News reports cite that DSLR sales were down almost 28% in 2018, while mirrorless sales were up 22%. It will be interesting to see what happens worldwide. US sales are only part of the picture for these global companies.

Pretty much covered it !

Debate and discussion is good for spreading ideas, philosophies and knowledge, even if there is never a consensus of opinion. Cheers !

I think Nikon and Canon will respond, they have to. Competition among these and Panasonic, Olympus, Pentax is all good for the advancement of innovation. Sony obviously has laid down the gauntlet with its amazing cameras. I love the Sony mirrorless and do believe that mirrorless will lead the way for things that no DSLR can ever physically do. I personally will never go back to a DSLR, but they wont die right away either. Loyal fans will keep them around for awhile .

Look for all camera manufacturers to have their very best DSLRs and Mirrorless cameras and lenses ready to do battle at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. That is their target date for sure. Look for loads of releases leading up to that date.

Ted, Still an NPPA member also. Met Eppridge a couple of times at Time-Life. Sadly, I had heard about his passing a while ago. A true giant of photojournalism.
It is great that us older veterans of the biz lend our knowledge to this forum. Keep it up !

I second tdekany. I also switched from a longtime user of top-end DSLRs (Nikon and Canon) to Sony Mirrorless a year ago and would never go back . A7R2s can be had for great prices now (used and new) now that the A7R3 is out. The A7R2 is a great camera, I had one and loved it. I recently upgraded to the A7R3, but that is no knock on the quite exquisite A7R2. I am a pro shooter of decades, but still take photos around the world for the pleasure of the image. Sony mirrorless cameras have great image quality and innovation. Yes if your budget can bear it, the A7R3 is your best choice. But you will find great deals now on new and used A7R2s.

Yes Ted, thanks for your post. I am sure we met at Flying short courses or at NPPA's 50th in Washington DC. I also was hanging out with our late pal Joe Rosenthal who took that icon "Iwo Jima" shot. You probably went to the Marine ceremony honoring Joe at the Iwo Jima monument.

To the point, all we can do is give our reasoned and proven advice here, and leave it at that.
Cheers and thanks for your input here.

Thanks Ted, we may have met when I was on the NPPA Executive Board. My instructors in Photojournalism at R.I.T and my mentors from the Washington Post ,Newsday and the LA Times taught me this "ounce of prevention" as a young photojournalist coming up. After decades in the biz as a staffer at the Philadelphia Inquirer and freelancer for Time , Newsweek and others, the basic truths remain whether you are shooting film or digital, amateur, student or pro.

Yes we are "beating a dead horse" here. Hopefully this reasoned and proven advice is getting through.

In addition to my worldwide pro career as a staff photojournalist for newspaper and magazines, and my career as a freelance editorial, fashion and wedding photographer, I also teach Digital Photography and Photojournalism as a Professor at the university level. I am responsible for the camera equipment purchases for our many classes of photo students. I have made sure we bought uv filters for all the lenses in our camera kits (Nikon and Canon DSLRs) that we check out to our students for still and video assignments. Every semester we get back lenses with broken filters from the student use of the equipment. We can afford to replace these filters, but our equipment budget wouldn't cover it if we had to replace those same actual lenses.

Stuff happens to amateurs and pros alike. Do the smart thing and protect your investment , whether amateur, student, or pro shooter.

Clear glass filters are fine. Yes B+W and Hoya make some of the best. Look if you need validation here on your choice of going without any filter protection for your lenses, you will surely find those here that agree with you. And you will find those whose professional experience says otherwise. Take you pick of which posts here you side with. It is a personal choice, dictated in part by how , where , and under what conditions you use your equipment.

I will continue to use quality lens protection on all my expensive glass. Cheers !

bpulv, a lens hood would not have protected my lenses from objects I have had strike inside (with a lens hood attached). If you folks wish to go without proper protection, then fine, its your money. But don't expect any sympathy if an accident occurs on a shoot, like a welders spark etc. It may be fashionable now to parade around without any protection for your expensive glass, you may go years and have no accidents or issues. But I have been through thousands of assignments around the world ,in all kinds of conditions and weather in four decades, and I choose to be smart about taking care of my gear, so it is in top shape when I need it.

This award-winning pro shooter of four decades agrees with Jerry and others that use protective filters (either uv or the new clear ones) to "protect from dust, grit,salt spray and damage from wind blown debris". I saw the Tony Northrup scratch test video. Hey Tony can afford to buy new lenses anytime he wants. I for one don't wish to risk the huge investment I have in quality glass, without protection. And I also use circular polarizer and ND filters sometimes.

Better safe then sorry ,and cheaper than repairing or replacing a lens. I have had angry subjects attack my camera, as well people inadvertently knock into my lenses on a shoot, as well as batted balls, hockey pucks etc. directly into the lens during sports shoots. Better to have a filter take that hit. I go for the best B&W and the top Hoyas, for best optical quality and the least possible reflections.

Good informative report, thanks btbg ! The Sigma lenses are built very solid and have stood up to my professional use. Many pros are buying Sigma lenses over the native lenses for their Nikon, Canon and Sony cameras. Just check out the YouTube videos and reviews of the Sigma lenses compared with native lenses.

Yes 42nd street hasn't been a good retailer since back in the 1970's when they had some good prices. Stay away from them now. Too much grey market stuff and shorted kits. The old 47th street photos was great back in the day. Nowadays, B&H, Adorama, Amazon, Best Buy, Roberts, Allens Camera, and Abes of Maine are all reputable and best on prices. (from a pro shooter of four decades who has bought from all of these retailers). For the best quality used gear, Allens Camera (Levittown, Pa. ,outside Philadelphia) has the best selection of top quality, pristine used gear at good prices, and they stand behind all the gear they sell, new and used. I once saw Adorama folks coming there to buy up a host of Allen's top used gear. They will match any B&H or Adorama prices on new gear. They are the best kept secret in national camera stores. Check out their website. They are the favorite camera store of Jared Polin (Froknows Photo on youtube), and they are the favorite store of many pros like myself.

Thanks Jerry, but no one yet has a comparison of the new Sony 18-135 vs the Sony 18-105. That is the direct comparison that we need for this discussion.

As a pro shooter using Sony mirrorless cameras I have done much research among fellow pros before any lens purchase, and I read the top reviews. In more top reviews where Tamron G and Sigma Art and Contemporary series lenses of similar specs are tested, the Sigma usually wins out for image quality and sturdier construction. In some lens tests the Tamron and Sigma have been a tossup in overall usefulness.

I haven't owned Tamron in a while, but have bought a few Sigma Art lenses and love them on my full-frame and APS-C Sony cameras. I have full-frame Sigma Art 20mm f1.4; 24-105mm f4; 85 f1.4mm, and Sigma Contemporary 150-600mm f5-6.3 lenses. I also own Sony 18-105mm f4 (APS-C); and full-frame Sony lenses 28mm f2; 70-200mm f2.8 G-Master. The Sigma lenses match or even surpass the Sony lenses in image quality. Love them !