why are camera owners different to other consumers

I don't find this forum to be particuarly antagonistic about brands or models, nor is the POTN Canon forum in my experience. If you want to see prejudice and aggression, take a look at a bikers' forum.

Unfortunately there are sometimes a few 'spoilers' who like to troll and start flame wars, and they are best dealt with quickly and strictly by the mods, before they can drag a forum down and ruin it. But camera forums don't have a monopoly of those types.

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The trouble with resisting temptation is, you never know when you'll get another chance