jbcohen
Senior Member
All of Canon's development lately has been with the mirrorless cameras to the point that I wonder is Canon abandoning the mirrored cameras entirely?
-
Welcome to the new forums! Please read this first. For known issues we are working to resolve, click here.
Canon EOS Series
- Thread starter jbcohen
- Start date
OldSchoolNewSchool
Senior Member
I wouldn't use the word "abandon" yet. But it will eventually happen. When? Who knows? My best guess is Canon stops manufacturing DSLRs in three or four years. They might produce the EF and EF-S lenses slightly longer. But it is only my uneducated, uninformed guess.
dmanthree
Forum Pro
I think the transition has begun, but Canon has not abandoned their line of DSLRs or the EF mount, But really, what lenses do they need to produce in EF mount? That's a *very* complete catalog.
But, clearly, their focus on lens development is the RF mount going forward. Which is a good thing.
Smaug01
Veteran Member
I speculate that they're going more toward mirrorless for the amateur market, and will stick with SLRs (do we really need to include the 'd' any more?) for pros.
There's a certain feeling I get when looking through a really nice optical viewfinder, through the actual lens I'm shooting through. It's real-time. Very little power draw, because there's no need to power an LCD, most of the time.
When I had my full frame Nikon D610 SLR, I remember being shocked at how long a battery lasted, compared to something that needed a screen to be on whenever it was turned on. To a pro, these are notable features. More so than 4k video capability and so forth.
There's a certain feeling I get when looking through a really nice optical viewfinder, through the actual lens I'm shooting through. It's real-time. Very little power draw, because there's no need to power an LCD, most of the time.
When I had my full frame Nikon D610 SLR, I remember being shocked at how long a battery lasted, compared to something that needed a screen to be on whenever it was turned on. To a pro, these are notable features. More so than 4k video capability and so forth.
Doug Pardee
Veteran Member
Does it matter?
Someday, they will. When they will abandon which DSLR lines and when they will stop sourcing new copies of which lens models is the question. Although (as I've already suggested) I don't see the importance for today's photographers.
The EF mount will certainly continue on for a while. In the near term, I'd expect some updated bodies (especially at the high end) and continued production of existing lenses, but not much in the way of new lens models (maybe a few minor updates). Bear in mind that there are few RF-mount lens designs for now, so RF mirrorless users will be reliant on EF-mount lenses for the next short while.
I think a bigger question is whether there's a way forward for the EF-M mirrorless users. Those seem to be selling very well indeed, but Canon hasn't produced much in the way of EF-M lenses. But maybe that crowd doesn't really need much in the way of lenses beyond the current six EF-M offerings: 11-22, 15-45, 55-200, 18-150, and 22 and macro 28 mm primes.
--
Co-founder of the open-source LightZone Project: http://lightzoneproject.org/
Last edited:
Smaug01
Veteran Member
If Canon does that, Nikon will immediately be healthy again in the SLR world.
Starflash127
Well-known member
7 M lenses; 32mm f1.4 has very positive reviews
As long as people keep buying DSLRs, Canon will keep making them.
If Canon improves mirrorless camera autofocus, that will improve DSLR live view autofocus. If Canon puts an improved sensor in a mirrorless camera, that sensor can also be used in a DSLR. And so on.
Source: CIPA
ttran88
Veteran Member
I wouldn't be surprised if Canon doesn't release another DSLR besides their rebel lineup.
That is a preference, one which will diminish a little more each time EVFs improve.
This will always be true, but might be of less significance with battery improvement.
There is no one set of features that professional photographers need. For sports and events, it is more important. I shoot landscapes and whilst I always carry at least one spare battery, mirrored or mirrorless, a couple extra batteries would be among the least heavy bits of my kit.
As to what features are most important, that also varies by genre and personal usage.
No, Nikon is going in that direction too.If Canon does that, Nikon will immediately be healthy again in the SLR world.
https://petapixel.com/2019/07/02/nikon-to-drop-1-3-of-its-dslr-lineup-in-shift-to-mirrorless-report/
Right, because lenses like the $2300 RF 50/1.2L, $2700 RF 85/1.2L, and $3000 RF 28-70/2L are totally aimed at the "amateur market?" Nope. These are all very big, heavy, expensive lenses aimed at pros.
In fact, Canon's RF lens road map is composed almost entirely of pro Canon L lenses:
So the notion that Canon is "more toward mirrorless for the amateur market, and will stick with SLRs for pros" is rather absurd. They will definitely go mirrorless for their pro bodies because all of their RF mirrorless lenses that they are introducing are L lenses aimed at pros.
Time to wake up and smell the coffee.
Last edited:
Here is what happened in the market in 2018. The DSLR market is rapidly shrinking. In 2020, mirrorless sales will likely surpass DSLR sales.As long as people keep buying DSLRs, Canon will keep making them.
If Canon improves mirrorless camera autofocus, that will improve DSLR live view autofocus. If Canon puts an improved sensor in a mirrorless camera, that sensor can also be used in a DSLR. And so on.
Source: CIPA
The other problem with DSLRs is that it's mainly just the low-end DSLRs that are still selling. The mid and upper-range buyers have shifted over to mirrorless. You can see this in the graph below where the average unit price of a mirrorless sale is far greater than DSLRs.
So if most of the higher value ILC spending is going to mirrorless cameras, there's not much incentive for manufacturers to pour R&D money into further development of DSLRs. It's very bad ROI (Return On Investment), especially since higher consumer spending has now shifted to mirrorless and DSLR sales continue to fall. I would expect R&D spending on DSLRs to be curtailed or halted soon, if not already. The only new DSLRs to be introduced will either have very minor improvements or be ones that have already been in development for quite some time and just need to be released. But beyond that, there's little point in manufacturers spending much more of their resources on DSLRs. Those resources will be shifted to mirrorless.
Last edited:
Making DSLRs? Yes. Developing new ones? No, probably not. DSLRs will likely go into a state of development stasis, just like film SLRs did. Canon's last film SLR was the EOS 1V, released in 2000. They continued making it until 2010, but obviously, they never updated it or released anything newer or more improved.
Last edited:
Don Lacy
Senior Member
- Messages
- 1,924
- Solutions
- 1
- Reaction score
- 2,624
ttran88
Veteran Member
Yeah if you call adding an I and new marketing materials a "new" release than sure go ahead and get excited.
Don Lacy
Senior Member
- Messages
- 1,924
- Solutions
- 1
- Reaction score
- 2,624
ttran88
Veteran Member
No I'm more interested in other types of charity work.
Similar threads
Keyboard shortcuts
- f
- Forum