Earnest Botello Loc: Hockley, Texas

Only alcohol and drugs can do that.

leftj Loc: Texas

Hear from who?

SteveLew Loc: Sugar Land, TX

Nikon is not going out business in fact for December 2020 the Nikon Z7 II was the best selling camera ahead of Sony and the EOS R5 since the the EOS had overheating issues.

Alafoto Loc: Montgomery, AL

Rodentophobia?

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

If you have been shooting an Olympus SLR, the lenses can be used with an adapter in Aperture Mode on the 4/3rds series. And many of the other brand SLR lenses can be used with adapters, but not all brand's lenses will carry over.

As far as camera sales, Sony leads and is followed by Canon, Fuji, Olympus, and Nikon in that order. Sony may lead in sales but has a reduced market just like everyone else. Olympus is basically holding their own for right now while Nikon is trying to figure out how to prevent a 4th year of loss (both Olympus and Nikon may or may not survive in the way they exist today). Do not let camera sales make your decision. There is more than enough used equipment out there in the open market to supplement any of the new equipment you would buy today, no matter what the brand. And Olympus and Nikon, even if they do fail, will not be disappearing any time soon. And anything you buy Olympus could be used on Panasonic 4/3rds. One should only buy a camera based on their needs, not sales.

If size, weight, and cost of the new system are a consideration, one should look towards the APS-C or 4/3rds end of the spectrum. If size, weight, and cost are not that much of a concern, full frame or medium format should be looked at. And depending on your wants and needs, even all-in-one cameras can be considered. The main differences between the formats are in total number of pixels, depth of field, and ISO. All of the brands, 4/3rds and larger with 20mp or more, are capable of producing a 30X40 print or a two page magazine spread if shot properly.

I shoot with Olympus. I chose Olympus because of the smallest size, weight, and cost of the system in general. The heaviest body / lens combination in 4/3rds is 6.7 pounds, offers an angle of view from 300mm to 2000mm in this combination, and doesn't necessarily require a tripod. This Olympus system's weight is the same weight as the 600mm f4 lenses of Canon and Nikon by themselves and the system costs less than either lens. This is just one example of less size, weight, and cost of 4/3rds.

But if I were starting out today, I would not start with the biggest, heaviest, and most costly heart of the 4/3rds systems. My suggestion to you is to look at either the Olympus E-M5 mkIII or E-M1 mkIII along with either the 12-40 f2.8 Pro, 12-45 f4 Pro, 12-100 f4 Pro IS, or the 12-200 f3.5/6.3. If you travel a lot, shoot interiors of buildings and churches, flowers, wildlife, scenics, people, landscapes, etc., I would suggest the E-M5 mkIII with the 12-45 f4 Pro or, if you can afford it, the E-M1 mkIII with the 12-100 f4 Pro IS (probably the best travel combination in all the camera market). Also, since it is 4/3rds, any Olympus lens or body can be used with any Panasonic lens or body for all basic camera functions. This adds to what is available to you whether you buy Olympus or Panasonic.

elee950021 Loc: New York, NY

Even if all the camera companies shut down production tomorrow, there's still so much unsold new, refurbished and used equipment in this universe! Not to mention, all that stuff not being used and yet to hit the markets.

Be well! Ed

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

There is seldom a day go by that I do not shoot a macro/micro session. My mirrorless camera has shown me that it does not care in the least what lenses I put on it including microscope objectives. All it needs is an adapter fitting to connect it. Yes, I shoot in a fully manual mode.

rlynes Loc: Wisconsin

I always believe everything I see on the internet. </sarc>

That being said and in my opinion, Nikon will be around for a long time to come.

Timmers Loc: San Antonio Texas.

Leica. The original and still The 35mm camera after all these years.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

I would only be concerned with OM. But all 4 make fine cameras. Digital cameras now all have auto focus and auto exposure making the use of older lenses problematic. With that, I'd be inclined to go with Canon, Nikon, or Sony. Panasonic makes good cameras too, but I've seen very few here with micro 4/3 or full frame in that brand.

Carl1024 Loc: Kaneohe, HI 96744

ED, i'll give the E M5 M3 a look? I own the M2
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amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Nikon says, "The reports of our demise are greatly exaggerated". In fact, recent industry reports are that they had a great holiday season, actually climbing back into 2nd place after falling to 3rd or 4th earlier in the year.

Olympus' photography division has been sold to a company that's said they will continue to produce cameras and lenses, though it may be under a new name ("OM"?) It remains to be seen what this will mean for current or future users.

Sony is doing as well as anyone, too. Plus it's the largest and most diverse corporation on your list of brands, so they're very likely to be able to weather any downturn. Canon is second largest and most diverse, while both Oly and Nikon are a lot smaller and more specialized.

All camera makers have seen a "soft market" the past year. Things were already slowing, then made even worse by a global pandemic. Plus it's a "market in transition" from DSLR to mirrorless. All the manufacturers are sort of stumbling around trying to find their way through a difficult time.

After many years dragging their heels developing competitive mirrorless cameras, Canon had a big "win" with their new R6 and R5 cameras last year. But you can bet that Sony and Nikon will respond. These companies have been playing "digital leapfrog" with each other for 20+ years!

Pentax (now owned by Ricoh, BTW, which is close to as big and diverse as Sony) has said they will only make DSLRs... no mirrorless.

In spite of "film" being part of their company name Fujifilm has done only mirrorless cameras and lenses recently. Even their GFX medium format camera system is mirrorless, alongside their X-mount APS-C system. They make no "full frame" like Canon/Sony/Nikon offer.

Panasonic, Leica and Sigma have formed the "L-mount alliance" to make a new system of full frame cameras and lenses. The first couple cameras from Panasonic have gotten good reviews. The Leica continue to be among the most expensive.

Panasonic has for many years partnered with Olympus with the Micro 4/3 design cameras and lenses, using a sensor slightly smaller than APS-C which allows the cameras and lenses to be especially compact. With the uncertainty about Olympus' future, it raises some questions about Panasonic, too. But, like Sony, Pentax/Ricoh and Canon, Panasonic is a large and diverse corporation with deep pockets to survive changing markets.

Aside from concerns about the future of Olympus, among your four brands of camera I don't think it matters very much. It would be a good idea to narrow it down and concentrate on one system. Which one.... Canon, Nikon or Sony... might come down to simple personal preference. A favorite camera or an ergonomic design philosophy that feels most "comfortable" to you might be your best choice. Look to the future, too. If you are planning any changes... such as going from DSLR to mirrorless... that might point toward one system or the other. Right now the AF system in the latest Canon mirrorless RF-mount cameras is probably the best, but the Sony is very, very close and Nikon has improved a lot with their latest Z-series.

Other factors may be important. Until recently, Canon's menus seemed the most logical and easiest to navigate. Many considered Sony's menus among the worst, but they have been changed and reportedly much improved in more recent models. Most people also consider Canon's customer service and support among the best. Their warranty and factory service is also excellent, though they don't offer particularly long warranties and good quality control by all three brands means their modern gear doesn't see a lot of warranty claims.

All modern cameras are highly capable. Besides the one that feels most comfortable to you, look at the system behind it. Just for example, if you shoot architecture or do product photography, you might want tilt-shift or perspective control lenses. Schneider makes one 50mm to fit Sony, but Sony themselves don't offer any at all. Nikon offers four PC lenses in F-mount (DSLR) which can be adapted for use on their Z-mount mirrorless: 19mm, 24mm, 45mm and 85mm. Canon offers five TS-E lenses in EF mount (DSLR) that can be adapted for use on their RF-mount mirrorless: 17mm, 24mm, 50mm, 90mm, 135mm. There also are expectations Canon will introduce a new 14mm and 24mm native TS lens for the RF-mount cameras this year. In addition, the Canon EF to RF adapters include ones that allow drop-in filters behind the lens, which would be very handy with the 17mm and 24mm lenses, in particular.

Of course, your needs and wants will probably be something entirely different. And that may point you toward a another system that offers the solutions you're seeking. Pretty much all brands of cameras are very capable. It's just a matter of picking the one that fits you best!

EDIT...

Amazon's list of "Best Selling Mirrorless Cameras" is pretty funny: https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Electronics-Mirrorless-Cameras/zgbs/electronics/3109924011 #1 is a $15 Kodak single use 35 film camera? Well, technically it's "mirrorless", has a simple optical viewfinder and fixed focus lens! #2 is Canon M50, which is a discontinued model now that the M50 Mark II is available (but very little different from its predecessor). That's also a little funny, since it's one of Canon's "old" APS-C M-series mirrorless system, which they appear to be considering orphaning in favor of the new R-series cameras and RF-mount lenses. In just over two years they've already introduced nearly twice as many RF lenses as they have EF-M lenses in eight or nine years!

Google Trends is also interesting... Here's what they report in searches for "digital camera" compared to "Canon camera", "Nikon camera", "Sony camera" and "Olympus camera". https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?geo=US&q=digital%20camera,canon%20camera,Nikon%20camera,Sony%20camera,Olympus%20camera You also can type in specific model search terms and see how much interest they seem to be generating, if interested. Then Google for written and Youtube reviews for more info.

Carl1024 Loc: Kaneohe, HI 96744

As a hobbyist, i like 2 play w/different brands. However, some of my Oly lenses have gone bad & replaced w/a better1. When it comes 2 posting images online, the Oly does well? Fits my tripod placement, perfect & not t/big.
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repleo Loc: Boston

It is premature to say that Nikon cameras are no more.

However, Nikon corporation and especially the Imaging division is struggling financially. A couple of years ago, Nikon made a big brew-ha-ha about their turn-around plan which called for the Imaging group to contribute 20 billion yen in profits for each of the following three years. Instead, the imaging group LOST 20 billion yen in the each of the following two years. The third financial year is ending soon and I doubt that Covit has been beneficial to Imaging's bottom line. The future of the Imaging group was completely dependent on the success of the new mirrorless cameras and the high-end (ie expensive) lenses that they were planning to release to support them. The DSLR market wasn't even mentioned in their 3 year business plan. However after year 2 financial results were announced, they realized that had to stem the hemorrhage by 're-allocating' development resources to other more promising product areas like medical devices and industrial applications. Other Imaging performance improvers included consolidating the photo service business which they are in the process of doing by cutting off independent service centers.

Development of the Imaging business will be based on ' providing cameras produced based on knowhow and technologies accumulated over Nikon’s long history'. In other words rehashed or firmware upgrades to existing cameras - not new technologies.

You can find this info by going over the last couple of years of Nikon financial and investor reports. I am not a financial analyst, but it is pretty obvious to the layman where they are headed if you read between the lines.

ronpier Loc: Poland Ohio

I’ll stick with my five Nikons. They all work perfectly and will probably outlast me.