Surfing on the internet for photo related info, one stumbles over fierce brand wars regularly. The Leica brand is always a good subject. For some it's the absolute 'Nonplusultra', the best gear one can own. For others they're just dirty overpriced ugly boxes. In the SLR area there's an ongoing Canon-Nikon battle. 'My little boxy's better than yours'. Of course there are differences in gear, but all have there merits and weak points and it also depends on your kind of photography which fits best. Being a psychologist I think I know why these battles are fought so fiercely. It's all about cognitive dissonance, or the opposite: cognitive consonance (check: Wikipedia). The choice for the best camera is a complex process which stretches the abilities of our brain. The moment we made a choice, and often spent megabucks, on these toys we tend to blend out the negatives of our choice. Subconsciously we know our boxy has some ugly shortcomings and the boxy of the other band has some great features (which probably is true the other way around). But we tend to black out all the shortcomings of our brand, just to prevent our brain from an inconvenient unease. Even worse we start to love our brand deeply. Moreover the moment it's 'attacked' by some other-brand-villain, we start to defend it as was it our own child. Remember it all works the same with the other guy. Conluding I should advise all of you to relax, lean back and laugh about those brand wars. But no, on the contrary. Go on fighting each other! I love to read all these endless discussions. And remember: the moment you attack my brand: 'I know where your house lives'!
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AuthorBorn in a small village in the north of the Netherlands I started taking photographs when I was 15. Always taking pictures for myself and those close to me. From 2012 on I had gathered enough courage to expose myself to the world wide web. Enjoy! Archives
January 2015
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