marcus riley
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 p.6 #17 · If you were starting from scratch... | |
I thought about it this way before voting:
'If all of my camera gear was stolen, EVERYTHING, and I was handed a check for the full value of every body and every lens... would I buy everything I have now again or switch to something else, like Nikon?'
I voted to stay with Canon, and I would probably re-buy almost everything I have for these reasons:
-I've had some EXCELLENT experiences with Canon Customer Service. There have been some rough times too, but those were always more than compensated for in the end. This is a huge deal for me.
-I've used both systems and I really enjoy Canon's ergonomics and interface. I find it very intuitive and fast to use. The new programmable buttons on my 5d3 make it THAT much better. I hate when I have to use a camera with out the back wheel or joystick.
-I love my lenses, many of which other companies don't offer. 85L2, 17tse, 24tse, 24-105 f4, 70-200f4IS, 40 pancake, etc. And lenses that are offered by other companies, I typically prefer the look/performance of the Canon version (LOVE my 35L even though other companies might have the same lens).
One of the cameras I was given to test out this year was the Pentax K5. Despite hating the menus and some of the UI, there was enough buttons on the back of the camera that I could avoid going into the menus most of the time. It was a really sweet camera with a great sony sensor. I found myself feeling like I'd be tempted if they had a fullframe version. I got on to check out what lenses Pentax has available, and I immediately knew that Pentax wasn't for me. For a casual or travel photographer that really just wants 1-2 zooms and 1 prime, Pentax offers enough. For someone who is an advanced amateur or pro shooters, I think the shortage of lens options makes it very unlikely to switch to something like Pentax/Sony/etc, in my opinion.
-Easy to find lenses and accessories. This has 2 parts: 1st) I can go online or craigslist and find any 2nd hand lens I could ever want, often for a great price. 2nd) I currently live in a 3rd world country and travel a lot. I can always find Canon batteries, chargers, shutter remotes, etc anywhere I go. I recently ran into a couple that uses Nikon when travelling that told me they were going to switch to Canon. I said Nikon bodies are great now too, so I think if you have used Nikon for 20 years (which they have), I wouldn't recommend switching. They explained that a couple times now, while travelling, they've needed to buy camera gear and run into short supply of Nikon equipment in small shops in small towns around the world. Once, their long lens broke while on a animal safari-type trip, the local camera shop only had 1-2 nikon lenses, but plenty of Canon telephotos to choose from. They had to finish the trip with their standard zoom. On another trip, they lost their battery charger and couldn't find one at the local store (these stories are happening in places like Africa/remote Alaska-Canada, etc). In small places where I often travel in Asia, small camera stores will even offer things like battery grips and flashes for Canon, but often not for other cameras.
-Nikon's biggest draw right now, ironically, is Sony sensors. The cleaner shadows could be an asset, but honestly, it isn't something that comes up THAT often for me. HOWEVER, not having ANY cross AF points outside the middle 3 columns IS something that would affect me often. I made myself seriously consider the D800 before continuing to sacrifice my hard-earned money to camera companies. In the end, the 5d3 felt like a complete package, the d800 was a sweet sensor in a body that I didn't enjoy dealing with. I'd describe the original 5D similar, sweet sensor in a boring body, but at least I could mount my favorite lenses on that body.
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Anyway, what lenses do you have in mind?
My ideal set on the OM-D would be: 12/2 + 17/1.8 + 45/1.8 + 75/1.8. I can see myself carrying the OM-D + the central ones at all times. But first, I need to find someone who wants to trade, and that is not an easy task.