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Are you biased towards a certain brand, and why?

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Ralph46

Ralph46

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Hi all,

I guess this is neutral territory away from the brand-related forums, where people often argue emotionally for "their" brand. I suppose most of us have a most favoured brand or, indeed, one which we particularly dislike.

But why is this? Very few of us will be employees or shareholders of a camera company. So why do we prefer one brand to another (even though we may be rational enough to not always buy this brand)?

Come on and admit to your preference and also tell us how this preference came about. Possibly some interesting stories out there.

My story is straight forward. I have bought only Canon cameras, compacts and SLRs, since 1979. That is the year I moved to the outskirts of Krefeld, northwestern Germany. The German Canon headquarters with repair lab are 20 minutes drive away. Any quirk there is on any equipment and I can drop it off there. I can talk to the guy who will be working on my stuff and I have sometimes been able to take it back with me fixed up after a few minutes.

And I am happy. I find Canon is certainly the best choice for the demanding compacts I have used exclusively for the last few years (S and G series). Now I have reverted to a DSLR again. Nikon probably have the better budget priced standard zooms at the moment, but they are geographically further away, so my DSLR is - - -a Canon.

Cheers, Ralph
--
  • -Better a small camera in the pocket than a big one on the shelf --
 
Brand is irrelevant to me, I buy whatever one that provides what I need or want at that time, and I only buy pocket cameras.

What I have owned:
Oly C700UZ
Pentax Optio 555
Ricoh R4
Fuji F100fd

Who knows who will attract my money next.

Brian
 
fear of unknown, that is!. We endorse brands we know inside out. But we keep silent about things we don't like. Fanboyism, name it. So I like Nikon. I always have, since F. Am I right - no. Other brands have some things done better but my lips sealed. 'casue I like the brand and don;t want my choice to be questioned. And I am obsolete thinking N-CLS is the end of the world. I don't know better. I just don't, hence I stand for the brand I know. Old and silly, that is.
 
I started with Canon and since that time I've purchased numerous lenses along with other gear. The quality of the Images I get pleases me and that's all that counts. I'm not a gearhead and can see no reason to switch mid-stream to another brand.

--
Greg
 
and I admit that I've gone through a lot of gear just for the joy of using different cameras. First 35mm camera was a beat-up Nikon F3, the only one available that I could afford. Next up came the legendary F4s, and Nikon seemed to be the way to go as I started adding lenses. I did a brief turn with the Canon EOS 1n, the F4's equivalent but didn't like the ergonomics, so Nikon stayed with me through the F5, D100, D300, then the D700.

During this time, though, were the Contax G2, which I never parted with in over 10 years, a Mamiya 645 & 7II, Leica, and Rolleiflex TLRs.

In the "twilight" of my career, I am now shooting only for fun, so I sold the D700 and am using the Contax and Leica M6, with plans to buy a small digicam but waiting until Leica's X-1 is out or possibly Ricoh's new entry, or even a Canon G11.

So, back to the original point, absolutely no brand loyalty here, the Nikons over Canon for me because of the ergonomics.
 
I shoot with canon cameras. The reason for this is that both my father and my uncle shoot with Canon cameras (and therefore compatible lenses). This allows me access to a greater range of lenses (though obviously, only borrowing them). If they had both shot with Nikons, Pentax, Sony, Olympus or other cameras, I would have bought a model from the same manufacturer.
 
when I started in photography..back in the film SLRs..back in 1992
I researched a little bit..

Canon abandoned the FD to go EOS mount AF so that meant I will not be able to use their old MF lenses..

Pentax and Nikon uses the same mount with AF and MF lenses..

I forget about Minolta's mount..

Anyway I decided I will go for Nikon-- because of the mount issue..

From then on of course I accumulated different Nikon mount lenses--sigmas, tamrons and nikon brand lenses..

But then, it seemed, when digital era started , Canon was always on top of the game with their digital cameras-- new innovations this and that..

I thought of switching in 2004 or 2005.... but the thought of starting all over again = expensive.. so, I just bought a used D100 ($700 on ebay at that time).. still not quite satisfied and still thought of switching to Canon..

...so I went to bestbuy and other camera stores and started to play with their DSLRS..

..but the FEEL and ergonomics of the DSLR cameras in my hands--just did not feel right.. the Canon bodies felt "plasticky", also the lenses looked not nice... mind you-- I am sure the IMAGES made by Nikon and Canon to me are the same so I wasn't even considering that.... PLUS the user interface of canon DSLRS were not intuitive to me...as you see..my criteria is very subjective..it just came down to how the camera and lenses felt in my hands..

So I stayed with Nikon DSLRS...but for point and shoots I like Canons-- G9, G10, A650, S5) --very easy user interface.. and besides on Nikon point and shoots the P6000 was no G10 :-( I wish it was- so I can use my Nikon Flashes) ) .. also I just added a Leica D-LUX4 on my p&S..sold the G9 ( I only have the G10, S5 and Leica DL4 for point ans hoots- used for different purposes) ..

And I have since sold the Nikon D100 -- I now have D90, D3000, and D200 (will be selling it to upgrade later to a D300 or D300s or a D700) + will be getting a D3000 converted to IR... I use the DSLRs usually for paid wedding gigs or some important family parties..but sometimes I use the point and shoots for family parties for the easy videos as compared to the video on a D90..

--
http://www.johnparas11.zenfolio.com
 
Interesting question. I suspect that I am unduly influenced by brands that sell themselves as 'quality', although I try not to be.

In SLRs, I had an Olympus 1 (stolen) and then Olympus 2, but replaced the latter because it had an annoying intermittent shutter fault. Bought the Nikon F3 because I wanted a camera that would work without batteries, and, as camera body technology scarecely changed at that time, I thought I was buying a camera for life (ha!). Since then I've kept on with Nikon SLR's (F80, D100, currently D80) because I've always had some lenses that could be used with the new camera.

For P&S's I've choppedd and changed as different brands offered what I was looking for at the time (actually, that's always been a pocketable camera that produces good quality images, preferably with a shortish zoom andd the ability to take close-ups): Olympus mu (film), Minolta dimage, Panasonix FX9, and I'm now buying a Canon S90.
 
I wanted a Sinar since 1969 and when I found a deal in the late '80's. I jumped on it. Sinar's modular approach just makes so much sense.

Somehow, though, I don't think that's what you meant. I moved from an Exacta to Canon back in 1970. At the time, quality was about the same, but FD lenses were a little cheaper.

I've also shot with Nikons when I was a professional photographer. I really like them. I've preferred Canon's bokeh, but back in the FD lens days I thought Nikon lenses might have a contrast and sharpness edge.

I never owned a film EOS. My canon FD system was doing just fine and I didn't feel a need for auto exposure or autofocus. When I decided to get a digital SLR, I could have gone with any system. At the time, I thought the Canon's held a slight edge and the lenses were a little cheaper. Because of that and inertia, I went with Canon. I have no doubt I would have been as pleased if I went with Nikon.

Besides my Sinar, my true all time favorite has been my Leica M3. I'd love to own an M9, but I just can't see paying that much for one. Shooting B&W film in my M3 and scanning is working out well for me in the meantime.
 
against more than for. When Canon crippled the features on a very nice low-priced DSLR so it would compere with a more expensive model I decided Canon was tacky and I can't imagine buying a Canon DSLR.

I have developed a bias against one brand because their supporters on DPR are so, well, ridiculous.
--
Patrick T. Kelly
Oaxaca, Mexico
 
I've run across this very issue. I'm generally biased towards Canon for various reasons, including personal ones. But as I look to upgrade my Rebel 350D to something a bit more up to date, I keep coming back to the Nikon D90 as the best value-for-quality in the advanced amateur category. Not that the Rebel isn't still capable of great pictures, but it seems that there have been a lot of advances since then and from what I read, Nikon is the one to beat for a non-professional but good dSLR.
 
but all major manufacturers make GOOD and EXCELLENT CAMERAS

Me, I like Oly's bang for buck on their 'affordable' models (ie below 1000$ bodies), i think they're unrivaled there when you consider their lens quality too and yup, i also like Oly because they do it differently!

--
E-500, 12-60 SWD, kit lens 14-45 + 45-150, Metz 48
 
bias might be too strong a word....but i definitely have a soft spot for:

1. Rollei. first camera i bought for myself, the 35LED, and it was wonderful. had 2 of them and an "S" (multiple copies due to thefts).

2. Pentax. my first slr was an MX. great lens values, and the MX was the next best, and more affordable, thing to the Nikon FM.

3. Fuji MF rangefinders. still got mine. superb, simple camera. no electronics at all means it always works!

4. Olympus. in this digital age, Oly has treated this photographer really well: C5050, C8080, E-330, and E-3. terrific kit lenses, amazing value in the 70-300 tele zoom, and phenomenal performance for the money from the 11-22. and the E-3's toughness and weatherproofing has already paid for itself (because i didn't need a repair after smashing it to the ground with all of my weight behind it. not a scratch. and now the only thing that keeps me inside on a bad weather day is being a wuss).

i've seen nothing from the other makers that i can afford to make me want to switch, considering the photography i do, and considering that i still shoot MF film and scan with fine results. the only digital that has me seriously considering FF are the Sony's and a couple of those CZ lenses, although the D700 is clearly a fine camera. the Sony's fit my hand better, though, and i like their clunky retro style. it's silly, but i hate the blobby style of the best canons, and they don't feel good in my hands, nor do i like their output a lot of times, smooth though it is. and even more silly, i T-totally detest that goofy red thing on Nikon's. also, there's something about the right hand grip that is uncomfortable on the tips of my fingers---that little ridge squeezes my finger tips into the body. but now i can just borrow a D700 from a friend! and i got to hold an M9. i'll definitely buy one and several lenses if i win the lottery.
 
I've spent many years lusting after Nikon gear but was never able to afford any. Back in the BW days of film Minolta was the best I could do. Now that I can afford to buy whatever I want I finally have my Nikons, four of them, and a nice collection of lenses to go with them. I'm in hog heaven.
 
And that brand is Olympus.

Doesn't mean that it's 'better' than the the other brands, just that I've found that it's best qualities are features I like, and it's weak areas aren't that important to me.

If I hadn't been hooked on ZD lenses, I might have gone Nikon, and still gaze at the D700 from time to time. On the other hand, I have to say that I'm most impressed with the 7D - it's the Ferrari of APS cameras. You lucky people with those bodies... but I just can't give up my ZD glass.
 
I've invested time and money in a system and so far that system is working for me. Not sure I'd call is a bias.
--
--Bruce
 
I like to consider myself a camera mut . . .

In otherwords, I am not stuck on one brand.

In digital, I have Panasonic, Fuji, Olympus (DSLR), Pentax (DSLR's), Nikon and Canon.

And am very seriously considering getting in to the Sony DSLR's . . .

In the film days, my first SLR was an old Beseler Topcon . . . dumped that thing in a heartbeat for a Pentax.

In 35mm I eventually landed in the Canon FD system and stayed there throughout my entire career (still have four of them).

I never like Nikon SLR's, although I did use them alot as the newspaper I worked for had them, so I did carry one all the time so that I could use those big 2.8 lenses that they didn't pay me enough to afford.

I also had a Mamiya RB67, but used it so rarely that I sold it and eventually bought my ToyoView 4x5 studio camera (still have the Toyo).

I fell in love with the Fuji 680II the first time I saw it at a PMA show in Chicago back in the late 80's, but never could justify the cost as I didn't really have much use for medium format.

35mm and 4x5 fullfilled all of my shooting needs back in the film days . . .

--
J. D.
Colorado



I do understand its a Jeep thing . . . thats why I bought a Dodge!
 
As far as the investing thing goes, I know what your saying, but I don't invest in cameras or lenses. I don't buy lenses for the value they will have ten years down the road. I buy equipment to use ...now. I know your talking more than monetary value here also, but that word drives me crazy when talking about camera gear. I use Nikon because I like Nikon, but if someone else came out with something that is just lightyears above Nikon than I would switch in a second. Don't really get the Nikon, Canon, all the rest kind of fighting either... I use Nikon but thats it, doesn't mean any other system is any lesser.
--
http://www.OneFrameStudios.com
http://www.pbase.com/happypoppeye
 
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