The Megapixel Race.......Nikon's next step?

Solarflare · Feb 28, 2015

Cant we just agree that digital system cameras, i.e. digital cameras with interchangeable lenses, both DSLRs and mirrorless, tend towards larger sensors over time ?

Also compact cameras - the small sensor compact market has collapsed, and theres suddenly a surge of APS-C compacts, and theres even a full frame compact (Sony RX1) as well.

pixmedic · Feb 28, 2015

Solarflare said:
Cant we just agree that digital system cameras, i.e. digital cameras with interchangeable lenses, both DSLRs and mirrorless, tend towards larger sensors over time ?

Also compact cameras - the small sensor compact market has collapsed, and theres suddenly a surge of APS-C compacts, and theres even a full frame compact (Sony RX1) as well.

uh...no.
because that's not the case.
cameras started large format. Large format view cameras.
they have been trending towards..say it with me now...smaller sensors ever since.
large format->medium format->35mm->aps-c->m4/3 etc, etc.

the small sensor compact market has collapsed?
are you...serious? or....is it something else?
aps-c and m4/3 sensors are small sensor compact cameras. that was the whole idea behind them. smaller and cheaper for a wider consumer market.

so a few companies are going to full frame. whoopie!
35mm was the compact format of the day...smaller than the previous standard of 120/220 film.
full frame, IE:35mm, was a downsized format.

so..in conclusion..again
the trend is the same as it has been since the beginning. smaller.
if a few companies want to produce a large format, thats not a trend. thats an offshoot.

the trend has not changed with the film to digital transition.

Overread · Feb 28, 2015

Could we perhaps summarise this with:

Some companies are making bigger sensors
AND
Some other companies are making smaller sensors
AND
Some companies are doing things with physics that defy sensors
AND
GSGary is still using film

Derrel · Feb 28, 2015

Overread said:
Could we perhaps summarise this with:

Some companies are making bigger sensors
AND
Some other companies are making smaller sensors
AND
Some companies are doing things with physics that defy sensors
AND
GSGary is still using film

YES! gsgary is still using film! This week he bought his first Nikon film camera! He posted a pic shot with it this very day! And so, based on a wildly,wildly small sample size of one, we can, no, we MUST agree: all film camera users, meaning those people who make photos using film, are trending toward becoming Nikon users.

unpopular · Feb 28, 2015

oh forget it.

sashbar · Mar 1, 2015

The only trend that I see is today's smaller sensors are performing better than yesterday's larger sensors.

Derrel · Mar 1, 2015

sashbar said:
The only trend that I see is today's smaller sensors are performing better than yesterday's larger sensors.

And that is one of the main reasons so many people are perfectly happy with small-sensor cameras, APS-C and m4/3, in the 16-megapixel range. Fuji is at 16 megapixels on APS-C sensors...makes NO FX sensor cameras, and has a small but dedicated following. Olympus has built a small and dedicated following using 16 megapixel m4/3 sensors. 95% of all Canon and Nikon d-slr cameras sold are APS-C models. The huge preponderance of interchangeable lens cameras actually BOUGHT, world-wide, use small sensors, either m4/3, or APS-C, with a few other even smaller sensor cameras adding some sales. For the most part, APS-C sales are the lion's share, due to the 40-33 percent split of Canon and Nikon as market leaders. Right now, I would estimate that 95 out of 100 higher-end digital camera sold are using an APS-C or m4/3 sensor size.

Solarflare · Mar 2, 2015

pixmedic said:
cameras started large format. .

Digital cameras started with large format ? Interesting.

Seriously, if you dont bother to actually read what I wrote, please dont bother to answer either. Thank you.