The gear climate is changing...

[fstops]

Panasonic released countless M4/3 cameras, all of them pretty much the same most of the time. it also sold a lot of lenses in that system, some costing a lot.

So, what is Panasonic going to do next? Are they going to keep going with m4/3 in a market where larger sensor cameras are getting cheaper by the day or they going to use some magic to make the M4/3 sensors as good as APS-C and FF?


I don't know what Panasonic and Olympus are cooking but whatever it is, it has to be better than Sony and Fuji offerings and also it has to be justified to all the M4/3 people that they will be leaving high and dry.

 

[Keith]

Hi Keith-

We're often on the same page with this stuff.

For my needs, the most important items in any camera are exceedingly good view finder optics or ELV, and the highest quality files possible for the technology available at the camera's release to the market. And, beyond this - a quality build that will allow the camera's life to extend further than most current builds.

Better battery life and faster memory are often products that are beyond the work of design shops turning out this gear - but cameras should be upgradeable through firmware to take advantage of these advances throughout the camera's life. Beyond all of this would be a camera, like the Red Camera, whose sensor package is upgradeable.

Many of the new camera makers are not lens makers. The M43 market is a great example of a solution to this problem. I don't expect Nikon and Canon to share a common lens mount and mount electronics, but others like Sony may find it necessary. The Alpha 99 is likely the most advanced DSLR camera on the market. It's biggest problem is the small number of Sony Alpha lenses for the new FF camera. Sony has the money to be in this for the long run. We have only to look at Sony's Cine Group for SOTA cameras and multi-mount/sourced lenses.

Hi PKR,

Maybe it's an age thing but I think I've finally reached my limit of how much I can absorb. As much as I'm fascinated by advancements in digital photography I don't think I personally need to take any more of it on board but I'm sure there's plenty out there who will so they'll keep upping the anti for those adventurous souls who wait for each new development.

I currently have an OM-D that languishes in the cupboard because I 'thought' I needed it and it's a good reminder to me that it's easy to get swept up in this tsunami of technology that confronts us at the moment.

I can see myself selling the Oly and staying with my D700 and RD-1 for my digital needs because those two cameras are capable of doing everything I'll ever need to do photographically in the digital world.

In short ... I think I'm starting to become a curmudgeon!

 

[RedLion]

Here's my strategy:

Sony RX100 for digital, because I need a small light camera for travel photography where I can take thousands of high quality photos in a short span of time. This camera is also versatile enough and has adequate image quality for many kinds of photographic art projects as well (high resolution and dynamic range).

Cell phone camera for carry everywhere documentation and fun (iPhone 4s & iOS 6 and photographic apps such as "Snapseed" for processing the images and sharing on Facebook).

All other cameras are mix of 35mm and medium format film for the joy of photography as a process. (rangefinders, TLRs, Folders, etc..)

I'm also open to trying instant film (Polaroid & Fuji) but have not tried it out yet.