UPDATE: Chris Niccolls has been in touch with Phogotraphy. Niccolls says the scene the the end of the video was not faked as stated elsewhere. Niccolls now says the drowned 300D will be used as a prop in further videos.

Phogotraphy maintains that the stunt at the end of the video, wether it was intended to mislead or not combined with saying the camera has no use is a bad example to set to future camera owning generations.

I want to talk to you about a mediocre video that’s currently blowing up on the Photography subreddit at the moment. It’s not particularly funny and despite its promise, interesting either. The premise is sound enough; review an old DSLR by comparing it with a modern equivalent. It’s something most photographers could do without picking the thing up, but I stomached the whole 12 minutes to see what transpired.

Chris Nicholls comes across genuine enough and once you can get over the fact he sounds exactly like Owen Wilson (isms et al) his candid review of a working Canon 300D DSLR flows like any other tech video. Niccolls takes the silver beast out into the wild and snaps away landscapes, macro florals and reveals just enough to show the camera isn’t actually a bad piece of kit. There was definitely an opportunity to stop and rethink the several thousand $ he spent on his last camera.

Niccols doesn’t do that. He ends the video rather flippantly by launching the camera over his head, drowning it in a pool.

“The fact is we do live in a technological world nowadays and innovation and design does have some huge advantages so I’m still going to use one of these [latest Canon Model] when I go with an SLR. I’m not going to use one of these [Canon 300D]. Out with the old.”

You see, sat right next to me I’ve got a Canon 350d. It’s a model ahead of the one featured, but in the same breath can be considered a step down because of a slightly smaller sensor and poorer build quality. It’s not my favoured camera but I still consider this little chap a work horse. In fact on more than one occasion I’ve lent the camera to visiting friends who are more than happy with the results.

Sure, innovation and advances in technology have improved many aspects of the Canon Rebel range, but surely you can’t be naive enough to say it’s a completely defunct piece of kit. This isn’t an outdated piece of tech way passed any prospect of backward compatibility. It’s a charged, working model that looks to be in mint condition. WTH Chris Nichols?

After what seemed like relentless waffling for two and a half minutes the review starts around 2:45. If you want to skip all that and see the ugly deed for yourself drag your marker to 10:30.

This is more than a just a stunt to shock viewers and have them gasping at the frivolous way a guy wrecks a $100 camera without consideration like the ‘Will it Blend’ series. This was the genuine acts of a man with too much money, detached from reality with no respect for anyone but the customers he serves on his ever lasting conveyor belt of commercialism. Chris Niccolls is exactly what’s wrong with the tech industry.

The Canon 300D is without doubt now destined for the scrap heap or best case scenario a recycling plant. How else could Chris Niccolls ended the video? We’ve listed a few ideas.

Donate to a local school

A Youtube giveaway to one lucky commenter

Sell it on eBay, give the proceeds to charity

Keep it in store as an example product

Sell it to a collector

If you disagree with all I have said and like some Youtube and Reddit commentators can’t see why people are getting so enraged, then you don’t just not understand the problem, you’re probably part of it too. Please think twice before wrecking something for the sake of it. Consider its use and who could benefit and then think about the bi-yearly product renewal we’ve all sadly become accustomed to in all things tech.

I’m done.