CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

I wouldn't be so sure about having someplace available with parts to make a repair ...
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-622913-1.html

SafetySam Loc: Colorado

I have been doing photography seriously since 1970, and still use my Hasselblad 500cm, SuperWide C and the 500ELM on many occassions when not trecking too far from transportation . . still use the 4x5 field view also, though sheet film isn't what it used to be . .

In the past 3 years I have invested in DSLR systems (Nikon both D7200 & full DX lenses - then "stepped up" to D810 and full frame lenses and still use both depending . .) and am just now getting more proficient in digital imaging so I can process images the way I captured them . . and I don't intend to jump to mirrorless systems anytime soon . . until they are much superior to what I have now.

I just added a digital back to the Hasselblad so even now the old "film based" cameras are being "repurposed" to serve a new creative life . . just wish I could afford a digital 4x5 back . . The images produced are still stunning and I don't have to work with a lab to get the results.

The point is, even if current technology moves forward, the "creative minds" will find ways to continue the older methods for those that "don't want to give up" that tie to the past. Maybe I just want to hang on to the memories, but this works for me.

Happy Shooting!

Silverrails

Really my comment was FFT ( Food for Thought.) Did not expect any specific date, just expressing my thoughts about possible future for DSLR Photography.😊

harry-j

42...The answer to life, the universe, and everything. How long did it take for manual transmissions to go away once an automatic was developed? Yet one can still buy a car with a stick. Sensor size will still be the key, regardless.
Six months from now, someone will post the same question, and the answers will be the same.

rond-photography Loc: Connecticut

There are a lot of DSLR cameras out there. Repair will be possible long after you die! They will not likely go extinct either. Think view camera. No, not a lot of people use them anymore, but they still exist and are used.

I think if you expect to shoot another 30 years, you will be ok with DSLR. After that, you still have a chance of getting repairs by canibalizing another specimen of whatever camera you are using.

Kozan Loc: Trenton Tennessee

I thought the saying was "One man's trash...".

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I've been shooting mirrorless since 1953. Well, technically it had a mirror. I purchased my first SLR camera in 1965. I don't like today's mirrorless cameras and don't worry about them taking over.

There is a very valid reason for sales falling, probably for more than just the two mentioned. Market saturation. I'll never understand the reasoning behind developing so many models at the same time by the same manufacturer. That alone is costly and contributes to the saturation.

If they quit making DSLR cameras, no problem. I'll just resort to using my other ones.

You seem to worry about things over which you have no control. I'd prefer to do photography.
--Bob

DeanS Loc: Capital City area of North Carolina

Not likely anyone reading this post today will see the demise of film cameras, let alone dslr types. Just my reading of the past and my huge bucket of tea leaves.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Why are you going to choose failure when a mirrorless camera is an option?

Flash Falasca Loc: Beverly Hills, Florida

Since the world will end in 12 years Iwouldn't worry !!

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

NOTHING lasts forever. Welcome to the age of disposable technology. Use what you have, until you need something different, because your old gear doesn't cut it anymore. (I REFUSE to use my old Windows Vista laptop! I don't use film any more, either.)

In 2019, I am leery of any technology I own that is unsupported by its manufacturer/distributer/dealer network. Support policies vary... Find out what they are, if you can. Unload used gear while it still works, or stick it in your glass cabinet where you collect old junk.

dSLRs will be around as long as there is sufficient demand for them. Economics 101: When camera companies see the downward sales spiral drop to where Marginal Cost > Marginal Revenue, they will cease making them. Eventually, only a few will remain available, and their prices will skyrocket. (The Nikon F6 film SLR is still available...)

If you NEED another dSLR, get one. Used dSLR lenses and bodies will be cheap and plentiful as the mirrorless models gain popularity.

If you NEED or you would rather have a mirrorless system, get one. Just don't think your old lenses will work as well as new ones MADE FOR the mirrorless. The physics favor mirrorless' shorter flange-to-sensor distance, and lens technology is better now than it was years ago. Canon and Nikon have great adapters, but their new mirrorless lenses are phenomenal compared to many of their previously phenomenal old ones.

Blair Shaw Jr Loc: Dunnellon,Florida

Irrelevant....the world will cease to exist in 12 years or less according to a NYC congress woman......Miss Ocassional-Cortex......so I'll keep what I have currently. How could she possibly be mistaken?

Properframe Loc: US Virginia

[quote=rook2c4]Approximately 14 years and 3 months from now.

I just got back from the garage where I keep the DeLorean parked. Finished the trip an hour ago but had some work on the flux capacitor to do before getting back to my desk to post this response.
You were so close - the last manufactured date is in 14 years, 8 months and 12 days. Sales continue - deeply discounted - until inventory is exhausted 15 years and 3 months from today.
Let me know if you want to know the next 6 Super Bowl winners - not to be used for gambling purposes of course.

Pete Kelly Loc: Texas USA

The DSLRs time has passed because the mirror is not needed anymore but a good old camera is a great tool as long as it continues to work. It is not about rhe camera it is about the image you make with it.

drmike99 Loc: Fairfield Connecticut

I wouldn’t hold my breath. A few months ago I bought a used but near-mint specimen of my dream camera — a Nikon F6. That is Nikon’s final iteration of the film SLR. But… I could have spent a fair amount more and bought a brand new one as the camera was (and I believe still is) in production. If Nikon hasn’t yet killed off the film SLR I would imagine the DSLR still has some life in it.