Canon equipment in for repair.
Customer service is a difficult thing to quantify like FPS, Megapixels, Dynamic Range, or AF points.
In the early 90's I had several problems with Nikon service in Torrance, Ca. They wouldn't fix an aperture
ring that was clearly too tight. In those days you would manually adjust the aperture with the ring on the lens.
This is in the days before Yelp and the internet in general. I had to go back and forth and threaten them before
Nikon finally fixed it. This left a real bad taste in my mouth.
In 2006, I bought a Sony PSP from the Sony Store in SF and it had two bad pixels. I took it
back the same day and the sales person wouldn't exchange it for a new one or refund
my money. I told him and his manager I'd never buy a Sony product again and the
manager just said, "that's store policy." So I told him my policy will be to never buy a Sony product. Ever.
In 2010 I dropped my 2 month old Canon t2i. It hit some rocks and busted open.
I kept shooting with it but there was a line throughout every shot.
I sent it in to Canon and I got it back within 2 weeks. Fixed. Free. Wow. I've been shooting Canon ever since.
I've bought 8 Canon bodies and 10 lenses since getting my t2i back.
Of course this isn't the only reason I've bought so many Canon products but to have a fast and generous
repair facility makes me confident that I'll always have working equipment when I need it. Moreover, it
creates brand loyalty. Other companies should learn from this. Since the t2i I haven't had any reason to
send in any of my Canon equipment in for repair.
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It's a pretty simple plan... make a high quality product that works well and people want. Then you don't have to fix it as often but when you do, fix it right with a smile and keep that customer (happy) that you worked so hard to get selling the quality product in the first place. Oh... and a bonus is that a happy customer will bring other customers to you and sell for you.
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