LOL Canon EF Sales crush mirrorless competition, No Kidding

[Leon C]

I have been reading reports recently that there has been a resurgence of interest in DSLRs and associated equipment. I suppose this is partly attributable to folks like us who have kept our DSLRs, have started using them again for whatever reason (nostalgia perhaps) and are now seeking more lenses for them while the prices are still a little "soft". Even so with the advent of some really quite good electronic adapters allowing such lenses to be mounted on various mirrorless cameras I suspect the demand for choice DSLR lenses in particular will continue unabated at least for now. Also I have noticed a sudden interest in DSLR cameras amongst younger members of the trendoid set who now see these older cameras as "cool" and "vintage". (The same affectation is affecting the price of old digital pocket cameras which now have a reputation for producing unique images.) this sudden interest may also be partly due to the realization that the old CCD sensors, while limited in capabilities compared to modern CMOS sensors, have their own charm.

Could also be related to cost, an old DSLR is cheap but the quality is still there if that's what one is looking for, here I can pick up a D200 for £50>£100 or a D300 for < £100/£150, geez our D70s was only £12! The D100 was £30!....an adapter is cheap and so are older lenses, so you don't even need to use original makers lenses, if you shop around and time it right it's a cheap way into photography. I was even looking at a Canon 40D earlier for £50, quite a capable camera by all accounts and perfect to get into photography if Nikon isn't your thing and there are millions of old cameras and lenses already out there to choose from.

I've just picked out my walkabout lenses for later if I can get out, an OM Tamron 38-100/3.5 Macro that does 1:4 out of the box and a NK Kiron 70-150/4 that cost less than £40 for both.

 

[CameraQuest]

Folks, this thread has gotten a bit off track focusing on the advantages of older USED DSLRs.

The BIG NEWS is Canon crushing NEW modern technology Mirrorless camera sales
with NEW outdated DSLRs using ancient technology.

HOW is this happening?

Canon DSLR brand loyalty?

 

[joe bosak]

I am finding I much prefer using my DSLRs. Greater clarity to composing and focusing. Much bigger batteries than (most of my) mirrorless cameras, that last much longer. The bodies are better shaped for me to grip, probably because the big battery goes with a big right-hand shape. And simpler controls I think, though I can and will fall out with almost any camera regarding menus and buttons sooner or later.
Whether any of that has to do with Canon selling so many, I doubt.

 

[Leon C]

Folks, this thread has gotten a bit off track focusing on the advantages of older USED DSLRs.

The BIG NEWS is Canon crushing NEW modern technology Mirrorless camera sales
with NEW outdated DSLRs using ancient technology.

HOW is this happening?

Canon DSLR brand loyalty?

Maybe because ML isn't all the hoo-ha people make it out to be, just a thought and kinda funny that someone at PP said in 2018:

"For me, it is no question that DSLRs will become obsolete in the next years. In the status quo, they are only useful in very specific niches like sports photography or sometimes photojournalism.

Other than that, mirrorless systems are far superior in almost every aspect. It will just take some time until the public perception changes and DSLRs will be gone for good."

How wrong can one be and shows you what you read on the www doesn't always reflect reality.

REF: The Death of DSLRs is Near

 

[Tim Murphy]

Folks, this thread has gotten a bit off track focusing on the advantages of older USED DSLRs.

The BIG NEWS is Canon crushing NEW modern technology Mirrorless camera sales
with NEW outdated DSLRs using ancient technology.

HOW is this happening?

Canon DSLR brand loyalty?

Dear Boss,

I suppose it is brand loyalty coupled with the possibility that camera purchasers today already own more than one or two EOS lenses. Even if they don't own the lenses there are thousands of them available used. I've taken pictures with Canon DSLR's using EOS lenses made in the late 1980's that are better quality than anything I ever took when shooting them using film, and my newest camera is a 1DX.

With new mirrorless bodies having the capabilities of 6-year-old DSLR's hovering around the $ 2000.00 mark it takes a real financial commitment to completely switch systems.

I own several Olympus m4/3 cameras. I really enjoy them, and I have purchased several native Olympus lenses that handle all my needs. If I had to divest of all my cameras other than m4/3 cameras I could do it. But the main reason I bought the m4/3 cameras was their ability to use just about every single lens mount while accurately manually focusing and still have fully functional metering as well as image stabilization. Heck, I even use my best EOS lenses on my Olympus bodies with a speed-booster adapter.

Maybe another part of what lead to the reported results is that people are growing tired of spending serious dough only to have it rendered functionally obsolete in one manner or another in a year or two. Chasing the latest and greatest while getting only marginal improvements is a costly endeavor.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

Harrisburg PA 🙂

 

[aw614]

I feel Canon has always marketed well towards the entry level and average user since the AE-1 days.

They seem to be the only one in walmart where you can pick up an entry level dslr for a good price. I don't see Sony's or Fujis there.

I am still very happy with my m43 kit. I also have sony and use some of my a mount lenses adapted to my asp-c nex-6. But the native lenses still seem very big unless I use an ltm or mount adapted on it, or Chinese manual focus lenses. Those aren't perfect, but they keep the size to a minimum and match up well to the bodies imo.

 

[pvdhaar]

No matter how nice and small and streamlined mirrorless cameras are, everytime I pick up my D750, there's that immediate impression of 'now this is a workhorse'. It just does what I need it to do without me having to fight it.

 

[Michalm]

I do often miss never ending battery life , large optical viewfinder , and immediate wake up/ turn on and overall responsiveness of the canon 6d I have used some years ago. After 9 years with mirrorless I still find that lot of things are getting in the way of 'just grabbing camera to get the shoot'

 

[plexi]

I do often miss never ending battery life , large optical viewfinder , and immediate wake up/ turn on and overall responsiveness of the canon 6d I have used some years ago. After 9 years with mirrorless I still find that lot of things are getting in the way of 'just grabbing camera to get the shoot'

Yeah I can agree on those points, especially the immediate wake up/turn on part.
On the other hand the insanely good AF ( I have an R6 Mk II), zoom to focus I can use for old manual lenses I like to use sometimes, articulating screen is super handy, low light performance is fantastic. And a few other thing.
But yeah, my trusty old 5D Mk III makes the R6 feel like a toy. It's a weapon.

 

[Archiver]

Canon DSLRs were a huge mainstay in recent generations, at enthusiast and pro level. Same with Nikon. People buy what is new or familiar, and many with investment in glass are loathe to ditch it for another system. It stands to reason that there are a lot of Canon users who are still reluctant to move to new technology and systems. Not everyone wants the features of mirrorless cameras. And Canon cameras tend to feel really good in the hand.

 

[plexi]

And Canon cameras tend to feel really good in the hand.

Amen. Before I bought the R6II last summer I was considering going Sony. But after handling an A7IV I knew within 10 seconds it wasn't going to happen. Felt awful in my hands.
Picking up the Canon, ahh there it is 🙂

 

[ellisson]

The Canon Rebel EOS T series is a great entry level camera that comes at a manageable price with decent lens (es) packages. I used to shoot with the Minolta Maxxum 5 and 7 cameras and really liked the simple, intuitive button layouts and simple menus. The Rebel T cameras, at least the T4, had similar menus and buttons - not a bunch of colors or complicated menus. Easy cameras to operate, good prices, good lenses.,....not surprising they sell very well.

 

[peterm1]

I must admit upon further consideration that if circumstances were different I might still only be using my DSLR (though it's a Nikon not a Canon - there are advantages and disadvantages to both BTW).

But my point is this.....................for me the biggest, maybe only, true value proposition of mirrorless cameras is that they allow me to make use of adapted vintage lenses of pretty well any camera system devised over the past 100 years or so. And I might say I do so prolifically. It has been a source of considerable pleasure for me to be able to experiment with such a wide and interesting range of glass. The thing I disliked about most DSLRs is that with a few exceptions I was pretty much limited to using their own lens offerings. And Nikon, due to its flange distance was one of the worst offenders in this regard - at least it was easy to adapt older Nikon MF glass, unlike Canon. But my DSLR's still hold a place in my heart including the fact that I can mount any F mount or EF mount lens on any mirrorless camera with an appropriate adapter. (plus many more of course - Exacta, Pentax K, M42, Minolta, Konica, Leica LTM, Leica M, Nikon rangefinder, Contax SLR and rangefinder etc.) And of course, I can (and do) in any event still shoot my Nikon cameras - which I chose not to trade when I bought a mirrorless camera too.

 

[Freakscene]

My students tend to have entry level cameras, so it isn't as easy to fix as what you're describing.

The refresh adjustment is still in the menu somewhere. Harder to adjust, yes, but not so hard to adjust for a studio session of shooting with modelling lights.

 

[Cascadilla]

The refresh adjustment is still in the menu somewhere. Harder to adjust, yes, but not so hard to adjust for a studio session of shooting with modelling lights.

Somewhere is the operative term here...

 

[Archiver]

Amen. Before I bought the R6II last summer I was considering going Sony. But after handling an A7IV I knew within 10 seconds it wasn't going to happen. Felt awful in my hands.
Picking up the Canon, ahh there it is 🙂

Saaaame. I handled a Sony A7 IV and it just didn't sit right in my hands. Canon DSLR's feel much better, as do Panasonic mirrorless cams like the GH series, G series and the later S series.

 

[Out to Lunch]

For anyone with an itch: BHPhoto is still selling new Canon EOS 5D Mark IV's for $2,199.-.

​

 

[Freakscene]

For anyone with an itch: BHPhoto is still selling new Canon EOS 5D Mark IV's for $2,199.-.

​

And an EOS Rebel T7 kit at Walmart is $479 (which is where those sales figures are coming from).

 

[JoeV]

My brother didn’t know what a mirrorless camera was, he isn’t on the internet, but he got a Canon Rebel T5i and eventually gave it to me after finally discovering the R5. I like the idea of an optical TTL viewfinder for a relatively small body (APHS), and with the little 24mm lens it gives me the preferred 35 field of view. Not as sharp of an image as the Ricoh GRiii, but a better VF, especially in bright light.

 

[GMOG]

My brother didn’t know what a mirrorless camera was

That's it right there. When most people think of cameras they think SLR, and the bigger they are the more expensive and "better" they must be.

One of the last paying gigs I did was taking photos at a food production facility for inventory purposes. I used a Fujifilm X100S for part of the job and the guy watching me couldn't believe that anything good could come from such a small camera.