Is there a future for DSLR?

[Frank Fremerey]

Ilkka: because of the lousy implementation of WLAN, also on my Fuji, I carry a cheap and short cable adapter to connect the camera directly to my smartphone if I want to share pictures fast.

I very much hope, the D500 will have a better implementation
a) Fast Connect
b) WLAN not drain battery
c) usable interface

[Alaun]

   ... combination of all good features   ...

Well, there is something called "intellectual property rights" or "patents".
Think of everybody could use your pictures as he likes

So just wait another 20 years and we will see (If we had the same protection as for pictures, we would probably still all use film )

Werner
 

[Ilkka Nissilä]

Cross licensing of patents is common in industry. If patents actually prevent the optimal product from being manufactured (because patent holders of important components in a successful product will not license their respective inventions to each other) then the question comes to mind: is the whole patent system meant to prevent/slow down progress and prevent good products from entering the market, and if so, should it not be disbanded?

[Frank Fremerey]

Werner: the inventor has spoken.

[Erik Lund]

Patents force development of new products to take alternative routes which is a good thing.
I cant see camera technology progress to be the reason to dissolve patent rights. Never.
Copyrights is something completely different... Can't see how this would make us use film again...

[dibyendumajumdar]

It appears to me that currently mirror-less cameras have a few deficiencies:

1. The viewfinder lag and general usability issue. The look through a Sony 7 viewfinder is decidedly 'video' like.

2. Autofocusing moving subjects and speed of the autofocus system in difficult conditions. I believe there are technical issues that need to be solved. For example in this post (http://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2014/02/27/canon-dual-pixel-cmos-af-autofocus-secrets-of-the-canon-70d-explained) Chuck Westfall explains that the AF precision of the dual-pixel design is proportional to the maximum aperture of the lens, which is not the case with the traditional AF sensor. Also he says 'It should be noted that AF precision at f/1.2 with Dual Pixel CMOS AF is basically the same as AF precision with the Dual Cross center point of the 70D's TTL-SIR phase-detection AF system. And accordingly, AF precision at f/2.8 with Dual Pixel CMOS AF is not quite as high as AF precision at f/2.8 with the Dual Cross center point of the 70D's TTL-SIR phase-detection AF system.' Obviously it gets worse when lenses have F4 or lower aperture.

So as of now, the on-sensor PDAF implementations do better with small formats such as Nikon 1 where depth of field is enough to overcome the lack of precision; in larger formats I believe that the on-sensor PDAF has to be augmented with contrast detection to improve accuracy/precision. 

I think the main reason that a mirrorless camera may replace the SLR is that without a mirror higher frame rates are possible. But until the AF issue is overcome and until the viewfinder issues are resolved, the SLR will probably still be the choice for photography under demanding conditions.

Regards
Dibyendu

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Thanks for a very helpful contribution

[Ilkka Nissilä]

Patents force development of new products to take alternative routes which is a good thing.

I see the biggest problem in techology development in scientific applications at least is that different researchers have developed solutions to subproblems but they do not talk to each other sufficiently and don't use the best of what their peers have developed to come out with a working solution. They will stubbornly try to work out the solution by themselves and refuse to see the good in their peers' work since they didn't think of it in the first place. This is a huge problem in my field (biomedical optics) and can easily delay clinical applications by 1-2 decades.

Volkswagen was initially using Mercedes' technology to get rid of nox in the exhaust (BlueTEC) but later they stopped this collaboration and developed their own system which didn't work and then they decided to cheat emissions tests using a software trick. Do you think VW trying to come up with an alternative solution was a good thing to the people of the world? I think this kind of pride is harmful and people and companies should collaborate more. Because it is for the benefit of the whole.

Sorry for the digression. I know that enterpreneurs in general would not agree with me but I'm looking at the big picture.

I suspect some Nikon users would be happy to see Nikon use in-body image stabilization, for example, or Canon users who could benefit from Sony/Nikon/Toshiba sensors' extensive dynamic range. But the best combination of features will never make it to a commercial product because of anti-progress legislation which puts the benefits of investors ahead of mankind.

[Olivier]

Well, the patent agent working with my company keeps repeating me that I can't patent something based on the absence of a feature or ingredient (in my case, formaldehyde).
So the whole idea of mirrolessness is groundless...
For me, it is just an interesting evolution in camera technology that brought to me a good EVF with which it is easier to MF my old Nikkors, and finally a decently light body.
This was already enough to get me interested. And once the process tamed (more or less!), image quality was not a limitation for me.
Of course, it will get better with time, and I couldn't care less if it did or didn't replace SLRs. As long as we can all chose based on our needs...

[BW]

I have tried a few mirrorless cameras during my photographic life, but for my kind of photography there is nothing that can come close to the DSLR when it comes to cold weather, battery life and durability. This picture took me two weeks to get. The D3s was standing on a tripod with a SB 910 attached in fluctuating temperatures ranging between -27 degrees celsius and +1 degrees celsius, snow and sleet, without changing batteries. Show me a mirrorless that could do something like this?

[Andy]

Volkswagen was initially using Mercedes' technology to get rid of nox in the exhaust (BlueTEC) but later they stopped this collaboration and developed their own system which didn't work and then they decided to cheat emissions tests using a software trick. Do you think VW trying to come up with an alternative solution was a good thing to the people of the world? I think this kind of pride is harmful and people and companies should collaborate more. Because it is for the benefit of the whole.

2006 VW, Audi and Mercedes agreed on a collaboration to mutually market Mercedes's patented BlueTEC technology
2007 VW canceled the collab (the value of the patent license is unknown)
2007 Mercedes litigated against Audi over the patent license, as they used the technology without a license
2007 A court in Munich confirmed the validity of Mercedes's patent
2009 An appelate court invalidated Mercedes's patent, as they found prior art in the market. (Mercdes lost the patent income they planned for the years to come)

rgds,
Andy

[bjornthun]

I have tried a few mirrorless cameras during my photographic life, but for my kind of photography there is nothing that can come close to the DSLR when it comes to cold weather, battery life and durability. This picture took me two weeks to get. The D3s was standing on a tripod with a SB 910 attached in fluctuating temperatures ranging between -27 degrees celsius and +1 degrees celsius, snow and sleet, without changing batteries. Show me a mirrorless that could do something like this?

If the battery in the camera isn't sufficient, you can attach an external powersource, battery or AC. Mirrorless as well as DSLRs support that.

[BW]

Don't misunderstand what my point is, the DSLR are durable, proven systems. The mirrorless systems will probably be capable after 5-10 years, but right now they are not ideal for field conditions, unless as you state, one bring an external power source. The Olympus OMD E-M1 is the closest contestant to the DSLR but unfortunately the inability to turn of the LCD or EVF completely cripples battery life. It also falls short when it comes to AF-performance and night images.

[bjornthun]

Don't misunderstand what my point is, the DSLR are durable, proven systems. The mirrorless systems will probably be capable after 5-10 years, but right now they are not ideal for field conditions, unless as you state, one bring an external power source. The Olympus OMD E-M1 is the closest contestant to the DSLR but unfortunately the inability to turn of the LCD or EVF completely cripples battery life. It also falls short when it comes to AF-performance and night images.

I don't misunderstand your point. Mirrorless are durable already now, you don't need to wait 5-10 years. The temperature is not going to kill your camera whether it is a mirrorless or a dslr camera. Bring an ample supply of batteries or external power and you'll be just fine. I've used my Sony mirrorless in freezing, below 0 C, temperatures and the camera survives just fine.

In poor light I find mirrorless easier to manual focus than a DSLR, ymmv. The low light EV spec of various AF systems is a moving target.

[BW]

I was using the Olympus paralell with a friend who was using the Sony A7s under field conditions for a week on a canoe trip in the Adirondaks in october 2014. I can assure that the Sony had its problems both with weather, AF-performance and batteries. But Sony has released lots of cameras since then, so lets hope they have solved some of the problems. Remember that the D3s nailed all this things almost six years ago.