It’s already April and, though a flurry of new cameras have been released since the start of the year, there doesn’t appear to be one DSLR that has raised pulses for photographers. However, take that reflex mirror away and the story switches, with launches of mirrorless cameras like the Sony a7III, Canon M50 and Panasonic GX9 all filling the news pages with hype and anticipation.
The mirrorless camera has indeed been a slow burner. Shrugged off by bigger brands for too long, the technology refused to go away and now seems to be the future of photography. But why could 2018 be the crossroads for the future of cameras?
Well, as mentioned, it appears the ‘big two’ of Canon and Nikon can no longer sit by while Sony, Fuji, Panasonic and Olympus make mirrorless sales. There’s endless reports, rumours and suggestions that Canon will soon launch a professional-spec, full-frame mirrorless body, thus putting it in competition with Canon’s traditional full-frame DSLRs - the main sector that has served Canon so well over the years. This in itself is enough to make photographers sit up and take notice, but all the signs point to Nikon following suit too!
From entry-level to high-end, there's a mirrorless camera for every budget.
Assuming these full-frame mirrorless cameras live up to expectations - and the chances are that they’re likely to be amazing - this now gives photographers a clear choice to make. Stick with traditional DSLRs, or switch over to mirrorless.
There’s advantages of both - DSLRs still have the bigger battery capacity - an important factor if you’re a photographer working in remote locations, far from charging points. But mirrorless cameras generally offer faster burst rates, are smaller and lighter and typically have impressive video specifications.
Brands only build cameras photographers want to buy - poor sales will kill off a badly-specced range of cameras in no time - this is after all a buyer’s market and customers have plenty of choice. Canon and Nikon will know this and must surely want some of the success Sony has captured thanks to its mirrorless models. The stats from the Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA) back this up; in short, DSLR sales are down and mirrorless cameras are up – up 12% in fact.
Longtime DSLR shooters may lament the rise of mirrorless cameras, but you can’t hold back the advancements of technology. After all, there were those photographers who initially dismissed digital photography and stuck with film. . . until they eventually saw the benefits and made the jump.
Yes, there’s no mistake that 2018 will be a landmark year for mirrorless cameras and, 12 months from now, we may well be talking about how mirrorless cameras are completely outselling DSLRs. It’s a brave new world and photographers are the winners from this seismic shift.
. digitalrev.com2018-4-19 03:00
