Nikon says “A Photographer Is Only as Good as the Equipment He Uses”

You’ve probably heard the expression “It’s the photographer, not the camera”, but apparently Nikon — or at least one of its PR people — hasn’t. A few hours ago the company updated its Facebook page with,

A photographer is only as good as the equipment he uses, and a good lens is essential to taking good pictures! Do any of our facebook fans use any of the NIKKOR lenses? Which is your favorite and what types of situations do you use it for?

Needless to say, the post was met with quite a bit of disagreement in the comments.

Here’s a sampling:

Because a chef is only as good as their sptaula? and a musician only as good as their guitar… wow Nikon.. sad you said this

BTW, to the person who posted this… You are an insensitive, unthoughtful, unthinking, stupid intern to posts stupid things without Thinking of what your writing. But hey, congrat’s on the cool Marketing School. Doubt sales will increase because of your stupid post. My 02

I am really disappointed in this post, Nikon. Come on, this pretty much teaches people that they can just buy and expensive camera and lens and suddenly become a photographer – the reason why the market is so incredibly saturated right now. It’s about a person’s artistic eye and ability to work their gear properly.

Nikon why did you post this dumb question? I purchased the best lenses and camera that I could afford. If my pictures are crap then I know its my fault. The masters can take stunning images with a box brownie and the best camera is the one that you have with you at the time. There I feel better now

Please tell me you meant to say that the equipment is only as good as the photographer. Please. You meant that, right?

Cameras take, photographers create

Somebody should get fired for this very unfortunate statement from a reputable brand like Nikon.

I generally use my eye. It’s manufactured by my parents and can be a little iffy with the reds/greens, but it gets composition just right!

If you’re a marketing person at a camera company, this is a good lesson on what not to write on your company’s Facebook page.


Update: Nikon has responded by updating its Facebook page with this message:

We know some of you took offense to the last post, and we apologize, as it was not our aim to insult any of our friends. Our statement was meant to be interpreted that the right equipment can help you capture amazing images. We appreciate the passion you have for photography and your gear, and know that a great picture is possible anytime and anywhere.

Discussion