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As someone with a huge photography itch and a gear nerd who actually isn't a practitioner, can someone with domain expertise in photography and cameras give som

As someone with a huge photography itch and a gear nerd who actually isn't a practitioner, can someone with domain expertise in photography and cameras give some insights or predictions in to what they see as the future of photography? I have a sophomoric understanding of the shift from SLR --> DSLR --> Sony led Mirrorless cameras. Where do we go from here? How do things like Hasselblad's X1D II entry level medium format shape up the market? Do more companies go down market? Do the Sonys of the world go upmarket?

hrktb 6y ago
An analysis by Thom Hogan: https://www.dslrbodies.com/newsviews/whos-still-buying-dslrs.html https://www.dslrbodies.com/newsviews/whos-still-buying-dslrs...
- IMAYousaf 6y ago
  Thank you. Appreciate this. Will study this.
jetrink 6y ago
My prediction is that full frame cameras will eventually be squeezed out by APS-C and medium format. On one side, medium format cameras are shrinking in both size and price. The Canon 5D Mark IV is thicker, taller and heavier than Fuji's GFX 50R[1]. Medium format cameras aren't quite as small as full frame mirrorless cameras, but they are no longer impractically large either. If image quality is paramount, size and cost will no longer rule out medium format. On the other side, APS-C cameras are now firmly in the 'good enough' area of the image quality curve - even for many professional applications - and they are continuing to improve. If you have other practical considerations and can do with lesser (but still excellent) image quality, APS-C will be your choice. 1. https://camerasize.com/compare/#682,805 https://camerasize.com/compare/#682,805
- IMAYousaf 6y ago
  Do you think it is possible that cellphone cameras are coming closer to APS-C and thus its those that end up losing out? Full frame seems to be a significant value add relative to APS-C for a prosumer, just as how medium format is a significant jump up.
  - jetrink 6y ago
    I think not. The difference between cellphone and APS-C cameras is in both quality and category. A dedicated camera has an ergonomic shape, a viewfinder, interchangeable lenses, hardware dials, switches and buttons. The people who don't care about those things have already switched to smartphones, while the people who enjoy photography as a hobby and the professionals will never want to give them up. The sensor of an APS-C camera is 20x as large as a cellphone's, so you're already well into the region of diminishing returns. Is a full frame sensor that is 30x as large really that much more compelling? Especially when you consider the downsides that come with supporting a larger sensor (larger camera body, larger and more expensive lenses, etc.) Maybe it is now, but advances in sensor technology continue to make APS-C good enough for more and more purposes.
- fgdfgddfg 6y ago
  Medium format cameras will still have bigger lenses compared to FF, regardless of the body size, due to the sensor size. This usually the show stopper, since lots of people have had FF DSLRs with the extra battery holder, etc.

hrktb 6y ago

An analysis by Thom Hogan: https://www.dslrbodies.com/newsviews/whos-still-buying-dslrs.html https://www.dslrbodies.com/newsviews/whos-still-buying-dslrs...

IMAYousaf 6y ago
Thank you. Appreciate this. Will study this.

jetrink 6y ago

My prediction is that full frame cameras will eventually be squeezed out by APS-C and medium format. On one side, medium format cameras are shrinking in both size and price. The Canon 5D Mark IV is thicker, taller and heavier than Fuji's GFX 50R[1]. Medium format cameras aren't quite as small as full frame mirrorless cameras, but they are no longer impractically large either. If image quality is paramount, size and cost will no longer rule out medium format. On the other side, APS-C cameras are now firmly in the 'good enough' area of the image quality curve - even for many professional applications - and they are continuing to improve. If you have other practical considerations and can do with lesser (but still excellent) image quality, APS-C will be your choice. 1. https://camerasize.com/compare/#682,805 https://camerasize.com/compare/#682,805

IMAYousaf 6y ago
Do you think it is possible that cellphone cameras are coming closer to APS-C and thus its those that end up losing out? Full frame seems to be a significant value add relative to APS-C for a prosumer, just as how medium format is a significant jump up.
- jetrink 6y ago
  I think not. The difference between cellphone and APS-C cameras is in both quality and category. A dedicated camera has an ergonomic shape, a viewfinder, interchangeable lenses, hardware dials, switches and buttons. The people who don't care about those things have already switched to smartphones, while the people who enjoy photography as a hobby and the professionals will never want to give them up. The sensor of an APS-C camera is 20x as large as a cellphone's, so you're already well into the region of diminishing returns. Is a full frame sensor that is 30x as large really that much more compelling? Especially when you consider the downsides that come with supporting a larger sensor (larger camera body, larger and more expensive lenses, etc.) Maybe it is now, but advances in sensor technology continue to make APS-C good enough for more and more purposes.
fgdfgddfg 6y ago
Medium format cameras will still have bigger lenses compared to FF, regardless of the body size, due to the sensor size. This usually the show stopper, since lots of people have had FF DSLRs with the extra battery holder, etc.