The 2 cameras are on different turfs, with different targets. Doesnt make sense to compete and compare in the first place. The d300s has been around for some time, as such a new one with similar specs is not surprising. On the other hand the 7D has only been launched a year, no way in hell would they wanna kill it that fast with a upgraded spec 50D. The 60D was intended to target the average consumer, not so much a hobbyist, but obviously it depends on the individual. Spec wise definitely Nikon win hands down, but the decision to purchase the body or not has many other factors too, ie price and weight and not always FPS, magnesium alloy body and 100% VF.
canon is repositioning it's xxD series, i get that.
i think it is a marketing problem, the 60D, the DSLR, itself is brilliant and there is nothing wrong with it, but it's how consumer's perceive it that generated so much noise online (and with 67% of the people in this mini-poll saying that they are in fact disappointed with the 60D)
marketing objective of canon : reposition the 60D
canon done so brilliantly for the Product (features) part of their marketing strategy, the specs fits nicely in between the XXXD series (550D) and 7D.
but in my
personal view, they neglected other factors like
- Product (Naming)
- Price
- Timing
Product (naming)
named similarly to it's predecessors, it is natural for people to compare the 60D with the 50D or 40D, although the latter(s) are intended for a different market segment. Perhaps they should have used other names if they wanted to target a new segment of consumers, instead of repositioning a series of camera which already existed and have strong and rigid consumer perception
"target the average consume" as you've said? maybe?
Price ($1099 vs $1199)
this product is priced similarly to some other product from competitors, it is inevitable for people to compare the 60D with other products priced similarly even though the "other products" i mentioned are targeted at a different segment.
60D repositioned to lower market, but price maintained = people compare by price and see which cameras are more bang-for-buck
Timing
the 50D community has longed for an update to the xxD series, yes they should go for the 7D if they want more features, but some of the 50D users might be reluctant to pay for the 7D (perhaps different target segment in terms of income?).
With so much expectation, yet 60D was not what they expected, hence the buzz again
different turfs, but you must let consumers see the change in turf, the factors mentioned above kind of shadowed this change in turfs
i do agree with what you said about 7D and how canon not want to eat into their own pie
hence there is a rumored, let me emphasize on the word "rumored", that there will be something called the 3D (and not i'm not talking about 3 dimensional imaging)
anyhow this is my very personal opinion on the issue, so there's not really a right or wrong, but more of a agree or disagree. so be kind
