When I look in the cupboard, I see lots of cameras and lenses – some would say, rather too many! Plenty of my film cameras are still piled up in boxes, so they barely add to the shelved pile. Poring over my digital cameras and lenses specifically, I see a growing number of Nikon branded things. I wonder if I’ve become brand loyal? I’d certainly not describe myself as a person overly concerned with brands!
Identifying with brands
There are lots of people who adore certain brands. By identifying with a brand, we express something of who we are. We recognise some characteristics in the brand that strike a chord within us. We announce to the world: “This brand expresses who I am or who I want to be!”. Perhaps the brand expresses qualities we aspire to demonstrate in our own lives? Perhaps it reinforces a self-perception that we’d like others to notice? Brands are symbols that can be important to our identities, and the most successful brands resonante more strongly with larger numbers of people.
You could say that brand Nikon is doing something right after being so long in operation. The Nikon Corporation has been around since 1917 and has become a household name in that time. They know how to make great cameras, but that’s not to say that Canon or Sony don’t also make great cameras. They certainly do! And they have their own branding and marketing. Truthfully, I’ve often felt that Nikon have been pretty terrible at marketing their gear. It’s great engineering, but companies like Canon and Sony often seem to have had more attractive marketing campaigns over the years.
So, I guess I’m wondering why I open up my cupboard and see a growing bunch of Nikon cameras staring back at me – what does it say about me? Am I now a brand fan?
How I got started
The truth is that I never thought I’d be much good with a big pro-looking camera. I was convinced that small and simple cameras would be my fate, seeming to fit better with my self-perception of not being very technically minded.
Despite this, I decided some years ago to push my limits, so I purchased a Nikon D5100 in hopes of finding a way to express myself more creatively. It was either the Nikon or the equivalent Canon, but the D5100 just seemed to have some better tech-stuff inside – a marginally bigger APSC sensor, a well-regarded sensor also featured in the D7000, and the fact that I could use so many F Mount lenses. For about the same price as the Canon, it seemed to be a slightly better camera.
I wasn’t at all disappointed with the D5100. On the day I received it, I set about educating myself on how to use a DSLR. I’ll be honest – it was a bit intimidating. It was a very different and more complex camera than I was used to. After reading a lot and watching a lot of how-to and exposure triangle videos, I went out and did some night photography. I can highly recommend this practice if you want to learn about the importance of light in photography. You very quickly learn that light is everything when you’re running around at night with a cheap tripod and a shutter remote that only works half of the time!
For the Nikonians and other interested parties
I don’t have the D5100 anymore, but I do have a growing bunch of Nikons that many Nikonians would be familiar with:
- Nikon D40 – It’s an old and small DSLR from Nikon, featuring a 6.1 megapixel CCD sensor. I’ve written more about it here. Paired with Nikon’s older kit kens – the Nikkor 18-55mm – it’s a great lightweight camera.
- Nikon D70 – My copy is a bit on the used side, but it still makes great photos with the CCD sensor. Some say it has a definite cool bias, but that can be perfect for many types of scenes.
- Nikon D7100 – This was my workhorse Nikon DSLR for a long time. I upgraded to it at a good price after selling the D5100 and what a difference it felt like upon opening the box! Unlike the D5100, it has more external controls and solid ergonomics that don’t feel plastic. It feels like a professional camera when contrasted to the D5100 !
- Nikon Z5 – After a long time, Nikon finally entered the mirrorless game. The Z5 is every bit a modern mirrorless camera for a good price, considering the 35mm digital sensor. After using my mirrorless Olympus OMD EM5 cameras for so long, this feels both familiar and a huge upgrade in capability. As much as I trust my D7100, the Z5 is my new workhorse.
- Nikon D200 – Released in 2005, the D200 features a well-regarded Sony-made CCD digital sensor. I regard it as one of the best early DSLRs from Nikon, as the camera market was shifting from film to digital.
I know that my Nikons aren’t exactly heavy enough to bow the shelving. It just feels like they outnumber my other cameras by a long way! Maybe it’s because I use them a lot, so I feel like I’m a brand loyal Nikonian? I’ve used my share of small junk cameras over the years, so it’s nice to pick up a big-name camera that just works when I want it to. I’ve had a few cameras die on me now – I’m looking at you, Sigma DP1 and Sigma DP2M ! I still don’t think I’m a brand loyalist, but I do like my Nikons.
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🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I just have my iPhone and Samsung tab. 😛
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The best camera is the one you have with you, as they say!
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If you have the knack, it don’t matter what you have eh??
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Definitely true ! People were making great photos over a century ago with simple boxes.
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If I was to get a digital camera, (if lol now in the days of phone-ography!) I would like to get the Kodak Easyshare bc that was my first digital camera and we always cherish our firsts!
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Ahh…when it was the old Kodak, they were such a huge name! I remember those Easyshare cameras. People still but the old ones on the second hand market. My first digital was a Kodak DSC 3200. That was just before the Easyshare range I think. It was like magic!
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I have a Leica CL right now but I have two trunks full of old cameras of every type. Several film cameras which I miss film and I’m fortunate my husband has bought me several antique cameras. The biggest problem is, I don’t use them. With Agoraphobia it’s had to go places worth capturing a good subject. That’s why I love seeing your photos. 🙂
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Maybe all it says about you is that perhaps you got familiar and comfortable with the brand, so then it became your “go to” ? I wouldn’t really know, as I’m not exactly a gear head and am about as techy as a potato. I’m likely just projecting, as I only own 2 cameras, and they’re both Canon DSLRs. Oldish, too. ( and they’re both in storage, as lugging them around with me while I’m living out of a suitcase just isn’t practical- as much as taking so-called “photos” with a feckin’ smartphone frustrates the hell out of me!). I didn’t give a toss about brands when I bought the first Canon. But I became accustomed to it, which is the only reason I bought a second camera of that brand. It was familiar, and I seemed to be able to get a few nice shots ( was and am still quite beginner/ intermediate level, but I believe getting a good shot is more down to the eye of the person taking it rather than the gear).
Anyway, never been to Coober Pedy, but it looks just how I imagined it would would be. Did you get to explore any of the underground homes there? I’d love to see them; I find them fascinating, even if hot, dry, deserty places are not my favourite habitat. Opals are purrdy, though! As is the sky in the photo!
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Yes, you’re absolutely right there. When you start on a complex camera, like a Nikon or a Canon, you just get used to the menu and the way it feels. You’re much more likely to buy the brand again. I’ve never been a brand person but I won’t deny there are some cameras from some brands I just prefer more. I try to balance the gear with the photos. I think one of the great benefits of using older cameras is that you realise quickly that the gear qiality matters a lot less than many people think. OK, there are going to be some technical limits, but you can still make cool photos with film in a dusty box, so it’s defintely more about the eye and the feel and the imagination. Have been to Coober a few times. It always reminds me of a wild west sort of town. I imagine people go there to find a fortune, escape, or hide, or all three! There’s an underground hotel we explored. It features a very cool display section with heaps of opal and historic photos. Thank you!
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Oh yes, I definitely agree re: old gear- and that it’s more to do with the eye, creativity, etc. I bloody LOVE pinhole cameras/ pinhole photog, for example. I really love alternative process…..fancy gear def not require for the production of interesting imagery!
Yes, I kinda picture that town being the kind of place people might escape to. Nice and remote….but with precious opals to be found! And holy wow, that hotel sounds amazing. I might have to see it someday!
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A friend gave me loan of his D70 for nearly a year before I bought my own DSLR. He was a big fan of Nikon to the point I called him The Nikon Hitman – I have mostly Nikons, film and digital, and have been very happy with them. I have a few others, too, like a lot of few others, and like them when I use them!
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Funny you mention the D70. I just received a D200 and put it next to the D70 on the table. The D200 is a hulk by comparison! I haven’t had a bad Nikon so far, honestly. They are just well engineered. Can’t say the same for my Sigma cameras…very poor luck with those.
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I agree – Nikons are really great. Sigma is problematic in too many areas, I think. Same friend who loaned me the D70 had a Sigma lens that was always messing up, even after being replaced and repaired!
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If I could grab a Sigma camera cheaply, I would, but prices have sky-rocketed since I bought mine. The Foveon sensor is really interesting but I can’t justify the price only to have it break again, potentially.
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I agree with that. I was interested in it when it came out, and then time went by… Now, too many cameras, among other things. 🙂
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