Back to SLR thoughts and ramblings

Specifically for the discussion of the A-mount DSLR range
Forum rules
No more than three images or three external links allowed in any post or reply. Please trim quotations and do not include images in quotes unless essential.
classiccameras
Viceroy
Posts: 1044
Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2012 9:33 am

Re: Back to SLR thoughts and ramblings

Unread post by classiccameras »

Did you ever like the A580, last of the OVF, its probably the last of the Minolta legacy. Apparently people are looking for them, My first Sony DSLR was an A550, quite a nice camera, I wish now I had kept it instead of moving to SLT. Did Sony use Minolta staff as design consultants.

Canon have the bigger market with entry level and mid range DSLR's globally, Nikon very close behind. I think both will continue to market DSLR's but I suspect the choice will be very much reduced, its where they see the best sales potential for a particular model.

Canon seem to have lost interest into the M size cameras, Yet we all thought that was the way to go, it seems they thought so as well, small, light easy to use, I just cannot see people investing in these new Canon's, very expensive corresponds to a small market base. They are not for the masses.

I agree about the Sony E mount, really quite awful ergonomics compared to the A mounts
Thanks for the review recommendations
User avatar
bakubo
Tower of Babel
Posts: 5864
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2007 7:55 am
Location: Japan
Contact:

Re: Back to SLR thoughts and ramblings

Unread post by bakubo »

bakubo wrote: Wed Jul 13, 2022 8:59 am News from today in Japan.

Nikon stops developing new SLR cameras

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220713_18/
There are many millions of SLRs/DSLRs and lenses out there in the used market and will be for decades so that is a very good thing.

Of course Nikon is getting out of DSLRs, the only question is: how far behind is Canon?

https://www.dpreview.com/opinion/580226 ... d-is-canon

The Nikkei, Japan's most prestigious financial newspaper, has reported that Nikon is exiting the DSLR market and is no longer developing new models. Nikon itself put out a statement saying it hadn't announced such a move and would still make and distribute DSLRs, but didn't deny the thrust of the story.

And are we really surprised? The end of the DSLR as a mainstream product was clear the moment Nikon and Canon announced their respective full-frame mirrorless mounts. Both companies have launched some DSLRs since then, but most of their efforts have been in expanding their respective ranges of mirrorless bodies and lenses ever since.

Both companies have introduced plausible mirrorless successors to their key enthusiast cameras, with the Z6 and Z7 delivering much of what the D610 and D750 did, and Canon's R6 and R5 dethroning not just the 6D series but also the iconic 5D cameras.

If that wasn't enough to show that the DSLR era was drawing to a close, Nikon's decision to introduce a mirrorless D6 competitor (and, in all likelihood, replacement) in the form of the Z9 should have made it clear. Nikon's management believes mirrorless cameras can offer more than DSLRs, even in the most technically demanding niche.

It's unlikely either Nikon or Canon will publicly announce the end of F-mount or EF-mount camera production, or associated lens production, sometime after that, but nearly four years after they both announced new lens mounts, it's quite possible that we may have seen their last DSLRs, already.
User avatar
bfitzgerald
Subsuming Vortex of Brilliance
Posts: 3996
Joined: Fri Sep 26, 2008 10:48 pm

Re: Back to SLR thoughts and ramblings

Unread post by bfitzgerald »

That's not news, it's just an opinion piece.
This says nothing new, and of all people Richard Butler..well talk about state the obvious -he's probably the most biased writer on DPR. It's full of statements which don''t always tie up with what people think or feel.
We know Canon and Nikon are concentrating on mirrorless, this isn't news we've known that for over 4 years. I don't know how long or what Canikon's plans are, and neither does he.

Where is the scoop? The high level Nikon manager who confessed to this? Or a real source? None so far

His statements are full of assumptions..
It's unlikely either Nikon or Canon will publicly announce the end of F-mount or EF-mount camera production


Based off of what? Sony's silent A mount discontinuation?
Didn't Nikon announce the end of the 1 series? Yes they did. I would not expect Canon or Nikon to ghost their users/customers. In fact I would say it's very unlikely either company will do a Sony. It's very bad PR and left the company looking like complete idiots/out of touch with their users. It was so widely reported, saying nothing only made Sony look far worse. Clearly they didn't plan it like that. They did want it to slip away into the night quietly..didn't happen though :mrgreen: It wasn't news anyway, I saw out of stock on A mount bodies a good 9 months before that article even hit the web. The lenses many normal ones were special order/out of stock. It was clearly a wind down operation planned for some time.

So I have no idea what Caninkon will or won't do. But I do know that DPR piece is off the mark. Many people do have a strong preference to the viewfinder type, not what he is suggesting at all. If either or both makers drop DSLR's, then those users will many of them buy used. Hence they will have lost a revenue stream. R&D costs? Come on how much does it cost to slap a newer sensor into a 5DV, not a lot really. They've used largely the same body for many years, ditto on the D850, that's easy to update with the live view/video etc.

Give me some real news
User avatar
bfitzgerald
Subsuming Vortex of Brilliance
Posts: 3996
Joined: Fri Sep 26, 2008 10:48 pm

Re: Back to SLR thoughts and ramblings

Unread post by bfitzgerald »

This graphic has no meaning
Does he know what the preferences for buyers/users are? any kind of poll/source/study for this? Nope
This is why I added DPR to my "junky journalism" site list, along with Fstoppers/Petapixel/Techradar etc etc.
It's just click bait pushing advertising revenue.
Screenshot 2022-07-22 225138.jpg
Screenshot 2022-07-22 225138.jpg (54.48 KiB) Viewed 96028 times
User avatar
bfitzgerald
Subsuming Vortex of Brilliance
Posts: 3996
Joined: Fri Sep 26, 2008 10:48 pm

Re: Back to SLR thoughts and ramblings

Unread post by bfitzgerald »

A side note here. I had some issues with the Aliexpress protector, high gloss, mediocre fit, fingerprints showing up all over the place. It was a nightmare outside (and it would be without the protector), the hi vis vest when I was out made it even worse
Look at the Dynax 5d's, aside from the low resolution. they have a matte AR coating. I have never had a problem with these screens, easy to see outside yes dated, but those glossy LCD's are there for appeal, not practicality. This isn't unique to Nikon or anyone else, the glass protectors are often worse than the original screen for reflections. The AR coating on the Sony cameras is soft as butter, it damages very easily

I found some excellent protectors from Brotect on Amazon, they do glass and PET. I tried PET on the D780
Much, much nicer to use. No annoying reflections, no smudges/prints. Fast delivery too. Thought I would pass that one on if anyone is on the hunt for such things!

Old protector
66665.jpg
66665.jpg (51.06 KiB) Viewed 95841 times

New Matte ones:
PXL_20220727_094601362.jpg
PXL_20220727_094601362.jpg (82.04 KiB) Viewed 95841 times
PXL_20220727_094619744.jpg
PXL_20220727_094619744.jpg (99.11 KiB) Viewed 95841 times
User avatar
bakubo
Tower of Babel
Posts: 5864
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2007 7:55 am
Location: Japan
Contact:

Re: Back to SLR thoughts and ramblings

Unread post by bakubo »

Former Nikon GM says the DSLR era has ‘already ended’

Tetsuro Goto feels Nikon would be wise to focus solely on mirrorless moving forward. But he does regret not making the D900.

https://www.popphoto.com/news/nikon-gm- ... -era-over/

Former Nikon general manager and product designer, Tetsuro Goto is weighing in on the brand’s future. In response to last week’s report that the storied Japanese camera manufacturer plans to wind down DSLR development ASAP—a report Nikon so far doesn’t deny but also doesn’t confirm—the mastermind behind such products as the retro-fabulous Nikon Df says mirrorless should be the brand’s sole focus.
...
While Nikon doesn’t confirm DSLR development is over, the brand also doesn’t deny it. In fact, Nikon already shared with its investors plans to wind down the DSLR end of the business by 2025, so Nikkei‘s report puts that plan just a few years ahead of schedule. Furthermore, Nikon’s F-mount range has already been whittled down to just four camera bodies, so none of this really comes as much of a surprise.
classiccameras
Viceroy
Posts: 1044
Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2012 9:33 am

Re: Back to SLR thoughts and ramblings

Unread post by classiccameras »

Trouble with retro is many younger photographers have not lived through those days and cameras like the DF don't mean much to them, all being brought up on the currant DSLR shape. I heard one young photographer say he did not like of look of the Fuji cameras preferring his Canon DSLR. I guess the older you are the more appreciative you will be of retro styling.
User avatar
bfitzgerald
Subsuming Vortex of Brilliance
Posts: 3996
Joined: Fri Sep 26, 2008 10:48 pm

Re: Back to SLR thoughts and ramblings

Unread post by bfitzgerald »

bakubo wrote: Thu Jul 28, 2022 9:21 pm Former Nikon GM says the DSLR era has ‘already ended’

Tetsuro Goto feels Nikon would be wise to focus solely on mirrorless moving forward. But he does regret not making the D900.

https://www.popphoto.com/news/nikon-gm- ... -era-over/

Former Nikon general manager and product designer, Tetsuro Goto is weighing in on the brand’s future. In response to last week’s report that the storied Japanese camera manufacturer plans to wind down DSLR development ASAP—a report Nikon so far doesn’t deny but also doesn’t confirm—the mastermind behind such products as the retro-fabulous Nikon Df says mirrorless should be the brand’s sole focus.
...
While Nikon doesn’t confirm DSLR development is over, the brand also doesn’t deny it. In fact, Nikon already shared with its investors plans to wind down the DSLR end of the business by 2025, so Nikkei‘s report puts that plan just a few years ahead of schedule. Furthermore, Nikon’s F-mount range has already been whittled down to just four camera bodies, so none of this really comes as much of a surprise.

I think the post and the previous one is along the lines of "flamebait"
There is no discussion, just posting links. Gets a bit boring really. This isn't news, come back when there is real news...
Last edited by bfitzgerald on Sat Jul 30, 2022 9:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
bfitzgerald
Subsuming Vortex of Brilliance
Posts: 3996
Joined: Fri Sep 26, 2008 10:48 pm

Re: Back to SLR thoughts and ramblings

Unread post by bfitzgerald »

classiccameras wrote: Fri Jul 29, 2022 1:45 pm Trouble with retro is many younger photographers have not lived through those days and cameras like the DF don't mean much to them, all being brought up on the currant DSLR shape. I heard one young photographer say he did not like of look of the Fuji cameras preferring his Canon DSLR. I guess the older you are the more appreciative you will be of retro styling.
The trouble with anything is, the next best thing and why it doesn't matter. I'm just looking over some older photos, and whilst some of the early days were a bit tricky with dynamic range, resolution a bit limited - somehow we managed to get the photos.
The good news is I have offloaded almost all of my A mount gear, the A57 is gone, I am left with the 2 5d's and a few lenses. Couple of film bodies left. I might just end up keeping the 5d's and a few Minolta lenses, just for fun the 5d has a nice look to images even to this day. The A580 was alright, decent 16mp sensor, but meh viewfinder - that was the problem with Sony. They never made a pentaprism camera with live view.

I'm playing around with some older cameras, to make video content - people seem to like these videos. I have a D90 coming with 500 shots on it! Bargain for 160 euro. I could use that as a second cam for the time being. I've also picked up another lens which is not well known, I will reveal all shortly! So far the D780 does everything I need and more, so who cares what DSLR's are made from now on. In 10 years time I could still use that camera and get results I am very happy with, and maybe D850's are dirt cheap by that time. I'm bored of the next best thing, the Mirrorless revolution which isn't really a revolution at all. It's just repacking the same thing at a higher price, thanks but erm no thanks :mrgreen:
User avatar
bakubo
Tower of Babel
Posts: 5864
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2007 7:55 am
Location: Japan
Contact:

Re: Back to SLR thoughts and ramblings

Unread post by bakubo »

bfitzgerald wrote: Sat Jul 30, 2022 9:20 pm I think the post and the previous one is along the lines of "flamebait"
There is no discussion, just posting links. Gets a bit boring really. This isn't news, come back when there is real news...
This gave me the best chuckle of the day. Thank you! :lol:

You are the poster boy for making lengthy wild speculations, guesses, and predictions (often wrong) concerning the camera business. :lol:
User avatar
bfitzgerald
Subsuming Vortex of Brilliance
Posts: 3996
Joined: Fri Sep 26, 2008 10:48 pm

Re: Back to SLR thoughts and ramblings

Unread post by bfitzgerald »

bakubo wrote: Sun Jul 31, 2022 9:28 am
bfitzgerald wrote: Sat Jul 30, 2022 9:20 pm I think the post and the previous one is along the lines of "flamebait"
There is no discussion, just posting links. Gets a bit boring really. This isn't news, come back when there is real news...
This gave me the best chuckle of the day. Thank you! :lol:

You are the poster boy for making lengthy wild speculations, guesses, and predictions (often wrong) concerning the camera business. :lol:
Some serious issues going on here, and I want nothing to do with it. Your spam like flamebait posts add nothing to the discussion, you have some things to sort out, so I suggest you go get those problems resolved. Wrong predictions? Such as the camera industry being in decline? How horribly wrong could I be? Gasp...
Wild speculations? Maybe you'd want to check your medications/dosage?

Anyway welcome to the ignore list, long overdue IMO.
I'm trying to give potential readers some insights into using a DSLR after using SLT/EVF cameras, you're just trying to annoy/disrupt a potentially useful discussion. In life be useful, or be useless - your choice.
classiccameras
Viceroy
Posts: 1044
Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2012 9:33 am

Re: Back to SLR thoughts and ramblings

Unread post by classiccameras »

I can understand you keeping a couple 5D's and a few Minolta lenses, its almost like burning your bridges of nostalgia if you outed them, The A580 wasn't bad and probably made better use of the sensor than SLT. I now have zero Sony items. The thing with your D850s is it will give you long service that's What Nikon do they build longevity into the higher end cameras, I was a big fan of the D90.

I still have my Olympus E-510 & E-600 both DSLR'S and they are still great to use. I think Olympus should not have ditched those designs. They were blindly driven by trying to recreate a retro 35-mm SLR, namely the OM cameras as a digital version, but Why micro 4/3, They should have adapted the OM bodies may be to APS-C, and dumped 4/3, it was getting poor reviews for noise because of the small sensor. I use my two 4/3 cameras within their limits. Still easy to criticise in retrospect.

I'm still looking at the DSLR market but come to the conclusion a small light weight bodied DSLR is not a bad idea, At the top of the list is the DSLR Camera Labs gave as best buy, the small simple 200D, Yes its just one stage above entry but Camera labs could not give it enough praise. So searching for a used one.
User avatar
bfitzgerald
Subsuming Vortex of Brilliance
Posts: 3996
Joined: Fri Sep 26, 2008 10:48 pm

Re: Back to SLR thoughts and ramblings

Unread post by bfitzgerald »

Update 2023
For those who have some interest

I recently added a D800 for €599, bought from Finland 15K on the shutter, grip MPB €64
I have no interest in pixels, but for that price who can say no? It's at least a stop better high ISO v the Sony A99, build is better, and it has a built in flash which is useful (despite the protests of some think off camera trigger or a fill flash) That's €200 less than I paid for the A99

My line up now includes
D780
D800 + Grip
Sigma 12-24mm
Nikon 28mm f1.8, 50mm f1.8
Sigma 105mm OS macro
Tokina 24-70mm 2.8 and Tokina 70-200mm F4
I will add a longer tele at some point, not a priority for the jobs I do

Both Tokina lenses are excellent, the 24-70mm I paid £400 on eBay from Wales, the 70-200mm F4 from Poland new with warranty for €600.
The 70-200mm has IS/VC, and a USM, this is the lens Sony never bothered to make, and this one is a gem wonderful rendering, not a small lens but excellent build. It's like a modern beercan minus the CA issues and handles 36mp without any issues.

There was a recent interview I read about Sony moaning about how they didn't do so well with their DSLR efforts. Rather than accepting they messed up, they tried to blame other factors. Sony never did flesh out the lens system properly, never updated many lenses, and messed around with SLT which was a failed concept and did nothing for A mount. In short, they didn't put the effort in, and ignored users needs/ That 70-200mm is one example of a never turned up lens which I feel is a must have, I use it all the time.

I have 2 x KM5d's left, the 18-70mm kit, 100-200mm and 50mm 1.7. The only Sony items I have left are one hot shoe adapter, and the 30mm DT macro
I offloaded all my Sony cards too and other accessories, all film bodies are sold. I will pick up a Nikon F Mount SLR at some point
Regrets? One, that I didn't do this 4-5 years ago and trusted Sony to stick to their word, lesson learned. I do miss some lenses from Minolta the 80-200mm is a gem, and I always liked it. I find the Tokina to be a good alternative, and despite f4 I'm very happy with this lens.

The feel of the Nikon DSLR cameras is very nice in the hand, and I can't see me compromising ergonomics with mirrorless. Cameras like the Z8 don't interest me, missing controls very high price and mostly plastic construction, a sign of more cost cutting sadly from many makers. A mount only had old dated OVF cameras in full frame the A900/850, which is a shame. I don't miss the A99, at the time I liked it, now I can see how Sony were never going to make that stick v the D800 having used both of them. A99 was priced all wrong, and the AF coverage hurt it's sales. At 2 grand it would have been a good buy. Nikon did have D800 issues at the start, but I got a later production one all good.

I don't care what Nikon do with their DSLR's as I can just buy more D800/810 cameras for not that much, they are more camera then I need and still very capable. I don't miss the EVF, I have used some more mirrorless cameras since A7RIV and a few Canon's (R5/6) and I don't feel I am missing out at all. For those looking for some deals, F mount still has much to offer
FotoJet.jpg
FotoJet.jpg (94.39 KiB) Viewed 84423 times
PXL_20230505_105057861.NIGHT.jpg
PXL_20230505_105057861.NIGHT.jpg (90.88 KiB) Viewed 84423 times
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests