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09-21-2012, 10:44 PM   #1
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Canon: An undeserved status

Canon owns close to 50% of the DSLR market. For so many newcomers to the DSLR world (or cameras in general) the first name that pops in their head is Canon. Not only that but it seems that just about every retailer is biased toward them. Canon’s section is often placed the most close to the entrance of retailers, there’s usually more models of Canon on display than others, and I even had an instance where I called a photography store and asked if they have any Pentax DSLRs new or used and he told me “No, we only recommend Canon.” I really should’ve asked him what his reason for that was but I was just a little too ticked off right then. So what in the world has lead to Canon having an almost brainwashing effect on people? The only things about Canon that put them ahead of any other brand would be their availability since they’re everywhere and everyone recommends them and their autofocus. 2 things and one of them is basically part of the problem and you’d have to try really hard to see the difference in autofocus of a Canon vs a Nikon. In fact there are a chest full of reasons to pick other brands over Canon.

First there’s the price. With the exception of maybe the lowest model Rebel all Canon bodies are more expensive than the equivalent Nikon. Then there’s image quality, If you look at high ISO noise between Canon models and the equivalent models with other brands Canon almost always loses and sometimes by a horrific margin. On top of that according to DXO Labs before the 1Dx came out, there wasn’t a single Canon product (full frame or not) that matched the Pentax K-5’s image sensor. Then there’s ergonomics.. Canon doesn’t really have it. Meanwhile other brands like Pentax, Sony, and even Sigma have obviously spent some R&D money on making a comfortable camera grip. Let’s talk about innovation, unlike Nikon who started video in DSLRs or Pentax who uses Shake Reduction in the body of the camera rather than the lens so that all lenses have this capability, or Sony who use a translucent mirror to increase shutter speed, Canon doesn't seem to have any unique innovations. People on a non Pentax forum might say "what about the Canon 40mm pancake lens? Only Canon's genius could create such a thing." It's sad but true that not too many people know what Pentax is and Canon is getting praised for a stolen design that's actually no where near as flat and since they weren't able to give it image stabilization and its not built in the body, it's really lacking there as well. The last really innovative thing they did was the idea of EOS.

The absolute worst part and biggest reason for Canon not deserving its popularity and name recognition is that THEY CUT CORNERS! They're ripping people off left and right. Their "aps-c" sensor is actually smaller then everyone else's, they tried to get you to buy an aps-h sensor which is much smaller than a full frame for the same price as other brand's full frames, and the 60D was boasting a fancy type of plastic while the D7000, K-5, and a77 all have magnesium alloy. Just take a look at their just announced 6D. Nikon's D600 has 24mp on a full frame sensor with 39 autofocus points, 9 of which are cross type while with the 6D Canon decided to shrink the sensor so it really isn't a full frame. It hosts 20mp and only has 9 autofocus points with 1 cross type. All this at the same price as the Nikon.

In the end Canons will still take good pictures but why do they get all the credit they have when they're making everyone pay more money for smaller sensors with worse image quality, and cheaper design and quality? They're simply not deserving of how highly they're regarded... And that's my 2 cents.


Last edited by shaolen; 09-21-2012 at 11:04 PM. Reason: lots of weird code appeared in the article
09-22-2012, 01:07 AM   #2
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Its called the halo effect, their top range model is one of the greats. People like the idea of being pro and being 'one someday' so even if they can never afford the 1dx they like to entertain the idea that one day they might (I've switched my dslr to nikon, but its clear atm that the 1dx is far superior to the d4). So they choose to go with canon so that they can build a system to one day use with the 1dx (or whatever the top end model will be one day). So even though their entry/mid systems aren't the best they still sell because of the halo effect. The same concept work with cars. They may not have the top range model but having a halo car adds to the level of prestige that the cars they can afford has. Even though they do not invest in a system, just having the same brand as a good model makes their not as good model seem better.

Also canon has first mover advantage, it can be expensive to switch systems so the people that had canon will buy canon now. Their friends/colleagues/acquaintances see that they have canon so they buy canon. In my opinion canon deserves its status because it understands how consumers think.
09-22-2012, 01:09 AM   #3
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Have you got a link for the 6D's 'shrunken' sensor? I haven't heard about this before...

Anyway, to me it's all about availability, market presence and support. And while they might not make amazing, revolutionary products, they make consistently solid products, which to many/most consumers is more important.
09-22-2012, 01:37 AM   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by nickthetasmaniac Quote
Have you got a link for the 6D's 'shrunken' sensor? I haven't heard about this before...

Anyway, to me it's all about availability, market presence and support. And while they might not make amazing, revolutionary products, they make consistently solid products, which to many/most consumers is more important.
http://static.onemansblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Camera-Sensor-Size-Comparison.png

At the bottom end, it's all about what you see (or, more accurately, what the salesperson lets you see) and the impression of acceptability that comes from promotion and presence. Get them in the door cheap, keep them there, and you'll be able to up-sell to a proportion of them in the future.

09-22-2012, 01:48 AM   #5
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Canon dominated the AF SLR market the day they released the EOS system and took all other players a long time to catch up. Then they made DSLR affordable and grab that market again. At this point in time, Canon APS-C sensors might be lagging behind but who knows what they have been developing behind the scene. Remember it is the system that matters and Canon has been pretty consist all these years. Their products are available pretty much anywhere. Nikon are catching up fast recently and they have the edge on flash system. Pentax is just patching holes and not doing it very well, imho at least.
09-22-2012, 04:05 AM   #6
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Well, hey, Nikon entry levels tend to not be as good as what you get from Pentax for the same money. People have brand preferences, and it is questionable how legitimate the reasons for them are. I think a big reason is marketing and, as previously stated in this thread, their flagships. I think this is a reason a lot of the Pentax FF pushers want FF. Its not necessarily for their use, but rather to give the brand legitimacy, to give that option of "one day, I will be a pro with the best camera ever!" (even though a lot of pros do not use flagships, and a lot of people who dream of becoming pro never actually do, and some people who buy a flagship are still lousy photographers)
09-22-2012, 04:41 AM - 2 Likes   #7
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You're absolutely right on all counts. While most people see Canon and Nikon as more-or-less equals, the truth seems to be that Canon are substantially poorer-quality. Nikon (and Pentax) build cameras that they can be proud of. Canon build the cameras that they can get away with.

09-22-2012, 06:07 AM   #8
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I think you are reading that chart wrong.

The APS-H is a different sensor from full-frame it is the one used by 1D-1DMkIV. I believe the 6d uses full frame the same which is the 35mm size. Canon's shruken sensors are the APS-C ones which have a 1.6 crop factor compared to the regular 1.5 crop factor (of other manufacturers).
09-22-2012, 06:09 AM   #9
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Oh, and btw, isn't Canon focusing on video? I seem to remember reading they have the best video DSLRs.
09-22-2012, 06:43 AM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by nickthetasmaniac Quote
Have you got a link for the 6D's 'shrunken' sensor? I haven't heard about this before...

Anyway, to me it's all about availability, market presence and support. And while they might not make amazing, revolutionary products, they make consistently solid products, which to many/most consumers is more important.

Canon EOS 6D Camera - Preview

It's all there. To lower the cost they had to shrink it both physically and mp wise.
09-22-2012, 06:55 AM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by Verglace Quote
I think you are reading that chart wrong.

The APS-H is a different sensor from full-frame it is the one used by 1D-1DMkIV. I believe the 6d uses full frame the same which is the 35mm size. Canon's shruken sensors are the APS-C ones which have a 1.6 crop factor compared to the regular 1.5 crop factor (of other manufacturers).
I posted an link confirming the shrunken sensor size in 6D. and the APS-H sensor in their (at the time) top of the DSLR is just as bad and actually worse then the size difference in their APS-C cameras.
09-22-2012, 07:23 AM   #12
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Oh and for the record, I've looked over the ISO 12800 shots of both D4 and 1Dx and the D4 gets more detail. They do trade off a bit with noise vs detail but I liked the D4's rendering better
09-22-2012, 07:53 AM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by Verglace Quote
I think you are reading that chart wrong.

The APS-H is a different sensor from full-frame it is the one used by 1D-1DMkIV. I believe the 6d uses full frame the same which is the 35mm size. Canon's shruken sensors are the APS-C ones which have a 1.6 crop factor compared to the regular 1.5 crop factor (of other manufacturers).
Unless I referred to the wrong chart, it should show both APS-H and the Canon version of APS-C, as well as so-called full-frame and 4/3.

Edit: I just realised it doesn't show the 6D sensor. Apologies.
09-22-2012, 07:59 AM   #14
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A friend of mine has just got a Canon 1DX. What a completely useless and stupid AF system!

We have sat and worked through all the AF scenarios and still cannot find a stable way to use AF. When trying to focus on a bird sitting on a branch most AF systems will lock and stay locked on one point. This system jumps around. You can even set it to use centre point AF only and it will still jump around to surrounding AF points. The bird comes randomly in and out of focus!

I must say it seemed like a very impressive camera but after trying it out for a while it looks like Canon have really messed up their AF system?

For myself I would rather get the K5II/s.

In fact for bird photography that extremely narrow depth of field of FF means you are forced to go F12 or higher which means you loose valuable shutter speed.

So for full frame I suspect Nikon actually have Canon whipped completely, and if its APSC give me a Pentax body.... Just need some more long glass. In fact I hope Pentax bring out a 300mm f2.8 very quick for use with the new AF system in the new K5II!!!! I still have the Sigma route though....
09-22-2012, 08:08 AM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by RobA_Oz Quote
Unless I referred to the wrong chart, it should show both APS-H and the Canon version of APS-C, as well as so-called full-frame and 4/3.

Edit: I just realised it doesn't show the 6D sensor. Apologies.
that's ok. it at least shows canons trickery when it comes to sensors. Also the link I gave states the size difference between full frame and the 6D's sensor
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