Link - https://www.l-rumors.com/sigma-announces-the-release-of-12-new-l-mount-art-lenses/
Sigma have just announced that they will be offering their Art prime lenses in L Mount. Plus a couple of adapters for some of their SA and Canon EF ranges. (Though apparently the adapters won't allow continuous autofocus !!!) And while this will add an excellent range of lenses to the system, there is an obvious pattern here. And that is Big, Heavy and Expensive. True the Sigma lenses are better value than the Leica and Panasonic alternatives, but they aren't cheap. What is apparent however is that this is becoming a system for bodybuilders!! To carry around a Lumix S1 / S1 R and a few lenses is going to require a good strong back and if anyone is planning to use it for landscape or outdoor photography then a degree of stamina is required. Sure, the lenses are going to be very high quality, but I suspect the size and price of the system is going to put a lot of people off. It's already done that for me.
I've written before about how Panasonic seem to be offering a Mirrorless alternative to professional DSLR's by making it bigger, heavier and more expensive than said DSLR's. Now this seems to me to be counter productive. Just exactly how many pro and serious enthusiast photographers are going to make the switch from their Nikon and Canon DSLR systems to the Lumix / Leica / Sigma L mount alternative? From what's emerging, I suspect that it's not going to be a lot. OK there is some fancy tech. in the Lumix FFMC's but is this a good enough reason to switch? Lot's of specs. may be attractive for some, but this is going to impact on your wallet and require a method of carrying an outfit around that doesn't require the need for traction !!
As I've indicated before, in a photographic world that is becoming dominated by smartphones, this notion of upscaling everything for FFMC's leaves me bewildered. Wasn't the whole point of mirrorless to make cameras smaller and easier to use without sacrificing quality? This is all a long way from the Olympus Pens, Panasonic G's and Sony NEX. Now as I discussed in a previous post Canon have just released the EOS RP, a smaller lighter FFMC. This camera together with an EF > R adapter allows the use of smaller, lighter and cheaper lenses. I'm already doing that with my EOS-R, using lenses such as the 'f/1.8's' (28mm, 50mm and 85mm f/1.8 EF primes). This gives me a light, easy to carry outfit that produces quality results. Plus in the native R mount the 35mm f/1.8 lens is a stellar performer, while being relatively small and light at at a decent price.
I like Panasonic, Leica and Sigma gear, and I'm surely a prime target for the L Mount Alliance, but I'm not going near it. I've already sold my Leica SL 24-90mm zoom as it's too heavy for me and I'm in the process of selling my SL. And as time passes, my decision to go with Canon EOS-R looks better and better. I'm primarily a stills photographer and if I need video options I have my Lumix G9 anyway. I really have no desire to cart around the S1 / S1R and a bunch of heavyweight lenses.
Finally, I would suggest that Canon and Nikon's longevity in the photo business has led them to make the right decisions in terms of what to offer in the FFMC marketplace. For starters we have more choice in terms of lenses because of the adapters and can either fit FF Mirrorless with what we already have, or start from scratch without bankrupting ourselves. I always thought that Panasonic, in particular were 'on the ball' in terms of the size - weight - price - quality equation with m4/3, but their FF strategy seems to be going in the wrong direction for me. The L Mount may be a huge success, but from what I see it's going to be a struggle to get a lot of people to invest it in. I still believe pro's will have a 'Panasonic who?' attitude and many serious enthusiasts (which they need to make it a success) will baulk at the price and size of the gear. Time will tell, but from my initial excitement at what the L Mount Alliance might offer, I'm now even more convinced to stick with Canon, who seems to me to be moving in a far more useful direction in terms of what I want to use. But then with their track record and No 1 position in terms of selling people what they want, that's hardly surprising.
