My only real gripe is the lack of a lock on the AF selector switch on the Nikon bodies - I can't begin to count how many times that switch has accidentally moved to AF-S or to M on me.
The pro bodies seem to have locks for every other control, no matter how trivial, and I can't understand how they keep overlooking this glaring omission.
That, and there's no direct print button on my D700...
I don't like how the camera strap falls over the viewfinder when shooting verticles.
I cannot see the rear screen in bright sunlight to gauge exposures/cannot see the histogram on a sunny day.
I like F2 lenses but Nikon would rather make F1.8, F1.4 and F2.8 lenses.
I don't like variable aperture zoom lenses.
I like push/pull zooms but Nikon likes twist to zoom.
Inconsistent filter sizes annoy me; 77, 72, 67, 62, 58, 52 WTF?
Buggy software, so I just load Photoshop and LR.
User manuals are crazy/thick. Need to purchase Magic Lantern series.
Flash with the camera bodies can be a nightmare for inconsistency.
What is with AF fine tune that works sometimes?
Some mediocre prime lenses tarnish the brand.
I chose Nikon and would do so again, but there are lots of things "wrong" with the company in my opinion. I'll list a few that come to mind:
1. very poor software products and strategy
2. despite point 1 above, practically no openness to third-party developers
3. best SLR hardware on the market, overall, but prices are very high (e.g. prices for GP-1 and MC-35 are absurd)
4. the least concerned of the major manufacturers with small size and low weight: Nikon cameras and lenses are typically the biggest and heaviest on the market
5. cameras and firmware are complex and unintuitive, leading to 400-page user manuals (for my D300S) and lots of disused functionality because no-one needs all the features, much less can remember them
6. poor relationship with customers, except for good advertising (nobody does a PDF brochure as well as Nikon!). Thom Hogan writes frequently and eloquently about this failure of Nikon's.
7. conservative even in comparison to other conservative companies. This can be a good thing at times (e.g. we can use old lenses because the F-mount has been going strong since 1959; and Nikon won't be removing mirrors from their cameras until it's obvious that's the way forward). But it can also be a bad thing. It's hard to imagine a more predictable development path from the Nikon F5 to today's D3S. Innovation in features and usability has been slow for over a decade.
8. the lens range is in disarray. A handful of obsolete manual-focus lenses still stop gaps in the autofocus range, several important lenses are missing altogether, Nikon offers very little that's unique on the market, and many lenses are simply average in quality: a far cry from Nikon's self-perception as a leader in optics.
9. lots of specific product problems too (e.g. the 12-megapixel barrier mentioned by Kittyk, etc.), but these are temporary and probably no worse than those of any other company.
I am really unhappy that Nikon does not provide a small and portable FX camera with a D700 sensor, something to pair with 35/2 or 85/1.8 and to go on streets without to be considered a paparazzi... I do not want bells and whistles to such as camera, no video, no dual card, not a complicate menu, even not a hot shoe, but a great viewfinder and a magnesium alloy body. I would even be happy with a digital camera like FM3A without AF, just for our MF goldies... I think that is a big mistake to ignore the request for a FX portable camera... almost each owner of pro bodies would love to have a street/travel camera in FX area. I really don't care about the mirorless project or anything like that... I want a portable FX camera. Period.
NathanHamler wrote:
Ok, i LOVE nikon cameras and lenses....BUT, there are just a few things that irk me when it comes to little features that nikon's dont have.....my MAIN one, is this:
if i'm bouncing with on camera flash, and i'm shooting vertical, with the shutter release at the top of the camera (or using a vertical grip), you cant aim the flash ABOVE and behind you....the flash head WILL aim behind you, only if you shoot vertical with the shutter release at the bottom of the camera....which, i dont shoot vertically that way....and it bugs the crap out of me....canon flash units WILL aim behind you in the "correct" vertical shooting position...but nikon's wont
When I started researching better digital cameras, I sought to download and read the camera manuals. Canon makes their manuals (and their drivers, software, tips, etc) all freely available. Not so with Nikon - I was put off that they required "registration" and a serial number to get a PDF of the manual; only a crippled non-printable version is available without registration.
I did buy a Nikon 5000 Film scanner -- and then had to go to a 3rd party software package for it, as the Nikon software is terrible.
So, I guess Nikon loses out -- I ended up buying over $30,000 worth of Canon gear.
NathanHamler wrote:
Ok, i LOVE nikon cameras and lenses....BUT, there are just a few things that irk me when it comes to little features that nikon's dont have.....my MAIN one, is this:
if i'm bouncing with on camera flash, and i'm shooting vertical, with the shutter release at the top of the camera (or using a vertical grip), you cant aim the flash ABOVE and behind you....the flash head WILL aim behind you, only if you shoot vertical with the shutter release at the bottom of the camera....which, i dont shoot vertically that way....and it bugs the crap out of me....canon flash units WILL aim behind you in the "correct" vertical shooting position...but nikon's wont
Let's put this thing to rest. The SB900 head will swivel 180 degrees to the left or the right. That means it will point behind you whether or not the shutter button is on top or bottom when shooting vertical.
