I've been ogling
digital SLR cameras recently. I have no excuse; the gadget cupboard is already
overflowing, what with the folding keyboard for the PDA and a mobile
phone upgrade (incidentally, 1712 phones are upgraded every hour in the UK alone
- how environmentally unfriendly is that?! I feel awful). But I want one
nonetheless.
digital SLR cameras recently. I have no excuse; the gadget cupboard is already
overflowing, what with the folding keyboard for the PDA and a mobile
phone upgrade (incidentally, 1712 phones are upgraded every hour in the UK alone
- how environmentally unfriendly is that?! I feel awful). But I want one
nonetheless.
Now, last time I was
considering buying one, I consulted a friend who had recently bought one in the
States - the same model I was considering, the Canon EOS300D. Except over there,
it wasn't called the EOS300D. Oh no. It was called The
Rebel.
considering buying one, I consulted a friend who had recently bought one in the
States - the same model I was considering, the Canon EOS300D. Except over there,
it wasn't called the EOS300D. Oh no. It was called The
Rebel.
Now, there are two
reasons I can see for this. One is to look at it from a marketing point of view,
and be rather patronising and say either (a) Americans are thick and get mixed
up with numbers, or (b) at least purchasers in the States are honest about the
fact that they're not really professionals and want a fun camera, unlike over
here where amateur photographers clearly get off on discussing specs, and the
techie-sounding name reflects this.
reasons I can see for this. One is to look at it from a marketing point of view,
and be rather patronising and say either (a) Americans are thick and get mixed
up with numbers, or (b) at least purchasers in the States are honest about the
fact that they're not really professionals and want a fun camera, unlike over
here where amateur photographers clearly get off on discussing specs, and the
techie-sounding name reflects this.
But another angle
occurred to me. 'Rebel' is clearly a name with a huge amount of emotional
baggage - there's a whole bundle of narratives mixed up in that word. There's
the lone maverick, alone against the world; there's the outrageous enfant
terrible, centre of the party scene; and perhaps most importantly, there's the
clear-eyed dissenter, striking out against injustice and tyranny. This last
image has got to be right up there with motherhood and apple pie in the heart of
America. It's an incredibly strong, evocative word - so what does it tell us
about the camera? That it's trying to worm its way into America's heart? Seems
like a bit of a tall order.
occurred to me. 'Rebel' is clearly a name with a huge amount of emotional
baggage - there's a whole bundle of narratives mixed up in that word. There's
the lone maverick, alone against the world; there's the outrageous enfant
terrible, centre of the party scene; and perhaps most importantly, there's the
clear-eyed dissenter, striking out against injustice and tyranny. This last
image has got to be right up there with motherhood and apple pie in the heart of
America. It's an incredibly strong, evocative word - so what does it tell us
about the camera? That it's trying to worm its way into America's heart? Seems
like a bit of a tall order.
Every person that
buys one of these is investing in a story - a story in which they're the hero.
Are they the Rebel? Or the cold-eyed professional? Or is the story more
important on one side of the Atlantic, and the specs more important on the
other?
buys one of these is investing in a story - a story in which they're the hero.
Are they the Rebel? Or the cold-eyed professional? Or is the story more
important on one side of the Atlantic, and the specs more important on the
other?
I guess what I'm
really trying to ask is, are Americans more romantically inclined than
Europeans? Not in the man/woman sense, but generally. About
life. I guess so - in general, Europeans appear to be vastly more cynical, anyway.
really trying to ask is, are Americans more romantically inclined than
Europeans? Not in the man/woman sense, but generally. About
life. I guess so - in general, Europeans appear to be vastly more cynical, anyway.
4 comments:
I bought the Canon 350D (The Rebel XT). Great fun, good pictures.
Yeah, that's what I'm lusting after at the moment.
Cute, catchy names are easier to remember than a lot of numbers.
I guess my real problem is the name itself. How is this camera a Rebel? It looks like any other digital SLR, it behaves the same way. It was the cheapest one you could get for a brief period, but really, so what? How is it rebellious in any way? Maybe I'm not being cynical enough...
Post a Comment