Loyal to a brand? Or not?

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

I mainly photograph with Canon, use Profoto flashes and carry a lot in Thinktank camera bags. I still use Adobe software. Am I loyal to these brands? Or not?

Being loyal to a brand is something you see often. You prefer to drive that one car brand, always drink the same cola, or do your shopping at the same supermarket chain. I think that's recognisable.

As a photographer, I am loyal to the Canon brand. And to the Profoto brand. Where does that come from? Is it because the brand is so good and reliable, and meets all your needs?

There is another reason in my case. Put very simply, I am tied to it. That sounds worse than it is. It simply means that over the years I have invested a lot in it.

Switching camera brands is not that simple. To switch from Canon to Nikon or Sony, I would really have to buy everything again. I can't afford that. Nor do I want to spend that much on it.

It isn't just a camera, but also spare batteries, L-brackets, lenses and flashes. The same applies to my Profoto flashes. Trading everything in for another brand would mean spending a lot of money all over again.

For other things, it is less far-reaching. I used to be loyal to Thinktank bags, but not anymore. I find Shimoda much more suitable for adventures. So I use both.

The thing I do feel tied to is Adobe. All my work is in Lightroom Classic, neatly catalogued. I can't and don't want to just throw that away. But then again, I think there is no good alternative (yet), anyway.

I now also use other camera brands. But for different types of photography from the kind I use Canon for. Do I want to switch in the long term? No, for the reasons I explained above.

No brand is perfect. It doesn't matter what we're talking about. Cameras, lenses, flashes, tripods or software. At some point, you chose what was best for you. Now the choice might be different.

I don't think you should worry about that too much. If it works as you want, it's good. It doesn't need to be more than that. If you hear that another brand is supposedly better, remember that the grass is always greener on the other side.

I am not so much loyal to a brand, I use it because I can do what I want with it. Besides, I am so familiar with it that I can use it without giving it much thought. That's what matters.

Are you loyal to a brand? Or are you even a fan of one? Or does it not matter to you? Be honest with yourself and let us know in a comment below this post.

You might also like

4 comments

Have your say