tinplater Loc: Scottsdale, AZ

it wasn't until the introduction of the A9 that Sony made an effort to inch into the Pro sports market. One can't expect them to overtake Canon overnight. But in the rest of the digital world, the Sony cameras have found an arena they may well dominate. But who cares? If you like your gear great, if you don't try something different. I shot Canon since a Pelix in 1972, had all kinds of film and digital Canon gear, now all gone except a little Sl1 and macro that I use to shoot Ebay. Don't miss the F1, F1N, AE1, 40D, 6Dm, 5D mark II, 70D and all the Canon L glass at all.

Besperus Loc: Oregon

During the eclipse last year CPS was here in Oregon doing a bang up job giving lessons and checking out gear to catch the great shadow event, not far from my house. Tried to talk them into sponsoring a summer program to have someone represent them at national parks. No go.

Besperus Loc: Oregon

Sony will do just fine as will all the others. In time. When something better comes along... people will buy it.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

Absolutely I agree with you, ... In time.

Besperus Loc: Oregon

I have worked security st several events at Mazda Raceway, or Laguna Seca long after
I closed my studio. Many pros used Nikons, Canons, some Leicas and a smattering of Pentax equipment. Where ever the professional “edge” lies so goes the brand of the moment. I know there are pros who use a Hasselblad for almost everything. Races included thanks to leaf shutter and massive film or sensor!
Both Nikon and Canon are hard at work to surpass Sony, now. They dabbled before, now they are in it to win. We shall see.

gwilliams6

Because most here don't read all the earlier posts, I have reposted this. Jared's most complete real world review. Enjoy.

Sony a7 III Real World Review (vs Sony a7R III, Nikon D850, Canon 6D Mark II)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYEZDrpRLDQ&t=34s

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Yes, in time, but maybe a very long time.
Amateur photographers especially have obsessions with a camera. We see it every day here, someone asks about the DR or the noise or.....
They don’t ask what pros ask. Pros ask how many lenses does that brand have, do they cover every shooting situation that can possibly be encountered? If I’m having an issue on Sunday at 2am can I call and get help? If my camera goes down on Tuesday can I send it in and have it back by the weekend shoot?
THAT’S what makes Canon #1!!! I assume Nikon can say yes to all of those as well?
Can Sony and Pano say that?
BTW, my weekend is over. I did see 1 Fuji and 1 Sony and a half dozen Nikons!!!
But boy did I see a lot of red rings out there!!! It was a very productive weekend indeed!!!
SS

tinplater Loc: Scottsdale, AZ

So what? Pros have different needs than amateurs and enthusiasts. It's like saying first graders ask different questions than graduate students. Does make any of the questions less valid.

gwilliams6

What makes Canon Number 1 is their domination of amateur and lower-end DSLR and compact camera sales. But compact camera sales are virtually disappearing now with folks preferring their smartphones. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZjRtEtP_9Y

Pros have to weigh their investment in cameras and lenses when switching systems, especially when news organization etc. are supplying their equipment, saving each individual photographer many thousands of dollars of their own money.I have many fellow pros that want to switch to mirrorless but can't afford to buy their own equipment. So don't get too Canon or Nikon giddy when you still see them covering a bike race. Economic factors are keeping many wedded to their increasingly outdated DSLRs. If and when Nikon and Canon bring out their own mirrorless fullframe systems that can use their native lens systems, then more Canon and Nikon folks and organizations will be able to economically afford to ditch their DSLRS for better mirrorless tech. The pros, like myself who have switched to mirrorless buy all our own equipment, and for my money I will never go back to the needless bulky mirrorbox DSLR and its older still and video tech.

Pros are tired of being disrespected by DSLR makers who offer half-baked (drip, drip) improvements we have to wait years to get. Mirrorless makers are pushing the envelop with better features that NO DSLR can ever physically have, no matter the price. Then these makers are getting these cameras to market quickly and into our hands faster than the DLSR makers can match.

Canon has massive marketing and brand recognition and they can push, advertise and sell tons of embarrassing releases like their new M50 and make folks think they are getting "mirrorless magic" (actual phrase from Canon ads for their M50. lol ). Nikon has to work a little harder. Mirrorless may be years away from out selling the entrenched Nikon and Canon base, but many aren't waiting and are spending their own money and switching. The wave has started and will not be reversing itself. DLSR will not dominate in the future, even Japanese camera makers execs are on record as agreeing on this. For them they all agree mirrorless will dominate in the near future and they are planning their product and tech development and money on that task.
https://www.dpreview.com/interviews/5014039475/cp-2018-interviews-the-reign-of-the-dslr-is-almost-over
Cheers

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Yesterday I shot a small event (equestrian) and a lady showed up with a Sony MILC. She told me she used to have a Nikon DSLR, but that camera and its lenses just got too heavy for her.

It WAS a nice small camera (I was using a pair of 7D Mark II with battery grips... one with a 70-200mm f/4, the other with a 100-400 II attached... and am a bit sore from holding them for hours on end).

Oh, and I noticed her camera was beeping, which I'm pretty sure meant she was in the wrong focus mode (AF-S? I'm not all that familiar with Sony, but I think they're pretty similar to Nikon). The few "posed" shots I saw her taking should be fine, but I bet very few of the action shots "got lucky" and the subject will be in focus. Maybe she was using small enough aperture that some of them will be okay.

No doubt she'll blame the camera when a lot of her subjects are out of focus, though it's her own fault. Should have been using AF-C mode with moving subjects! Probably would have even been better to use Auto AF, which leaves it to the camera to decide whether the subject is moving or not, then switch to using the correct mode (but in my experience, is a bit hit or miss, too... though not as bad as using the wrong mode entirely).

She also didn't once turn the camera to portrait orientation that I saw.... Hey, nuthin' but landscape orientation for her! I am constantly switching between them and find when shooting horses and riders, I usually end up with about half and half. I usually use landscape when they are moving at a tangent, across my field of view... But when they are coming toward me or I am trying to get a tighter shot of both the person's and the animal's face in the same shot... portrait orientation works best).

The only other photography, if it can be called that, was being done with phones.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

Great!! I didn't realize there were so many Pentax cameras there!!

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

LoL, that’s pretty funny, a company will do anything to look like the big boys!!!
Unfortunately everyone will think they’re Canons!!
Depending on how many hits our brains and eyes function at, there are at least a few other million colors to brand them with!!! LoL
SS

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

Oh, I get it now. You are making the assumption that people would confuse the Pentax lens with a Canon lens because of the band on it. I'm going to speculate that the vast majority of people who know Canon L series lenses all have the distinctive crimson band on the front of the lens would know at first glance, that is not a Canon lens. The color is wrong and the width of the band is wrong and there is text in the band, which is not found on any Canon L series lens.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

SS said 'red band'. He didn't specify shade of red, width of band, text on band, or any other characteristic of the lens or the camera, and was forgetting makes other than Nikon and Sony. I'm sorry if anyone was confused by a playful response worthy of SS himself.

gwilliams6

Sony is a huge corporation and has all the resources to match or exceed any challenges that are coming from Nikon and Canon. Nikon and Canon had not really taken Sony seriously before the A9, A7RIII and now A7III. Now Nikon and Canon are scrambling to match or beat Sony's price AND performance. Not as easy a task as you may think, as Sony has a head start on making these fullframe mirrorless wonders. Don't think Sony will just step aside for Nikon and Canon. The photo world has a new big dog player, and it is playing for keeps with cutting edge tech and multiple releases.

I welcome the competiton as it keeps them all innovating and we all win, no matter our preferences.