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Wednesday, 8 August 2018

The future of 'Full Frame Mirrorless'

https://www.mirrorlessrumors.com/nikon-ff-mirrorless-vs-sony-a7riii-vs-d850-size-comparison/





























Some bright wag suggested that Nikon and / or Canon would have a hard time in the 'Full Frame Mirrorless' marketplace because Sony were so dominant. Well that's actually not that hard since Sony and Leica are the only ones with those cameras and Leica are never going to be mass market. But OK Sony HAVE sold a lot of cameras and lenses, there's no denying that. But as to the question of will they continue to dominate, even when the 'big two' get involved, that's anybody's guess. So, very much in the spirit of a bit of of speculative fun, this is MY 'guess'.

And my guess is that Sony will get 'buried' and probably pull out of the camera business in a few years time. (Cue apoplexy from Sony owners) Now why do I think that?

OK, let's continue to remember this is a fun post, VERY subjective and no way intended to be some serious analysis (See previous post) but here is my (wishful) thinking.

1) I don't think Nikon and Canon are too late to get serious about mirrorless. Canon have only recently entered the field with their EOS-M system, which for me is pretty ordinary, but they have already become the biggest mirrorless camera sellers in several marketplaces. And we all know why that is, the Canon name. Recently I was asked by a relative to recommend a decent starter camera. When I mentioned a Sony I was asked 'Do Sony make cameras? I didn't know that.'

2) The picture at the top of the page (assuming the Nikon is correctly sized) illustrates Sony's big (small!!) problem. They started a FF mirrorless system with a mount designed for small APS-C compact cameras. Now why they did this, who knows, but it has implications for the lenses. And you only have to look at the soft corners and edges of some of their wide angle lenses to see the problems here. And using Minolta templates for their lenses hasn't helped. Minolta always were the bottom of the list in terms of the 'Big 5' film camera manufacturers.

3) Sony have always had a 'Release as many models for every conceivable user and see what sells' approach. At one time they had more cameras than lenses!! That's not the case anymore, but it shows their lack of experience and let's face it, on the FF mirrorless front they have had no competition. I have used the Leica Q and SL, but the majority  of those interested in FFM (I'll use this to save me writing out the whole thing) won't even consider Leica on price grounds.

4) Nikon and Canon won't do the above. Both companies give their camera models a decent time to sell before they replace them. And customers like that. Because they don't see their purchases becoming outdated quickly and loosing money if they want to upgrade.

5) Sony overprice everything. Some of their prices are just ridiculous. When the A9 was released it was approaching £4500. Now that is just ludicrous. Particularly when you consider the cheap feeling polycarbonate construction of Sony cameras. There are lots of other examples of this overpricing in cameras and lenses. All of this means of course is that buyers loose a bundle of cash when they come to 'upgrade.'

6) Sony value specs. over everything else. They load masses of features onto their cameras, which makes them complex to understand and prone to all sorts of 'teething problems'. You only have to look at the overheating video phenomenon. The bulk of photographers won't use the majority of this stuff. I'm a professional photographer and I don't want these options and it's worth remembering that the majority of potential FFM users aren't like the reviewers and forum contributors on the photographic internet, who seem dazzled a by a plethora of gimmicks that flatter to deceive.

7) Finally and probably my most contentious point, Sony just don't have any class. They don't have any history. They are too eager, too greedy and make mistakes. Nikon and Canon have taken their time to enter the FFM market and they have made careful note of what to include and what to avoid. Personally I believe that they will both release seriously good cameras, well designed and with all the specs. that really matter. Now It won't be very long before I'm proved right or wrong on that. But one think is for sure, they both start with the advantage that for the majority of camera users (and anybody else for that matter) the top camera brands ARE Nikon and Canon. After all how many people do you see using Sony cameras on TV and in the movies.

OK, again I would make clear that the above is just me having a bit of fun. Now I'm not sure I'll lose any Sony FFM enthusiasts because of this as they all left a long time ago because of my previous negative comments. And I have been somewhat 'anti-Sony' for some time after having bought a lot of their cameras in the past and even given some my Camera of the Year accolade. But with all of them I got fed up with the cheap feel of them, the design and construction, the fact that they had lens quality issues and the fact that when I came to sell them I lost a LOT of money because they were too expensive for what they offered.

Now I'm not ruling out ever using a Sony camera again, who knows they may respond the the Nikon Canon challenge by 'cleaning up their act' but at the moment I seriously doubt it. I am interested to see what both Nikon and Canon offer and I may well give one (or both) a try. The main thing I am looking for is how they cope with their F and EF mount lenses since I have a large collection of both. Full disclosure here, I do own 5 Nikon and 3 Canon cameras. Admittedly all but one of those are film SLR's, but I am a Nikon and Canon fanboy. And they are the brands I have bought the most of over the years and with their FFM offerings that may continue. And yes I may well be a 'brand snob' but then it's my money and I'll spend it how I want. And currently Nikon and Canon as well as Leica and Panasonic are guaranteed a welcome in my camera cupboard. (I've upgraded from a shelf!!) whereas Sony are Persona Non Grata. Ultimately it doesn't really matter what I think or what I use, but we all have our preferences. This post is merely one example of me showing mine.

Stock photography by david martyn hughes at Alamy

© David Taylor-Hughes / Soundimageplus Blog


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