Carl1024 wrote:
Nikon, Olympus, Sony, & Canon. However, i heard that Nikon is no more now. But Canon is still sprouting? Any ideas on what brand i should stay with as the only brand? Think i'd do better learning about just 1 brand instead of many?
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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.