An open letter from photographer Scott Wyden to Sony

It is time for Nikon and Canon to listen up.  Your financial charts are going on a downward slope.  You know it and we all know it.  So start paying attention to what your customers want.  Your customers are buying Sony A7 series cameras with the intention of using their Nikon and Canon lenses on it.

You know this.

So why would you not design a camera to compete with it? Why allow your customers to go somewhere else? Scott Wyden via Hey Nikon – Why I Almost Got A Sony A7 & Why It Was Sent Back

I agree with Scott. I'm a Nikon shooter and for the last year I've been trying out various compact systems (aka mirror-less) cameras from Fuji and Olympus -- Olympus OM-D E-M5, Olympus OM-D E-M1, Olympus PEN EP-3, Fuji X-E1,and Fuji X-T1. I'm impressed.

Come on CaNikon. Answer Scot''s questions.

two key elements in photography

The release of the X-T1 Fuji addressed two key elements in photography.

First and foremost, an extra-large EVF allows you to concentrate on composition, light and subject in a way that is not possible with the optical viewfinder (which we also like to use). You can actually see the image before you take it! Of course, the EVF is not a new idea but it is beyond my comprehension that as of today, neither Nikon nor Canon has implemented this important technology in their leading cameras.

Second, access to all-important dials such as shutter speed or exposure compensation is at your fingertips. No, it is not hidden in the menus but in front of you! You can change them without dragging your eyes away from the scene.Olaf Sztaba

I think the same can be said of any retro range finder style compact system camera. The newer Fuji X series and OM-D M series both have this going for them. I think that's why I'm so drawn to these cameras. Having access to aperture and shutter and ISO controls right at my fingertips means I can focus on my photography. I think Nikon understood this when they introduced the Df. However, while the Nikon Df has the dials and optical viewfinder, Nikon didn't think about the other features that are also important. Size and weight.

The Sony α7, Fuji X-T1 and OM-D M1 are all roughly the same size and weight.