Is there a future for DSLR?

[bjornthun]

I have used film, manual and AF SLRs, DSLRs and mirrorless in the cold and never broken anything. But I take precautions, and I'm paranoid about moisture and condensations. That helps for Sony as well as Nikon.

No brand has nailed it wrt weather sealing. You will find anecdotal evidence of all brands failing due to climatic conditions. The presense or absense of a mirror is not going to change that.

canoe ride = possible moisture

On a canoe ride I would have considered a Nikon AW 1 and and put everything else in watertight bags.

[BW]

I agree Bjørn. As photographers we create workarounds when our equipement is not up to the task. Thats what make us photographers. But doesnt mean our equipement has stellar performance in all aspects. It just mean that we cope with what we use and what fits our specifications. As others have stated, there is no right or wrong in choise of gear. I also think its quite absurd to try to guess what the future holds, because we make pictures right now. They dont get any worse or better whatever the future might bring.

[Øivind Tøien]

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?

What a great shot, well done, Børge, it deserves its own thread.

As stated above weather sealing can be done on any camera as exemplified by AW1 but keeping those screens and sensors continuously powered eats batteries. AW1 is a hog on batteries, I got 4 of them for AW1 and that does not seem too much.

A DSLR is principally a mirrorless camera (with screen only) with a mirror and prism added and a special "mirrorless mode" (live view).     What development we really would like to see is more responsiveness in live view, not a one second delay like is more common. With  electronic front-curtain shutters appearing in DSLRs, I do not see why they could not all be just as responsive and shooting without blackout in continuous mode and in complete silence with live view like some of the Nikon 1 series bodies. This game with repeated closing and opening of a mechanical shutter in live view does not make "sense". Of course DSLRs also become battery hogs when they work in "mirrorless mode"...

[Ron Scubadiver]

The simple reason why DSLR's are not going away is they just work.

[Andy]

This game with repeated closing and opening of a mechanical shutter in live view does not make "sense".

Large CMOS sensors used to have no global shutter capability - hence the mechanical curtain.
Over time, this issue will fade away, but for now it is/was an issue.

rgds, Andy

[bjornthun]

Ron, typewriters used to work too. Today we've got computers... 

Btw, the Nikon AW 1 needs a native macro lens.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Ron, typewriters used to work too. Today we've got computers... 

Btw, the Nikon AW 1 needs a native macro lens.

We have keyboards. Same idea in a better interface.

The AW system could do with a true fisheye and a dedicated lens for close-ups.

[Øivind Tøien]

In the mean time the Olympus fisheye converter on the 10mm will have to do. It gives pretty good reproduction ratio, but of course not all subjects are happy with being so close that that they almost touch the lens.

[Ron Scubadiver]

Ron, typewriters used to work too. Today we've got computers... 

Btw, the Nikon AW 1 needs a native macro lens.

Yeah, but nothing works better than an optical viewfinder yet.  Your analogy does not fly as typewriters don't just work anymore.  OVF are fast, accurate and easy to use.  Small senosors have limits imposed by physics.  Lenses have size limitations imposed by physics.  Sony makes mirrorless bodies for FX, and they are more compact than a DSLR, but once the lenses come into the equation the size of the body makes little difference.  Sure, there are some applications for IFV that are nice, but I shoot on the fly and OVF is still king there.  Mirrorless cameras have a piece of the market, but that is what it will be, a piece.

[Gary]

I have evolved from SLR to dSLR to Mirrorless. I was shooting a news event with my XT1's and I ran into an LA Times photog shooting the same event.  We chatted for a bit, he looked at my XT1's and said "Mirrorless, that is the future." He was shooting with 1D's.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

I once tried, in the ancient dawn of history known as the Age of f.i.l.m., to shoot wildlife (deer) with a 4x5" up close. Wild animals, not locked up in a zoo. It was doable, about just, but mostly to point out there ought to be better solutions to the challenge on the technical side. However, the 4x5" view camera was the only one I had with me.

The situation today is not different although the camera types are. As a photographer, you need the appropriate tool for the job.

[Jan Anne]

Note: I've not used the Sony a7s/sII or the a7RII .  JA can remark on shooting events with is low light camera 

Now that you mention it I wasn't all too pleased with the a7S and 35/1.4 FE earlier this month when shooting an evening carnaval parade, the AF was very slow or even refused to focus on a few occasions.

That said the a7S has the worst AF setup of all the a7 cameras with only a handful contrast detect sensors. This was never an issues as I mainly use MF lenses for which the a7S is perfect, now that the Sony Zeiss 35/1.4 FE is my new main lens the AF needs to work in all light conditions, probably will get one of the MK2 or MK3 models later this year.

Thats my beef with Sony btw, none of their models are perfect for my intended use. The S models have the sensor I want but have the worse AF setup (no phase detect), the R MK2 model has the best in class AF setup but not the high ISO performance I want and way too much pixels for my little MBA to handle. The a7 MK2 seems to be in the middle in the MP, ISO and AF department but somehow an "in the middle" camera doesn't fit my bill either but will probably end up buying one anyway.

[richardHaw]

Now that you mention it I wasn't all too pleased with the a7S and 35/1.4 FE earlier this month when shooting an evening carnaval parade, the AF was very slow or even refused to focus on a few occasions.

That said the a7S has the worst AF setup of all the a7 cameras with only a handful contrast detect sensors. This was never an issues as I mainly use MF lenses for which the a7S is perfect, now that the Sony Zeiss 35/1.4 FE is my new main lens the AF needs to work in all light conditions, probably will get one of the MK2 or MK3 models later this year.

Thats my beef with Sony btw, none of their models are perfect for my intended use. The S models have the sensor I want but have the worse AF setup (no phase detect), the R MK2 model has the best in class AF setup but not the high ISO performance I want and way too much pixels for my little MBA to handle. The a7 MK2 seems to be in the middle in the MP, ISO and AF department but somehow an "in the middle" camera doesn't fit my bill either but will probably end up buying one anyway.

speaking of AF, wait till you use a Fuji 
m43 has great AF as far as im concerned but not sure how it performs in near no-light situations. i can AF in moonlight with my D7200, i did that once to AF on a cicada and some other night bugs. i am was using the reflection (on the bug's eyes and shell) of a lamp 10m away from me.

[BW]

I once tried, in the ancient dawn of history known as the Age of f.i.l.m., to shoot wildlife (deer) with a 4x5" up close. Wild animals, not locked up in a zoo. It was doable, about just, but mostly to point out there ought to be better solutions to the challenge on the technical side. However, the 4x5" view camera was the only one I had with me.

The situation today is not different although the camera types are. As a photographer, you need the appropriate tool for the job.

I know the feeling of not bringing the right tool to the job. I watched a wolf den for three week as part of a behavioral study, bringing only a 35-70 mm lens. Fortunately it had a macro mode so I was able to couple it with a telescope with a piece of cardboard and some tape to make some lousy pictures, but fine memories. Its a scan of paper copy, of a slide

[Bjørn Rørslett]

You made your photographic record. of the event. That's the most important aspect. By counting the legs and diving by four, one can also get a population estimate