# is the advent of mirrorless cameras, the dslrs will become obsolete



## jkzo (Jul 10, 2011)

*Mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera* (*MILC*)  (Micro Four Thirds standard) will make all the inventory of valuable lenses obsolete. Please make valuable suggestions in the interest of forum members


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## Patrice (Jul 10, 2011)

I suppose the same way interchangeable lens rangefinders made SLRs obsolete, and before that, how SLRs made MF obsolete.


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## usayit (Jul 10, 2011)

First, Mirrorless is not equal to Micro 4/3.  There are many current and emerging systems; NEX, NX, etc...   a few more are "rumor" status.   Canon, Nikon of course.   Leica just announced a mirrorless system for 2012 Photokina.  Fuji is rumored to toy with interchangeable lens capable version of the X100.  Pentax just released the weird and yet to be proven practical Q system.  

Second, no way to tell.. do you have a magic crystal ball?   If I could predict product decisions like these, I can make loads of money in investments.   

Third, don't spend too much energy worrying about these things...... its not like camera equipment (except a few exception) "appreciate" in value... they are an expense.   If I said yes... in the near future all your stuff is obsolete, what would you do now?   If I said no.... what would you do differently?  



Think of it this way: 

Canon FD lenses became obsolete... and it had nothing to do with another format but a manufacturer decision.

On the other hand....

4/3 (non-micro) SLR lenses do NOT become obsolete..... they are functional (AF, metering, stop down) on micro 4/3...  also a manufacturer design decision.

On the other hand....

Ricoh just purchased Pentax... its possible that will be the end of it for older K-mounts... a business decision.

On the other hand...

Nikon, Pentax and Leica for example have maintained backward compatibility for decades of lenses.... 

On the other hand...

Maybe mirrorless will just die off (personal opinion... it won't)... market acceptance

On the other hand...

Leica left R-system SLR users behind when they discontinued the R systems + digital module. 

On the other hand....

What if the earthquake just wiped out Japan's ability 100%....   Let'see.. Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, Olympus, etc.. all gone...   and we've got bigger concerns.

On the other hand..................... (goes on and on).



Your head will spin because the answer is unknown.


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## 480sparky (Jul 10, 2011)

Folks till shoot film, don't they?

There's still Model A's on the road.  Some audiophiles value reel-to-reel.  And I still use a computer running Windows 3.11.


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## mfo (Jul 10, 2011)

jkzo said:


> Please make valuable suggestions in the interest of forum members



MFT are MILC but not all MILC are MFT. Many lens systems can be adapted onto NEX with its 23x15mm sensor and 18mm Flange Focal Distance.


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## Garbz (Jul 13, 2011)

MILC?

What happened to the Electronic Viewfinder Interchangable Lenses (EVIL) acronym?


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## imagemaker46 (Jul 13, 2011)

Everything becomes obsolete at some point. Good or bad.


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## Derrel (Jul 13, 2011)

jkzo said:


> *Mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera* (*MILC*)  (Micro Four Thirds standard) will make all the inventory of valuable lenses obsolete. Please make valuable suggestions in the interest of forum members



Yes, exactly like the way television killed the movie business. And the way "video killed the radio star." Small-format cameras, those with FOV factors of 2.0 or so, have been measured, and found wanting by many people. Not many people want to spend thousands of dollars on cameras that are basically, glorified 110-format cameras. As far as making things "obsolete", these new toy cameras have their biggest sales numbers in Japan, a market where miniaturization and "cutesy things", like Hello Kitty, plays well. In the rest of the world, these new toy cameras are not selling very well. And why would they? With good cell phone cameras in the 5- to 8-megapixel range, there isn't that much need for a tiny-format camera if all one wants is happy snaps...cell phones work just fine.


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## usayit (Jul 13, 2011)

Lol.. Derrel..

Google Translate

Don't discredit the Japanese.. they have one of the most critical consumer base when it comes to cameras.  The major difference between US and Japanese markets are their willingness to adopt different things while we tend to play it safe... staying to what is familiar.  Let's not forget that what 99% of the market is from Japanese manufacturers.   

There's also some reports coming out that the micro 4/3 cameras are not much off from the entry level cameras on Nikon and Canon in terms of performance.   Its just a matter of time.... the system has only been around since 2008.   The system is starting to find its way to some professionals BUT not seriously as the system has some major work in faster optics, things like weatherproofing, and most definitely AF performance.  

You have a tendency to blow things out of proportion.... so lets align it a bit:

From wikipedia:
Micro Four Thirds system - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia







There is HUGE difference between the sensor sizes found in cell phones or even P&S and Micro 4/3... HUGE.   The difference between Nikon/Canon APS sizes when compared to Micro 4/3 is not THAT large.   Heck... there is a significant difference between Nikon APS-C and Canon APS-H sizes but no one is comparing Nikon APS sensors to that of a cell phone.



...


Ok... now you can go all pissy with me since I disagree.  have fun...


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## usayit (Jul 13, 2011)

I couldn't dig up some of the publications recently done with Micro 4/3 shooters... but

Panasonic G1 made it to Playboy magazine - Micro Four Thirds User Forum

this fellow was published in playboy magazine using a G1 (1st micro 4/3 released) no doubt.


Its not the camera... the photographer.


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## Mike_E (Jul 13, 2011)

My Pacemaker Speed Graphic isn't obsolete.  As long as the camera gives acceptable results, there is still a medium that can be used to make a print and photographers who are willing to use them obsolete is a term for marketing agencies.


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## jkzo (Jul 14, 2011)

thank u everybody for puting their thoughts into it. i expected Bitter (Sweet) Jeweller to make his contirbution to this thread


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