The Canon Rant

So wedding season is nearly over - a couple of events left. This is a random entry for the sake of making sure there's an entry. I just haven't had time to err.. make an entry.

Canon have released their 5D Mk II - as a Mk I user, I have been literally drooling in anticipation. Until the specs were released. Sorry but if I wanted to make an HD movie, I'd by a dedicated HD camcorder - or a £650 ($1200) grey market Nikon D90 - not a £2200 ($4000) stills camera with a video mode. I've seen about 4 websites going on and on about how amazing the video resolution and compression is on the 5D MkII.

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Am I the only sane Canon photographer left? Not for long - See I wanted a digital stills camera that (shockingly) takes PHOTOGRAPHS, not videos. I do some PJ work and PJ style wedding photography. 4FPS is pathetic. And 21 Megapixels? Erm... exactly which users said "Canon, please upgrade the camera to near Medium format resolution because I really want to go out and double the number of memory I have to carry around." ???!! Why??!!?! 21 Megapixels? 8MP is enough for 90% of wedding picture/albums and blows-up. 21MP is like Wall sized. Except for having the ability to crop the crap out of my pics, why would I need this? :(

I saw a video on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53TplgfAqLY) of a sales rep at a photo show saying "here's the new 5D" and holding up a D700. Initially very amusing but on closer inspection, this is more true than it is funny. The D700 is near-enough what the 5D should have been 5-8FPS, Still 12MP, near-clean ISO 6400 (check "http://www.erikfive.com/"'s pics on flickr:http://www.flickr.com/photos/erikfive/sets/72157607357934354/), compact, bright, high res LCD etc etc..- for £1500!! ($3000).

(From h.rav's pics on Flickr - (http://flickr.com/photos/8378891@N04/2704520809/) 

Woaw - just got interrupted: A dark ford mondeo estate just pulled up, a man jumped out and opened the back door - he slapped the baby in the baby chair in the back and walked off. The mum got out, crying and got in the back. Ok, he's coming back... They're speeding off. Shit. Where's that's telephoto gone when I need it... never mind.. 

 That's the bit not being discussed. Sorry to sound like a complete skin flint but these camera will be worth less than rotten turds in about 3 years. And 150,000 guarantee on a shutter is pathetic. I have my father's 25 year old Asahi Pentax that's still going strong after about 150,000,000 cycles. Well maybe not that many. £1500 is a reasonable amount to pay for a full frame disposable camera. The 5D is 800-1000 over priced - that's the price of some seriously good glass. 

So, alas (Alas? where did that come from? Who says "Alas" out loud?), the Canon kit is to be thrown to the great Bay known as "e" and I am joining the ranks of Nikonians, who are sitting smugly behind their superior electronics and low prices.

I just went online and saw the D200 update and tried to download it for my personal use D200 (oh! I got busted! - I'm a Nikonian when not on a job...). Nikon must have noticed severe mental retardation amongst their users: This is their intructions for checking the firmware version:

1.Turn the camera on.
2. Press the MENU button and select Firmware version from the setup menu. The camera's firmware version will be displayed.
3. Turn the camera off.

I guess there must have been a considerable number of users that:

1. Forget to turn the camera on before attempting to perform ANY FUNCTION WHATSOEVER and

2. Don't the the camera off for the next week or so because the Firmware checking procedure didn't tell them to. I bet they keep pressing the trigger to engage autofocus every 5 mins just to keep the camera on... Eventually they complain to Nikon, claiming they are unable to update their firmware because they haven't been told to switch off their camera.

Nikon must have updated their website to accomodated for their mentally disabled users. That's nice. How caring. I bet Canon don't accomodate for their users lack of mental faculty...

So no sign of the Holy Grail then? the Canon Lens adaptor for Nikon Cameras that also enables autofocus, aperture control and IS?

Damn. Got to sell that 85mm f/1.2. NO!!! I Love  that lens. No mean I LOVE that lens. I take portraits, admire the blending of bokeh and deep, rich DOF and give the lens a small stroke. Bristling with joy, I switch to continuous shutter mode and fire off a few rounds randomly, just for joy of witnessing Perfect Glass at work...