Joanna's Foto

What's your most reliable brand?

I have stumbled upon this article from Washington Post (which actually was originally posted at PC World), talking about which brands were customers trusting the most. The review is made in few categories and the whole article is going on about why HP’s rating is not the highest.

There is something I can myself say about HP- well, their customers service or maybe my personal experience with them. So it doesn’t work as help, when customer rep has to ask me 4 times during conversation what my problem is due to lack of his attention. Well- that’s just me, hope your is better.

The review mentioned above got me interested not because of HP rating, but because of the camera manufacturers ratings.
I mostly agree with everything they say. Brands, that have highest rankings, like Apple ( I have lots of respect for the innovations they are bringing to us, but does the iPad has to be so well locked? ) or Canon- long tradition in great photo equipment. I am happy to see, that Nikon has gained some trust- as I am using their products and so far I do rely and trust them.

Overall in camera category Canon, Panasonic and Nikon were leaders, followed by other brands.
I may not be the most experience person in this topic, but I wanted to add, that I do appreciate also company related to photo industry- Epson. They have shown great care of customer satisfaction and willingness to help, even when simple problems occurred.

I know many times experience of trust into one company product can be very personal and not always can be compared to others.  There is so many factors, that go into being satisfied with brand. And- I am sorry to say- how many times lack of knowledge of the product, of its features makes us unhappy about brand? Simple fact that some of us buy more expensive equipment to show of, just to complain later that is doesn’t work like we thought it would-only due to our lack of knowledge and experience.
These reasons usually do not come easy to admit. And they do affect our vision of brand names.

What’s your reliable brand? Whose products do you buy and trust, that in case of technical question or assistance you be sure you will be helped without any problems?

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10 Comments

1. 

   Camera wise, I've been very happy with my Olympus, and my old Nikon point and shoot is still really good for what it is. I have had major problems with HP (my printer repeatedly jams the paper and won't print properly)and don't particularly trust them.

   Lindsey / 28 Jan 2010 / 09:57 / Reply

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     Hi Lindsey! I have friend who shoots with Olympus- and I know he loves his as well! I haven't had much to do with their products, so I don't have personal experience. For me biggest problem with HP was, that their customer support was really poor. Very long wait for answers, while trying to get some help through their chat service and the answers were so incomplete and irrelevant to the problems I've had. And at the end I did not get the help I needed.

     Joanna / 28 Jan 2010 / 10:11 / Reply

2. 

   Joanna, for digital cameras, I'm very happy with both my PnS and DSLR from Canon. I used to have a Canon printer that I loved, but it died. :( I now have a non-photo HP that works OK. One day, a large-format Canon photo printer will be in my studio! Bottom line, I guess I'm a Canon girl!

   Judi FitzPatrick / 28 Jan 2010 / 11:38 / Reply

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     Judi, thank you for sharing. I have used some Canon equipment in the past, but it was more because I needed to. It worked great! I really like their dSLRs and I have seen quality of prints coming from Canon printers, which is simply very very good. Myself I have started shooting with Nikon cameras and it just feels good to me, works well, so never thought about changing. I guess I can call myself Nikon girl :)

     Joanna / 28 Jan 2010 / 20:08 / Reply

3. 

   Two companies for photo gear I know I can count on are Westctott (for stands, softboxes, refelctors, etc.) Great products that hold up to professional use at good prices. Also Alien Bees. They offer a great value proposition throughout their product line and their customer service is tha absolute best. And one I don't care for...Photoflex. There products are not as well made as I think the should be. There customer service is not very responsive. And their whole pricing scheme (MSRP is $649, street price (when they are the only seller) is $379 and then they'll put it on discount at $189, pitching it against the MSRP and not the real price. Combination of swarthy marketing, poor customer service, and products that are only slightly better than what can be for the same dollars among the better Ebay suppliers of good quality photo equipment.

   BMC Portraits / 30 Jan 2010 / 17:35 / Reply

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     Hi BMC Portraits. Thanks for your post. I have to admit- the only thing I have used from Photoflex was umbrella, and it was prices like every other umbrella that size. It also got some if the inside rods bent after being used couple of times. I though its my fault, but maybe it just wasn't made well? After that I got westcott umbrella- and its holding great. I appreciate your input on Alien Bees. I was looking into their products- its good to know your personal experience from local photographer using them! Really appreciate that!

     Joanna / 30 Jan 2010 / 20:19 / Reply

4. 

   I prefer Nikon for digital photography. Mine has worked without any issues for the past 4 years now, and its not the newest model or anything. I have a Nikon d50. I love this camera for many reasons: it feels like a real camera and not a portable technology device, it has some weight and real substance to it, but is easy enough to handle. It has also proven to be really durable and has worked perfectly fine through numerous bazaar conditions. For digital printing, I always go with epson. I'm not sure if they are necessarily more reliable, but they are very easy to use. -Jenni

   Jenni / 30 Jan 2010 / 19:26 / Reply

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     Hi Jenni! You know- I have learned a lot of what I know about photography on Nikon D50.Loved it! And- I am right with you on printing. Epson. I tried other brands and other than Canon- I wasn't happy with quality.

     Joanna / 30 Jan 2010 / 20:22 / Reply

5. 

   Thanks for pointing out that article(s). I prefer Epson printers, too. My only digital camera is Panasonic Lumix, which I love (tho' not too great on far objects). I'd love to have a top-shelf Nikon, or even better a Leica M9!

   Jim Cripps / 01 Feb 2010 / 00:25 / Reply

6. 

   Jim, I am right there with you- Leica M9 would be wonderful! I am thinking, that probably I would be afraid to use it- it seems so precious!

   Joanna / 01 Feb 2010 / 21:38 / Reply