Why haven't you left canon?

[meson1]

I'm a total amateur. I just bought into Canon, largely because my last (and first) camera was an EOS 600 film camera. I'd stopped using it years ago because I couldn't be bothered mucking about with film anymore.

My thinking for my new digital purchase choice was that I'd be able to use my existing lenses and because Canon is a (the?) major player and don't get much wrong. I'd been wanting to get into digital for years and coveted firstly the 5D, then the 5D2 and now of course the 5D3. I'd held off because of the expense and wanted to get started straight at the full frame level.

This year I finally took the plunge, buying a 5D Mk III and a couple of L lenses. It's just as well I invested in the new lenses because it turned out that my 14 year old Sigmas do not work on the new body.

I could have held off for a 5D Mk IV with all the improvements it's expected to have, but I'd be waiting until next year until it was released and a further 6 months to a year until the prices dropped from their initial expensive level. I was ready to get on the digital ladder now. There's always something newer and better around the corner and if you keep waiting for it, you'd never get started.

To be fair I barely looked at the Nikon and Sony options. It's not that I think Canon is better than anyone else or that I think that Nikon and Sony are bad (they're not, in fact I'm sure they have been hailed for good reason). I just looked at all the various (mostly two year old) reviews which pretty much confirmed that the 5DIII was one of the best. The fact is even though the 5DIII has been surpassed in some areas by competitors, it's still a bloody good camera. And it'll be a very long time before I find it inadequate to MY needs.

As we speak I'm investing even further in Canon by getting the EF 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro and a couple of extra Speedlites. I have no regrets about my choice. In fact I'm very happy.

 

[sanj]

Canon fulfills my needs and I have full faith that it will address the issue of high MP and DR eventually. I bought Fuji XE2 for family and holidays because it is light, has EVF and looks kind of cool.

 

[Mitch.Conner]

Because I don't earn a living taking photos and can wait for Canon to address any shortcomings in their sensors. I can't afford to invest in glass and accessories just to jump ship because Canon is slow to innovate right now, especially knowing that innovation will come and a day will come relatively soon when current situation is reversed and somebody posts on a Nikon forum a thread asking why Nikon users don't jump ship. Plus I don't really have a problem with what my 5D3 can do. It generates photos that I'm very happy with

 

[ChristopherMarkPerez]

Why haven't I left Canon? Um. Well...

Because they still build the best equipment for my needs.

They still provide the finest Pro service on the planet.

Their gear still turns out amazingly sharp/crisp images to print sizes that are ridiculously large.

Their lens selection is vast and covers much more than I will ever use in this lifetime.

As much as I'd love a new Canon high-mpixel "toy" (and yes, I know how I'd use the increased resolution), their current gear is consistently better than anything else I've tried. It seems like everyone else has to compete around the edges of the market by specializing in something that'll grab my attention... but once in hand... sometimes the competition's gear turns to crap (I have a dead NEX that proves this point)... or is so narrowly concentrated on banner specs that it is unusable (Sony's RX1, Fuji's X100, Sigma's DP).

 

[DRR]

Because the shortcomings of the sensor or the slow rate of "innovation" do not affect me. I am not on the bleeding edge of gear and I doubt I ever will be.

I have not come close to mastering the gear I have which is 6-7 year old technology, it's more than enough for my needs.

The flip side of this is question is, why are you staying with Canon. I am staying with Canon because 1) I know the gear lineup so I don't have to learn a new system, 2) I am comfortable with the ergonomics so it's become second nature, 3) the EF lens lineup is unbeatable 4) the grass is always greener...

 

[AcutancePhotography]

If you feel the need to re-evaluate your brand of gear every time someone brings out a new camera then I would suggest focusing on taking photos.
Some amazing photos have been taken with gear a lot less advanced than what Canon has available in it's lineup.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the answer in my opinion.

 

[Hjalmarg1]

It fit my needs?

I looked at moving to Nikon because of the better sensors in terms of resolution. In addition to not having what I really want and not liking their ergonomics, it would have costed a fortune to move there.
Canon has better selection of glasses

 

[stefsan]

I seem too dumb for Nikon ergonomics, they just give me a headache. I feel a lot more comfortable with Canon's menu and button layouts. And I like their lenses better.

 

[Knut Skywalker]

I first chose Canon because of the Nikon nomenclature. I (as a total DSLR-beginner at that time) just couldn't find out what DSLR to choose. My sister has a Nikon so I wanted a Nikon first. But after testing I chose the 450D over the Nikon whatever-the-hell for the ergonimocs of the whole camera.

 

[TexPhoto]

I moved from Nikon to Canon for the 5DII. It was revolutionary. Nikon 800 series cameras are in that spot today. Canon really needs to answer this call.

Should I jump? No I don't think so. My investment is too large, and I am too old, and my pics with Canon too awesome. And I see a comeback in the near future.

 

[GmwDarkroom]

Because if you have to throw down fringe situation results that can really only be seen in a lab environment or with instrumentation as why you need to jump ship to another system, you would be better served by working on your photography skills.

The most iconic and still breathtaking photos have more attention to overall exposure, subject composition, and the moment than micro-attention to sharpness, resolution, and dynamic range.

Move for want/need not benchmarks.

 

[DominoDude]

Adding MF is certainly not a way of jumping ship, RL!

To answer why I haven't left Canon, we should start with why I chose them in the first place. I knew I wanted to go digital after several years without shooting at all. I started out to learn the market, buying magazines, reading a lot of reviews and so on. I knew fairly well what kind of photography I wanted to do, and in which direction I would like to go as I grew my skills.
After 2 years of buying magazines I realized that I had almost spent as much as on an entry level dSLR, and I still couldn't take any shots of my own. It was time to get real and rob the piggy bank!

In the old days we used to call a SLR for a "systemkamera" in Swedish, and I'm sure I don't have to translate that word for you. It means that you buy into a system, not that you pick out a nice body that's of a (d)SLR type.
I knew what I wanted in terms of reliability, variety (of lenses), availability, quality, maintainability, ergonomics and design. Factors were plenty, and still it did come down to Canon or Nikon when all things were weighed in. In the hand and in front of my eye I could only feel one winner - Canon.
The amount of lenses - their own and others - was one key factor, the other was how their bodies actually felt in my hand. I cut a lot fewer corners by going with Canon.

Why I stick to Canon? I still don't like cutting corners.
Nothing is perfect! I bet every single one of you, has at one time or another had a desire to sell your kids on e-bay, leave your wife/husband because they've done something that p*ss*ed you off. They're not perfect either, they're perfect for you, and you stick with them because it is the right thing to do and you love them and what they do.
I love my Canon! (I still have wet dreams involving Hasselblad/Mamiya from time to time, though)

 

[mrsfotografie]

Because Canon has the best DSLR system, period. And the best ergonomics.

But they have the worst mirrorless in the half hearted EOS-M so for that part I've embraced Sony.

 

[turtle]

They make the most rounded and reliable DSLR cameras in the world, or at least they did before the D750 and D810. I also love the lenses, but the next generation had better bring more dynamic range or I am going to wonder whether its time to wave goodbye. The lenses are superb and I just get the whole handling logic far better than Nikon.

 

[Busted Knuckles]

have one last vacation trip and don't want to be learning a new system. When I get back all bets are off and the sale might be on.

When I look at the envelope of my photo efforts, larger prints - never, low light - extremely seldom, high FPS - more than I thought, don't take it because it is large & heavy - often. Some video, but not that much - more of a geek enthusiast vs. artist looking for the last bit of IQ.

99.9999% of my pics are web shared & viewed.

There are options out there that are just pretty darn impressive and in a smaller form factor.

I still very much think Canon has great stuff, just a bit big - perhaps I will take the MFT gear more often, maybe not. But it can be time for the experiment.

 

[LDS]

Because photo are more than gear, and just chasing the "perfect gear" could only distract you from actually shooting good photos.

 

[axtstern]

Folks you make me feel so old....

Why do I not leave Canon?
I bought my first Canon when all they produced was crappy 'me to' manual focus slrs and when for each Canon they sold Nikon sold a hundred of theirs. Why? because I was stupid.

The I bought an EOS 100 and a 620 and a 10 and etc....... mind the times: If you bought Minolta (Dynax) than you had to buy a chip with the knowledge otherwise your camera behaved as stupid as a Holga. Or you bought a Nikon like the 601 with an AF so shitty that it would burn it's engine trying to focus on on the stockings of a pin up model. Canon was so far ahead at this time (90s) that it took them just years to Change from Underdog to super power. Well Minolta died a silent death and had a zombie revival as Sony, and Nkon with the decission to Keep compatible to their manual lenses happily through market leadership inthe AF sector to Canon. Since then the sex continues with sometimes Nikon sometimes Canon being on top and Sony always having the most alure but never being taken really serious.

I got so many bodies stolen or broke them or through them away like my APS Film EOS models.... but the glass I always kept... (Well not always... several Sigma lenses...who ever curses Sigma for their old lense not being compatible to the digital Age... rest assured some of their lenses were not even compatible to anything coming after the analog EOS 5)

What I learned through the time: sooner or later Nikon gets it right. Usually by looking what Canon did right 2 years earlier and than by coming later to the Party brings a flawless product. Over the next 5 years Canon slowly evolves past Nikon and the cycle begins again. Currently we are in the middle of the fourth Age and so I just wait and hope (Sounds like I read to much Wheel of time books)

 

[bholliman]

Best camera system available. Terrific glass and camera ergonomics. Everything just works and integrates extremely well.

 

[skoobey]

Because I bought a camera that does what I need it to do. Couldn't care less about what brand it is , as long as it's good. And it is.

 

[gjones5252]

I sold cameras before i used them. Its a sad way to employee people but Best Buy wasnt to worried about it then.
Anyhow i had lots of time holding, using, operating the menu, and comparing tech.
Now my opinion may not be worth much as i wasnt skilled but i would say because i had no previous experience my vision was raw and untainted by forums like this
Nikons menus, bodies, lens rotation was all funky feeling and awkward to operate.
Canon felt smooth, menus made sense, and the bodies gripped my hand when i held it.

Lots more money then i would care to admit has now been sent to canon. And no matter how ready i am for a HiMegapixel camera none of the alternatives have the same as Canon.
When canon does something its done right and its done well.