Nikon firmware updates - wow...

[T3]

I'll never forget my first Canon film SLR. It was a Rebel S from
the early 1990s. This was when Andre Agassi was peddling Canon
cameras in slick TV ads, and Nikon had no ads on TV at all. The
Rebel S had a bulb setting but absolutely no way to fire remotely
by cable. The manual blithely explained that you can use bulb to
take long exposures. I guess Canon expected people to keep their
finger on the shutter button the whole time. I longed to take
nighttime long exposures but couldn't, the whole while the bulb
mode just sat there taunting me. I doubt Nikon would have done that.

Canon started putting electronic cable release sockets on the Rebels starting with the Rebel X and XS in 1993. And they gave the Rebel partial metering from the very beginning with the first Rebel in 1990 (in addition to matrix and center-weighted metering). On the Nikon side, to this day Nikon's entry-level film SLRs still don't offer cable release compatibility. The N50, N60, N55, N65, N70, N75 all lack a cable release socket of any kind. And the only metering option on the N50, N60, N55, N65, N70 were matrix or center-weighted-- no partial metering.

Also, to this day, none of Nikon's entry-level film SLRs can do high speed sync flash (very handy for daylight fill flash). That's a big issue when your max sync speed is a whopping 1/90s (as is the case with all the Nikon bodies from N50 to N75)! Canon's Rebel bodies started doing high speed sync flash up to their max shutter speed (1/2000s) back in 1999.

So in reality, if you look back at Canon's Rebels versus Nikon's equivalents, there was a heck of a lot that Canon was doing that Nikon wasn't doing.

 

[Violadeity]

Early? :-D
I think I'll never get used to the huge time differences whe
writing on forums like this...

well...maybe it wasn't that early for real...just...early in my head (i think it was like 9am?)

Agreed, but I think we'll just have to accept the fact that it's
the cameras that's going through a revolutuion right now and not
lenses. And it's largely in the prosumer segment the battle is
fought, so for the moment Nikon is maybe right putting their money
into good (=better than Canon's) kit lenses?

that's true...and i'm not leaving nikon over their lenses anyway. just complaining, as one does when one is frustrated over other things (like strep throat, and high ISO performance). i'd definitely have to agree on the kit lens bit. the nikon ones are heaps better. it would seem nikon is doing rather well on the prosumer front....since the d70 at least....the d50 can barely be kept in stock, and the d80s are flying off the shelf (at least, at the store i work at). hopefully this'll give them inspiration to tickle the fancy of the advanced/(aspiring)professional crowd.

--
'Thank you for flying church of england. Cake or death?' - Eddie Izzard

“Love me or hate me, but spare me your indifference.” -Libbie Fudim

'Thou shalt not lie with a man as with a woman...' what kind of poppycock is that? men don't have the proper bits. end of story' - me

http://damn-thats-green.deviantart.com

http://www.pbase.com/deckert/

 

[PismoBeach]

Some lame functions do not outweigh the existing functions on the Canon cameras already.
They have to do something when they are #4.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0610/06100301nikonfirmware.asp

...wow, that's customer dedication.

Canon doesn't even manage to release a firmware update that allows
assigning functions to the useless print button, although thousands
of people have been asking for this for more than a year now... :-(

...not to mention of the many other things that could be enhanced
with firmware upgrades. But that would require customer focus...

 

[PismoBeach]

Gee, I guess a camera made with less noise in the first place id better, unless you really love Nikon's image damaging noise reducer.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0610/06100301nikonfirmware.asp

...wow, that's customer dedication.

Canon doesn't even manage to release a firmware update that allows
assigning functions to the useless print button, although thousands
of people have been asking for this for more than a year now... :-(

...not to mention of the many other things that could be enhanced
with firmware upgrades. But that would require customer focus...

 

[Rock Lee]

You should read his past threads/posts and you'll see...

--
Pbase:
http://www.pbase.com/robotzer0

Comments are welcomed.

 

[Rock Lee]

In general, with all the rant and crying he's posted, he should have been gone from Canon along time ago.

--
Pbase:
http://www.pbase.com/robotzer0

Comments are welcomed.

 

[Chubly]

Tiny noisy chips Olympus? No thanks. Dust is a weak argument, give me a 35mm FF chip any day. I can get canned air.

If you stop buying the new releases...and get your friends to stop,
and have them get their friends to stop...Canon will lose more
market share.

Canon has been dealt the WAKE UP CALL already. With Sony and
Samsung now in the market...Canon has already awakened.

Do you really think they would have released a dust removal feature
if Olympus was the only competitor with it? Heck NO!!!

Once Nikon develops a dust removal feature, Canon will have to come
up with something different.

The Pentax camera has stolen the show. Canon has noticed and will
respond. Wait until PMA to see something special from Canon. I
know Olympus is going to do something crazy at PMA...one of their
product managers leaked the info in an interview during Photokina.
Many in the Olympus forum think he may have said a few thing he
shouldn't have like that there would be a successor to the
E-400...that is sure to affect E-400 sales.

Also, there is an Oly pro model being released for sure at
PMA...you don't think Canon is going to just lie there while all
this great stuff happens do you? If they do...market share will
punish them...

 

[SelrahCharleS]

Canned air is cool... especially when you happen to have an open flame handy, hmm wonder if that would just burn the dust right off?
--



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[DGWeiss]

Juli, maybe we Canon owners can take up a collection to help him switch to the big N.

--
A digtal picture is worth a million longwords.

 

[Peter White]

It's not just the horrible noise at 800 and faster. Even at ISO 200 most Nikons have less detail than Canon due to the noise reduction. So while the noise you see at ISO 200 and 400 isn't bad, it's only due to the noise reduction which is destroying detail.

If you only shoot at ISO 100 a Nikon D200 is a fine camera. And when I shoot film it's primarily Provia F 100, so a straight ISO 100 digital would be perfectly OK. I shoot a lot with my Powershot Pro 1, but never at anything faster than 100 and at ISO 50 if at all possible, due to the horrible noise at ISO 200, (400 is scary). But since with the 5D I can shoot at 800 and get results almost as good as with Provia at 100, well, gee, it's kinda like a whole new world.

Too bad those Nikon users don't get to experience it.

But they've at least got all those great features, and those upgrades. Ya gotta love upgrades! It's some consolation, I suppose.

 

[NixPix176326]

How many people here complaining about Canon have actually written to Canon telling them of their unhappiness? (almost zero)

How are Canon to know how you feel about their policy if you don't complain to Canon directly?

Whinging here isn't going to change anything.

Write to CANON!!!

 

[agnigodwin]

no text

 

[tomoo1000]

It's not just the horrible noise at 800 and faster. Even at ISO 200
most Nikons have less detail than Canon due to the noise reduction.
So while the noise you see at ISO 200 and 400 isn't bad, it's only
due to the noise reduction which is destroying detail.

If you only shoot at ISO 100 a Nikon D200 is a fine camera. And
when I shoot film it's primarily Provia F 100, so a straight ISO
100 digital would be perfectly OK. I shoot a lot with my Powershot
Pro 1, but never at anything faster than 100 and at ISO 50 if at
all possible, due to the horrible noise at ISO 200, (400 is scary).
But since with the 5D I can shoot at 800 and get results almost as
good as with Provia at 100, well, gee, it's kinda like a whole new
world.

Too bad those Nikon users don't get to experience it.

But they've at least got all those great features, and those
upgrades. Ya gotta love upgrades! It's some consolation, I suppose.

And then you woke up and eat your cornflakes i have heard such twaddle.

Phillip.

--

One's life is not measured by the two dates upon your tombstone, but how you lived the dash in between them

 

[Chubly]

These firmware upgrades don't impress me at all.

It's not just the horrible noise at 800 and faster. Even at ISO 200
most Nikons have less detail than Canon due to the noise reduction.
So while the noise you see at ISO 200 and 400 isn't bad, it's only
due to the noise reduction which is destroying detail.

If you only shoot at ISO 100 a Nikon D200 is a fine camera. And
when I shoot film it's primarily Provia F 100, so a straight ISO
100 digital would be perfectly OK. I shoot a lot with my Powershot
Pro 1, but never at anything faster than 100 and at ISO 50 if at
all possible, due to the horrible noise at ISO 200, (400 is scary).
But since with the 5D I can shoot at 800 and get results almost as
good as with Provia at 100, well, gee, it's kinda like a whole new
world.

Too bad those Nikon users don't get to experience it.

But they've at least got all those great features, and those
upgrades. Ya gotta love upgrades! It's some consolation, I suppose.

And then you woke up and eat your cornflakes i have heard such
twaddle.

Phillip.

--
One's life is not measured by the two dates upon your tombstone,
but how you lived the dash in between them

 

[astefot]

How many people here complaining about Canon have actually written
to Canon telling them of their unhappiness? (almost zero)

How much effort is Canon dedicating to learning what their users are realy interested in?

How are Canon to know how you feel about their policy if you don't
complain to Canon directly?

How does Canon know that their users want print buttons?

Whinging here isn't going to change anything.

Writing to a company that obviously gives a hoot about clients is a waste of time.

Write to CANON!!!

CANON, get out of your glass towers and find out what your customers want (heck they could even continue to sit on their bums, all they have to do is read this forum...)

 

[Geffrard Bourke]

Ahh Peter, not a smart person are you! Have you ever tried a Nikon or are you just getting that information from other posts. Obviously you are. What a dumb post you have written, shame on you, you perfect photographer with the perfect camera, not!!!!
--
Thanks
Geff Bourke

 

[PhotoTom]

... and infest the Nikon forum with your persistent whining instead of constantly polluting the Canon forum with your nonsense?

--
Tom

 

[Carl Maiorino]

...And why don't the Canon trolls stay off the Nikon forum and all the other trolls stay on their owns forums?

Do all these people honestly believe that having a particular brand of camera really makes them a better photographer?

--
http://www.carlmphotography.com

'I'd knock on wood for good luck, but it just gives me a headache!!!'

 

[jcv]

Obviously, you've not used Nikons. None of the Nikon cameras apply NR at iso 200. I have both the D2x and 5D (and a D80). Somehow, I always pick up the Nikons when shooting at iso 100-400. At isos above these, the 5D gives cleaner files but not as much as you'd want to believe.

Most reviewers compare cameras at default settings and jpegs. With the nikons, unfortunately, raw (nef) is a lot better than jpgs. Specially at higher isos. That's one thing I like with the 5D. It's easier to get good files. You need to put in a little work with the Nikons to get the best out of it.

Both Canon and Nikon are great camera makers. While there are differences between them, IMO, these are not something that I'd lose sleep over. There are pluses and minuses on both sides.
In the end, it's largely about personal preferences.

You'll never really know until you've used both brands extensively and know how to get the best out of them.
--
jcv

 

[E1derful]

Tiny noisy chips Olympus? No thanks. Dust is a weak argument, give
me a 35mm FF chip any day. I can get canned air.

I never suggested that you get an Olympus. It takes someone who is not insecure to own an Olympus. I would never recommend one to the average shooter.

I simply suggested that you refrain from buying incrimental upgrades from the 800 lb gorilla known as Canon. If they keep losing market share...they will wake up and deliver innovation.