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Go into any niche or cult in the photography world, and you’ll notice a lot of different things. The people using the cameras have changed for sure. Further, no one is making bad cameras. Some brands have stronger cult followings than others. Some brands inspire a quiet sense of confidence in their user base. Here’s what I’ve noticed in over 10 years in the photo industry between various camera fans.
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Fetishizing Canon L Lenses?
Years ago, Canon camera fans used to be all about their L lenses. With the latest generation of RF L lenses, Canon users seem to have become quiet. They have a certain confidence about them that just lets them focus on shooting. And honestly, it’s well earned. Canon gives users big, heavy lenses, but have get quality you can’t get anywhere else. Plus the autofocus is terrific. I don’t see a whole lot of bashing of other camera brands from Canon users. But when a new L lens comes out, then I surely see it.
Years ago, Canon users used to bash Nikon users. It’s been the classic duel for well over a decade. Now, with the RF cameras, there seems to be a quiet confidence instead.
Nikon Camera Users and Their Recent Silence
The majority of folks I know who still use Nikon cameras still have DSLRs. Like Canon, Nikon camera fans tend to listen to what other camera fans say. But in the end, they end up staying with Nikon for the most part. And that’s with good reason. Nikon does a whole lot different than most of the industry. For example, mounting a lens on a Nikon camera is just different. Where I’ve seen folks really complain is with the autofocus. But even that’s improved. Still, Nikon seems like they’ve only begun to spread their wings in mirrorless. And they’re prepping us for some wishfully exciting things in the future.
This is far different from years ago. When Sony started to overtake Nikon in market share, Nikon users became very quiet.
Where I see a lot of wonderful pride though is with Nikon film cameras. That’s where they truly deserve to flex.
Sony’s Cult of Endless Post-Production and Tech Geeks
Sony has surely changed over the years. A while back, the only folks I knew who used Sony cameras were those paid by them and Minolta shooters. To a certain degree, that’s still the case. However, there are also lots of folks who want to get on the Alpha Collective train. These days, Sony camera fans like to geek out about their passions and the tech. Many of them are newer to photography. But at the same time, they’re also all about the extra accessories. Some need their G Master lenses, their various LEDs, and their hours of post-production to make a single photo look good. The majority of them embrace the shooting experience and then spend a ton of time trying to fix it in post-production. I’ve always wondered about this; if you’re just going to edit in post-production, what’s the point of getting the camera? Any camera can do what they’re producing in the end then!
At the same time, Sony’s innovation can’t be denied. Without what they’ve done, we’d probably still be complaining about how Canon offered the most minor update to a camera. And Nikon probably would’ve clung to DSLRs even harder.
The Odd States of Fujifilm Camera Fans
Fujifilm camera users have fallen into various groups over the years. The X-series lovers used to shoot, enjoy the experience, and then edit a lot in post-production. But that’s changed. Unless you’re living under a rock, you probably don’t edit much with your Fuji camera. The cameras are highly capable, and Fuji users don’t hate on Leica users as much anymore. But they also try to talk about how their photos look like real film. I’m sure most of them haven’t run a roll of film through a camera though.
The oddest part of all this though is the Fujifilm GF camera fans who buy higher-end cameras to adapt their full-frame lenses to. I mean, why? Why not go for medium format lenses and use the entire imaging area?
Still, though, Fujifilm set off a revolution. All cameras looked and felt the same until Fuji came out with their retro-inspired lines And perhaps more than anyone, they’ve pioneered the world where you don’t need to spend endless time in post-production.
The Pentax Users
Pentax and Ricoh have made good cameras, yes. But no one really talks about them that much. On this site, we stopped reporting on anything DSLR-related a while back. Pentax refuses to let go of DSLRs. With the proliferation of third parties, they’re also not doing anything you can’t get from another brand. Are their products good? Yes. But no one is making a bad camera or lens these days.
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