Too Loyal to Nikon

paulr · June 2015

I am perhaps guilty of being loyal to one manufacture Nikon, After decades of using their professional equipment I tend not to look at the opposition. I recently wanted a strong, but cheap waterproof camera, so I trolled the internet crossed checked as much information as possible and much to my surprise ended up with an Olympus TG 4 virtually the only waterproof camera which has Raw facility, and at a price of less than £250 00. Nikon make great cameras but so do other manufactures, something we forget and this can be a mistake.

sevencrossing · June 2015

Did you consider a waterproof case
I just ordered a Ewe Marine U-BF100 for my D800 for about the same price
it will take both my 16 -35 the 24 -120

snakebunk · June 2015

I don't think there is any reason to be loyal to Nikon. It is just a company.

I find it strange that they can sell 24/1.4 and 35/1.4 for around double the price of the Sigma lenses. I guess some customers feel some kind of loyalty, kind of like you do to your football club.

To balance my statement I should add that I think Nikon makes some great products. Hope I was not rude.

henrik1963 · June 2015

Here in Denmark Nikon seems to add 50% to the price every time they release a new model.

I am now looking for other options for my next upgrade. When Nikons price policy was more sane I did not look elsewhere.

I am very happy with my Nikon gear - but should my D800 fail tomorrow I very much doubt that a D810 would replace it.

D800 => D810 price jump = +53% here in Denmark.

WestEndFoto · June 2015

Here in Denmark Nikon seems to add 50% to the price every time they release a new model.

I am now looking for other options for my next upgrade. When Nikons price policy was more sane I did not look elsewhere.

I am very happy with my Nikon gear - but should my D800 fail tomorrow I very much doubt that a D810 would replace it.

I suspect that if you looked at the exchange rate between the Euro and Yen, RMB, Baht depending on where the said item was made, you would see that most of the variation is attributable to exchange rates.

In Canada where I live, Nikon's prices have also increased and they have closely followed the 20% decline in the Canadian dollar - which bye the way, is less then the decline of the Euro.

Also, European duties are generally higher than Canadian duties. You guys have to protect Leica.

henrik1963 · June 2015

@WestEndFoto: Take a close look at the relation between Yen:$US, Yen:$Cdn and Yen: Euro - you will see a very similar pattern.

In 2012 when the D800 came out one Euro was around 100 Yen - today one Euro is 130 Yen - so if Nikon had kept the same price here they would have made 30% more in Yen - Your story does not hold water - sorry.

WestEndFoto · June 2015

Thanks for keeping me on my toes Henrik. I am embarrassed about being so sloppy and lazy. As a CFO of a large real estate company, I should know better.

It occurs to me that most trade is in US dollars and it also occurs to me that US Nikon prices have remained fairly constant - I buy quite a bit of stuff at B&H, even though I live in Canada. I suspect that most Nikon's raw materials do not come from Japan. Even if it says "Made in Japan", it will still include raw materials and some (perhaps most) finished products imported into Japan.

If you compare the Euro to US dollars, I think you will see what I mean. The decline of the Euro in the last year has been about 30%. Since 2012, not so severe, but about 15%. However, 2012 May/June was a low point of the Euro at that time. Go back one year to 2011, and we are back to 30%. I suspect that the D800 would not have been priced based on that 2012 blip, but on the trend that existed at that time.

Here is my source:

http://www.oanda.com/currency/historical-rates/

And even if Nikon has taken some extra profit because they have benefited from a higher exchange rate, I don't mind because they are the only company that makes decent cameras making a profit for the last several years. I want my key supplier to make a profit so that they can continue to supply me. Given my current investment in Nikon, they are most definitely a key supplier.

You rely on a non-profitable key supplier at your own peril.

NSXTypeR · June 2015

Money aside, I guess anytime you are emotionally invested into anything (girls included!), your judgment gets clouded. So if you are passionate about photography and get good results from the gear you own- whether it be Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Sony or anything else, you tend to build a brand loyalty. The next time you shop for cameras, you'd probably turn to the one brand you're most familiar with first.

One of the main reasons why I bought a Nikon DSLR to begin with is because my dad has a FM2 and loved that camera.

I guess any enthusiast will look at the competition, and I guess that's helpful as that keeps your mind in check of things. For me, I've looked at Nikon's compact camera offerings and they really don't strike my fancy. In my opinion, Sony does make better advanced compact cameras than Nikon.

Variety is the spice of life, remember that!

WestEndFoto · June 2015

OK, but when you have eight lenses from one system, you don't change because another company's camera catches your fancy.

If I was looking for something that was small and compact but decent, I would bite the bullet and invest in a second system, which would be Fuji. However, they are not making money, so I am not sure how far I would permit myself to get invested in it just now.

sevencrossing · June 2015

I have too much F mount glass ( all of it nikon) to change systems

but what about glass?

I am in the market for a 20mm prime

The Sigma 20mm f/1.8 EX DG would cost £625

The Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 20mm f/1.8G ED £650

I think I will stay loyal to Nikon

henrik1963 · June 2015

I think NSXTypeR has it right - as long as nothing dramatic happens you keep coming back for more - just as I have been doing.

But unlike in the film days a camera has a very short life. That is mostly OK as long as you are buying cheap cameras. But investing in pro cameras the short life is a problem. If on top of that you keep bumping up the price - that will be reason enough to make you stop and think.

There is always a reason for price hikes. But at some point most people will stop and ask just how much they are willing to pay to have the latest and greatest.

niemeyjt · June 2015

I have too much F mount glass ( all of it nikon) to change systems

but what about glass?

I am in the market for a 20mm prime

The Sigma 20mm f/1.8 EX DG would cost £625

The Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 20mm f/1.8G ED £650

I think I will stay loyal to Nikon

I think you will find that Grays have it at £575 - look on their specials page - so it is £50 cheaper!

But please don't buy the last one at that price . . I am saving up.

kyoshinikon · June 2015

Hahaha... brand loyal!

O.O There are other brands?

heartyfisher · June 2015

Its not about being loyal for me.. its about choices and options... first choice you have is which system. I have had a pentax given to me as a kid, which I loved but it was a screw mount and was not a viable option when I needed a new SLR, at which point I chose the Olympus system.

Unfortunately a few years later my whole camera system was stolen. (was so heart sick I didnt do photography for years ... :-( ) when I finally rekindled My interest(thanks to Kodak compact cameras and coolpix), I looked at the systems available and the choice was between Olympus, Pentax, Minolta, Nikon and Canon, and I chose Nikon 'cos my family already had several Nikon SLRs, and the D70 had just come out! Within the Nikon system there were many choices at that time, Nikon, Kodak and Fujifilm DSLRs as well as third party lenses from a dozen or so brands (remember Vivitar, Hanimax, Kiron etc.. those were the days! ) so I saw that flexibility as a positive for it. The system choice was made, and its been good to me.

I have considered switching systems from time to time but the only other real logical choice has been Canon. Although, I have always had a soft spot (and I keep abreast of their systems) for Pentax and Olympus. They were my first cameras.

kanuck · June 2015

I totally agree with you 100% paulr, I have been loving Leica for years and my brother swears by his excellent Canon equipment ever since giving up his D200 for a 5D eight years ago. It is a great time to be a photographer with all the great technology offered to us by so many companies.

donaldejose · June 2015

I like to stick with Nikon to provide color consistency across bodies. I can set Picture Controls to my preference and keep the same settings camera to camera and the image colors are the same.

WestEndFoto · June 2015

I ordered my first non-Nikon lens today, the Voigtlander 40mm f/2 SL-II.

It filled a gap between my 28 and two fifties. Generally, Voigtlander lenses are mediocre, but this one is super sharp, a solid all metal construction and apparently has an amazing manual focus, almost like a Leica. I will see what I think of it when it arrives. It is a bargain for less than $500.

paulr · June 2015

Seven crossing I was on a low budget £250 00 and my better half, did not want a techy camera just a point and shoot so the TG4 fitted the spec perfectly.
Henrik 1993 I have just come back from Norway, while in Bergen I could not resist going into a pro Nikon dealers shop, Wow I had to sit down when I saw the prices. Minimum at least of 33% dearer than UK prices . The D810 was about £3250 compared to when I bought mine in the Uk at christmas for just over £2000 00 with the trade in deal with Nikon.
Mind you everything in Norway is expensive a pint of Beer is £11 00 !!!!! in a normal Pub.

snakebunk · June 2015

I have too much F mount glass ( all of it nikon) to change systems

but what about glass?

I am in the market for a 20mm prime

The Sigma 20mm f/1.8 EX DG would cost £625

The Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 20mm f/1.8G ED £650

I think I will stay loyal to Nikon

The Sigma Art 24/1.4 seems to be optically much better than both of those 20/1.8 lenses and you get one more stop of light, all at around the same price. If 4 extra mm is ok I think the Sigma 24/1.4 is a better option for you.

sevencrossing · June 2015

If 4 extra mm is ok I think the Sigma 24/1.4 is a better option for you.
No it is not

24mm is simply not wide enough
I would prefer 4mm less not more and I don't need f 1.4

I am also worried my Nikon glass would object to any third party glass

henrik1963 · June 2015

@poulr: Yes Norway is a very expensive place to shop.

Just to be clear: We can not blame Nikon for a high VAT - that is our own doing in Scandinavia. I am talking about the relative price over time - that is Nikons doing. Nikon is in my mind free to run their company as they see fit. But they are in a market where others may come up with better deals - that seems to be your original point too :-)

And what is the point of a free marked if we dont shop for better overall deals. The cost of a switch is high. But Niko is making it cheaper and cheaper to consider such a switch - not because Nikon is making bad cameras - but because others are making better cameras at a better price as time goes by.

I am not looking at Canon right now - I am looking at Sony. Nikon cameras are better right now - but the gap is closing fast. Price/performance is shifting fast in favor of Sony.

I hope my D800 will last for years to come - and I will enjoy to shoot with my Nikon system.

niemeyjt · June 2015

I started in 70s with a screw threat Zenith E followed by a Fujica ST705.

Realising this was going nowhere I did a brand swap to Pentax - because I preferred the MX to the OM1 and FM. Brand loyalty was high - all my flashes and lenses were Pentax and everything else. With hindsight, I wish I had bought the FM - but this was a student in 1980.

I stuck with them until their atrocious customer service got to me and I went Nikon DX instead of their digital system.

Now I am looking FX and am torn between Canon and Nikon. Both have their advantages and it is a matter of weighing up the advantages of each and making a call. I don't think either is bad - just one is better than another for different users - but Nikon could help things along with an MP-E65. As the OP says, Nikon aren't the only ones to make great cameras.

snakebunk · June 2015

I am also worried my Nikon glass would object to any third party glass

If/when I buy my first Nikon lense I promise to record any objections and put it on Youtube.

donaldejose · June 2015

WestEndPhoto: I have that lens. Here are some photos I took with it on a D800. You can click on the image to go to flicker and then view the full size image. I am waiting for Nikon to produce a full frame mirrorless body. Then I will mount this lens and use it as a pocketable walk around camera.