Preordering 300D (or any camera)

Looks like many of the posters on the Canon 300D forum have preordered thier cameras. I find it totally strange that somone would actually buy a camera before they actually tried it in person (several times). Seems like buying a car without test driving it. I would never do either one. Comments?

trying a camera is not an easy task for some, as many do not have access to stores that even cary such top end equipment.

But at least they should wait for the reviews from dpreview and others to come out. As of yet, we have no idea of what the limitations or unseen problems might be with these cameras.

I am very interested in some of the newly announced cameras, but I will definately wait until they hit the stores and hands on reviews of production models is completed.

Right now the Sony 828 is at the top of my list. While I would love a Canon 1Ds, it is just way to expensive for me. If the Sony is a dudder, then I will take a very hard look again at the 14n, or else just wait for the next round of cameras.

But I do agree with you. A hands on of the actual camera cannot be beat. Sigh!!!!!!!!!

Declan

just typical blind consumerism for the most part. ther may be a few that trust canons reputation but the ones that have no clue need to be shot and there money distributed among us smart shoppers. hehehe

e

Dr. Don Sandell said:

Looks like many of the posters on the Canon 300D forum have
preordered thier cameras. I find it totally strange that somone
would actually buy a camera before they actually tried it in person
(several times). Seems like buying a car without test driving it.
I would never do either one. Comments?

Click to expand...

Dr. Don Sandell said:

Looks like many of the posters on the Canon 300D forum have
preordered thier cameras. I find it totally strange that somone
would actually buy a camera before they actually tried it in person
(several times). Seems like buying a car without test driving it.
I would never do either one. Comments?

Click to expand...

I would never recommend that anybody else do this, but I bought a camera with no reviews, with no user feedback from anyone: the new Konica Revio KD-510z (also being introduced by Minolta as the DiMAGE G500).

I wanted a "pocketable' camera, and the choices available were very limited. I tried the little Sony DSC-P10 first, but I wasn't happy with it.

I knew about the new Konica being introduced in Japan First. So, I deliberately searched out for one -- finding a Japanese Model with no warranty (another thing I'd never recommend anyone else do -- but I really wanted a decent pocketable camera, and couldn't find anything else available that met my rqmts).

To my knowledge, I'm probably the first one in the states to get their hands on one of these cameras. Several others have bought Japanese Models since me though.

Fortunately, this camera turned out to be a gem. I really like it. But, I was taking a calculated risk in purchasing it.

Calculated, because I was aware of the older model KD-500z -- what it's limitations were, and the improvements made in the newer model (major overhaul -- adding user adjustable contrast, saturation, sharpness, color tone (separate settings for Red, Green, Blue channels), ISO Speeds (auto, 50, 100, 200, 400), longer exposures with noise reduction, manual exposure (aperture, shutter speed), and more.

The old model was strictly ISO 100 -- point and shoot -- no user adjustable anything to speak of. But, it seemed to be well liked, and took good photos, so I gambled that the new model would be what I was looking for in a subcompact camera -- and it turned out to be great!

Another factor in my decision was Konica Japans history of providing firmware upgrades to their cameras. So, I figured that if any major quirks existed, I'd be able to download a firmware upgrade to handle it.

My user opinion is here:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/read_opinion_text.asp?prodkey=konica_kd510z&opinion=17947

Best camera purchase decision I've made yet. It's a terrific little camera, and I've been able to enjoy it for over a month (I bought it in July, and it's still not shipping in the U.S.)

--
JimC
http://www.pbase.com/jcockfield

I'm glad it worked out for you Jim......you have more balls than I do.

Cameras that are likely to be in high demand (like the 300D) are hard to come by after their initial release. It's not at all unreasonable to preorder to get one in your hands ASAP. After all, if you don't like it, you can return it. Holding out until stores stock them might mean months of additional waiting.

Your analogy with buying a car without a test drive isn't accurate because you can't return a used car. Preordering is completely safe, and many places won't even charge your credit card until the item ships, so there is little reason not to, unless you are really uncertain you want the camera.

Dr. Don Sandell said:

Looks like many of the posters on the Canon 300D forum have
preordered thier cameras. I find it totally strange that somone
would actually buy a camera before they actually tried it in person
(several times). Seems like buying a car without test driving it.
I would never do either one. Comments?

Click to expand...

The 300D is extremely similar to the 10D, so you can check out a camera very similar to the 300D quite easily before preordering, so you are not getting something completely unknown.

Derekasaurus Rex said:

Dr. Don Sandell said:

Looks like many of the posters on the Canon 300D forum have
preordered thier cameras. I find it totally strange that somone
would actually buy a camera before they actually tried it in person
(several times). Seems like buying a car without test driving it.
I would never do either one. Comments?

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

You sound like a broken record

There are many people that would and do order their car well before it has been shipped to the country that it is to be sold in without ever having had a test drive or knowing anything about it.

The reason thatn they do this is so that they can be seen to be the first to own it.

The men at Canon must now be rubbing their hands to know that their customers have now caught the bug of blind brand loyalty that is based on the experience of owning or knowing about previous products.

Derekasaurus Rex said:

Dr. Don Sandell said:

Looks like many of the posters on the Canon 300D forum have
preordered thier cameras. I find it totally strange that somone

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Some people already hyped it to be a "no brainer" camera, people who tried one already.

There is nothing similar on the market at the moment at this price point and there won't be any camera similar release by any other manuf. in the next 6 month...

It is just a camera for 1k, nothing more nothing less...

You can always return it or sell it used for more or the same you payed cause there are no cameras left in the shops for the first 3-4 month!!!!

OTOH...if you have it and like it...and there is no way to get one in a short time without preordering....

Dr. Don Sandell said:

Looks like many of the posters on the Canon 300D forum have
preordered thier cameras. I find it totally strange that somone
would actually buy a camera before they actually tried it in person
(several times). Seems like buying a car without test driving it.
I would never do either one. Comments?

Click to expand...

Kliker said:

There are many people that would and do order their car well before
it has been shipped to the country that it is to be sold in without
ever having had a test drive or knowing anything about it.

Click to expand...

I don't agree that "many people" would preorder a car. A few, maybe. Many, I don't think so.

Kliker said:

The reason that they do this is so that they can be seen to be the
first to own it.

Click to expand...

You must know some rich people. Don't get me wrong; I know people who bought a car in order to be the first on the block to own it, but none without seeing and driving it first. And how do you get "seen" with a camera anyway? Do you leave it in your driveway?

Kliker said:

The men at Canon must now be rubbing their hands to know that their
customers have now caught the bug of blind brand loyalty that is
based on the experience of owning or knowing about previous
products.

Click to expand...

It's not -blind- loyalty; Canon makes excellent products, both cameras and lenses. Some of us Canon shooters may seem very eager to upgrade, but that's because in the days of film we were used to much better cameras than the 10D/300D. For example, I had a EOS-1v ($1600) and an EOS-3 ($850). Vastly better cameras than the 10D/300D, but of course not digital. If an upgraded 10D comes out, I'll preorder. I think my experience with the Elan II, Elan 7, EOS-3, EOS-1v, D60, and 10D is enough data to conclude that Canon's next camera will be every bit as good.

One more point: you can decide after a 15-minute test drive if you like a car. Not true for a camera. You need to spend time taking pictures and post-processing them, especially with a DSLR. You can't do that at a store, and if pre-ordering will get a camera in your hands faster, more power to you. As I keep saying, unlike a car, you can always return it after days (if not weeks) of playing with it.

Kliker said:

Derekasaurus Rex said:

Dr. Don Sandell said:

Looks like many of the posters on the Canon 300D forum have
preordered thier cameras. I find it totally strange that somone

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

In the case of the EOS-300D, the CCD design is already proven. Ditto for many of the lenses you can purchase for this camera.

Also, a manufacturer with a reputation for quality products means a lot.

Same thing with a new car.

There are certain characterstics about a particular manufacturers vehicles -- just like there are certain characteristics about cameras from the same manufacturer.

In the case of a car -- transmission shift characteristics, engine characterics, ride quality, reliability, and other things come to mind -- sort of like the CCD and Image Processing Algortihms used in a camera.

Lots of people have brand loyalty -- and it's not blind. It's based on previous experience with products from the same manfuacturer.

Also, I agree with the ability to return a camera. Many vendors allow this.

Even if they didn't, chances are, you could sell the product on Ebay without taking much (if any) of a loss, if you decided that it did not meet your needs.

I once did this with a Nikon. I purchased a camera brand new, and ended up selling it used on Ebay for more than I paid for it new (even though it used when I sold it, and clearly sold as a used product).

Why? It was a new model, and demand often exceeds supply with newly introduced products.

--
JimC
http://www.pbase.com/jcockfield

I bought my 10D without "seeing" it first. However, I did some fairly extensive research on the web first. There are tons of reviews out there, both professional and private. I read alot of reviews, looked at galleries, read user comments, and checked out the official specs. All that, and the price lead to me to believe that I stood a pretty solid chance of liking the camera. As it turned out, I love the camera.

But that worked for a camera that has been out for a little while, unlike the 300D.

A car is somewhat different, if only in the price you are paying. It is a significantly larger financial risk. Aside from that, remotely evaluating your preferences for a car are different. It's easy to view shots from a camera, find out what features it has, basically see what it's capable of, short of feeling the ergonomics. With a car, much more of it is exactly that. How does it feel, what is the pick-up like, how comfortable is it, etc...

Many people would just love to shot a DSLR, and at certain price ranges, the choices are very limited.

VES

Dr. Don Sandell said:

Looks like many of the posters on the Canon 300D forum have
preordered thier cameras. I find it totally strange that somone
would actually buy a camera before they actually tried it in person
(several times). Seems like buying a car without test driving it.
I would never do either one. Comments?

Click to expand...

--

My pictures may only be worth 500 words, but I'm taking a Photographic English Composition course.

Grateful for any constructive criticism regarding my photos, composition, lighting, technique, etc.

http://www.pbase.com/vsteven

Derekasaurus Rex said:

It's not -blind- loyalty; Canon makes excellent products, both
cameras and lenses.

Click to expand...

Maybe my use of the word "blind" was too strong and I accept that.

But the point that I was trying to make was that the people at the top at Canon would be rubbing their hands to know that existing customers that are happy with their product are ordering the new camera before they have seen it, nothing wrong in that from the customer or suppliers point of view I just commented on it is all.