Mirrorless Is Coming - DSLRs Are Dead

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Mike Farley
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Mirrorless Is Coming - DSLRs Are Dead

Postby Mike Farley » Mon 09 Apr 2018, 08:58

DPReview has an article based on its annual round of interviews with senior executives from camera manufacturers at the CP+ show. It concludes that full frame mirrorless cameras are about to become the new de facto standard, with both Canon and Nikon announcing models for this year's Photokina,

https://www.dpreview.com/interviews/501 ... lmost-over

The article asks why it has taken so long. The answer is simple. The two largest companies have been locked into their legacy lens mounts. For years, this has affected customers. People do not switch systems because the cost of buying a new set of lenses was usually prohibitive. Especially in short order to replicate an existing range of focal lengths and purposes. When the technology changes, it turns out that this is an issue for the manufacturers as well. Forcing their customers to change provides an opportunity for competitors to move in.

The article looks at how the change will occur. The most likely scenario is that both Canon and Nikon will use adapters to ease existing customers into the new mirrorless systems. Over time, the existing range of lenses can be gradually updated. According to DPReview, this will be an easier issue for Canon to solve as its EF mount has been electronic from day one. Unlike Nikon, which has evolved its F mount, first introduced in 1959 for manual focus lenses. It is probably no coincidence that when Sony was first starting out in full frame mirrorless and lacked a comprehensive lens catalogue, it encouraged the use of adapters to mount EF lenses. But not Nikon's. No one was making such an adapter, which suggests it was likely a more difficult task.

The other consideration is that mirrorless provides the opportunity to add new features and functions. Canon has been updating its technology for a while and would appear to be better placed than Nikon. The latter is not without some background in mirrorless, although I suspect that DPReview's comment that Nikon 1 is merely sleeping might be tongue in cheek. Everyone else, bar two, are new entrants who adopted mirrorless from the outset. One of the exceptions is Sony, which initially capitalised on its Konica/Minolta heritage. The company that looks set to lose out is Ricoh, which owns Pentax. It lacks the resources to invest in mirrorless technology. For the time being it can sell into its existing customer base, but that will likely dwindle.

Going mirrorless yields significant benefits for manufacturers. DSLRs have many moving parts, which add to cost and complexity. Mirrorless systems have far fewer parts and most do not move. True, shutters are a necessity while sensor readout remains linear. However, it will probably not be long before data can be read instantaneously from every pixel and mechanical shutters become redundant. I expect the manufacturers hope to increase profitability in the short term with prices eventually stabilising as the market matures.
Regards

Mike Farley
(Visit my website and blog - www.mikefarley.net)
Mike Farley
Posts: 7316
Joined: Tue 11 Sep 2012, 16:38
Contact:

Re: Mirrorless Is Coming - DSLRs Are Dead

Postby Mike Farley » Wed 11 Apr 2018, 10:46

Thom Hogan's take on the challenges which Canon and Nikon face in retaining customers as they transition away from DSLRs. What he does not address is the role adapters could play if both companies, as seems likely, opt for new mounts. The success each manufacturer achieves could well depend on how lenses designed for DSLRs perform when used with an adapter.

In that context, the Metabones adapter promoted by Sony to allow Canon EF lenses to be mounted on its cameras was not without its issues. Against that, Canon does have complete control of the electronics at either end in the lens and camera. The reports I have heard suggest that EF lenses do well when attached via an adapter to an EOS-M body.

http://www.sansmirror.com/newsviews/the ... oners.html
Regards

Mike Farley
(Visit my website and blog - www.mikefarley.net)
Mike Farley
Posts: 7316
Joined: Tue 11 Sep 2012, 16:38
Contact:

Re: Mirrorless Is Coming - DSLRs Are Dead

Postby Mike Farley » Tue 24 Apr 2018, 08:59

I am not sure that this is even news anymore, but there is a report that Nikon is planning to launch a full frame mirrorless product within its current financial year. It also suggests that Canon will have a competitive product in a similar timescale. This year's Photokina is likely to feature announcements from both companies. Canon has recently begun to set expectations and been open about its intentions, albeit without giving any details. As is typical for Nikon, it has been far more reticent.

Story relating to Nikon from PetaPixel: https://petapixel.com/2018/04/23/nikon- ... in-a-year/.

If proof that Canon and Nikon need to do something, look no further than the recently published review of the Sony A7 III from DPReview. In the conclusion, a number of its reviewers give their opinions and compare it favourably with other manufacturers' offerings. In particular, Rishi Sanyal states that results are similar, if not better, than from a Canon 1DX MkII. Admittedly, Sony's build quality is a bit flaky when it comes to weather sealing and the Canon is built like a tank, but there is a £3.5k price difference. A fairer comparison might be with the Sony A9, but even there Sony has a £1,200 advantage.

https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sony-a7-iii-review/11
Regards

Mike Farley
(Visit my website and blog - www.mikefarley.net)
Mike Farley
Posts: 7316
Joined: Tue 11 Sep 2012, 16:38
Contact:

Re: Mirrorless Is Coming - DSLRs Are Dead

Postby Mike Farley » Tue 01 May 2018, 08:10

There are very few details, but Nikon has confirmed it is planning to bring a new mirrorless camera system to market in Spring 2019. It might not seem like much, but that is a big deal for Nikon which usually keeps its plans under wraps.

https://www.dpreview.com/news/664586939 ... pring-2019
Regards

Mike Farley
(Visit my website and blog - www.mikefarley.net)

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