Thread: What is your opinion about the future of DLSRs?

If by DSLR and SLR, you mean the mirror mechanism (the reflex in R), I wouldn't miss them if they go extinct.
What I believe will be around is the build and image quality, speed of focusing and processing, and most important, the ability to use existing lenses.

Think back to the days of the interchangeable penta-prism SLR's.
Along came the electronics and AF and the introduction of data backs.

At present we have the ability to still change lenses and to add more or less film - change to bigger or smaller cards.

What we need (and Thom Hogan has alluded to) is inter-changable/upgradeable sensors.

I envisage the SLR will go eventually but the size of the cameras will stay.
You need an accurate viewing system - view finder is smaller than LCD so aids in small form factor.
You need an interchangeable lens system - consumers want to be able to keep the lenses they have for some time so this may phase over to a new mounting system.
You need quick access to change functions without diving into menus. The key difference between a D3s and a D3100 is the number of buttons and menu short cuts.

What I would love to see though is a digital equivalent of the Nikon FM10. Simple, robust and bullet proof... and a lot cheaper than a Leica.

nextgen (EVIL - Electronic Viewfinder Interchangable Lens) camera are interchangable lens cameras without being slr's. some have a view finder p top for traditional style photography,some don't and just rely on the LCD
sony, olympus, Panasonic, samsung are a few that come to mind already on the band wagon to have replacements for DSLR's.

The leaked specs of the translucent Sony A77 are about the only thing stopping me from buying a D7000. If it is a good as they are bragging it does suggest that Sony are taking the market seriously again...

Cheers, Steve

It doesn’t have to do anything that I consider myself to be better than those who are content with something that does just require the push of a button to achieve their goal. Neither does it mean that I want to show off by using a physically large DLSR.

It has to do with control. I want to be able to for example with the rear and front dial of my DLSR be able to instantly change the aperture and shutter speed while looking through the view finder to adjust the way the picture will turn out in the way I want it to do. That is not possible with a mobile phone camera, or something you can do as fast with a point n’ shoot, EVIL-camera without having to dig in the menu systems.

I do have a fairly competent point n’ shoot camera as well, with HD-movie recording etc. And it is great in some occasions, but when I really want to take a photo that matters and have the full control of the process I use my DLSR.

The list with advantages my DLSR have over my point n’ shoot and cameras/cellphones with touch screens are of course several more than those I’ve already mentioned. Like being able to take better pictures in low light situations without flash due to the larger sensor. Another factor that is important for me is that the dedicated physical buttons that makes it possible to change settings on the camera without having to take of my glows when I work in cold temperatures. You don’t have that problem in Australia, but trust me that you don’t want to expose bare skin if you don’t need to in say – 34 c. Having to rely on a touch screen, if it even works properly in that temperature ( which I doubt ), that requires direct skin contact would definitively be a big problem if you don’t fancy the idea of freezing your fingers off.

There could of course be pro-EVIL camers with all the advantages I’ve mentioned, but with something like that hasn’t been released yet. The one’s announced to date has been simply point n’ shoots with a bigger sensor and the possibility to change lenses and shoot in RAW.

In the future there might be proper alternative to the optical view finder. But today’s electronic viewfinders, and most defintively live view systems, doesn’t measure up yet imo.

The same goes for computers. Some would be content with buying a computer that has all components bundled in to a single piece, like an iMac. They don’t have the need, desire, or knowledge to be able to change the components of the computer by themselves and that is just fine by me. But I want to be able to have that control. I’d like to be able to change the screen, processor, harddrive, PSU etc. if I should fancy that.

This is also the reason why I think the Defender is such an interesting vehicle. It has an engine you actually can work with yourself. If your brand new Mercedes would die on you while driving along a deserted road. You can check the oil and perhaps change a sparkplug, but anything beyond that and you are screwed since the engine is hidden behind a ton of plastic and you need a diagnostic computer to have a clue what is wrong in the first place.

They could have done it years ago so there must be a reason they don't. I would say it's a much nicer way to take pics and the people who buy DSLRs prefer the optical VF.

DSLRs outperform their LCD by about 5-1 I think. It would need to be a pretty amazing LCD to be as nice a place to be as an optical VF looking through good glass off a front surface mirror.

I think it's one of the last real differences that separate video from stills and I think the companies are hanging onto it.

Ian.

I've held of upgrading my D90 to a D7000 so I can see what Nikon does with its upcoming EVIL camera.
I would love a smaller quieter camera with the performance of the D7000 and also keep my old lenses.