G1, lack of commitment

[scott]

Hearing that canon will not support this camera, with firmware updates to add or fix (as I see it) things that they have clearly figured out now, really surprises me. I guess that it shouldn’t. All the professional 35mm equipment I own is Nikon and the one main reason for that has always been because they have always stood by their products. The lens mount has not changed all of these years, all of the lenses will work with all of the cameras all the way from the F1 to the new D1. That couldn’t have been easy for their engineers, but they have added many features like autofocus. Canon has on the other hand given up on many lines so they could make new products, no commitment! Canon should support the G1 with new firmware upgrades even at a cost to us. The camera should be allowed to become a classic. How many of us still hold on to and use cameras that are over 75 years old? I for one love my G1 (it looks a whole lot better than the g2) and hope to use it for years to come. But I would have bought the G2 instead, for things like a longer exposer time, focus preview zoom. The G2 is clearly not a new product I doubt that they will still produce both the G1 and the G2. Canon designs for obsolescence like so many software companies, but even they will let you buy the upgrade. I will not by another canon, especially not the same camera with a new look just to get some features that my camera can and should support.

[dbookbinder]

I think you are comparing apples to oranges. I bought my G1 only a month ago, and had I known about the G2 I would have waited, as the G2 fixed everything I don't like about the G1. Even so, when I bought it I knew I was buying a single, consumable item like a VCR or a TV. And the "system" things I've bought since (teleconverter, filters, etc.) would still fit on the new "body" of the G2.

Nikon, on the other hand, essentially sells camera systems. You buy into the system by getting a camera body, then you add lenses and filters and strobes or whatever. Then later on they come out with a new body you can't resist, and since you already have all these lenses you go for it. Still later, they come out with a new type of lens you absolutely must have, and although a competitor might have a similar lens (for example, both Canon and Nikon just came out with lenses that resist vibration problems), you buy the Nikon lens because by then you have all this other Nikon equipment to go with it. Etc. As far as I know, Nikon, though they will let you use new lenses on old camera bodies and vice versa, does't sell any retrofit kits to make the old camera body incorporate the features of its successor.

I don't know if I'm making myself clear. What I'm trying to say is that both companies want to make money on their cameras, they are just using a different method to get you to buy their products.

Just my two cents.

- David

[scott]

I agree that with any purchase the buyer should choose the correct product (Tool) for his/her needs at that time. When we purchased our cameras we weighed the pros and cons and that’s that (when a new camera is released, It may just be time to get those scales out again). I’m sure that is the mindset of most who think that canon should not offer any more support for the G1 and I agree. But remember I’m not asking for a new camera, or for Canon to stop development, what I’m asking for is a software update(s) for improvements they have already made. That’s too much to ask for you say, I say companies do this all the time. How many of us who buy a brand new Photoshop or AutoCAD with a new name (for full price) with each and every new feature added? Those companies offer us upgrades, of course at a cost. We are not asking for a new set of tools, we are just asking for them to make this one the best they can, the G2 seems to a step toward that. Kudos to canon for the new G2, I’m not upset that I don’t have a 4mp camera and a better color filtering system. What I’d like is to be able focus with confidence, use Canon flashes with all the features, and how about longer exposer times. Isn’t that what Canon wants me to tell my friends when they ask about my G1, or should we just tell them the G1 was a large (full price) beta test, To work the kinks out, and expect the same with future Canon products. If this is the mindset of Canon then we need to demand more. Remember we are the reason their products sell, ask for nothing, receive nothing.

[dbookbinder]

I will probably write a letter to Canon (there's a thread on dpreview that among other things contains the address and a sample letter) asking for firmware updates (and also access to newer versions of Zoombrowser, which I hope are less buggy). It would be nice of them to divert some development effort to helping us get some of the critical advantages of the G2 into our G1s. But, having worked in the software business for some 20 years, I can tell you that it would be surprising for this to happen. "Fixed in the next release" is the usual policy, in software products, for significant changes. Along those lines, you mention how you can buy updates to software that are cheaper than the "full" versions. These updates are almost always exactly the same software as the full release and have, therefore, zero additional development cost. They merely make sure you actually have the earlier version on your machine before they allow you to install the "update." On the other hand, creating a patch for the G1 that uses some of the code from the G2 firmware would require creating a new firmware update patch and, more significantly, substantial testing of the patch to make sure it didn't break anything else. Like I say, it would be great if they did this. But for them it's not a no-brainer, it's most likely a significant development effort.

FYI , here is the letter that the dpreview poster wrote:





Canon Factory Service
6325 Murifield Drive,
Hanover Park IL 60103

Dear Canon Customer Relations Representative:

Re: Canon G1 firmware updates

I was recently informed of Canon’s decision to only continue to provide, for free, future firmware updates to address firmware problems, and that Canon has no plans to make available any free updates that provide enhancements to and/or new features for the G1 (as posted by a fellow G1 owner on the Canon Talk forum of http://www.dpreview.com). Although I understand the reasons for this decision, I would like to suggest that Canon consider providing more significant firmware updates using a fee-based structure.

As a happy owner of the Canon Powershot G1 for the past _____________, I have had a lot of time to use and evaluate this camera. Although I do not regret my decision to choose the G1 over competing products, there are certainly some issues with the G1 that I find lacking, issues that I believe can easily be addressed via a firmware update. When the G2 was announced, I was very pleasantly surprised to see that most of the improvements I had wanted were implemented by Canon. Canon is listening to its customers! Because of this, I congratulate your company.

The features found in the G2 are fantastic. However, the biggest hardware upgrade, the jump from a 3 to a 4 megapixel CCD, is not a big enough improvement to motivate me to upgrade my camera. Instead, I found that the most significant improvements were found in the form of the updates in the software (the firmware). Features like evaluative metering, 3-point auto-focus, manual focus distance indicators, manual focus magnification, a 1600x1200 resolution mode and the histogram were ones I had long wanted in my G1. In addition, getting the image on the LCD display to better represent the actual image taken, was a very desired feature (this update, I do consider a fix). Many, if not all, of these features I feel could be implemented as a firmware update for the G1. However, I do not feel that Canon is obliged to provide customers with these new features, at least not for free.

My opinion is that it would be in all our best interest for Canon to provide its customers with new enhanced features in the form of fee-based firmware update. A fee, of say $30 US, would be more than adequate to make providing such upgrades a worthwhile venture for Canon. Since the software enhancements have already been written for the G2, porting them to the G1 should not be a significant problem. Canon would not have to invest a lot of time and effort to do this. However, what Canon gains by doing this is twofold:

1. Canon has the ability to generate revenue from a product it otherwise would not be able to.
2. Canon shows that it will not forget its customers, who have already invested in Canon products. In this way, Canon has the ability to instill a sense of brand loyalty in its customers.

I, for one, would feel much better about the possibility of upgrading to future Canon digital cameras, knowing that Canon will support my camera for a long time to come. For me, I will likely reach a point when the camera I own has all the hardware features that I need, and the enhancements I want will come in the form of firmware updates. As the technology continues to advance, if Canon doesn’t continue to provide software enhancements and support for older products, it has the potential of alienating the customers who do not feel the need to move “up to the next level”. This is especially true in these times of rapid technological advancement. Digital cameras are little computers. All I ask is that Canon gives me the ability to purchase new software for my computer.

I appreciate your consideration and look forward to hearing your response.

Yours truly,