Are DSLR's a dying breed?

[rexbobcat]

Why, don't you know, the Lytro is the wave of the future!

We don't talk of that...thing...

 

[Patriot]

The lytro is interesting however.

 

[bratkinson]

I like to think that buying a car and "driving it into the ground" is the way to go. In nearly 50 years of buying cars, I've only driven 2 'into the ground'.

I thought I would do the same with my cameras through the years. About 35 years ago, after I had bought my 2nd Canon EF body and 6-7 lenses I often used, I figured I would 'drive it into the ground' as well. Sure, there were 'better', more 'full-featured' 35mm bodies that came along, but hey, other than the numerous varieties of films available, there wasn't much difference from one body to the next. I wanted a motor drive like everyone else, but figured they were invented by Kodak to sell more film. And, as the EF bodies were not motor-drive capable, I simply stayed with 'tried and true'. The FD lenses weren't going anywhere, and would last forever. Little did I know or expect my situation to change 20 years later and I put down the camera for good. My interests had simply drifted elsewhere.

Enter the digital age...I knew film was gasping its last breaths, so I picked up a Canon G3...a nice-featured point and shoot that allowed full manual control. 2-3 years later, I wanted more pixels, so I got a G5. When it finally died 18 months ago, I decided to 'try' a DSLR. I found a used 30D with grip and 18-135 lens on ebay and soon became addicted to photography again. 6 months later, the 30D gave way to a new 60D and several Canon L lenses. I figured I was all set...but...Time to FEED that HABIT again!!! So, 3 days ago, I ordered another 'junkie boost'...a 5D3. The low light capabilities and drop-dead sharp photos produced were too much for me to refuse!

Hopefully, I'll still be shooting with the 5D3 and Ls until they put me in a box. I seriously suspect they will outlast me. All I have to do is avoid the 'addiction' of "new, improved, super-camera..." and stay put with what I have.

It's inevitable that "new and improved" is just around the corner. As mentioned previously, the trend to mirrorless is unstoppable, as is the forward march of technology. 10 years ago, when world was happy with 6-8mp, who'd have thought 22mp was possible? Or 35mp?

For now, my wallet says the addiction needs to stay put. But I know the DSLR form will continue to evolve, obsoleting what we have now, and only the real die-hards will be shooting 5D3s 20 years from now. And, of course, Canon will just HAVE to introduce some new mount, making the EF mount obsolete, and my Ls with it...

 

[Bebulamar]

How can a DSLR got obsolete? A film camera got obsolete not because they stopped making them nor that most people don't use them any more. They are obsolete because you can't (or right now difficult and or expensive) buy the consumables needed to use them. So I can see a DSLR is obsolete when you can't buy battery for it. A DSLR isn't obsolete if they don't make them any more or that nobody is using them. As long as you can use it, it's not obsolete. So whether you should buy a DSLR depends whether or not it meet your need/want.
Oh yeah if you buy a camera to be trendy then it's important to know if they still making them in the future.

 

[Steve5D]

Dude, when you make your first post, it probably shouldn't be to resurrect a thread that's a year and a half old.

Jus' sayin'...

 

[photofree]

When digital emerged the bodies did not look like our SLRs. We didn't like this so they went back to the SLR. And then we cried out for replacement backs to make our SLR a DSLR. The profit margin was too small for them. So, when they have something cheaper to produce that we will pay more for and research says we are ready for it, it will appear. I love a real view finder. So it may be awhile before I am able to switch. As long as we are making pictures, whatever you use will be fine.

profound thinking about stuff

 

[71M]

Why, don't you know, the Lytro is the wave of the future!

We don't talk of that...thing...

lol. If you need a sympathetic ear, you know..address your fears..talk it through. Don't fear the Lytro dude.

 

[71M]

Lytro is good. Lytro is friend.

 

[ConradM]

How can a DSLR got obsolete? A film camera got obsolete not because they stopped making them nor that most people don't use them any more. They are obsolete because you can't (or right now difficult and or expensive) buy the consumables needed to use them. So I can see a DSLR is obsolete when you can't buy battery for it. A DSLR isn't obsolete if they don't make them any more or that nobody is using them. As long as you can use it, it's not obsolete. So whether you should buy a DSLR depends whether or not it meet your need/want.
Oh yeah if you buy a camera to be trendy then it's important to know if they still making them in the future.

DSLR's as far as reflex mirrors will be obsolete soon IMO. They're slow and clunky. I believe the form factor will stay around though.

 

[minicoop1985]

DSLRs will be around as long as cheap bastards like me keep ours and don't feel the need to have the newest and best. Like this thread. It's not new. It's not the best. But it's a thread and stuff and SCIENCE

 

[Gavjenks]

Lytro is good. Lytro is friend.

It's inherently limited for still photography in a way that will probably make it never take over (or any tech like it) in that sector entirely. Namely, you only have so much light, and the more different redundant angles you spend it on, the smaller your effective apertures can possibly be. Also, the more redundant sensor sites, the lower your resolution. Yes, they can make bigger glass and smaller sensor site, but so can the guys who aren't using redundancy (normal cameras), so they'll never catch up because both improve at the same rate.

However, I think future versions of it hold potentially a LOT of promise for a few specific other applications. Most of all indie filmmaking... because you can save a huge amount of money by not needing a focus puller and by only keeping your taltent on set for a tiny fraction of the time they otherwise would be, if you don't have to rehearse specific paths and focal distances for action sequences, etc. ahead of time. Being able to nail focus AFTER shooting means a single dude could accomplish a scene in a couple hours that looks like it took 4 dudes days to choreograph. And then hand it off to a minimum wage tech or a software program to match focus to faces or whatever you want.

 

[minicoop1985]

I'm a bit of a gadget guy. I'm very interested to see what's coming next, to see what happens in the next few years. Will something pop up that demolishes DSLR image quality/price? Is something revolutionary on the horizon? Is my hovercraft full of eels? Only time will tell.

 

[Warhorse]

DSLRs will be around as long as cheap bastards like me keep ours and don't feel the need to have the newest and best. Like this thread. It's not new. It's not the best. But it's a thread and stuff and SCIENCE

I said the same thing about 35mm SLR's...what happened there?

 

[Steve5D]

This whole interwebs thing?

It'll pass...

 

[sonicbuffalo]

I read an interesting article about the new HTC One phone and all the things the camera can do....i.e. change white balance, adjust bokeh, adjust angle of objects in the picture, etc. I think smart phones will keep Canon & Nikon on their toes in the near future.