A Fond Farewell to Canon

"Faceoff"  Georgia Highway 122, Ware County

A Canon EOS 5D Classic photo from my limited edition book

Georgia: A Backroads Portrait.

This photo is printed as a "double truck" -- 24 inches wide, in the book.

 

 I'm glad to see Canon kicking things up a few notches with their new R5 and R6 releases, but I won't be coming along for the ride. (To mix a few metaphors.) 

I began using Canon in 1993, first their film cameras, and then making the move with them to digital in 2003. After a series of 10Ds, 20Ds, and 30Ds, in 2006 I bought the original 5D (now known as the "Classic," and for good reason) and used it with considerable satisfaction for the next eight years. To me there was something distinctive about the files from that camera. Some have called them "filmlike." This is all subjective, of course, but I guess that's as good an explanation as any. Whatever. The photos look good and that's all that really counts.

I was happy with my Canons. They were totally reliable and the image quality was great, but gradually a pair of bodies and three or four lenses, especially the pro zooms, became a heavier package than I wanted to carry. At six-one and 210 pounds I am not your basic 97-pound weakling, but I just don't like to carry unnecessary weight.

My youngest brother Phil, a superlative bird photographer, recently showed me his brand new Canon R5 full-frame mirrorless body. Sleek and compact, it fit my hand perfectly.  But am I tempted? No. Smaller and lighter than the 5D4, or even the 6D, these new bodies are really nice. They are. But they don't tempt me, because they won't work without lenses and the lenses still weigh a ton. Same thing with the Sonys, A lightweight body doesn't help much unless you're going to carry just one, with a smallish prime lens.

Actually, I bade Canon farewell in 2017 when I switched to the Fuji X system. Small cameras and small lenses, with little or no loss of image quality. But I still have a soft spot for Canon. You can't just wipe out 24 years of good experiences. 

Earlier this year I picked up an X-H1. It's slightly larger and heavier than my other Fuji bodies, and the handling felt a bit strange as first. But I quickly became acclimated, and now it feels just right. The more I use it, the better I like it. This thing is so solid and well-built that I may never need another camera. It offers higher quality and more capability for less money than any camera I've ever heard of. 

As Mike Johnston The Online Photographer said, "It strikes me as a simply amazing camera; virtually everything on it is well thought out and beautifully implemented, and works smoothly and effectively." 

So a belated fond farewell to Canon. My Canons served me well and I wish the company continued success.

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(Photographs copyright David B. Jenkins 2020)

Soli Gloria Deo

To the glory of God alone