Quiet threads....

[Astrokev]

Just an observation...

it's very noticeable that the Canon section seems to generate far more active discussion than Nikon. Why is this? Look at today for example - checking both sections a minute ago shows posts for the last 2 days in the ratio of 14:1 in favour of Canon. And today is more the rule than the exception.

I guess the main reason is simply that there are more Canon users out there than Nikon. Why this is the case is a debate that could rage for a long time!

As a Nkon user, I log on most days, only to find myself being disappointed at the generally minimal activity on this section.

No great whinge or whine here, just an expression of disappointment with a tinge of sorrow.

Kevin

[derekg]

Try being a Pentax user.

Great camera in the right hands, just not mine 3:-)

Derek

[SteveClifton]

Try being a Pentax user.

Great camera in the right hands, just not mine 3:-)

Derek


..or an Olympus user like me! One post every 2 weeks if you're lucky.
I tend to look at a brand specific website for more specific information called www.fourthirdsphoto.com



Kevin, have you tried this site for Nikon?

http://www.nikonians.org/

[Duke Leto]

Kevin thats a leading statement and could start a civil war with follow ups to that opening gambit.....
I'll be PC and just say that Nikon owners are obviously more contented owners, nuff said

[Astrokev]

Kevin thats a leading statement and could start a civil war with follow ups to that opening gambit.....
I'll be PC and just say that Nikon owners are obviously more contented owners, nuff said

Steve - I realised the sensitivity of my words, so was trying to adopt a "sit on the fence" position. My post was not geared towards prompting an avalanche of feedback on the subject of who's camera is better than who's, though I have my views of course.

Besides which, since I posted only on the Nikon section, the argument may be a bit weighted. Now if we were to post the same post on both sections, that could be interesting.

I like and support your PC stance on this!


Kevin

[rioja]

Kevin,
Like me you spend too much time on the internet !!!!!
The truth is you still don't see many Nikon users about although they are slowly increasing.I only bought my first DSLR 24 months ago, a D200 and a 80-400mm zoom having been influenced by a friend. For a while I thought I'd made a poor decision because further investigation then revealed that Nikon didn't have VR in the super telephoto's and, due to their previous lack of popularity, there was little available on the second hand market.
The last year or so has seen giant leaps forward. I love my D200 but I'm eyeing a D300. The superteles have VR so that is available but I do think that there is plenty of room for improvement in terms of what is on offer. An affordable ( by that I mean around the £1000 mark which IMO is still very expensive ) zoom with AFS to replace the 80-400 which tends to be slow and a decent length prime such as Canon's 400mm f4 and f5.6 options would I'm sure be very popular with birders.
I must admit though, having been fortunate enough to be able to buy both a 300f2.8VR and a 500mm f4 VR my needs are catered for lens wise. Maybe that's Nikon's sales ploy, simpler range, funnel demand and only when it dries up look for new ranges and markets ?

[pe'rigin]

I think that we are in a camera void period at the moment.


The new products are just adaptations of existing models. None of them have any excitement or advantage over previous models.

We need a boost, and maybe that discussion topic is just around the corner.

If you believe the rumours Nikon and Canon are going launch cameras that will complete with each other with near or enough the same specification.

The new D700x and replacement for the MkIV, should arrive in the summer. Whether there is going to be a price war I don’t know. But I feel we need genuine competition, in terms of costing and specifications.

[GYRob]

You meen people still use Nikon cameras ;)
Rob.

[RAH]

Just want to echo what several have said above - try being a Pentax or Olympus user! It strikes me as kind of funny to see a Nikon person lamenting how Canon gets all the attention. In Olympusland (e.g. http://www.fourthirdsphoto.com/ ), we refer to "Canikon" as though they are one "Big Brother," kind of like Microsoft. So it is all relative.

[seaspirit]

Well,

not sure about the number of users. However, most threads in the Canon and other brand specific sections deal with general, universal topics (where to buy stuff cheap, what bag for what size camera, what long lens should I buy, what will be the next model to be released) and answers to many are exchangable between forum sections (OK, you can't put a Canon lens on a Nikon. But if you are on a budget and your brand's lenses are out of question the contenders are for both the same).

Specific problems, like Canon's Err 99 dead shutter curse, seem rarely an issue with other models and brands, and as a owner of a non-trouble making piece of equipment I don't feel neglected for that reason.

Important is that if one posts a question in either of the forum sections feedback is usually provided. No questions/problems, no threats, everybody is happy and can focus on taking pictures and put those up for discussion.

Ulli

[Gentoo]

Kevin thats a leading statement and could start a civil war with follow ups to that opening gambit.....
I'll be PC and just say that Nikon owners are obviously more contented owners, nuff saidThat's what I was going to say:t:

[Gentoo]

The truth is you still don't see many Nikon users about although they are slowly increasingMaybe where you are but that is most certainly not true here! I work in a theme park and see 1000's of people from all over the world every day. I do notice what neck straps people have around their necks sense I'm into this now. Those yellow and black Nikon straps outnumber all others.

[Gentoo]

I think that we are in a camera void period at the moment.


The new products are just adaptations of existing models. None of them have any excitement or advantage over previous models.

We need a boost, and maybe that discussion topic is just around the corner.

If you believe the rumours Nikon and Canon are going launch cameras that will complete with each other with near or enough the same specification.

The new D700x and replacement for the MkIV, should arrive in the summer. Whether there is going to be a price war I don’t know. But I feel we need genuine competition, in terms of costing and specifications.D400 is more likely than D700x

[rioja]

Maybe where you are but that is most certainly not true here! I work in a theme park and see 1000's of people from all over the world every day. I do notice what neck straps people have around their necks sense I'm into this now. Those yellow and black Nikon straps outnumber all others.
I agree that there are a lot of Nikon users over here too, but not that many birding.

[revs45]

I think Nikon users in Asia far outnumber Canon, at least that's my observation from my last trip to Thailand.

[Gentoo]

I agree that there are a lot of Nikon users over here too, but not that many birding.True, that I can agree with.

[pduxon]

from a birding point of view they need to introduce two of the following.

Nikon 80-400 vr WITH AF-S
Nikon 300f4 afs WITH VR
Nikon 400 f5.6 with AFS and VR

The dpreview and photo net forums are active.

[Gentoo]

from a birding point of view they need to introduce two of the following.

Nikon 80-400 vr WITH AF-S
Nikon 300f4 afs WITH VR
Nikon 400 f5.6 with AFS and VR

The dpreview and photo net forums are active.I agree with this one as well. I'd go a step further and say the 400mm could be a 4.0. Nikon could sell it for about 400 dollars more than the Canon 5.6 version and they would still fly off the shelves.

[Helios]

I agree that there are a lot of Nikon users over here too, but not that many birding.

On BF people often start of with Nikon gear, then move over to Canon. Still happening for some reason, despite the ISO performance of the D700 and D3, and the fact that the large teles are now around the same price as their Canon equivalents with a newer generation of image stabilisation.

Maybe its to join their more active forum!

[Duke Leto]

Come on chaps even the quiet thread has gone quiet :scribe:

[Astrokev]

On BF people often start of with Nikon gear, then move over to Canon.

Interesting but I can't see many making the jump. Once you've invested in lenses, this is a very expensive move!

For those that may be interested - after months of good intentions, I've finally entered the world of blogging.

Mainly butterflies at the moment, but loads of birdy pics to come.

Please take a look.

cheers
Kevin

[nirofo]

Maybe you don't see so many Nikon user posts compared to Canon because generally there are less problems with Nikon equipment and people are more than happy with their results! Nikon users know the quality of their equipment is second to none and don't feel the need to shout about it.

[Gentoo]

Maybe you don't see so many Nikon user posts compared to Canon because generally there are less problems with Nikon equipment and people are more than happy with their results! Nikon users know the quality of their equipment is second to none and don't feel the need to shout about it.

Expect the "equipment doesn't matter police" to pounce on that statement in

3

2

1...

[CactusD]

Well, I'm a Nikon user: have had the wondrous D300 since it came out, and am soon to be getting a prime supertelephoto. One prob that has affected Nikon more than Canon historically is supply of supertelephotos - they don't seem to make them in enough quantity to satisfy high demand (with similarly high prices...), esp. now Nikon has superb pro bodies to match or surpass equivalent Canon for wildlife shooting. Recession isn't helping prices either...

PS I do read these threads occasionally, but I'm happy with my Nikon gear and have other outlets to go to for camera-focused discussion, using Birdforum for birding stuff primarily.

[ikw101]

Just an observation...

it's very noticeable that the Canon section seems to generate far more active discussion than Nikon. Why is this? Look at today for example - checking both sections a minute ago shows posts for the last 2 days in the ratio of 14:1 in favour of Canon. And today is more the rule than the exception.

I guess the main reason is simply that there are more Canon users out there than Nikon. Why this is the case is a debate that could rage for a long time!

As a Nkon user, I log on most days, only to find myself being disappointed at the generally minimal activity on this section.

No great whinge or whine here, just an expression of disappointment with a tinge of sorrow.

Kevin

It's a good point Kevin

I suspect the answer is that at this time of year we just prefer to be out there taking photo's rather than sitting at the PC discussing equipment.

Personally I know that I tend to post far more during winter.

Ian

[GavinM]

I read somewhere that Canon is about 2:1 over Nikon in units shipped, seems roughly reflected in the posts here. Other than 'what lens for x purpose' the Nikon stuff doesn't seem to generate much talk. Part of the reason might be Nikonians is such a good site for the endlessly interesting/deeply anoraked techy stuff and as others have said, Nikons don't cause a lot of trouble on the whole. When they do (backfocus, dodgy v1 D2x focus software) you read a lot about it here.

[Gentoo]

I read somewhere that Canon is about 2:1 over Nikon in units shipped, seems roughly reflected in the posts here. Other than 'what lens for x purpose' the Nikon stuff doesn't seem to generate much talk. Part of the reason might be Nikonians is such a good site for the endlessly interesting/deeply anoraked techy stuff and as others have said, Nikons don't cause a lot of trouble on the whole. When they do (backfocus, dodgy v1 D2x focus software) you read a lot about it here.Pretty much. Whenever there is a problem with a Nikon, like the dead battery syndrome of the D300, Nikon usually fixes that as most of Nikon issues can be fix through firmware updates.

[bkrownd]

Pretty much. Whenever there is a problem with a Nikon, like the dead battery syndrome of the D300, Nikon usually fixes that as most of Nikon issues can be fix through firmware updates.

Except...that one remains a problem. I sometimes wonder if Nikon thinks of it as a 'feature' in some way.

[Gentoo]

Except...that one remains a problem. I sometimes wonder if Nikon thinks of it as a 'feature' in some way.

Really? I thought they fixed that early in 2008. I bought mine last July and have never had that problem.

[bkrownd]

False low battery status continues to be an occasional problem for my D80 and D300, operating on this year's firmware. Something fundamental about the lens contacts and camera power system is involved. If they tried anything to address it in software it's probably just a workaround to try to smooth over the real problem a bit. Fortunately I don't change lenses much or I'd probably have to deal with it much more. Each body took about 8 months before the first occurance.

[rioja]

I still get dead battery syndrome on my D200 too. When it was in for repair to the grip I asked them to look into the problem and they simply replaced the (virtually brand new) battery but as I had two batteries and they both suffered the problem I doubted that was the cause.
Time has demonstrated it wasn't and I still get the occasional battery failure which is remedied by taking it out of the body and putting it back in again.

[Dipper]

I still get dead battery syndrome on my D200 too. When it was in for repair to the grip I asked them to look into the problem and they simply replaced the (virtually brand new) battery but as I had two batteries and they both suffered the problem I doubted that was the cause.
Time has demonstrated it wasn't and I still get the occasional battery failure which is remedied by taking it out of the body and putting it back in again.

an update was issued last year, find it on here somewhere.

[bkrownd]

an update was issued last year, find it on here somewhere.

What does "update" mean?

[Dipper]

Check this thread for details

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=124705

[bkrownd]

Since firmware updates didn't fix the problem for the D300...somehow I'm doubtful it really did for the D200.

[revs45]

Since firmware updates didn't fix the problem for the D300...somehow I'm doubtful it really did for the D200.

But it did, at least with my "false battery dead syndrome".

All in all, I've been very pleased with the performance of both D300's I own.

[Dipper]

Worked for my D200

[bkrownd]

But it did, at least with my "false battery dead syndrome".


You might have experienced a temporary improvement, but as I said above the problem still happens using the newest firmware. If it was "fixed" it wouldn't happen anymore. Whether it changed the threshold at which the problem occurs or made the problems less frequent I can't say. It took 8 months before I first experienced it, and there are often gaps of a few weeks between occurances, but the legendary DBS is alive and well.

[Gentoo]

You might have experienced a temporary improvement, but as I said above the problem still happens using the newest firmware. If it was "fixed" it wouldn't happen anymore. Whether it changed the threshold at which the problem occurs or made the problems less frequent I can't say. It took 8 months before I first experienced it, and there are often gaps of a few weeks between occurances, but the legendary DBS is alive and well.

I'm now 10 months and some 12 to 13,000 shots with the newest firmware on my D300. No issues yet.

[bkrownd]

I'm now 10 months and some 12 to 13,000 shots with the newest firmware on my D300. No issues yet.

Yeah, well I had no issues with the old firmware for the first 8 months. None of that changes the fact that it does happen with the new firmware.

[Duke Leto]

Going back to the start of this thread, I was at a show yesterday and I noticed that all the press photographers covering it were all Nikon users, okay its an Agricultural show but attracts 80,000 people over 2 days and always has a royal attending. Most had D3's with 24-70s and 70-200's. Not a Canon pressman in sight.........

[Gentoo]

Going back to the start of this thread, I was at a show yesterday and I noticed that all the press photographers covering it were all Nikon users, okay its an Agricultural show but attracts 80,000 people over 2 days and always has a royal attending. Most had D3's with 24-70s and 70-200's. Not a Canon pressman in sight.........I think it's safe to say that Canon only has an edge in the nature photographer world. Like I said earlier at some point, working in a theme park, mostly what you see are Nikons around people's neck. Everything from D40's to D3's.

[MichavdB]

I think it's safe to say that Canon only has an edge in the nature photographer world. Like I said earlier at some point, working in a theme park, mostly what you see are Nikons around people's neck. Everything from D40's to D3's.

Sports photography?

[Fozzybear]

My limited experience is that nature photography is heavily populated by Canon users, Nikon didn't really seem to be interested in that area for a long time. It does seem to be shifting 'slightly' now, I know that some nature photographers have actually moved from Canon to Nikon (Chris Packham used to use Canon film cameras and I've seen him shooting with a D300... and an 80-400VR I think).

[Duke Leto]

Yep met Chris last year with that combo, probably has a deal with Nikon as he mentioned it a few times

[Gentoo]

Sports photography?From what I hear, yes. Not seen it myself but I hear a lot of them use D3's and perhaps D700's more recently.

[Fozzybear]

Yep met Chris last year with that combo, probably has a deal with Nikon as he mentioned it a few times

Quite possible. I know he was using the D300 in the footage for the Countryfile photo competition this year and he also had it when doing the same last year. :t: