This year World press winners once again used DSLR to take their pictures. Only one of the winners used a mirrorless system cameras (Fuji X-PRO 1). And one of the photographers used the Sony RX100 compact camera.
Source: Quesabesde.
This year World press winners once again used DSLR to take their pictures. Only one of the winners used a mirrorless system cameras (Fuji X-PRO 1). And one of the photographers used the Sony RX100 compact camera.
Source: Quesabesde.
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22 Responses
That’s because most good photographers prefer dslrs. Not rocket science.
I’m pretty sure it’s also a lot because that’s what they’re given by their companys to shoot with or what they already have the lenses for.
Your right, but very few companies give you equipment know, but I did some pricing last year thinking of changing the problem is the cost of the new equipment, and the price you get trading in the old in my case approx £18000 difference. I think the other issue is you know after years of using a piece of kit its strengths and weakness.
Is there at least a tiny possibility you might accept that DSLRs are better for what these people are doing?
Better sealing, better battery life, easier to use, more responsive, better AF, better lens choice.
Journalists rarely care about size and weight. A mirrorless camera as we know it today really doesn’t offer much “in the field”.
For some of them DSLRs will definitely be better suited due to the reason you stated. But they aren’t all going to warzones. Sometimes they will profit from not being noticed, and a 1Dx will not do that for you.
Also I’m pretty sure they care about weight. If you give them something that works as well in half the size and weight, they will go with that.
More and more you read about phones being used right along side their pro gear.
These guys buy their own equipment. They shoot the best.
Luckily best is a relative term in photography.
OK, how about best for professionals who demand the highest quality. Mirrorless is great for enthusiasts, not so great for professionals – as shown by the 0.5% of pros who use mirrorless, lol.
DLSR ? typo?
not eberybody wants to join the press and war. there is no more boring thing than the world press exibition every year!
Those are the people that go out and shoot instead of wasting time on comments, articles like we do. They don’t keep up with the latest and greatest, upgrade their equipment to the newest model, etc. They still use an iPhone 4 and a MacBook from 2010. They are true photographers. Camera is nothing but a tool for them.
That’s why mirrorless cameras are rarely in the picture, not because they are somehow inferior.
Most DSLR shown in the graphics are the current models, which clearly shows that journalists actually care about having modern gear. They could simply replace the worn out mechanisms (shutter, mirror etc).
Mirrorless are rare in the picture, because most models available today are focused on being small and “fantastic” (like the typical “world’s fastest AF”-bullshit).
Sadly, journalists don’t want that. They want something comfortable and proven.
Simple example of my favorite topic: weather resistance.
If a journalist is a Nikon shooter for half of his life and he has successfully shot in rain, snow, wind and extreme temperatures, does he care that Nikon doesn’t say much about the sealing quality?
Do you think a huge “WR” badge (=> Fuji) on a lens will convince him? 🙂
What sways a press photographer more than practically anything else is a reliable repair chain, and the ability to get rental stock to make up for the shortfall while you are waiting for the repair. When I needed that kind of backup, I used Nikon because I could take my equipment to Fixation in London and get it repaired in a matter of days. I would get the same turn-round time for Canon. Everything else might be measured in weeks.
In fact, this is so crucial to the DNA of a working tog, it explains some of the recent migration from Nikon to Canon in the London photojournalist community – Fixation can repair a pro/prosumer grade Canon in about 3-4 working days, but Nikon now takes 6 days, and that extra time in the shop has caused working press togs to make the shift because of potential-downtime paranoia.
Also, if I need either a lens outside my normal line-up, or my equipment is in the repairs shop and needs a replacement, then you stand a far greater chance of a successful rental if you use Canon or Nikon. That still holds today.
What is changing this, however, is the practicality of hauling this equipment around the globe; it’s why ‘prosumer’ cameras like the 5D and D750 outnumber ‘pro’ cameras like the 1DX and D4 by three to one on this list. A photojournalist must be able to carry round two pro DSLR bodies, several pro-grade lenses, flashes, monopod, laptop, phone, sat-phone, and all the attendant goodies needed for the job, but if you are hit with a strict baggage weight limit getting to the places you need to photograph, you have to lighten the load, no matter what.
Andy Bush’s blog on the subject explains this well:
https://andybushphotography.wordpress.com/2015/08/17/the-age-old-dilemma-of-what-to-take/
This, more than any ideological, political, or brand loyalty reason, is driving pros to change. They are already having to switch from 1D to 5D models, despite the relative lack of in-the-field reliability such a change creates (the 5D is a reliable camera, but it’s not ‘battle-hardened’ reliable), because some bean-counter in an airline’s offices arbitrarily decided the weight limit is now 1kg lighter than it was a few years ago.
There is more variety in Nikon models compared to Canon: 7 to 5 (one of those 5 is a video centeric 1DX so we could assume it 4). Total number is 28 to 12, in favor of Canon, but for full-body flagships its 7 to 4. The huge gap is in pro non-full-body full frame durable cams, aka D8xx/5D range: 15 to 6! Does it mean there is a big demand for a D800 body with D5 sensor?
However this list is a very small sampling of real world brand-model usage to make any meaningful conclusion.
I think a more accurate reading of that is so many PJs are asked to shoot B-roll video alongside stills today, and the deck is stacked in Canon’s favour in that case.
In the states, you can rent anything from lensrentals.com. Having quick access to rental equipment isn’t all that difficult despite whatever brand you shoot. I believe D750’s outnumber 1DX and D4 because of price and nothing more. Has little to do with size which is still large by todays standards.
Yes, but not everyone in the world has access to Lensrentals. In most countries, rental stock is limited to mostly Canon, Hasselblad, Nikon, and Phase One, with a tiny selection of other brands.
I disagree about price. A D750 will wear out faster in the field than a D4, and the cost of downtime, etc, makes it uneconomic to carry a prosumer camera unless you have no choice. You could get five years and almost a million clicks out of a D4, but a D750 will be long gone by then. This comes about because of cabin and hold luggage restrictions across EMEA, especially when flying into the less salubrious parts of the world.
The worst I’ve had across Europe is 8kg cabin only (no hold luggage allowed). Put another way, that’s the D5, the latest Holy Trinity, a SB900, and a bag to keep it all in. You have to carry spare batteries, charger, toothbrush, etc on your person, and you might need to use your phone as your laptop. That’s an extreme example, but less than 25kg total is not unheard of, and that’s easily soaked up by two pro bodies, full stock of lenses, laptop, etc, etc.
Now that is a bit silly to say that, because in the world there must be millions of DSLR around and very few mirrorless cameras in proportion to DSLR, and many photographers are very conservative if it comes to changing the way of doing and material .
Given the amount of people who still shoot DSLR- I don’t find it all that surprising.
pros know what is important… that is why they use canon.
Established durability and battery life.