Pál_K
Cameras. I has it.
Very good - I will defer to your experience and wisdom.
I have just one F-1N and five F2's. Whereas the F-1N with AE meter and winder seems like a solid billet of steel, I think the Photomic heads on the F2's, specifically the aperture linkage and attachment to the shutter speed dial, make the F2's as a whole seem a bit clunky to me in comparison. However, I've had them and used them for over 30 years and each work perfectly - including the self-timer and long speeds.
Ko.Fe.
Lenses 35/21 Gears 46/20
Dear Board,
Mirrorless cameras are only 15 years old. How much of Canon's success, and Nikon's as well, is due to familiarity? For hobbyists it might not mean as much, but for professionals I have no doubt that familiarity plays a huge role in the brand they choose. Fuji and Sony are players in the mirrorless market. Fuji while a long-established camera and lens maker, had no real following among professional camera users unless we are talking medium format. Sony invented the Walk-Man and the Betamax, they were a consumer electronics company making widgets, first and foremost.
People who are dedicated to a brand and who rely on that brand to generate their income are remarkably brand loyal, even today. I've no doubt that Canon's rise is due to dedicated loyal customers. Likewise for Nikon.
Me, I'm happy with Olympus, and their "old" cameras produced before the sell-off.
Regards,
Tim Murphy
Harrisburg PA
If no EVF, Epson R-D1 is from 2004 and M8 is from 2006.
As for Canon. I was checking on real professionals with Canon in Canada year or so ago. Most whom I checked still had DSLR, not just mirrorless.
If you could write off repairs from taxes, Canon Canada service is awesome.
Ambassadors - Canon Creator Lab
From award-winning wild life photographers, commercial and TV directors, our Ambassadors are masters of their craft, and are our Canon community mentors.
www.canoncreatorlab.ca
While most of the Canon dedicated forum's keyboard warriors are bragging how switching completely to Canon R series all of the sudden allows them to get photos in focus. 😆
FrozenInTime
Well-known
Way back in the 1980's I worked weekends in a camera store while a student. I spent a fair bit of time playing with the high-end cameras; that I could not afford to own myself.
I specifically recall the new F1-N ; nothing else could touch it's build quality and robustness ( F2, F3, LX, 3003, RTSIII, OM4Ti, R4 etc. ).
However the FD lenses never seems to be of equal and the high end lenses never seem to be ask for.
In the UK the availability of used FD lenses is almost non-existent beyond the consumer lenses. On the other hand Nikon AI-S lenses of all performance levels were widely available used both back in the '80s and today.I think Canon had lost the professional market.
When the Minolta 7000 brought autofocus to the mass market, Canon lost the whole market ; the T-80 was a joke of a response. As Canon now had no ongoing sales, they had nothing to lose in switching mounts and everything to regain.
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Pál_K
Cameras. I has it.
FD ( n ) lenses surprise me. Aside from all the levers, pins, and linkages, which surely make them the most complex lens mount ever devised, the feel of the aperture ring on FD lenses does not inspire confidence. Turning the ring is akin to dragging a wooden plank across a cobblestone street. I have numerous FD lenses for each of my Canon cameras and they all feel this way. All of them. The Nikkor lens aperture rings, by contrast, are smooth in operation (nobody, however, beats the Pentax M42 Super Takumar lenses for smoothness, though).
To give Canon fair credit, the original silver breech lock design of the original FD, however, is near magical in its mounting smoothness. I'm sure high manufacturing costs are what led to the later bayonet FDn.
Optically, and I suppose that's all that really matters, both the FD and EF lenses are excellent. The inexpensive 50/1.8 EF II is one of the sharpest and most accurate of the normal lenses I've ever owned. A bit noisy and spartan, but a keeper.
Ko.Fe.
Lenses 35/21 Gears 46/20
Time proves how good was the build.
Few years ago I met few with Canon or mentioned F1. Nothing but troubles.
By now almost non existent in real use. While all kind of Nikon F series are still common and works. And as mechanical engineer diploma holder I know why. It is not FD mount, but how Nikon F series were build.
Godfrey
somewhat colored
I've owned one Canon SLR in my life: the digital 10D. I had a few EF lenses for it ... 20, 35, 50, 100, and 300mm. All worked fine, none were inspiring. Sold it all off when I bought my Pentax—and later Olympus—kit. Both had more inspiring lenses and bodies particularly the Olympus, for me anyway. I still have a good bit of Olympus gear, both DSLR and mirrorless.
Canon gear was always the Chevy Impala of camera equipment. Works fine, will run forever, gets you from place to place ... Biggest problem is staying awake when using...
G
Canon gear was always the Chevy Impala of camera equipment. Works fine, will run forever, gets you from place to place ... Biggest problem is staying awake when using...
G
JeffS7444
Well-known
I was under the impression that Canon had been the #1 selling brand overall for years, and that, despite apparent lack of discussion about it in the English-language enthusiast sites, EOS-M has always been a pretty big deal. Per this report on Canonwatch.com from mid-2022, EOS-M then accounted for 30% of Canon's camera sales:
Canon EOS M Not Discontinued, EOS R The Future, EOS R7 and EOS R1
A look at B&H Photo's mirrorless camera offerings, sorted from lowest to highest-priced, shows something striking: The top 7 slots are completely owned by Canon. Even crazier, if you need 4K video and an EVF, you won't find a suitable non-Canon offering until #17 (Panasonic), followed by Nikon at #27, OM System at #28, Sony at #36, and Fujifilm at (cough) #68.
Canon EOS M Not Discontinued, EOS R The Future, EOS R7 and EOS R1
A look at B&H Photo's mirrorless camera offerings, sorted from lowest to highest-priced, shows something striking: The top 7 slots are completely owned by Canon. Even crazier, if you need 4K video and an EVF, you won't find a suitable non-Canon offering until #17 (Panasonic), followed by Nikon at #27, OM System at #28, Sony at #36, and Fujifilm at (cough) #68.
Mackinaw
Think Different
And that seems to be exactly what people want. Canon understands the market better than any other camera manufacturer. They wrote the book on how to successfully run a camera company, and it’s been that way for decades. While other manufactures struggled (Nikon, a few years back, and Olympus Corporation, which gave up and sold Olympus Camera to somebody else), Canon and Sony seem to be doing quite well. Moral of story….listen to what your customers want. If you don’t, you’re in trouble.
Jim B.
Out to Lunch
Menteur
During my working life, I often met news photographers. They mostly used Canon gear. The EF L 2.8/24-70 became the most used lens. It still fetches a high price in the second-hand market. Cheers, OtL
dexdog
Mentor
By far my favorite lens for Canon digital.
Godfrey
somewhat colored
Hmm. Most of my news and photo journalist friends always had Nikon cameras.
I bought one of those lenses ... and sold it within a week. WAY too large and heavy for me, unwieldy and difficult to hold still.
But the Canon gear works well and satisfies a lot of people. That's fine ... I prefer other equipment with a hair more personality.
G
JeffS7444
Well-known
I'd be happy just to have a plain white Toyota GR Corolla.Canon gear was always the Chevy Impala of camera equipment. Works fine, will run forever, gets you from place to place ... Biggest problem is staying awake when using...