OPINION POST
I do keep writing about this, but I am genuinely astounded that camera manufacturers answer to smartphones eroding their sales, is bigger, heavier and more expensive gear. Do they all have shares in Voltarol? Even m4/3, the system that gives us smaller, lighter and cheaper cameras now offers the Olympus EM1-X and this.
Just exactly who is all this massive gear aimed at? Professionals, Serious Amateurs? They all like big gear surely? 'Let's all get a F*** You Camera to show just how serious we are. ' What happened to technology eliminating the need for back and bank breaking photographic gear? In another universe, smartphone manufacturers are coming up with 3 and 4 lens systems and 10x lossless zoom options. I have a Huawei camera that shoots unbelievably good 39MP images on a tiny f/1.8 sensor and yet camera manufacturers, who I have bought from in the past, are targeting me with whopping great lens monsters and cameras that make flying a combat jet a piece of cake. Oversized, Overpriced and Overcomplicated seems the order of the day, with a premium price tag attached to it.
This all seems like a way to commit collective suicide. This is not the Bloomberg channel, so any analysis of business practice and prospects is not my area of expertise. However, having bought and used a LOT of cameras in the past, I can lay claim to being an 'expert customer'. And I have to say a lot of what is being offered to me just leaves me cold. And I don't really have an issue with large cameras. However I do have an issue with large and heavy cameras and large and heavy lenses. Who doesn't? A lot of us walk with our cameras and carry them around for long periods of time. We also venture up hills and follow paths that leave smoothness and ease of use behind. We also like to carry a range of lenses. And in order to do all of this with some degree of comfort, we like small, light outfits that give us the quality we need. Unfortunately, that goal doesn't seem to be a priority for many camera manufacturers currently.
