charlesk wrote:
I don't know this guy and I don't really care anything about this issue specifically. But I do think that the matter of integrity and impartiality is essential when it comes to reporting.
If he switched brands because he really felt Nikon was better, then more power to him. But if he was essentially "bought off", then this calls into question any subsequent comparisons he may make between the Nikon and Canon platforms.
Only he really knows what his motivations were, but this *does* matter.
Do you really think he was not 'bought' by Canon when acting for them? For goodness sake. Of course he was. But for his purposes he decided Nikon was better, so he is now bought by them.
If someone is an ambassador/representative for a given brand, then their reviews cannot be considered impartial, as there will always be some lingering doubt that the company have in some way censored their opinion. That was the case when he held that position for Canon. And it will be true when he works for Nikon. It is true of other people in a similar position such as Art Morris. So quite why people are getting so hot under the collar, and assuming he has suddenly become dishonest, or shifty, or whatever, is beyond me. Did you really think his Canon reviews were 'objective'? Maybe you think that Canon whitepapers are an objective discussion of Canon products.
Actually I suspect I do know why some people are getting hot under the collar. It seems some people cannot cope with criticism (valid or not) of their gear. It is much better to destroy the messenger when the message is one that is not liked. I am sure your gear is still just as good now as it was before he criticised it.
If you need a high speed full frame camera for sports/action, Nikon's the only game in town. And if you can live with 12Mp, Nikon is the high-ISO leader.
For better or worse, Canon has cast its lot with more pixels and HD video. Some people really do prefer 1.3 crop for sports and wildlife (explaining Canon's decision to stick with APS-H), but many others would choose full frame *and* fast action in a single camera (making the missing-in-action EOS-3D all that much harder to fathom).
So I don't for a minute blame someone for switching to Nikon from Canon in 2010, given these disparate approaches to the market.
it's about who can offer you a better deal. nikon gave him a deal.
he is being paid to say those awesome things about nikon.
i work in the bicycle industry and a few years ago, shimano (parts maker), released some of the worse bicycle shifters ever. but in all of their ads, there were the pros, talking about how they were the best.
once the deal w/ the pros expired and they could ride another brand, all's they talked about was how bad they sucked.
don't buy into the hype. real world experiences always trumps it.
So he switched from Canon to Nikon, that is his choice. He then says on his site (which he has since removed because some wise person caught in in a lie, see below) that is was because of a delay in getting the equipment. Sure, I would be pissed if I was one of "their guys." Canon dropped the ball and lost a valuable and talented photographer. You got 12 guys and you can't get one of them gear in a timely fashion, you deserve to get dropped.
Or do they?
He registered a domain name in December called nikonfieldreviews or somesort, way before the Olypmics and before the test equipment was being sent out. So he had this switch in the works way before the units were distributed for testing. All canon marketing has to do is scrub the web (or have it sent to you like I have when someone registers a name like my website) when one of your "ambassadors" registers a domain, and particularly one with the name NIKON in it. Canon caught the domain name and found who it was registered by and just maybe Canon just got pissed and said good riddens.
Who really cares? Canon, Nikon, polaroid, pin-hole camera, whatever, if you can create incredible images with what ya got, then the more power to ya. Both Nikon and Canon are incredible, both producing stunning results 99.99999999% of the time equipment wise.It is the photographer that can create greatness or crap with a click of the shutter from that 99.99999999%.
As I was shooting some old pijuns and swans by the lake today with my old and decrepit 1DMkIIN + 80-200L, it occurred to me how wonderful it would be if I could shoot stuff with new and shiny modern technology having superior performance like 1DMkIV and 70-200 f/2.8 IS MkII.
Dammit, I'd switch to Canon if I could get a free 70-200 f/2.8 Mk II alone, while for MkIV I'd switch once more again.
Hey, wait a minute, how can I switch to Canon if I've been with Canon all along ? I'm afraid that ain't gonna work ......better go back to my obsolete technology 1DMkIIN + 80-200L.
PetKal wrote:
As I was shooting some old pijuns and swans by the lake today with my old and decrepit 1DMkIIN + 80-200L, it occurred to me how wonderful it would be if I could shoot stuff with new and shiny modern technology having superior performance like 1DMkIV and 70-200 f/2.8 IS MkII.
Dammit, I'd switch to Canon if I could get a free 70-200 f/2.8 Mk II alone, while for MkIV I'd switch once more again.
Hey, wait a minute, how can I switch to Canon if I've been with Canon all along ? I'm afraid that ain't gonna work ......better go back to my obsolete technology 1DMkIIN + 80-200L. ...Show more →
You're going about this all wrong...
First thing you need to do is start a web site, let's call it CanonPijunReviews, then post stuff about how Canon cameras stand up to the rigors of pijun-shooting, and next thing you know you'll be offered an Ambassador (or some other defunct American Motors car...)
molson wrote:
You're going about this all wrong...
First thing you need to do is start a web site, let's call it CanonPijunReviews, then post stuff about how Canon cameras stand up to the rigors of pijun-shooting, and next thing you know you'll be offered an Ambassador (or some other defunct American Motors car...)
I'm afraid that ain't gonna work 
......better go back to my obsolete technology 1DMkIIN + 80-200L. 