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I can see why Scott doesn't allow comments on the regular Photofocus site. What a bunch of drivel. You Sony fangirls need to get a grip. You attack Scott (who does a ton of work here for which you pay nothing) and then you expect him to just sit back and let you slide? I wouldn't. I couldn't care less about Sony one way or the other. I come here for Scott's advice and find it valuable no matter what camera is involved.
I'd say he's responding reasonably as he's being challenged on his own blog. Blogs are about opinions for the most part, so we can't reasonably get angry at him for defending his views. Not saying some of the things he has said may not be somewhat idealistic and one sided, but we all can head down that road.
Gee..that s a mature way of responding to my post wasn't it. After I mention that I won't buy a Sony, you call me a Sony fanboy. I own a Canon and a few others. Nice comment about drama queen....who is the one getting emotional?...I mean come on....get a grip man....that last comment was a little bit of an uncontrolled outburst I'd say.
While you rant like a crazed lunatic about how miserable Sony makes your life, why not take a step back...talk about photography and the products that make an impact? Why do you feel such an urge to pick sides and be so totally nonobjective.
@Emmanuel I couldn't care less if there are more than 10 Sony users reading the blog. I understand that you feel the need to justify your Sony purchase but you won't find help here. Doesn't Sony have a Sony Camera Fanboy blog you can read?
@Gary you are also a Sony fan boy and I am sorry but I'll just keep on blogging whether or not you think the poll puts "the whole blog in question." Drama queen much?
And for everyone's edification let me make this clear. Photofocus does not, will not ever cover Sony. It's a crap company that treats its customers like - well crap. The fact that they make some sensors is not relevant - since most of Nikon and Canon's future sensor production is slated to be proprietary in-house.
I couldn't care less if Sony users read Photofocus. I hope that makes it perfectly clear. I know you all feel like you have a right to information on your camera here but you don't. I find your approach and your attitude amusing tho.
Canon and Nikon will always dominate what we write about. Those who don't like our coverage will no doubt find other sources of information they do like.
thought i would share this, I quoted this from Mr. Bourne's other poll "best compact......cam.."
"You need to get a lesson in survey making and statistics. The vast majority of people (~80%) will select one of the choices given rather than typing a choice in ‘Other’. It is easier and they don’t want to take the time to type. My experience, if you have 15% who took the time to type in S90 then it would have received four times that many if it would have been one of the choices. Especially, if you would have left out the G11. Just my $0.02."
so maybe there are actually more than 10 Sony users reading your blog, Mr. Bourne. =]
Kudos to Mike Gatch for his well rounded thoughts. I am disappointed in the arrogant attitude of Mr. Bourne. In the end, cameras don't read your blogs, photographers do.
Another vote for Sony Alpha 850. Surprised it's not in the list. A FF body for just under $2000 has raised the bar for C/N.
I actually think that Sony is quite successful in the DSLR field, keeping in mind that they started back in 2006. It has only been 3 years? and I think that the A550 and the A850 are as competitive as the other brands. Personally, I don't know why Nikon D3000 is on the list and the A550 isn't, when you are talking about BEST dslr.
It's funny how I read a post by Mr. Bourne, few months ago, talking about brand wars between users and that we should focus on the skills and the joy from photography. and now, he seems like he is brushing off Sony DSLR users.
Oh fooey, I can't even quote Scott right ! But I suppose you figured out what is supposed to be in the .
*sigh*
According to Scott, (and I quote) >.
Hmmm... I wonder which company manufactures the sensors in the majority* of Nikon's DSLR's ?
*The sensor in the D3 series is a "secret" according to Nikon. So it means it could be a Samsung, or a Sony (not possible, as Sony is a non-factor) or... Canon ?
;oÞ
and stop being so snarky !
I'd say the market share point has SOME validity in the sense of continuity. Why support, or extol the virtues of a system that could drop off the market and have no forward compatibility? This of course loses much logical backing when considering camera of the year, because that does not take into account the future.
I try to follow news spanning all manufacturers and keep up to date on the latest models from each, but it is true, and apparent that the audience interested in every brand is much smaller than those just clamoring for more to read about Nikon and Canon.
Photo tips and other things I have seen don't lock this in as a "fan boy" blog etc. But this poll has been a bit skewed based on some of the comments from the author.
I am 22 years old and have been taking photos for 3 or 4 years now. I am almost comfortable calling myself a photographer. Making images is my passion, and I adore everything about the process. This includes the equipment and the process. I have a lot to learn, we all do, but even the most experienced need to keep an open mind.
I read "DSLR of the year" which in my mind implied the best camera of the year. You're saying you can't have a good camera if you don't have huge market share? What sort of warped logic is that? While I might not buy a Sony, I don't understand why it wouldn't be on the list.
It puts your whole blog in question. I'm guessing this is just a fanboy blog with little substance....
Reference earlier comments, it's amazing how low the Sony market share is considering how much dosh they must have pumped into their marketing efforts. That said, focusing almost exclusively on Canon and Nikon makes for boring and predictable coverage. As boring and predictable as the retailers who only stock those brands, and tell their customers that all the others either don't exist anymore or are about to go out of business. Yes I've heard it ...
The most interesting cams these days come from Olympus and Pentax, it seems to me.
Sony is a very large company who can afford to lose a lot of many on their camera division so it is relevant to Canon and Nikon. Considering they just recently entered the scene and are taking a shelf space approach at pushing models and most consumers are not particularly savvy and Sony is a big name in electronics in general. Their current market share is pitiful at this point, yes, but they have a lot of ambition in this area, and sony is a giant with a lot of power behind it.
There is some credence to the effect they can potentially have on the market if they continue to push into the DSLR scene. I'd also consider them particularly relevant considering they have provided sensors for most camera manufacturers around. So, 96% of your audience has almost certainly used a DSLR using a Sony Sensor.
This is your blog and you cater to what your audience can identify with and relate to, hence what is relevant to them. I just think there is some merit in being open to other ideas and concepts. The world of photography is more about the images in the end. The cameras are just tools. The more advanced the DSLR becomes the more they resemble gadgets and the less functional they become as photographic tools. This is not necessarily true 100% of the time, but you certainly must admit that many cameras currently feature a large amount of over kill for the targeted sector of photographers. The A850 is possibly one of those photographer's cameras. Not overly complicated or feature packed, but offering what a photographer wants/needs out of a camera. Then again, it may be Sony's DSLR division's swan song. That is....a desperate bid for market share that may or may not pay off.
How often do we hear that Pentax is dead? How many times have camera shops stopped carrying Pentax gear because of rampant rumors that they will be exiting the scene? They have been lagging behind ever since Digital photography dawned, and never did take the 35mm format seriously, but still produced some classic cameras like the LX. How many people do you know that learned photography on a K1000?
I have shot with both Nikon and Canon. They both offer a full range of cameras from entry level to professional. Something the competition has failed to do convincingly. One thing I have to say in that respect though is that their entry level cameras feel inadequate and toy like in my hands. After picking up a modified Pentax istD-S to toy with infra red and then handling a few current entry level cameras from other brands.....well I didn't see much of a difference. Pentax's initial shot at Digital SLRs holds up pretty well against the entry level models of Nikon and canon in these last couple years.
Honestly, unless you need/can afford to buy the advanced amateur or professional models of any given brand, you are not going to gain or lose much from one brand to another. The smart money is buying into a system with the greater market share. Continuity and security is important when buying into something, but the effects of the desperate moves made by the little guys can still effect things.
sorry for yet another long winded response.
Blogging is about opinions and I respect yours. Photo Focus "It's all about photography" I hope to see more interesting articles about photographs.
@Mike I don't have to consider anything I don't want to. Sony is a non-factor. They are a poorly run company that could go away tomorrow as far as the camera biz is concerned and nobody would notice. Market share DOES matter. It matters a great big bunch. Without market share you don't have traction and without traction nobody cares. If I made fun of Sony every day and every single Sony user quit reading my blog I'd be out something like 10 readers and wouldn't care. I can talk Nikon and Canon and help 96% of my audience. I prefer to help the masses.
First, the condescending remarks about Sony and market share were quite uncalled for. Market share has nothing to do with the quality of a product. Sony has been doing a lot to pressure the rest of the larger manufacturers in the digital camera world to rethink pricing on many ranges of DSLRs, full frame in particular. Though they may have a pitiful market share now, you should appreciate the prospect of the price pressure they can put on the rest of the industry to benefit us all regardless of brand....and what market share the brand you deem as superior has.
I say Hurry Sony, but I shoot Pentax. the K7 was the first truly innovative model released this year. Canon and Nikon tend to follow innovations that Pentax have released in SLRs for countless years. Remember when they were on top in the film days? Do you like in camera light meters?
I think that is all I have to say for now. Just be sure to at least consider the bigger picture once in awhile.
I think polls of this sort are highly suspect in that most people aren't too familiar with brands other than the ones they use. As a result, if most of the readers are Canon users, for instance, you will probably find that Canon wins the poll. Of course if the intent of the poll is to discover what cameras most of the readers use, then the poll is perfectly appropriate.
Well Frank you and I agree. The whole Olympus line is under 2K. Where is the E-3? The glass is best!
Loooong hesitation between Nikon D90 and the Pentax K-7, and a brief look at the D300s and 7D, which were beyond budget.
(Wifey insisted as the camera was going to replace our FujiFilm s6500fd bridge, video was a must)
As I owned no glass whatsoever, the choice was easier, and I am now the very happy owner of a K-7.
(yes Scott, Pentax does exist out there, though there is seldom a mention in PhotoFocus (or TWIP), which I listen to as soon as it's out. Thanks for the great podcast !)
Jef, from Bretagne.
I am still unsure of the 7D, for me the controls are a big departure from the 50D and it feels really noisy (grainy) to me even at 200 ISO, but I do love the 19 focus points and built in control of external flash.
@Mark Olwick first - HA HA HA sorry I couldn't resist. With 1% market share it's easy to see why ANY Sony wouldn't "be on the list." But the bigger question is what is it you don't understand about the OTHER choice??? It's impossible to list EVERY camera, especially cameras that have very little market traction. But hey, at least we know who that one guy is who bought the Sony! :)
Panasonic GH1
How can the Sony A850 not be on this list? At $1999 for Full Frame goodness, it can rival anything Canon or Nikon has at any price.
Mark
Canon EOS 7D - who knew?
;)
I am heavily invested in Nikon D700 & D3 Plus tons of glass. And lately the Canons are getting to me..... The 5D II and the 7D are very tempting!
Not even close....with 30fps for 1080p video that records well in low light like it's older brother 5DMII and it's other features it's clearly head and shoulders above the rest on the list....although some of the features on the K-7 is pretty impressive too (ie-water resistance, can utilize all older glass, 77 pt metering system, etc)
The E520? Really? Olympus has put out the E30, E600 and E620 in the meantime, all well under the 2K price point and far more capable.
Olympus is the Rodney Dangerfield of SLR's, they get no respect.
@Shar -- the D90 came out in 2008.
The Pentax K-x clearly.
I guess the D90 did not make the list. :(