But there is more. The 5D MKII black dot problem along with its outdated autofocus system; the 7D ghosting problem along with an autofocus system that doesn’t match the low light capability of the camera; recent cameras that provide 1080P video capability but lack the needed tilting viewing screens available on much cheaper digicams to make them usable.
I did not want to address your whole post, as I do not have a copy of the lens you described, but it seems like in your frustration over getting a bad copy of a particular lens (that most people really like) you're incessant crying about it has gotten you to say some pretty incredible things.
The 5D Mark II, when it came out, was simply a breakthrough camera for its class. By a country mile. Its video capabilities were also revolutionary in its class.
The 7D is another camera that stands out head-n-shoulders over the competition in its class. Better resolution, low-light capability, more customizable features, you name it, than any camera in its class ... including THE best video offered at current writing for any SLR ... and it yet the 7D is less expensive than its competition. Yet despite all the wonderful features in the relatively new 7D, you cry about two little things. I am sorry, but this is just lame.
Take a look at the competition in its class, and you will see there is even more to cry about. Then wipe your tears away and accept the fact that nothing is perfect in this world, but realize that some of the cameras you have mentioned are pretty flippn' close to perfection, for their class.
As a long time Canon user, I am saddened to see the company falling behind in technical innovation, dropping the quality ball, ignoring customer satisfaction, and designing products that only “do part of the job”, as with the incomplete live view/video implementation. Canon’s current path does little to inspire confidence in its products, especially ones new to arrive on the market. But I hope that someone there in Japan grabs hold of the company and puts it on the right track before it is too late…
How do you figure Canon has fallen behind?
Canon invented the FF digital camera; everyone else copied them. Canon invented image stabilization in its lenses; everyone else copied them. Canon invended HD video in a camera; everyone else is copying them. Now, Canon has stepped-up with a second-generation image stabilization technology that (you watch) other companies will begin copying.
Sure, it's true, Nikon has some lenses that are better in their class than the Canon. Yes, Nikon's low-light capability is an advantage in certain contexts over the Canon. I have read some reviews where even the Sony has certain advantages in some (very limited) respects. This is to be expected in a world where other vendors are trying to establish themselves.
But, make no mistake, Canon is still leading these companies in most respects, and the other companies are the ones following and copying that leadership in most respects. I see people complaining about the limitations of these other cameras (and lenses) also, and that is because (again) nothing is perfect. But with the technology today it is pretty darn close.
Anyone can understand a person becoming frustrated by getting a bad copy of a lens, but all of this melodrama about Canon's "current path" needing to be salvaged "before it's too late" is ridiculous. If you wipe away your tears for a moment, so you can see straight, it will become perfectly evident to you that Canon's current path is still
in the lead in most respects, and it shows a company that provides more overall technological advancements-per-year, more camera choices, more lens choices ... most of which are equal to or better than the competition in quality ... while being less expensive than the competition also.
If some of the other companies provide a few of their own advantages, that is to be expected, they couldn't survive if there was not a single advantage they offered. Still, the overall leadership is clearly not with Sony, and it sure as heck isn't with Pentax or Olympus, and it isn't even with Nikon. If you take a look with 20-20 vision, Canon is not in any peril of getting de-railed, LOL, they remain very firmly the industry leader in most every respect, and that is because the benefits they offer their customers (in the number of choices available, in the volume of continual technical innovations, all brought to you at an overall less expense) is unmatched in the industry.
There is nothing wrong with complaining about your particular problem, but just keep the complaining real and leave the melodrama for your wife or children.
Jack
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