Just a curious scenario. Let's assume all your A-Mount gear stops working and Sony says A-mount is no longer being supported. You can't buy A-mount used either.
Which system would you "switch to" and why would you pick that system? What camera would you be coming from?
I really want to see everyone's thoughts as someone who has already moved from A-Mount and really misses it at times.
It's an unlikely scenario for the next 3.5 years which is how long I have coverage from Sony against failure or accidental breakage of my A99ii.
Let's suppose in three years, A99ii breaks and Sony says that they can't repair or replace it and will refund my camera and issue credit towards lenses that I can no longer use to their full capacity on E mount (this assumes no new screw AF adapter).
I will extrapolate from the current market, so it might not be very accurate.
Formats: Full frame or APS-c. Medium format is lovely, but completely unnecessary for my needs. If I ever went pro, I'd get a macro and tele lenses for studio work, but nothing other than that. It would affect my choice of gear for non-studio work, though. 4/3 is not an option, I'm afraid. The compactness is awesome, but it comes at a high cost and it's hardly any smaller than APS-c competition -- and APS-c offers shared mount with FF, at least with Sony and Nikon.
DSLRs: No, they're a thing of the past. SLTs work, but the scenario assumes A mount is dead.
Out of the MILC competition:
Nikon: no, just no. Their ergonomics don't speak to me, and the bodies are unnecessarily large. In three years, I think Nikon will not offer full frame below Z5 level and they will force compromises. They might not have sensor stabilization or other features will be cut. I'm also wary of their practices regarding third parties and adapted lenses. We might end up in a situation where Nikon suddenly unwraps a secure communications feature in Z mount and next generation cameras will only work with genuine Z mount lenses or adapted F mount lenses through FTZ but only if the adapter is programmed with the respective lens serial numbers. I mean, it would be very much Nikon to try this.
L mount: Panasonic is going to try to straddle FF and 4/3 and will probably not want to offer lower end FF bodies. They might change this approach, but only time will tell. Leica is a no go from the start due to the price and Sigma is a huge unknown.
Canon: RF mount is extremely promising. However, Canon always gives with one hand and takes away with the other. No sensor stabilization is one such example. They might end up offering it, but it will obviously come with limitations in the first generation (for instance, it will be 5 axis but only with native non-stabilized RF lenses. With stabilized RF lenses or with EF lenses, it's going to correct roll axis only. The next generation will correct for translation movement with some lenses, but will switch between lens IS with macro lenses to 3-axis sensor stabilization depending on focus distance and so on. Only until generation 3 or 4 will they offer actual 5-axis stabilization for all lenses except any legacy lens. That's just how Canon is.
Fujifilm: APS-c only, so probably no. Unless I went professional, in which case their medium format for studio work and APS-c for field work.
Sony: The obvious winner. I mean, the current A7Riv fits the bill for all my needs in a camera. This suggests A7iv will have all the features I want, except maybe just resolution. I think 42 megapixels are perfect for whatever I need, I'd be okay from around 36 megapixels up. I figure A7v will have that or maybe A9iii -- maybe the price will come down enough to make me consider it. Definitely has the best third party lens support.
That apocalyptic scenario has three ways of playing out:
1. My A99ii stops working and there's no new SLT worth purchasing, but I still have my lenses and there's a good screw AF adapter for some system. This would definitely sway my decision towards that system with a good adapter. It could be Sony, but it could just as well be L, RF, or even Z mount.
2. As above, but I also have no good way of using my screw AF lenses. It would depend on other systems' support for SAM/SSM lenses and whether there are good choices for 85 and 135 lenses. For now, this makes Sony the best choice, but it might change.
3. My camera and lenses are gone and I start from scratch. I'll look at options then.
