Matrix agent’s would say…It was inevitable MR-Anderson! Panasonic and Samsung dropped the DSLR world, Olympus will do it soon. So, what is Sony going to do? According to very reliable sources Sony is going to transform their A-mount cameras in pure mirrorless by getting rid of both the classic mirror and their unique semitransparent (or translucent) mirror tech. Some of you may wonder why at that point Sony is not going the E-mount route only. Apparently the A-mount mirrorless will keep the DSLR form size while E-mount cameras will focus on compact size. Plus, A-mount camera have on sensor stabilization while the E-mount has not.
The first A-mount mirrorless cameras will come in early 2014. Now let’s see how long it takes until Canon and Nikon will get “serious” with mirrorless too!
35 Responses
Logical move. DSLRs are endangered species and an obsolete technology. I wouldn´t ‘invest’ in a DSLR system now.
The mirror may be an endangered species, but how does removing the mirror while maintaining the same flange distance (or even shortening it) make investing in a DSLR system a bad decision? As for the mirror, I say “Good Riddance”, especially for APS-C cameras if (1) 24FPS raw at full sensor resolution becomes possible and (2) the flange distance is reduced and something like a Metabones Speed Booster becomes possible.
I think there will always be a place for some sort of SLR camera, mainly because some people prefer having an OVF. Now, if there is a way to get a SLR type camera to have an OVF without a mirror, I am all ears…. (No, I am not talking about Rangefinders)
Have you heard anything about the Full Frame NEX? Price, Release Date, Etc?
Sony should just replicate the APS-C NEX line into Full Frame.
An entry level Full Frame like the NEX 3, no OVF or EVF.
A mid-grade model like the NEX 5, still no OVF or EVF but will have more features than the 3 series.
A top of the line Full Frame NEX like the NEX 7 with a viewfinder and all the bells and whistles.
Full Frame is the way to go, if Sony does it right they will crush the Full Frame and APS-C DSLR market of the competition.
They should make them all E-mount and bundle the adapter with those DSLR-shaped models. But I guess they don’t want to corrupt the NEX with IBIS :).
If Canon drops the mirror off the 100D they’re spot on – if they get to terms with the Hybrid AF or whatever that’s called.
They have to keep both mounts. The A mount, even mirrorless will have the same distance to the sensor plane in order to keep compatibility with the lens system. They will do a sort of Pentax K01 with a finder, which means a bulkier camera. The Nex system can go full frame and continues as a much compact camera, they ara being quite logical about that.
In my opinion, my Nex7 is a reflex camera, as it has an eye level viewfinder that shows me 100% of what the lens captures.The use of a mirror or not, is just a tech detail. Perhaps we should call it TTL viewing, instead of reflex viewing.
I sold my D300 more than a year ago and I don’t regret it a single day. I do miss the quality of build and ergonomics, but the size, weight, complexity, noise, nope, not for a minute. I continue to use my Nikkor lens in my Nex7 and they are a splendid match. The camera is very picky with legacy lens, but with most fixed Nikon lens the result is superb.
Does size matter? Well, not here, I think!
“According to very reliable sources Sony …”
Basically, in essence, Sony thinks they have perfected on-sensor PDAF. There is no other way to look at it.
About darn time, I’d say. What was missing is push by a major manufacturer. Next year latest I would expect the tech to also land in the Nikon DSLRs.
Days of the flapping mirror are coming to an end.
“Sony thinks they have perfected on-sensor PDAF”
It’s a consequence of this: http://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2013/03/01/aptina-sony-agree-to-cross-license-patent-portfolios . I guess the same tech will be used in the E-7 and E-M6 via Sony sensors.
Yes, to a large extent.
The difference in size of the E mount vs A mount is very small unlike that illustration.
http://camerasize.com/compare/#375,31
I don’t mind the size of today’s DSLRs bodies as much as the size of some “pro” zooms and some fast primes. What a PITA they can be.
next we’ll see fullframe mirrorless from sigma and fuji. if canon wants to continue ignoring this segment or think of it as ‘entry level’ only, they’ll simply fall further behind
About time! Mirror-in-camera is a relic. It is like cars with starting cranks.
While I agree that long term DSLR cameras will be no more, practically speaking today DSLR’s do some things better and will stick around:
– Generally speaking $ for $ you get better focus performance (speed, tracking, etc) on a DSLR. Its hard to beat a dedicated focusing sensor. In-sensor phase detection and faster CPU engines will at some point eclipse DSLR’s as physically moving the mirror will be the biggest delay (this is why camera like Leica typically have always had faster shutter responses then SLR’s) but that day is some day off. Remember DSLR’s focusing performance is also improving.
– Battery Life – DSLR cameras just have WAY better battery life. Some of the worse DSLR get 400+ shots per battery. The Nikon D7100 get over 900. While you can always put a bigger battery in a mirrorless (ML) doing so begins to counter their size advantage. Also because ML is generally more consumer focused camera makes want you to buy more batteries so they have little incentive for very high capacity batteries.
– Industry support – While this could change, its hard to move an industry, and it will take years. A tiny fraction of working pros use non SLR’s as their primary camera. This item of course does not effect a large number of users, but does drive RnD and much of that RnD for the two largest camera makers (C & N) still goes to DSLR tech. Also most if not all ML innovation can be added to a DSLR.
– Bang for the buck – While there are a few notable ML cameras that are virtually a steal (Oly E-PM2, Sony NEX-3N, etc.) generally speaking the performance of DSLRs is superior at any given price point. As more innovation and manufacturing volume is poured into ML this will be less true, but its still true today.
– While I think this is a stupid reason, there are still a number of guys who think a big camera = cool/manly.
Me personally, I gave up my DSLR years ago because i just want a small camera 🙂
Nikon and Canon has about 80% + of the DSLR market, the remaining 20% is devided to the other brands, so if Sony don’t make DSLR’s anymore, nobody will notice.
If this is the mirrorless Full Frame from Sony, a DSLR without a mirror, where are the benefits? 🙁 Pentax discontinued their effords in this approach. A mirror helps to have a perfect OVF and in my eyes no EVF can match with a OVF plus live view option. That’s why for me a DSLR Full Frame in respect to price and specs still has his eligibility and alternatively if size matters, and that’s the advantage of mirrorless systems, the for me Fuji is ruling the innovation with sensor technology and hybrid VF.
I bet they will use the free space inside for something cool. Maybe various inbuilt filters…
After using my Sony NEX 7 with a number of top lenses (24mm f/1.8 Zeiss Sonnar, 15mm Super-Wide Heliar and Leitz Tele-Elmar 90, etc.) I couldn’t be more pleased. Unless Sony sees fit to introduce a full-frame mirrorless with interchangeable lenses, I won’t be going back to any DSLR system. I think they are dinosaurs and I need to keep my load light, since I’m not getting any younger nor the mountains any less steep. I used to use medium and large format film cameras and miss the ability to make really big enlargements and project slides with my 6×6 and 6×7 projectors at the same time. You can composite but it takes a lot of time on post-production and I would rather be outdoors roaming nature with a larger sensor in my camera.
It makes perfect sense for the A-mount cameras to transition to a mirror-less solution. While Nikon, and Canon fight for superiority over a market that is in rapid decline/shrinking. Sony will slip away unnoticed and establish itself in the mirror-less market taking its millions of Professional A-Mount users with it.
The A-Mount will likely be retained a very long time for professionals seeking a fully stabilized DSLR alternative, in order to use its larger/heavier and very expensive SAL70200G2, SAL500F40G zoom lenses or fast prime lenses such as the SAL135F18Z or SAL135F28 STF.
Sony will likely establish itself as the premier professional full frame mirror-less solution in this growing market long before the arrival of Canon, and Nikon.