Any Nikon enthusiast left on NRF ?

paulr

Interesting question, Sevencrossing, I picked a camera up at the age of 8 and that was nearly 60 years ago
I am a working photographer, now semi-retired, however I still love to handle cameras especially now that I can take photographs for me. There does seem to be an array of negativeness at times on the NF but thats to be expected when you have an international membership all having different experiences from their Nikon gear.

My only gripe is that when members express opinions about equipment in a negative form which they do not own or have never used, yet come across as experts on that particular piece of gear, having gained their knowledge by readings somebody else's report.

We all welcome information, and that is one of the Basic reasons why we join forums. I think you have to balance who are the good guys and who are not.
,

Msmoto

This thread is helpful for reflecting on how we view Nikon and photography. I like my D4 and D 90. My lens selection is from 10.5 to 400mm. My preference is for primes, even when it limits my versatility. (I do not accept payment for photo assignments).

The least used, or least preferred lenses I have are the .......we'll the very old 28-85mm f/3.5-4.5 macro is not often used....

I like to use a prime, then head out and see what the world is like with the limitation of one focal length.

I love Nikon, warts and all....

As to the D600, my conclusions are based on four folks I know, all with spots recurring And of course, reports from good data bases such as lens rental companies who have found through their experience which bodies are problematic.

sevencrossing

My only gripe is that when members express opinions about equipment in a negative form which they do not own or have never used, yet come across as experts on that particular piece of gear, having gained their knowledge by readings somebody else's report.
,

+100

Msmoto

OK, I never owned a Yugo, either....LOL

heartyfisher

gifts, quality time, words of affirmation, acts of service, and physical touch.

Of the above "words of affirmation" does not go with my camera gear.. so although I get some "love" from my interest in photography. Agreeing with it has never played a part. Maybe its me being not a "words of affirmation" kind of guy but forums with lots of viewpoint (disagreements?) for me is a really positive thing.

Saying that Nikon did a crap job with the D600 in no way in my mind means that Nikon is a bad company. It just needs to learn from this mistake and do better next time. In the last 2 months I bought 4 Nikon products, a camera, a flash and 2 lense. In the next month I am planing to get a lens accessory, another lens and maybe a camera the month after. And I still think Nikon did a terrible job with the D600 not only technically but the way it handled the fall out and continues to. (not to mention the missing D400 !!) All the negativity toward the actions and product failure of the D600 is justified. The comment about watching to see how new products from Nikon do from now on is justified. Though, I would still jump in if I wanted a new piece of gear they just released. Just because the D600 fiasco is not the norm for Nikon.

Honest Critique is not the same as not loving you. In fact its the opposite. ( doesn't mean that you wont still feel unloved if you are a "words of affirmation" kind of person ;-) ) ( Me? I like to play with my new gear. smooch, smooch ! )

NSXTypeR

@NSXTypeR You are making the assumption that Canon is the only option. There are more options than Canon, but that's not really the point at all. I don't think anyone is arguing that, any, of the big camera makers are any better at customer service. None of them are ranked very high in customer service ratings. In terms of customer service ratings, Better Business Bureaue rates Nikon USA at an "F", while Canon has a "A+" rating, for whatever that is worth. Nikon Canada has an A- rating and Canon Canada has A+ ratings. One could argue that Nikon USA is simply poorly managed.

The question is, isn't which of them better. To be honest I've never had any customer service issues with Nikon, and I've had cameras and lenses in for service more times than I care to count. Now, what I have noticed is that I tend to receive better service now that I have moved onto higher end gear. Is that fair? Most likely not, but that just seems to be the way things are. It might not even be the amount of gear, but it could just be that the service reps have gotten to know me over time.

I agree with that notion. I've never needed to have cameras serviced so I can't say anything about it either.

I was actually quite close to buying an Olympus DSLR when they still made them because I was impressed by the weatherproofing. I am glad that I didn't because they ended up abandoning the 4/3 mount for micro 4/3.

Pentax seems to have very good reviews and weatherproofing, but they never seem to be all too popular.


On a side note, does anyone remember when the D3 launched it used to throw oil on the sensor too? How come no one really made a big deal about that? Or was it because the D3 was so insanely awesome that no one really cared?

spraynpray

@NSXTypeR: Although a PITA, I feel excess lubricant spraying off is a different thing to a shutter assy that generates contamination just by being used. As I have said a few times before here, applying wet lubricant is extremely difficult to get consistently right - especially in such tiny amounts to such a dynamic assembly.

@sevencrossing: I am an engineer with close on 50 years experience at all levels in many departments of a good few companies so when I see problems like this I know exactly what the likely scenarios can be that lead to it happening and also the discussions about the various options on how to handle it as I have been there many times and travelled hundreds of thousands of miles around the world fire-fighting breakdowns costing up to a million pounds a day. Broad-brush simplistic statements like you are only qualified to have an opinion if you own one are just ridiculous. That is my explanation for why I have an opinion about a piece of flawed equipment I don't own, perhaps you can explain why you have to own one to voice an opinion?

sevencrossing

spraynpray, @sevencrossing perhaps you can explain why you have to own one to voice an opinion?

This is open forum and people are entitled to express any option they like. ( but it would be nice if they stayed on topic ) . I feel people who go off topic to rant about the D600 or the lack of a D400, when the discussion is about another camera, do not help make this an interesting forum. IMHO people who have direct, first hand experience are more interesting, than those who don't

snakebunk

This was a fun and surprising thread

If I had to be enthusiastic about a camera company it would probably be Sigma. About Nikon I don't have any feelings at all. I like that they make great cameras such as the D800 and I don't like that they refuse to make a D400. To *love* a camera company seems very strange to me, but to each his own.

Golf007sd

My fellow NRF members,

I, Golf007sd (a.k.a Ali) am a Nikon enthusiast. I, on the other hand, am not a “fanboy” I’m a fan…and a man at that. The term itself is a childish term, that may apply to those individual that see things from a very shallow/narrow point-of-view. Those of us, with a good understanding of a topic…a company, in this case Nikon, have a solid foundation for why we have chosen to use this great companies equipment verse others.

I chose Nikon for many reasons…some are: reputation, name brand, friends input, personal hands on experience (i.e. ergonomics, layout and features), price, product line...just to name a few.

I’m happy to say, I have not been disappointed. Hence, I’m exceptionally pleased with every equipment I have purchased with a Nikon logo or stamp on it….Period! Moreover, their customer service has been Outstanding. They get an A+ on my book in getting my service needs meet. Thank you Nikon…keep up the good work.

I’m willing take a stand in saying that: those that put their cash down on any company are enthusiastic. If their product line meets the end users needs, then they become a fan; and thus will give positive feedback to those seeking to purchase their goods. A company would not survive if this were not true. Yet, no company produces a product that is without flaws; Nikon is no exception.

I stand behind my fellow NFR members, as well as, Moderator in their remarks regarding the manner is which Nikon failed to address the flaws in the D600 by those that purchased one. Nikon action in creating a new model to distinguish one from the other speaks boldly to this. As a consumer WE have an obligation to inform the public at large about all the good and bad within a piece of equipment we buy. Doing so does not mean you are not a fan of Nikon in my book. In fact, the opposite is the reason for such action, it is because you are an enthusiast.

Golf007sd

@PitchBlack: Now that you have two bodies...why not send in the one that you feel has some issue so it can be fixed. Not sure on the repair cost but it is minimal compared to happing a body that does not meet your expectation.

As for the grips coming off/loose, I had that happen to my D7000 optional battery grip after 1 1/2 years ago. I send it to Nikon and they fixed it for a small fee and have not had a problem with it so far. In addition, when I had my D4 in at Nikon, the tech changed the grip, I guess he saw something he/she did not like and addressed the matter for me without me knowing anything about it. Hence, good customer service.

And for the record, I love being the special one out of a hundred.

kyoshinikon

I am a die hard nikonian still. I love my gear. i amy be a critic of certain choices the company makes or doesn't make but overall I love my nikons... Matt Granger (thatWASnikonguy) he is a defactor...

spraynpray

What Ali said.

@PitchBlack: Grips falling off? Never happened to me, but then how people hold their camera varies. A little while ago Canon had a grip issue that WAS a problem though - the material they used was so nasty that many people had a severe allergic reaction to it! I think they changed the model number on that one too.....

PB_PM

I think it also comes down to how you pack your camera in your bag. The rear grip on my D700 has started to peal off, but it is the first Nikon body I've had the issue with it. For the first two years nothing happened, but then I started packing the camera in my bag differently. That change meant that the rear grip started to be pushed against the bag more often. If anything it wasn't due to a flaw in the glue.

NSXTypeR

What Ali said.

@PitchBlack: Grips falling off? Never happened to me, but then how people hold their camera varies. A little while ago Canon had a grip issue that WAS a problem though - the material they used was so nasty that many people had a severe allergic reaction to it! I think they changed the model number on that one too.....

I've seen the front grip on a D200 fall off, right under the red stripe. To be fair though, that was a heavily, heavily used camera.

roombarobot

I am a photography enthusiast. I shoot with a Nikon dSLR. I am not a Nikon fanboy. I did move over from Canon dSLRs to Nikon fairly recently. Then moved up to FX. I love my D800E (but hated the D600 which brought me to FX).

As I said, I am an enthusiast photographer. I don't need to buy all my gear from one company. I don't find Nikon's point-and-shoot line very compelling. I have an S95 and would buy Canon or Sony if I bought another point-and-shoot right now. I have an Olympus mirrorless camera and would buy Fuji, Sony, or Olympus before Nikon's or Canon's offerings.

I just want to buy the best tool I can for my hobby.