Brand loyalty - how strong is it?

[Ian]

Stephen is a long time Canon user after switching from Nikon some 7-8 years ago. Andrew Thatcher is a Nikon user for as long as I can remember. Graham has been an Olympus user for decades. Pol is a firm Pentax devotee and has been for as long as I've known her here on the DPNow forum.

Are you shackled to your brand of camera? Mike Parr recently switched from Olympus to Nikon. It's generally accepted that in the professional sphere, a good number of Canon users have switched to Nikon in the last couple of years and the domination of the professional scene that Canon once enjoyed has largely gone.

Could you trade in your brand investment for a new one easily or is it too hard?

Ian

[Stephen]

Re: Brand loyalty - how strong is it?

Changing brands is a really big deal when you have invested many thousands of pounds in the equipment. I have 4 rather expensive Canon L series lenses, plus a couple of Speedlites. I have reached a stage where I don't really need to change cameras, though I would be happy to add something like a 5D MkII and my lenses would be fine for that. My current 1DMkIIN is only 8mp, but frankly I don't really need it to be any more for work related shoots at present. However a newer model would extend the limitations of what it could do. For personal photography the 1D is still used, though now I have the Olympus E-P1 I find that is easier to use especially when on holiday.

Now supposing I was introduce a different scenario and lets say all my equipment was lost, destroyed or stolen. I'd have to replace it all with the insurance payout. I'd have to think carefully about which way to go. It would be an opportunity to jump ship and go for Nikon. Its my personal feeling that at present when it comes to pro models there is only Nikon & Canon that fulfil the needs of my work, and certainly brand and model counts for much.

Oh heck I'll just go for the 1DMkIV ....................... and maybe buy a couple of MFT lenses for the E-P1..............decisions decisions

[Pol]

Re: Brand loyalty - how strong is it?

It was David who introduced me to Pentax. He bought me my first Pentax DSLR in 2003, the original *istD, because he he had a few old Pentax lenses that were compatible with it. He'd also bought me the Pentax 100mm 2.8 macro lens and 24-90 in the package.

I didn't want any of his old lenses and none were very good either. So I've upgraded through from the original *istD to K10D to the K20D and steadily built up a good collection of Pentax lenses ever since.

David's also using a K20D now and we share the lenses, though we tend to stick with our personal favourites. We also have a collection of Pentax flashguns including the ringflash. We both like everything we have and we always discuss what we want to add to our joint collection.

There's not so much choice of lenses for Pentax cameras but that can be a good thing, especially for amateurs such as ourselves imho. It means we choose carefully from what's available and usually try to go for the best. They always get used too as we share the kit ... well ... I have to admit I always get first choice.

We especially like the pancake lenses. Lightweight, tiny, inobtrusive and excellent image quality.

If we lost everything I'd probably just try to replace it. I'd be a tad cheesed off though because we've built up the lenses at good prices and many of them are twice the price now.

Pol

[Ian]

Re: Brand loyalty - how strong is it?

I hadn't thought of the scenario where one's gear had been lost and - hopefully - the insurance coughed up. That would be an interesting proposition

Ian

[Pol]

Re: Brand loyalty - how strong is it?

It can sometimes be nice to have something different to play with - as Stephen has with the E-P1.

We both have a Leica C-Lux 2 and they're nice to slip in a pocket. They're P/S and produce excellent quality images.

I can't help pondering how the NX10 might be tempting if they can either take Pentax pancakes or maybe they would offer a k mount adaptor. Could be fun using that with a pocket full of Pentax pancakes.

Sheesh - I'm getting as bad as David.

Pol

[Ian]

Re: Brand loyalty - how strong is it?

It can sometimes be nice to have something different to play with - as Stephen has with the E-P1.

We both have a Leica C-Lux 2 and they're nice to slip in a pocket. They're P/S and produce excellent quality images.

I can't help pondering how the NX10 might be tempting if they can either take Pentax pancakes or maybe they would offer a k mount adaptor. Could be fun using that with a pocket full of Pentax pancakes.

Sheesh - I'm getting as bad as David.

Pol

A K-mount adapter is available for NX, but sadly it's completely manual - no electronics are passed through.

Ian

[Pol]

Re: Brand loyalty - how strong is it?

A K-mount adapter is available for NX, but sadly it's completely manual - no electronics are passed through.

Ian

[Barr1e]

Re: Brand loyalty - how strong is it?

When I think of the investment Anne and I have made with Olympus equipment it makes it difficult to change loyalty to another as Stephen mentions above. Our son recently made a foray into digital choosing Pentax as he had many lenses from his Pentax film days - so it seems our spending on lenses is the hold our choice of brand which keeps us.

What would I gain by jumping ship, perhaps better IQ than I get with the E-3. I have to add though I think the E-30 and E-P1 Anne uses have a plus over the E-3.

I will change to another if Olympus doesn't introduce a replacement of the E-3 by autumn. Perhaps I have got too familiar with what I am using.

I suppose as age is moving at quite a pace as I get older my demands are growing. I remember a saying 'it's the pound in your pocket' - I am frugal with what I spend but watching the younger generation who have so much (thanks for keeping us going with our pensions ) perhaps that is what is rubbing off.

Regards. Barr1e

[Graham_of_Rainham]

Re: Brand loyalty - how strong is it?

During my working life, I have been exceptionally lucky in having access to, and use of, the very best photographic equipment made. I have also visited the Zeiss and Leica factories, when buying equipment.

While most of the time we used Nikon lenses, we often fitted them onto other bodies and imaging devices (Imacon & Hadland Cameras)

While having the luxury of all this wonderfull kit to try out, when it came to my own gear, I chose Olympus mainly due to the ergonomics of the OMs and the way they worked, which suited me.

I'm not a "Brand Loyal" person generally and really enjoy trying new and different things, so I've had Nikons (really liked them), Pentax (still use that for its time lapse capability) but kept coming back to the Olympus,
with my C8080WZ being an old and trusted favorite.

If I won the lottery, I really don't think I'd swap systems, rather I'd look to getting the best lens/camera combinations for specific types of image, as I tend to shoot subjects as projects

[mike_j]

Re: Brand loyalty - how strong is it?

Well, I'm loyal to one brand which I have used since 1962 - Leica. It has mostly been a secondary loyalty along the lines of the car sticker 'My other car's a Porshe'

On SLRs I stuck with Minolta for a long time because it was too expensive to change. I had an insurance claim on my Minolta gear when they were off the market changing to Sony and so went to Olympus due to a fortuitous meeting with Ian at Birdfair.

I really liked Olympus and wish I hadn't changed to MFT Panasonic but the attraction of being able to use all my lenses on one platform was too great. Panasonic was a mistake I will have to live with.

A lot of resistance to change isn't actually genuine loyalty but inertia and sheer expense. It's a major undertaking to move brand when you have a history of buying into a different brand. Not just the headline items but adaptors, remote releases, flashes cases etc etc.

[Mike Parr]

Re: Brand loyalty - how strong is it?

In my working day I sell products from leading manufacturers that all do the same job, each one has stregnths and weakneses. This happens in one of two ways they either tell me what they want to use or I actively sell them an alternative, wether this is for cost or technical reasons.
Brand Image is important to my customers and how i present it is important to our suppliers, when I transfered this line of thought to my next camera choice I set out certain criteria that I wanted to meet.
This being:
Cost
Quality
Support
Avilabilty
What I needed to acheive my overall goals. In all honesty I could have gone for Oly, Nikon or Cannon each ticked all the boxes. In the end i decided that I had the opportunity to try something different, Ill probabley get a Cannon next time
I did the same with my car I had a Mazda that was really good, when I had to change it I could have had a new model but I had a Passat because it also ticked the boxes I needed.
Basically I buy what I need to do the Job at the right price, brand name is not as important as quality.

[Bear]

Re: Brand loyalty - how strong is it?

I have never been a brand loyalty kinda guy for anything really. My only interest is usually jus that the product/service meets my needs. More often than not, when it no longer does, I change. I have done this many time with camera eqpt from Yashica to Minolta to Contax, to Nikon back to Contax, to Olympus and now back to Nikon. Same with most other products, especially cars. I currently run two Land Rovers because they meet my needs. I admit to being pre-disposed towards Land Rovers so I guess that is some form of brand loyalty because when it comes time to buy new cars I look at Land Rovers first but if they don't have a model that meets my needs I will go somewhere else.

[Bob Ross]

Re: Brand loyalty - how strong is it?

I hadn't thought of the scenario where one's gear had been lost and - hopefully - the insurance coughed up. That would be an interesting proposition

Ian

I often played that mind game when I lived in quake prone California along with the "what to grab when evacuating, in a hurry".
Of all the camera brands that I have in my collection or have passed through, Canon is the one absent.
There is a lot of significance given to investment value where I tend to take the consumption trail instead. I use up what I buy and in the end I am satified to have an empty cup, having enjoyed the contents.
Bob

[jds9000]

Re: Brand loyalty - how strong is it?

I'm with Stephen on this one ...... first DSLR was a Canon 300D, so had some gear for that, and ended up gradually upgrading from there. My Nephew has a Nikon D3 and some of his photos are amazing, especially at low light. But if I was to change, then I'd probably still go for a Canon, but maybe a nice 5DmkII as only having small hands .... easier to hold !!
I've tried my brother-in-laws 1Ds2n, and found it bulky, as is the Nikon .... so for me .... I'll stick with my 400D and 40D .... as it does what I want it to do

[Bear]

Re: Brand loyalty - how strong is it?

"I'll stick with my 400D and 40D .... as it does what I want it to do"

The only thing that matters IMHO