I think most of you know by now that I’ve had a monthly Tech Tips column over at the Digital Journalist website for quite a while now. It seems that this is about to come to an end this year, as Canon has decided to end their financial support to the Digital Journalist. Dirck Halstead had the following to say:
I am afraid that the December issue of The Digital Journalist may be our final issue, at least for a while.
—-
Unfortunately, our principal sponsor, Canon, whose market has also been impacted by these turbulent times, has decided they can no longer afford to provide their financial backing to The Digital Journalist. We are very grateful for the generous support they have given us over the years.
Let me first say that Dirck is a great guy and over the years of working together we’ve become good friends. But what he said there in his letter is bullshit in its purest form. Now I don’t know if Dirck himself doesn’t know what’s going on, and if he really believes the spin from our PR and marketing departments, or if he’s just trying not to piss Canon Inc. off, but it looks like I’m gonna have to have a long chat with him soon.
One thing is true, and that is that we are having some very turbulent times here at Canon. I mean, this is so fucking clear by now especially if you’ve been reading my blog. But it certainly is not because of the economy, as apparently our PR department would like you to believe. Oh no, our market has been impacted BY THE CRAP THAT WE’VE BEEN RELEASING FOR THE LAST 3 YEARS. THAT’S WHAT’S GOING ON! That’s what is causing everyone to switch to Nikon!
Tell me, if the market is in turbulent times why is Nikon giving away $100,000? Does Nikon have a different economy? Does their market exist in a different economy? Perhaps in an alternate reality? And how about Sony?
No no NO, it’s very clear what’s going on. The graph below says it all.
Maeda: "Competitions set our ass up the cocks!"
I don’t care how the fuck they want to spin this, but the fact is that these turbulent times are our own fault. I have been warning everyone about this ever since I started this blog:
If there really is so much trouble because of the economic crisis, how the fuck is Nikon growing their sales by 333%???
I’m just glad Uchida and Maeda are not in my office right now because I swear to God I would have kicked both their asses and end up in jail. It’s at times like these when I thank God that I don’t own or have access to any kind of heavy firearms. Where is it going to fucking end?? When are enough people inside the company going to wake up so we can kick this gang of morons out of upper management? Are we going to wait for Nikon to drive us into the ground first?? I’ve been busting my ass off year after year for this company, and it just hurts to see all my hard work being wasted by these retards.
I keep saying it, this gang of fucking arrogant morons in upper management are going to drive this company into the ground. Let’s keep ignoring what our customers are asking for, let’s continue the megapixel race, let’s allow quality control to further degrade and continue the fuck-ups and let’s continue to make fucking retarded decisions. Then, we’re going to sell even more products! AND BUSINESS WILL BE GREAT! YEEEEHAAAWW!! FOR FUCK’S SAKE!!
There was a time when Canon was the undisputed king of image quality. Now we’re releasing DSLRs that offer worse image quality, not only compared to older Canon models, but even compared to the latest Nikon models! Do you know how much you have to fuck things up to offer worse image quality compared to Nikon???
I hope the fact that Canon Inc. are now feeling it inside their pockets will make some kind of difference. Hell, let me be honest with you, I have little hope. Fuck… I’m so sorry…
My eyes are filling up with tears right now… sorry to get all emotional on you guys here, really.. it’s… I can’t help it.. I’m going to miss doing Tech Tips at the Digital Journalist. Sorry Dirck… *sob* .. I have to go now.
Fake Chuck Westfall 
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Oh no! Please don’t stop your very helpful Tech Tips! Maybe you can just host them here in future?!? Can we send you questions via this blog from now on?
Ofcourse you can…
OK, Chuck here’s a question. A serious one. What will it take to get new management at Canon that will focus on quality issues or at least get the current management to wake up and address quality issues?
Related question, also serious… Canon used to be at the top in quality control and image quality. I used to make fun of Nikon users because of their inferior image quality and noise. What happened? What changed at Canon for image quality and quality control to fall so far so fast?
Canon should be okay; for some reason, Canon has about 2.5 times the market capitalization of Nikon. Even if Canon’s DSLRs end up being loss-making, they’ll have a bit of time to try to turn things around.
And it’s not that Canon’s image quality has fallen; it’s more that Canon’s image quality just hasn’t grown at the same pace as Nikon’s. If you take the metaphor of a race, Nikon actually has an easier time, because all Nikon has to do is to beat Canon. Canon, on the other hand, doesn’t have a pacesetter to follow.
That said, it’s depressing that Canon’s been this way for the past couple of years, and it would be nice to see Canon come out ahead again in IQ, DR, and usable high ISO.
Not so long ago. Nikon was giving users the shaft during film days while Canon was pushing great quality cams playing catching up. Pride goes before a fall. Best thing is, pride blinds you till it’s too late. This cycle will pass too.
You know what Tone that is the money shot question, while we’ve been getting sticky with canon products what has been the REAL underlying cause, it all fucked up post 40D. In the UK Nipon are having full page ads on DSLR video comps and even training sites! Fucking hell it sounds great., it’s only a matter of time.
Today i searched the web for articles that cames out when the 40D was tested by many photographers, all similar to “40D vs 5D vs 1DmkIII”, because image quality and performances made everyone looking for comparisons, and everyone get the same result: it was only slightly inferior to the 5D, and performance were 2nd only to 1DmkIII.
And after this? 50D? LOL 😀 7D? ROFL 😀 …
I’m really hoping for a good 60D, or at least a good 1500/2000D with video and 24p, as a backup body…
I was defending the 7D last week, but I have seen the light (or rather, the shitty pics). Another dismal failure for Canon.
This is what I have to say to Canon:
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Who needs a Canon 7D when you can buy a Pentax K-x kit with lens for less than one third of the price of a 7D body? 🙂
I’ve decided to only look forward to getting Canon products in reverse. Right now I’m shooting on a Canon 1DMKII and can’t fucking wait for a 1D… maybe I’ll splurge and get a 20D or something really hot. The best thing is the longer I wait, and the farther back I go, the cheaper they get, and the better the image quality!
ISO 800 – no problemo! does it go to ISO 32,000 no – but when ISO 400 is the sensor equivalent of sandpaper I think I’m doing okay. Another great aspect of all of this is that I’m helping the secondary market – I’m buying other people’s old, better, gear and they get to put that money, plus their months salary, towards something new and shiny! Thanks Canon!
Hey Chuck, this part of the 1DmkIV white paper made me laughing so much 😀 “As long as final print size is the same, the visible effects of blur and defocus are the same
regardless of pixel count. However, it is becoming popular to view images on computer
monitors; thus, clients and photographers are increasingly concerned about blur and defocus
in images shot with high-resolution cameras. EOS-1D Mark II and EOS-1D Mark III
users should understand the increased likelihood of blur and/or defocus when using highresolution
cameras. To prevent these image defects, photographers should use faster shutter
speeds at high ISO settings and/or shoot with IS (Image Stabilizer) lenses.”
Wow, November ’09, i’ve to sign it! Did you suggested it to Maeda or did they realized by themselves?
I’m really sorry to ruin your day but I want to bring to your attention this:
http://nikonrumors.com/2009/11/19/nikons-pro-dslrs-outsell-canons-big-time.aspx
Yeah I saw that yesterday.. i should post about it but i just feel so paralyzed right now. when it rains it pours
Keep an eye on Maeda & co,
if they manage to fuck-up the 1d4 launch
there is no going back….
OK, Chuck, my apologies, but I am flip flopping (again). I am back to loving the 7D. Check out this review that is positive towards the 7D, and makes fun of Wigget:
http://www.prophotohome.com/news/2009/11/19/canon-7d-worse-than-canon-rebel-xsi/
Wigget doesn’t know dick!!!
So my finger, is now pointed towards Wigget:
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Dick, my boy, check the first 2 100% crop images on that review. They are the same, even though the guy claims they are from different cameras.
He corrected it and said that it was just a mistake.
Yeah Chuck! So many photographers, and respected websites have given the 7D a big thumbs up! It whips the Nikon D300s in terms of image quality. For those who can “point and shoot” (sarcasm intended).
I know that your comedy “shtick” and comedy routine (and reason for existing) relies on Canon making shitty cameras. But lay off the 7D.
You should be attacking Canon for having put an APS-H sized sensor in the 1D mark4! WHAT THE FUCK!? NIkon has gone full frame in their pro cameras since 2007. And, who the fuck wants a 1.3 crop? You do not get the telephoto reach of a 1.6, and you cannot get true wide angle.
The 1.3 crop: jack of no trades, master of fuck all!!!!!!!
This has got to be one of the best sites/blogs EVER. Thank you FCW. Keep up the great work.
Now don’t get me started, but let’s not forget that Nikonsan abruptly pulled it’s sponsorship from Kelbyland’s D-Town video production, terminating that operation. Or that they have never had the balls to issue anything remotely close to the info a Canon White Paper has in it. Or that the median age of a full frame lense design for the D3x is probably 20 years (and “optimized for film”!). Or that Nikon are peddling lenses made in communist China and asking, and getting, a thousand dollars retail for them. Or that Nikon produces lenses with plastic bayonet flanges. Or that Nikon manufacturers more superzoom crap than professional lenses. Or that Nikon are charging 4 grand extra for dropping a 24MP chip in an existing body. Or that …
+1 to Eric.
Сегодня я первый раз на этом сайте, но уже готов стать активным его пользователем. Буду рад всем, кто поддержит меня и будет также изо дня в день пользоваться данным блогом.
Let’s see…
Canon also manufactures more “superzoom crap” than “professional lenses”; Nikon’s “superzoom crap” is actually better than Canon’s “superzoom” crap (sic).
If I recall correctly, Canon also makes lenses with plastic bayonet flanges.
Let’s not forget that you can’t actually mount any lens older than 20 years old on a modern Canon body ever since Canon screwed over their users with the change to the EF mount. Speaking of which, all EF-S lenses can’t be mounted on bodies with the EF mount. DX lenses, on the other hand…
Canon also still seems to be stuck in a megapixel race with itself – they care more about selling specs rather than selling cameras. They seem to have forgotten about the fact that some people need the DOF for their pictures and thus went ahead to cram so many pixels on a 1.6x crop sensor that you can’t go anywhere above f/8. Nikon, however, is “stuck” at 12 MP, all the while focusing on improving pixel QUALITY, instead of QUANTITY.
Oh, and, high ISO on the 5DII (and just about all of their other cameras)? That’s a lie (by half a stop or more). ISO 6,400 on the 5DII is really just ISO 3990. Compare that with the D700’s ISO 4871. Most of the “amazing” specs on Canon products are merely marketing gimmicks (take a look at ISO 12,800 D3s samples and compare them to ISO 12,800 1DIV samples – assuming you can even find them, given Canon’s information blackout).
Keep in mind that they also couldn’t give the 5DII better AF because there “wasn’t enough space”. In the meantime, Nikon included, in the D700, the same AF sensor that they used for the D3. I wonder how they found the space in their camera to do that.
Don’t forget how they shitcanned Vincent Laforet’s video because they didn’t want Canon USA looking better than Canon Japan. They then proceeded to show their astounding lack of balls and asked Laforet to apologise on their behalf. Meanwhile, Nikon proudly showcased sample images and “lousy 720p” video from the D3s.
Recall, also, the wonderful quality control and pre-release testing that Canon implements. Or not, seeing as how they needed to release 2 firmware updates for the 7D in just over one month subsequent to its release.
That’s just the tip of the sinking iceberg of Canon’s many failings. Nikon isn’t perfect, but Canon is pretty full of shit too.
hmm interesting i liked comments :))
Guys – If Canon make mistakes then someone somewhere is going to capitalise on those mistakes, you just have to be in the right place to grasp the benefits. I’ve just bought two Nikon D3’s and they are spectacular in every kind of quality from build to image.
I agree though, the race for pixels is stupid, if that was what its all about everyone would buy Hasselblad – its about how you use what you’ve got and how a camera delivers what’s going on in your head in a way that you can convert the digital data into a unique piece of art.
The answer is be flexible – you know the question?
Chuck, please ask canon to hire you. Read the book “what would google do” and write a review by replacing “google” with “canon”
REALLY, do it!!
Canon would so be better if they hired people that actually can communicate to others, unlike ‘real’ chuck westfall
kelly
I never realized till now, but maybe dilbert works for canon…
http://www.dilbert.com/strips/comic/2009-12-09/
Oh, the best part – 24 EOS digital models later, Canon still can’t figure out where the hell to put the “ON” switch.
I love this site, and that’s coming from a Nikon shooter since 1982. It seems Canon keeps shooting itself in the foot with one screwed up camera after another. WTF the 1DMk3 focus issue, the 7D noise ain’t so hot, the 5DMk2 ancient focus system, ghost imaging, black dots, etc. These are recent releases from Canon. What are they thinking?
I love all the Canon guys with the adapter for the awesome Nikon 14-24mm. Does anyone notice more and more magazine profiles have Nikon shooters?
Oh come on Chuck, I know it’s hard and you’re upset about losing your fake web job, but times change.
Seriously, what good was it anyway? You never answered any real questions anyway, and instead stuck to the stuff like, “what battery do I use for my A450”? The correct answer was “Double A you F-wad”.
You should have taken on the real stuff like why the fuck Canon decided to stick their head up their ass and produce crappy products. Sure we can all guess that if the company wanted to hit bottom, there’s no reason they can’t start digging once they get there (50d anyone?) but you should have told everyone that the 50d sucked donkeys and maybe you would have had some credibility. You also never addressed why the dip shit from Canon Japan that said they didn’t change the 5d2’s AF “because no one ever complained about it in the 5d” as allowed to live. Many of us wanted to know why he wasn’t fired, and then set on fire in the street as a warning to others. And what about the cheesy bastard that put a low res LCD on the 1Ds mark III, when everyone knows the high res version was available? So seriously, where was the value in the “Digital Urinal”?
OK, I’m just trying to make you feel better by realizing that you, and the world, have lost nothing by your column disappearing. 🙂
PS – You do have a point about Canon fucking up so badly even Nikon has better IQ. I mean 2 years ago I got sharper and less noisy images from my Holga that has about 10 light leaks and then scanning the film with my flashlight. Nikon? The company that “studied” FF technology for about 8+ years after Kodak & Canon not only proved it but sold the heck out of it. How does a company like that get the upper hand? I’ll tell you how, the Canon boys back home are smoking crack and watching school girl porn, while still charging “primium prices” for second tier crap, that’s how…
Next time please don’t post while I’m having cappuccino behind my computer, or else I might have to send a damage claim to you 🙂
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In the last few weeks I sold $12,389 worth of Canon gear.
Today I placed a sizeable order from B&H.
Did somebody say…. “Nikon?”
Hi Fake Chuck,
I was thinking about it when I made my order for a few Nikon goodies yesterday, Nikon should probably give you a salary. Damn!, I’ve purchased about 5 grand in gear from them in the last couple of months. I’m betting you’re the cause of a spike in sales that occured roughly around the time Canon lawyers tried to banish you from the internet.
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Dear Chuck,
I write to you as a disapointed Canon user.
I’m a longtime 350D user who’s never been disapointed by it. Even more satisfying is my 18-55mm f/3,5-5,6 zoom.
I recently decided that it’s time for me to get more serious body and when I heard rumors about 60D,
I fell in love with it and top-notch 17-85mm IS zoom.
When 60D arrived, I was deeply disappointed. It’s just a Big Rebel or a Sexy Kiss, nothing special.
All this made me consider Nikon D7000 and 16-85mm VR zoom, although I don’t like Nikon.
Please Chuck, help me and tell me which is better, 60D or D7000.
I need a good camera to take pictures of my son Frano and wife Fani.
Sincerely, Zeljko
Get a D7000 man. Easy choice.
I can’t believe this blog is still going. Its been 1.5+ years since I’ve been here. I wonder how much Nikon marketing pays Fake Chuck to keep this thing going.
They might want to reconsider their strategy. In the pro world there’s still way more Canon users than Nikon 🙂 My buddy had to recently turn down a few jobs because the clients wanted higher MP photos hahaha. Better ISO? Sure set the 5D Mark II to sRAW and watch it blow away the D700’s ISO quality.
😀 feel free to delete this post if you want Fake Chuck
Anyone that eats up your spin and propaganda should improve their skills by getting off the web and picking up a camera and actually shoot some photos with whatever cameras they have.
Those clients are just as stupid as Canon Inc. executives and engineers in Japan. More megapixels doesn’t mean better image quality.
Hello there Fake Chuck, I´m happy to see you on duty.
I hope Canon keep an eye on your blog as they did before, and somebody from our beloved company (somebody not retarded I mean) is reading this now…
We´re trying from spanish canonistas forum, and now also from dpreview forum to call Canon attention on 1D4 spot focus. We are asking Canon to make it available as it´s already on 7D bodies.
Please help us spreading the word, as low light AF works with spot AF, but actually we can use it only with some very expensive telephotos…
I already did https://fakechuckwestfall.wordpress.com/2010/08/14/tis-the-season-to-be-fucked/
they don’t appear to listen, those bastards!
The way I see it, it is pretty hard to go wrong with any Canon product. Great company!