Where MILC is Headed in 2019

Where Mirrorless is Headed in 2019 by Thom Hogan

Mirrorless had a big year in 2018, with many full frame entrants (4, or 10% of all cameras introduced), plus some good energy on either side of that size from Fujifilm. Lenses came in droves for mirrorless this year. I count 27 significant mirrorless-only lenses introduced this year (plus things like the Sigma Art series in FE mount adds quite a few more). 2019 is likely to be more of the same: lots of new lenses now that Canon and Nikon have to get their mirrorless foundries up-to-speed to match Sony.

Clearly, all the camera makers—other than Pentax, who's still wandering around in the woods somewhere seeing if trees make noises when they fall—are going to be executing significantly in the mirrorless realm in the future. We're now clearly into the DSLR-to-mirrorless transition period. How long that transition will take depends upon how fast the camera makers move.

My predictions are:

The whole camera market is moving up-market — just like the iPhone X line. We’ll see more capable, but expensive mirrorless camera bodies and better quality lenses. We’ll pay more but we’ll get a better product.

The low-end consumer cameras are dead. Advancement in smartphone cameras with AI will put a nail in that coffin. The market will refocus on the advanced amateur -- amateur is defined as one who engages in a pursuit, study, science, or sport as a pastime rather than as a profession -- and professional market.

We have cheap bicycles for people who like to ride on cool spring/autumn days and we have more expensive (and capable) bicycles for cycling enthusiasts who ride 50–60km (one way) on the weekend (just because they can).

What makes the difference?

Brand (dis)loyalty, mirrorless and why it’s good for everybody by Ming Thein (Ming Thein | Photographer)

At the pointy end of the market now, does 10 vs 11fps really make a difference? Or ISO 51200 vs ISO 102,400, both of which are probably marginal anyway? 300 vs 400 AF points? For all practical purposes, no. The hardware is and has been for a long time, meat-limited. What makes the difference is the operational experience, the haptic-tactile experience, and just how much the damn camera makes you want to go out and take pictures with it.

Good reasoning, especially those last two sentences, for why I chose to switch to the Fuji X-T2 instead of sticking with Nikon and upgrading my broken kit to a Nikon D500. The ergonomics of the X-T2 provide a experience for me.

In a short period I am used to how the ISO and exposure dials on top of the camera work on the X-T2 and I am comfortable making quick aperture changes via the Fujinon XF 16-55mm F2.8 R LM WR lens.

I have created a custom menu for quick access to camera settings such as Film Simulation mode, formatting a memory card, auto-focus points, white balance, dynamic range, drive mode and wireless transfer.

Fuji put bracketing, video, and on one of the dials so that switching modes is easy. The camera meets my needs.

What Prompts an ILC Upgrade?

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What prompts an upgrade for interchangeable lens camera users?

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I don't claim to understand the machinations of the camera market but my workflow involves shooting with a DSLR (for quality, dynamic range and DOF) and posting to social media (or my blog first then social media). The ability to capture, quickly make minor edits and then post to social media is among one of the top features I want in my next ILC.