(Lack of) Familiarity Breeds Contempt

<p>Ken Rockwell's latest blog entry, "Why Canon Lost The War", is today's short piece on his recent frustrations about using FD gear he's not acquainted with...after reading it I'm actually quite embarrassed for him. Shouldn't you be a little bit more competent with something before climbing on the soapbox? </p>

<p>wrt his rant about lens caps, I recall changing lenses one handed all the time, old and new mount alike... that includes detaching them, putting in bag, getting new one, removing cap and attaching to body...</p>

<p>Ken Rockwell is a legend in his own mind. And whille occasionally he does provide some usefull information. But I pay so little attention to his ramblings as to only read him when someone else posts a grip like this.</p>

<p>And understand his website is a money making tool. The more people that vist the more money he makes. And much like the evening news pitting one side against the other with social and political hot points. If he can get a bunch of people worked up over something he ends up with my readers more money.</p>

<p>Can't comment on his views on the New F1 since I've never used one (though I have to say that his comments on ergos should take into account the target audience - presumably a pro photographer using an F1 would know what they're doing) but when I first picked up a T90 I found it very easy to figure out. I had a little confusion around the metering modes (spot v/s slightly bigger spot v/s average) but other than that the command wheel was a breeze. In fact, the T90 set the standard for ergonomic design and was the first camera with the command dial, copied by his beloved Nikon.</p>

<p>While KR's on my daily surf list I do well to remember at all times that he's a Nikonian- bottom line.<br>

And isn't he re-writing history with the FD bashing? Canon actually made inroads into the largely Nikon-dominated professional market during that period of time!</p>

<p>Your correct Rick before the 1971 release of the Canon F-1 and it's total system approch, Nikon pretty much had the Pro 35mm SLR market in the bag. Leica was big in the Pro market but with a totally different approch and not in competion with the SLR systems.<br>

Nikon never produced anything in the Manual focus era that approched the T-90 for metering abilities (but then did anyone?)<br>

Once the Canon F-1 arrived Nikons market share was constantly whittled away at until we are were we are now.</p>

<p>Well I guess the moral of the story is 'read the manual'. Having said that, I've had a lot of fun recently with an ancient FED which came with a instructions in Russian. I've got an A1 and a T90 and I think they are pretty easy to use and I don't claim to be photo expert.<br /> He does have a point though regarding the two handed bit. So, if you are deficient in the arm department to the tune of one, don't buy a Canon. It's the same with those damn Paterson spirals; two hands are an absolute minimum for successful loading.<br /> As for my Ford car, huh it take one hand to steer, one to change gear and a foot to press the clutch. That's THREE whole limbs! Absolutely outrageous, something should be done.</p>

<p>Nick you completely forgot about holding the cell phone and drinking the cup of morning coffee.cike/etc.</p>

<p>all i can say is wow... i knew there was a reason i never bothered looking on that site.... anyways, the only lens i need two hands for is my 400 4.5, otherwise its a lot easier to change lenses than on my EF hear IMHO. As for his gripe about AE lock, i dont know about other photographers but i have never seen the use for it and almost always shoot full manual anyway... on both camera systems.</p>

<p>Every time I borrowed my friends Nikon F2 everything felt wierd too, especially that funky external lens signal arrangement.Never cared for the 'matched needle' readout either.Having owned Canon F1's most of my shooting years you have a habit of becoming resistant to change.Just like cars if your are comfortable with what you own and it has served you well buy another one when the time comes.The grass is not always greener on the other side they say.Nothing against Nikon because they make outstanding bodies and glass but then again so does Canon.</p>

<p>Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe Nikon never even offered the option of spot or partial metering on the F2 or F3?Yeah,the Canon system is a pain (changing metering screens) but at least they offered the option.KR would probably be happy with a Canon A1 and a MA motor drive.</p>

<p>I looked at the article and as ever wondered why I bothered. He evidently cannot use the camera and is too lazy(?) to read the manual. While I can sympathize about the F1 - it does not have the best ergonomics and the location of controls differs from the modern layout the T90 handles very similarly to the modern EOS bodies. Indeed the multi spot that he cannot use is essentially unchanged from the T90 through all of the EOS 1 bodies (and the EOS 3) to the current EOS1D IV. Since the function has been essentially unchanged (even the control layout) for 24 years on one of the two major Camera manufacturers high end / professional bodies sureley someone who proclaims themselves to be an expert should know how to use it! To use an analogy this is like a computer expert being able to use a basic function in Microsoft Excel!<br>

I had a period when I shot the Nikon F2 and I can assure you that just like the F1 and the other system cameras of the era (say the LX) the controls were not intuitive.</p>

<p>The multi-spot metering with highlight/shadow control on the T90 still leaves me scratching my head after several years of use. Still, it's my favorite film SLR for photo walks, usually winning out over my much more modern Nikon F100.</p>

<p>Wow, this article surprised me. He wrote a previous review of the T70 that was pretty much spot-on.<br>

He had some gripes about the T70 but they were minor, and he didnt let minor things get in the way of the overall picture.<br>

His review of the F1-n was different. He concentrated on all the minor shortcomings of the camera. He obviously didn't 'get' the camera. And some things, like the gripe about the lens caps, were simply just that he wasnt used to them. I could certainly say similar things a bout the nikons and what a pain they are to mount compared to the FD system. But the truth is I am just not used to the nikon mounts.<br>

But I have to agree that some things about the F1-n really bug me. (i have the standard prism) 1. not being able to see the meter in auto mode. 2. difficulty setting exposure compensation. 3. no aperture priority unless the motor drive attached. -That really makes me scratch my head.<br>

The F1-n really shines as an all-manual camera. The viewfinder is great.</p>

 

<p>I'm always amazed at the number of posts on photo.net based on KR's review. He even tells you at his "about me" portion or somewhere what he's about lol. I haven't been there in a while, does he still have the cheesy pic of him and the cheerleaders up?</p>

<p>i have to say this though. getting used to the A1 took a lonnng time for me coming from EOS. forgetting to change the aperture, no needle/bug to follow as you change settings, etc. but now that im used to its fine, of course. but thank god he didnt pull that camera out or he'd have half a roll with the wrong aperture plugged in (if in full manual etc) and then he'd be bitching about film too!</p>

<p>He reminds me of a local sports writer who will write <em>anything</em>, no matter how ill-informed, that will get peoples' attention and get them to write letters to the editor. They've kept him on for years, likely because he gets so many letters. Writing a negative review of a 30+ year old camera? Nobody can possibly take him seriously.</p>

<p>Well, looked at this thread and then at the article mentioned here and discovered, I admit, to my complete surprise, that the venerable F-1 does not have an AE lock button. I find this quite weird actually, and I am a Canon user.</p>

<p>Doesn't it even lock exposure at half click?</p>

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<p>Ken does write some interesting perspectives from time to time, and he can even nail a good point every now and then. But... you have to parse his proclamations carefully. I wouldn't go directly to Ken if I were starting out cold in a search for understanding in the camera world. You read his text for the occasional pearl after you have built a solid foundation.... That way, you can casually come to grips with the mix of self interest, commercial interest, and general blind personal bias that his good stuff tends to be packaged with.</p>

<p>I do enjoy visiting his site from time to time. It can be a treat, or it can be an exercise in anger management. You just never know. Sometimes, it's both!</p>

<p>No big deal though. I would be the last person to ask to write a book celebrating the world of Nikon cameras. I have been a Canon user, fan, and bigot since 1970 or so. I would take pride in trying to present a clean and clear history of Nikon cameras, but it just wouldn't be a very colorful presentation, and I have no doubt that my Canon bias, no matter how well I tried to keep a lid on it, would be fairly obvious at some level.</p>

<p>Actually, it was reading posts and reviews by Ken and like minded people who forced me to be aware that no matter how much I like "X", there are plenty of people why like "Y", and they have valid reasons for feeling that way. The reality is that competition is the root of progress among the top tier manufacturers in the camera industry, and that even if overall attention to engineering detail, and manufacturing quality are identical, the market fortunes are in a constant state of flux due to a number of forces directly related to the brand battle being waged.</p>

<p>So, I don't qualify as a fan of Nikon gear as a rule, because over the years, Canon has always served me well, and except for a paper weight or two, I never had the need to buy Nikon gear. However, I sure do applaud them as an industry leader through good times and bad. I applaud Nikon for always pushing the envelope, and pushing back when Canon takes it's turn. When Canon is down for a time, it is a matter of degree, and they will push back to the top. Nikon will surely answer in kind over time. I even cheer for Nikon when they answer a near miss salvo from Canon with a direct hit of their own. It makes me certain that the folks at Canon will get it right very soon. Likewise, when Canon drops a bomb with perfect aim, I know that it's far from over... Nikon won't sit still for too long.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, with the possible exception of the EOS lens mount gamble that caused more Nikon shooters to abandon their lens kits for the Canon brand than the number of Canon FD shooters who ended up divorcing Canon, both camps are secure in the quality of lenses offered, and that they won't be at the short end of the tech stick for very long.</p>

<p>I don't think anyone in either camp really lost a thing, never mind a war. We all win when Canon and Nikon butt heads in competition. Other players have added serious talent to the pool over the decades, and some newer names are pushing the envelope again, but Canon and Nikon, each in their own corporate way, are really partners in delivering the very best technology and quality in photo gear at insanely low cost to all of us. There is no war. It's just a classic, old fashioned competition that makes all of us winners in the end.</p>

<p>The only loser would be us if one managed to really hurt the other along the way. In that case, I might prefer to buy Canon cameras as a rule, but if Nikon were really on the ropes, I would donate a pint of blood without hesitation. By the way, the F1N metering lock issue tickles me. I posted a review of the F1N on another site a while back, and LIED without realizing it until it was too late, as the site didn't offer an edit function.</p>

<p>I said the F1 had AE lock, making the mental error of thinking about being able to lock the meter on, or some such thing, and it just seemed natural that AE lock would be the case on the F1N. The reality, of course, is that it doesn't lock the EV while you recompose, even at half button press, and that for as long as I have been using the F1N, I never missed it at all. Maybe it's a vintage thing. I never thought ill of having to pop in a different focusing screen on the F1 in order to change the metering pattern either. When I learned to use the camera, it was all good, and I never felt limited by features listed as MIA nearly thirty years after the fact. I pick up my F1N, and all is well with the world.</p>

<p>Oddly though, the T-90 feels the same when I pick it up to shoot. I have had a T-90 since it first arrived at the Wolf camera store in downtown Atlanta (I lived there at the time), and I can operate that camera in my sleep (well, so I think). I loved the brand new features, and it still sings well in a group of modern cameras today, yet I never fumbled for a function on one body that only existed on the other, or was brought into play in a different manner. They are both great cameras, yet very different cameras. Thank you Olympus, Minolta, and Nikon for making the T-90 enough of a priority to be produced, but I wouldn't give up either camera, nor feel lacking with one or the other in hand at any time.</p>

<p>So I thank Ken for being the kind of guy who determines absolute supremacy of a product with a secret formula of smoke, mirrors, magic, feelings, stats, specs, measured performance, and perhaps financial or hardware sponsorship. I still jump in head first with my own opinion on photo gear, and get it all wrong sometimes, but I'll always try to offer someone new to the photo passion asking for my opinion the final word that if my choice doesn't fit their needs, and having a camera with a red thing that looks like the logo on a basketball sneaker is important, that choice of system will be just fine in the end..... :).</p>

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