Whew, all is well with the world again! I was beginning to wonder. :)
Moose, where you are actually quite wrong is in my predisposition against
all things Canon. It's actually quite the opposite. I've ranted against
Canon through the years quite strongly, but maybe you've missed the memo
about my ranting against Olympus. Just a case in point, I may have purchased
my last Olympus product. I've got the full-frame film thingy covered and as
far as FourThirds is concerned, I may have purchased my second and last
FourThirds camera. A Micro FourThirds camera with "Panasonic" on the
nameplate may find its way into my kit, but Olympus has some serious digging
to do to bring me back in the fold.
Why?
Because my philosophy in camera design does not equal Olympus' philosophy
anymore. Olympus has decided that the masses (soccer moms and dads) is the
target they want to reach. They are justifying all new development by how
many Digital Rebel wannabees they can sell. Evidently, I'm not alone because
there are others who have decided that Olympus doesn't answer their needs
either. So, are these others that are choosing not to buy Olympus products
idiots because they aren't as smart as Olympus is?
Canon is #1 in the industry for many good reasons. But success is fleeting.
Kodak was #1 for decades. Where is Fuji? Wasn't Fuji the other powerhouse?
For a few years Nikon lost their way. Wait a second, wasn't the gang at
Nikon the smartest kids in the room?
What you are doing, is attempting to put me in my place because I don't know
squat about the industry and have no intention of buying a Canon anyway so
therefore I should keep my mouth shut and not comment on anything Canon.
First of all, like you, I've worked in an industry (two or three for me
depending on how you count them) that has provided me the opportunity to
work for the best of the best in those industries. The name/product/category
might be different but the product management mindset is the same. I've
been a product manager in two companies and was very successful in both
roles. I didn't just fall off the turnip truck yesterday. Secondly, the
things I particularly commented on ARE LEGITIMATE GRIPES about the 5Dmk2 in
the way it is being used. What you fail to recognize is that in one of my
past product management roles I dealt with video and audio production and
post-production. Just maybe I DO know something about that industry.
Like your experience with the Olds, (I'm happy for you that you didn't get
the typical lemon in that model), I made the decision many years ago to go
with the lesser brand--Olympus. Even in the face of extremely good Canon
digital camera products, I made the decision to buy an Olympus digital
camera. This is absolutely no different than your buying that Olds POS.
The smart money was buying Toyota Camrys. Have I regretted buying the E-1
instead of some Canon? Absolutely not! Have I regretted holding off and not
bailing on Olympus sooner? Yes and No. Yes in that a 5Dxxx would have been a
better camera for me, No in that I've not been in a place to justify the
expense of switching. I've felt that without a doubt I've gotten absolutely
the best bang for the buck I could have ever have spent.
The Panasonic L1 bought me a little time again. It's a nice camera and
everything, but it's nothing more than a stopgap until I do buy my next
camera system. I can tell you right now that there are essentially only
three camera systems that I'm seriously considering and chances are I'll be
buying two of the three. First brand of choice is Leica. I'm pretty well
convinced that is the direction I want to go because of specific technical
and operational traits. Second choice, which is probably the more likely, is
Canon. It will be full-frame, and at this point in the product cycle, I'm
going to hold off until the 5Dmk3 comes out as it will have the much
improved 7D interface. (I REALLY like the 7D and think it's the best
all-around camera on the market at any price at this time). Third choice
which will probably happen no matter what is the forthcoming Panasonic GH2.
As a possible alternative to the Canon is the Sony, but I have my
reservations about investing anything in that brand as they tend to abandon
good things after about eight years.
Since I am not immediately in the financial position to buy anything major
and two of the three cameras don't even exist yet, I did what I needed to do
and bought a "get me by" camera. I'm sorry that you feel that decision has
cost me the ability to notice flaws in another product.
So, your insistence that Canon is not even a remote chance of entering my
camera bag is a bogus claim and I refute it strongly. I'm far more likely to
buy anything that says Canon on it than the disastrous E-3. (It's a nice
camera and everything, but where does one start?) Maybe the E-3 replacement
will get my attention, but it will require something BIG for that to happen.
(possible, and I reserve the right to change my mind--especially if this
modular approach and 0.5x teleconverter actually hits the market).
Canon does listen to their customers once in a while. They still have the
"Ivory Tower" mentality (which you seem to think is OK for Canon to have),
but once in a while do incorporate what we (the photographers) are asking
for. The non-1D(s) series of cameras weren't weather-sealed and Canon had no
intention of putting it into the cameras until Nikon's D300/D700 had it.
Autofocus was/is problematic until the D300/D700 proved what real autofocus
speed and accuracy was all about and now you are seeing rapid improvements
in the lineup. Mirror-lockup? Well, not everything is improved on, but you
get the idea. Instead of listening to the customers as to what was really
needed, they put a "Got Print?" button on the camera. Olympus, thought "WOW,
WHAT A GREAT IDEA" and put one of those worthless buttons on their cameras
too.
Sony and Nikon are both siphoning off lots of customers from Canon. This
isn't just me saying it, this is the facts of the industry. It's no secret
that Canon's market share has declined over the past couple of years. Just
maybe if Canon DID get out of their Ivory Tower once in a while they'd
recognize that some things are important to users and they better listen up
otherwise they'll be another Kodak has-been. They seem to usually listen
when the customers are leaving, though.
My criticism about the 5Dmk2 video capabilities/controls are no secret, they
are talked about and complained about ad-nausium by nearly everybody who has
had the pleasure of actually trying to fight the stupid things. Even Michael
Richtmann launches out against the thing! (and yes, I've softened on MR
quite a bit over the past couple of years). Yes, I do have the need/desire
for video capabilities, but as it is right now the 5Dmk2 isn't even remotely
close to what I'm looking for. It has the image-quality, but lacks the
ergonomics and connectivity to be used for anything other than limited
application. I need something a little more broad in capability. At this
moment, the GH1 is the closest thing for what I need and it is still
lacking.
But, think about this for a moment: Canon builds a tub of a video camera
and amazingly it is selling successfully beyond their wildess dreams. If
people are buying the camera and using it for film/video production in spite
of lacking critical features that cost money to implement, what onus do they
have to actually put them into the next model? Honestly, if I was a product
manager trying to balance the unit costs with features, I'd say that as long
as the competition isn't putting them in, I won't either.
And that means that we now have to look to Sony and Panasonic. Those two are
the big dogs in video and are not looking too kindly upon the interloper,
Canon, impinging on their market. Never have, never will. If both of those
companies get their product act together, the days of the 5Dmk2 as a
film/video tool are numbered.
AG
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