wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on where one is standing, that is not true. Hasselblad is going to go away? Sony's RXs and Nikon's P series are going away? I think not. Yes, it is a given from me that the majority of the market will be more than likely still be FF and APS-C in the long run. But over 70% of the present market was not DSLR before the added considerations for Canon's and Nikon's mirrorless. Canon's and Nikon's mirrorless cameras will just hasten the reduction of that remaining 30%. 4/3rds dead? Hasselblad, Sony RXs, and Nikon P series will have to die with the 4/3rds.

You have to realize that the main reason that people buy MF, 4/3rds, 1", etc. is for the needs filled by them that the FF and APS-C cameras cannot provide.

markjay

no - medium format will survive for those masochists that need it.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Canon and Nikon are NOT going to give up on DSLR's. I do not know where you get your information that DSLR's are dead. Would you mind sharing, I would be very interested. I have worked for Nikon for several years and sort of keep my nose to the ground, and I have heard nothing about Nikon giving up on DSLR's. Actually, the opposite is true. SO, like I said, who is informing you that Nikon and Canon are giving up on the big boys. Please share your source.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

Did not know Hasselblad made a M 4/3. Maybe because they don't. But the other two are dead. Nikon may produce a replacement for the P with a larger sensor since they are filling an all-in-one demand and that demand will still exist. Sony will drop the RX when the cost center fails to generate sufficient revenue to justify it.

Bill P

This is stupid.
Tony is a blowhard, and he has no qualifications to make this sweeping statement. You should at the least fear not about Panasonic. They have a deep background in Pro video, and I'm sure that that's why their cameras are so good for video. Olympus has a large presence in medical equipment that produces more income than cameras. It's not as if they are dependent solely on photography, and 4/3's isn't as insufficient as Tony would like you to think. The internet hasn't done much good for photography. It is a megaphone for stupidity.

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

Whoever said Hasselblad made a 4/3rds camera? I know that I didn't. My point was that 4/3rds will disappear at the same time as Hasselblad MF and Sony's RX and Nikon's P cameras. And it would be impossible to build an all-in-one camera with a large sensor that would meet the RX and P series requirements for the very same reason that Tony pointed out. To restate my point, there will always be a need for MF, 4/3rds, bridge/P&S cameras because FF and APS-C cameras cannot do what those cameras do for those markets. "One type camera" will not and cannot meet everyone's needs. That is why MF, 4/3rds, bridge/P&S cameras were developed and exist - to meet a specific market need not addressed by FF and APS-C. Although it is not impossible for the camera market to shrink so small that FF and APS-C would be all that was left, just highly unlikely.

markjay

I worked for Nikon in Japan. Where did you work for them? US ?
They have a public line and an inside strategy. No one in the US every hears about their true 3-5 year plans. The only thing people in the US, or anywhere else, hear is positive and go go go - sell sell sell. Everything is great and we are the best at everything !
Like every company - they will never say they are ending DSLRs. They will only say they will continue to support the line so they can keep selling for the next 3 years as they wind down. Then - all of the sudden, they will say that they are discontinuing when sales have hit bottom.

No different than what happened with film. When the DSLR was launched they said they would continue to support both platforms. How long did that last?

DaveyDitzer Loc: Western PA

No different than what happened with film. When the DSLR was launched they said they would continue to support both platforms. How long did that last?

So my solution is to count my shutter clicks and subtract from the mean time to failure, budget clicks by year and make sure mine are fulfilled when DSLRs go and the next "big thing" arrives. As I asked earlier, how do you know when a digital camera is "worn out"? Heck, I sold all my film SLR bodies and lenses and only years later found out that was a bad move since some film is still alive and those were some of the best lenses Nikon ever made; e.g., Nikkor 105 f2.5, Nikkor 180 f2.8. I also took some of my best pictures then. Guess I have more weighty things to worry about than when DSLR goes away.

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

That's why some of us still have our film cameras. It is a challenge to take that roll of film and carefully try and shoot 36 good exposures (or try for frames 37 and 38). It is a reminder of how we should still try and shoot. Yes, there will be times for burst mode shooting. I am not that stuck in the "good old past". But there are so many that don't understand how to catch that one perfect moment. They just shoot everything in hopes of catching it. Welcome to the digital age.

DaveyDitzer Loc: Western PA

I guess I miss the film lenses much more - sharp, compact, light and NO ELECTRONICS!

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

However in our post to which I responded, you did not make any case for why MF's disappearance would or should parallel the demise of M 4/3. You linked them not by format but by brand name in a discussion of M 4/3. I fyou thought you were making a point about MF, you should have said so and tried to make the case, not just hang it out there like it was an obvious truth. Because it is clearly not obvious or truth.

Bill P

Smaller sensor sizes will survive. "Miniature format" was considered insufficient for any serious pursuit, compared to 120 and 4x5 cameras, but it has taken over. Remember, the so called full frame sensor that you so enthusiastically support was considered at best amateurish for so many years. But you can still buy 120 rollfilm and 4x5 sheet film, and (gasp!) use it today. There is room in the market for many sizes with various advantages.

But then Americans are not well known for having open minds.

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

Sorry for the lack of clarity on my on my part. Obviously FF and APS-C will continue to be the mainstay for the camera world. Until cellphones, as good as they are, find a way to put in larger sensors and true interchangeable lenses and zoom lenses, the mainstream camera market will fill the needs of people wanting something better than a cellphone. Having said that, that leaves MF, 4/3rds, and smaller sensor cameras outside the mainstream. In my opinion, those three sizes are competing for the market that isn't cellphone, FF, or APS-C. Each of them, MF, 4/3rds, and smaller sensor, have their own pros/cons.

MF is superior to other formats from IQ. But even the mirrorless is bigger than any other format. Even with an electronic shutter, 15/20 fps is just a dream. They require massive amounts of memory for both shooting and processing (think $$$$). And we haven't even talked about any other cost. It is more for the elite not the beginner. How many people are there in the elite to spend that kind of money for a market that has been encroach upon by FF and APS-C increased image acceptable?

Small sensor cameras are for the beginner because they are the most affordable. They are usually the first step to better than a cellphone. They are also used by photographers that want an alternative to carrying a larger interchangeable lense camera (they buy the best quality of this type camera). And although the IQ has greatly increased and still tends to be better and offer more than a cellphone, they are not as good as larger sensored cameras, are required to be carried along with one's cellphone, and still cost money in addition to the cost of a cellphone. This is why the market for these is very small. Their main competitor is still the cellphone and that competitor is massively huge.

Along with MF, FF, and APS-C, 4/3rds cameras are for people that have made the conscious decision to carry a quality camera for its abilities despite how good a cellphone camera or bridge/P&S can be. Since 4/3rds will be used mostly when someone is traveling, its size, weight, and cost lends itself to that market. It offers a lot more than the smaller sensor cameras in versatility and less size, weight, and cost than MF, FF, and APS-C. It is because of this that I think it will increase more so than the MF market.

Since my wife is a travel agent, I have to travel for both opinions from a spouse/male point of view, along with pictures, for her business (not as glamorous as one would think; have seen as many as 8 hotel rooms in a day). Over the years, I have seen the cellphones and tablets take over the camera market. Instead of pulling out a camera from their pocket or camera bag, they pull out their cellphones to try and capture that church, that scenic, that once in a lifetime shot. I have seen no resurgence in FF or APS-C in my travels. But I have seen the Fuji and Sony names, in that order, appear more often on the APS-Cs. The biggest increase I have seen is a slight increase in 4/3rds cameras taking the shots (cellphones have truly decimated the market). Maybe with the new FF mirrorless that will change. Then again, maybe it won't.

gwilliams6

The myth of who has the best color science is debunked after a scientific test and large sample blind comparison. The reality, not the brand loyalty-fueled myths.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfEq1p26pbs&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR1T_xwKXTPCwi1KrgFjyTImiHUP7Fc43mwxnASTKtBRk2lNi4NKUshrHl0

Sony has the best color science?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMfCDujQywY
Best COLOR SCIENCE: Canon vs Nikon vs Sony vs Fujifilm

https://www.pdnonline.com/gear/cameras/the-best-cameras-for-color-reproduction-ranked/

gwilliams6

A link here included to DPReview's extensive testing of Nikon Z-7 camera, and their objective comparison of the Z-7 to the Sony A7RIII, its closest competitor.
https://www.sonyalpharumors.com/nikon-z7-reviewed-by-dpreview-overall-the-a7r-iii-will-likely-be-the-more-capable-option-for-most-users/?fbclid=IwAR1E3mzRhtc40l5LTcnFolmlk6DhNHccVt2kqAVdphGBAanwCcZez2Llxlk

A key quote from DPReview:
"Just an additional note: I keep reading that Nikon had it hard because it’s their first generation of mirrorless cameras. But I never heard the counter argument that in many aspects they actually had a much “easier” job to do than Sony. They knew in advance what they were competiting with, they knew in advance what people like and disliked from Sony cameras. To me this must balance the “first generation” argument. Sony had to figure out everything all alone in these years…"