When will new dSLRs no longer be sold?

 Recently, I've seen a few Japanese quarterly sales listings where the Nikon D7500 is still fairly popular.  Everything else listed is a mirrorless camera or the latest version of the Ricoh GR.

It's interesting to me that things have changed so much in 16 years.

When Panasonic introduced the G1, no one was sure what to think.  For me, Panasonic had only recently got into interchangable lens cameras with the DMC-L1 that was announced with the Leica Digilux 3 and the Olympus E-330.  They had no real history in stills photography before 2007.

I waited until 2012 to trust them with my money and I wasn't completely satisfied.  By 2014, Olympus' E-M1 arrived and I could see mirrorless cameras pushing out dSLRs eventually.

Being that Pentax doesn't have any mirrorless cameras now, and those they tried were awful, will they go away?

Nikon and Canon seem to have a new model or two every few months.  Their first 135 Format models were setbacks for mirrorless cameras in general, they are finally finding their way with third generation models.  They both have a few dSLRs available, mostly in the bargain basement.

I don't believe I'd used a dSLR since 2016 and that was a necessity because the Olympus E-M1 did not cooperate with my Four-Thirds lenses and micro Four-Thirds didn't have the focal lengths I needed.

Imagine people from the 1970s, when ASA(ISO) 400 film was new, being shown a modern camera body that is huge in contrast to the typical SLR of the time.  Leica users, though, will probably be at home for the most part because of the M-series.  Don't show them the L-mount bodies.

Do you think by 2030 that dSLRs will only be part of the used camera sales?

Choosing the right camera for the job

 I've been around quite a while.  I sold cameras in the 1970s, photographed sports, did graphic design, and made videos at skate parks.

How do you choose the best camera for you?

• Decide what you want to do with it.
• See if there are lenses within the system that will do what you want.
• Choose must-have features and decide what other features would be helpful, but not necessary.
• Decide how much you can pay for equipment and software to support the equipment.
• Find videos on equipment both positive and negative.
• Don't fall in love at first sight.
• Don't be swayed by brand fanatics. 
• Who needs the latest and greatest?

Decide what you want to do with it

  If you're not sure what you want to do with it, you'll be wandering in every direction.  If you mostly want to take video, you shouldn't buy a dSLR because a mirrorless body will be more flexible.  If you want a great dSLR for stills photography, there may be several bodies within a brand that will meet your needs.

See if there are lenses within the system that will do what you want

 You must check to see if the best lenses for the job are available.  If you want to do wide landscapes, you'll want lenses with lower numbered focal lengths and bigger format sensors.  If you're trying to photograph wildlife, smaller sensors will help you cut the effective distance.

Choose must-have features and decide what other features would be helpful, but not necessary

Do you really need 8K video?  Can you live without In-body Image Stabilization?  Do you need 50+ MP?  Do you need weather-resistance?

Decide how much you can pay for equipment and software to support the equipment

You always have to look at every part of your workflow, not just the camera body.

If you're concentrating on stills photography, you'll need a good raw developer.  My favorite is Capture One Pro.  I've been using it since version 3.0.  Some people swear by Lightroom, which I tried when it was new, but like most Adobe software, I swore at it.  If you need something less expensive Affinity Photo by Serif works both as a raw developer and a Photoshop alternative. 

For video, you'll need something that will accept your camera's files.  You can use Da Vinci Resolve, Hit Film Pro, Premiere Pro, Vegas Pro.  Remember to figure the cost of your plug-ins, also.

Great lenses aren't cheap, either.  You'll have your lenses longer than your camera bodies.  Also, if you need to capture video and stills, you might want to have two less expensive bodies that can handle each function separately.

Find videos on equipment both positive and negative

Since there are so many video reviews, it's best to see what can be done.  Don't automatically trust them, though.  View them from a variety of sources.  Don't be surprised if they differ quite a lot.  Be suspicious of overly positive or overly negative outcomes.  I used to see magazines compare technology whether computers or cameras and they would complain about several problems and the product with the most advertising in the magazine would always win. 

Don't fall in love at first sight

It's easy to go into a store and find a camera body or lens presented in such a way that you cannot deny how great it is, even if it doesn't fit your needs.  Six months later, you could be regretting spending the money.

If you already have equipment, try it with something you own.  Capture photos or video on your own card.  Think before rushing into buying.

 Don't be swayed by brand fanatics

 I used to hear something like "My dad's cousin's niece's college roommate's boyfriend's dad uses CaNikon, so you should, also."

I've been to a few stores where I got "Oh, we don't know anything about those.  We only use CaNikon."

When I was selling cameras, I always explained the system and why the bodies were best for certain functionality.  I've met a few sales people who didn't know what they were selling.

Who needs the latest and greatest?

Who hasn't seen the latest technology and wanted it, not because it was necessary, but because it was new?

You can save yourself headaches and money by using something that's been in use for a while and has all the firmware updates to make it reliable.  If you're making money with your equipment, reliability is so important.

Lightly used equipment is also a good idea.  You won't likely have the manufacturer's warranty but you'll have the satisfaction that someone else was using it successfully.  Buy from a reputable company.  In the U.S.A., I can recommend Adorama, B&H Photo, Roberts Camera (Indiana), Mike's Camera (California and Colorado).

Remember that your choice is correct for you

Find what is the best for you and make the most of it.  Try every setting and learn from failure.  Keep the equipment manuals on your phone.  I've seen a load of people who will sneer at you for not using their brand.  Wedding photographers are like that, but hobbyists are worse.  Those who are ignorant of all the choices tend to sneer.  Just keep going and outdo them with better photographs.

Do you read what I read for photographic news?

There are a number of sources for information about digital cameras, whether they are dSLRs or mirror-less system cameras.  I'm not entirely trusting of many, especially when brand fanatics are behind them.

Here are some I read:

http://www.whatdigitalcamera.com/

What Digital Camera is my go-to magazine and website.  They say what's on their minds and seem to be the less biased group of all.

http://www.dpreview.com/

DPReview probably has the most users of any forums, and the people behind the website do very intense reviews.  I find them to show their bias against equipment that isn't Canon or Nikon from time to time, but they generally do a good job and are worthwhile.

http://www.imaging-resource.com/




These people are good at making news useful in succinct articles.  They also have a gear-related reviews site.

http://tysonrobichaudphotography.wordpress.com/


Mr. Robichaud takes time to test and show people how to get things done, in a personal way that is both useful and endearing.  He talks mostly about micro Four-Thirds equipment at the moment but includes a Canon perspective at times, which is rather useful for those not quite ready to throw away everything.





http://robinwong.blogspot.com/

Mr. Wong recently became an Olympus Malaysia employee but has been bringing interesting insight into Olympus equipment for some time now.  He has a sharp eye for street photography, especially in Kuala Lumpur.

http://admiringlight.com/blog/

The person behind this web site talks about micro Four-Thirds and Fuji equipment and does a real world style of testing that is useful and informative.

http://43rumors.com/




This site, perhaps obviously, has news and rumors about micro Four-Thirds and Four-Thirds equipment.  As with any rumor, anything is possible but I only believe it after I see it.

Related to the site are:

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/
http://www.mirrorlessrumors.com/
http://www.canonwatch.com/
http://www.fujirumors.com/

Are there other web-based sources?  Of course, there are but I don't use them normally.  Be sure to carry some salt with you when you visit sites, as you'll need to take some advice with a grain of salt.

Product Review--believe it or not?

Here is your grain of salt to take with you when you read camera reviews.  I suppose this could relate to the review of any product or service or even an event.  People can be biased and people can lie.  I am often appreciative of Brand X--what is not so mainstream.  Here is my background, to serve as a baseline:

For cars, I'd never choose Toyota, Nissan, Honda or BMW products.  I had a GM product and a Ford product and don't think I would go back.  I've had 5 Volkswagens and 2 Mazdas.  My favourite cars of all time were the 1974 Lotus Europa and the early 1960s Jaguar XK-E 3.8 litre.

For computers, I stayed with Atari products until they were falling apart, and now, I use Apple products, though I still don't like the company's tactics although Microsoft is worse.  Atari's 800 8-bit computer and operating system were so good that they should be held as an example of how to do things correctly.

For photography, I generally don't use Adobe products because they're too buggy and take a lot of extra work to get the desired results.  I've used Olympus cameras and lenses for more than 20 years, and I recently got a Panasonic GH3.  I started with Fuji equipment and still regard Pentax and Nikon highly.  I once again looked at Canon when I was moving to the digital age and decided there was too much compromise for my liking.

Reviews through the magnifying glass

So,  we all look at reviews with a certain bias.  When someone tells me that a product is perfect, I laugh.  There is no product which is perfect for everyone.  I also love the comments when someone isn't in the market for such a product and they say something like "Oh, but it doesn't have a full-frame sensor" or "It needs 19 inch wheels" but the review is a low-end model.

Over the years, I've found no one to be typically good at reviewing computer equipment dispassionately.  In the early days, you were a 6er (Motorola/MOS Technologies) or an 8er (Intel/Zilog) and those rivalries continued for the longest time but now, they're split into a couple of operating systems.  In reviews, you can still hear a lack of criticism from someone who only works with one or the other.

For cars, I usually read Car magazine or Top Gear or Automobile.  When Automobile arrived, they seemed to be friends with Car--almost trying to be an American version.  They yelled about things that were wrong and they sung the praises of things that were right, similar to what Car was doing.

For cameras, I usually read What Digital Camera.  I find they tell what I find to be the truth, although with some of their newer authors, they tend to forget about the larger world.  A generation or more forgot how big certain brands were in commercial photography, thanks to Canon.  Fuji and Pentax were forgotten.  Medium format is rarely noticed, not being the mistakenly-named full-frame (135 format).  There are many full frame formats.

Cut out the bullshit

I'm apparently too old.  I remember too much.  I find bullshit to be bullshit, not something to be regurgitated by clones.  Tell me the truth whether I like it or not and I'll process it.  Tell me to my face, don't talk behind my back.  There is something to be said for the honesty that you find in Philadelphia, New Jersey, and New York City.  You know where you stand at all times.  If only reviews were written that way, we could trust.

Viewfinder cameras and enthusiasts

When I was little, I took my mum's Kodak Brownie Hawkeye in hand, looked through the viewfinder on the top of the camera, moved back and forth and side to side to frame my upside-down image.  Once perfect, I pressed the gray shutter release to hear a click, and proceeded to advance the 620 format film to the next shot.  Thankfully for me, there was no focusing and I didn't get any medium format quality images from the very plastic camera, even though the film was quite large.

That kind of camera doesn't work in the current, instant-gratification-seeking world.  We don't want to think about the image, we just point and shoot.  Indeed, that's what made Polaroid's instant photography more than an indulgence, and how digital photography (however bad, has wiped out film photography.

However, there is a market for enthusiasts' cameras and FujiFilm is up to their third model in the X line with the X-Pro1.  It's a compact rangefinder camera with a total of 3 available lenses.

The great thing about rangefinder cameras was that you could get amazing image quality, at some high equipment cost, once you were able to guess correctly.

Yes, i said "guess".  As with viewfinder cameras, you could never be certain you had things in focus.  You could use a tape measure to get the distance and set the lens accordingly and that worked fine for portraits.  Remember the photographer at your school having you sit on a chair or a box and he pulled the tape measure to you?

So, this lovely FujiFilm X-Pro1 is the type of camera that involves you in the process of photography, which is why it's an enthusiasts' camera.  No one just taking snapshots would want to deal with the mess.  It has auto focus but their X-series auto focus hasn't been all that reliable.  When it is, you're golden.  When it's not, you're wondering why you spent so much money.  You're probably wondering how to make better guesses in order to do the focusing yourself.

I found myself thinking about such cameras and the nostalgia.  I thought about the Mamiya 645 small medium format camera and can remember when it had an SLR-like viewfinder and fast shutter speed.  Time has passed and digital versions of medium format cameras start roughly at US$10,000, which considering what's below them, they might not be so expensive, although the market has changed recently.

However, more people seem to be entering the enthusiasts' market, thanks to mirror-less camera bodies, and some sharp lenses needing adapters.  Since the lenses don't have electronic contacts, they don't work closely with your camera and you have to be involved in almost every aspect of your photography.

I'm seeing people, who would normally just pick up a dSLR with the kit lens and take a shot, thinking about the shot.  Using fixed-focal (not zoom) lenses, they have to walk forward and backward until they frame the shot.  Then, they have to adjust the exposure and they're thinking about the depth of field and they're really enthusiastic in a way that the dSLR in auto everything mode never pushed them.

It's amazing to me and hopefully, the prices will decrease once these higher quality cameras reach commodity status.  We had 135 format point-and-shoot cameras way back when in the 1980s and 1990s.  For US$50, you could get good quality shots that surpassed the 126 format and 110 format film from years ago, mainly because of the size of the negative, but they found other ways to make the experience inexpensive, even with disposables.

I'm hoping that all these pseudo-professionals carrying a dSLR and kit lens will become enthusiasts and actually become engaged in the photography.  Is it really fun if you just let the camera do everything but point?  FujiFilm, with their X-Pro1, is inadvertently pushing their enthusiasts a bit further and that's a good thing.