We keep hearing the hubadubs that DSLR is dead. Maybe it is time to look beyond the news and advertisements.

Manufacturers want sales. That is what all this noise is about. Everyday we encounter advertisements and press release all pointed to that direction - sales.

It's always a miracle product that will bring heaven to earth and to hell and back being shoved up all our senses and body openings. All for sales.

It doesn't matter to them if we need it or not. They will lie and hustle the green out of our hands.

So why listen? Why do we believe the press releases and the ads? Why not have a look beyond?
Stand on your own and Have a different view.

Here is my own. Warning, its not mainstream and may touch some egos and probably hate. But this is just me talking out loud, speaking my own.

DSLR is dead!!!

Well maybe that is what they wanted. All the hype and misdirection pushes the mirrorless wonder product so far ahead of the DSLR that it is obsolete- so they say.
Be truthful. Is it? When you bought that mirrorless, did your photography improved by 10 folds? 100? 1000 times better? Or were you just conned out to get the latest gear?

Manufacturers are always looking to produce with the least cost and sell at the highest price. If mirrorless is sold with the same "cost to sales" premium, it will cost about 3/4 or at extremes 1/2 the price of an equivalent DSLR. Why? Because mechanical parts, materials like magnesium bodies and actual assembly of such, cost more. Electronics, molded plastics and smaller amount(size) cost much less.

Imagine a single button on a Toyota. What if that button cost dollar? If i produce 1 million cars, that is an extra 1 million dollars of investment. Meaning if i design something without buttons, I save millions. Suddenly touch screens makes a lot of sense!

A mirrorless is basically a dumbed down video camera. They made it look like a DSLR so it can take its place. Instead of shooting video they made it shoot slower, then advertise that their camera shoots 20 frames per second!!! Faster than your DSLR!!! Yea right...

So it shoots 10 - 20 - 25 frames a second, how many are in focus? 50%? 25%? 1 image?

The technology of the mirrorless has been around since the invention of the tv and are just getting repurposed. Innovation as some would say. It is not new, that is just hype. Don't buy into it.

Am I against mirrorless? Nope, not at all. But let us see things the way they really are. Cut the bull, forget the advertisement and hype. If it fits your style and improves your photography, then by all means buy as much as you can. Help the manufacturer so they can go back to making better cameras.

But if you are buying just for the hype, you are feeding the money train instead of supporting the production of better equipment.

Ask yourself, If they can put 4 cameras in a celphone and sell it for half the price of a mirrorless, what did you miss? Have you just been robbed?

While many here use only the web to display their work most photographers for one reason or another other are shy when it comes to printing. 11x14 seems to be a ceiling...

GO BIG!!!

I mean go above 20 inches as size for your print and mount it on canvas or whatever but not 'just a print'. This will really show the quality of your work and if you are in business will likely increase your sales. Oh and select gallery/fine art quality, not regular printing.

Yes, it is expensive, sometime really onerous but if you sell your work as fine art in fairs or for spot contract (portraits, wedding, others...) do not hesitate to print at least one image to a full, almost overwhelming size. The margin on these prints is about 200 to 500% not more... IF you know how to sell*. Note: in fairs? 300% minimal, no negotiation.


---------------
* On those you never give a price at first and certainly do not list it.
- Print the image
- Loan it to the client. Yes, loan it for a month or so, no shorter and no longer.
- Friends and family will have the time to see the print. They will comment on it and place pressure on the client to keep it.
- More often than not the client will want to keep it. It is then that you announce the price and that your observations on the client being able to afford it enters the process. The price has to be high enough that they wince but low enough that they cannot afford it. I had a couple of clients say 'no, too expensive' then come back to get it. (Peer pressure at work).
- I noted at the time that every print after that were noticeably bigger when ordered by the family. I usually waited before taking family/friends orders. Once I had the same print reprinted three additional times (I got lucky, the bride's parents were divorced).

Too many times I see folks adding costs to the business of photography that does not exist.

Old time:
- Camera purchase
- Lens purchase
- Time
- Film purchase
- Film processing
- 'proofing'
- Printing * Note using an external lab was common
- Dedicated processing room
- Cost of doing business

Today:
- Camera purchase
- Lens purchase
- Time
- Film purchase
- Film processing
- 'proofing'
- Chemical print processing
- Imaging software (New)
- Printing * Note: using an external lab for printing is still common
- Dedicated processing room
- Cost of doing business


What is not included:
- Computer(s) and printer(s). The reason for that is that these item are not dedicated to photo processing but used for many other things.

The overall cost for a job has been reduced to almost nothing and so has the time from event to delivery.