Ricoh predicts DSLRs will bounce back

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Interesting story on Imaging Resources. Ricoh apparently believes the fascination with mirrorless will fade and DSLRs will make a comeback in a few years.

Hiroki Sugahara: Currently, mirrorless is a newcomer, so of course many users are very interested in the new systems, they want to use [them]. But after one or two years, some users who changed their system from DSLR to mirrorless come back to the DSLR again.

My opinion is that both formats have their advantages and until one can claim all the advantages of the other format with no compromises, both will co-exist side-by-side, possibly for decades. Be aware that the headline is a bit deceptive, as it references medium-format DSLRs, while the actual interview references all DSLRs.
 
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Sales are going to be the driving force and where R&D will be positioned. Pentax is in a state a denial. If people switch entirely to mirrorless, I can't seem them transitioning back normally. The statement reminds me of a Kodak moment and we know where they went. I agree both have their strengths and weaknesses but I cannot see the shift back to just DSLR's anymore. Hopefully they will harmonize.
 
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My opinion is that both formats have their advantages and until one can claim all the advantages of the other format with no compromises...

That will never happen. What’s more important is whether consumers care more about the unique advantages SLRs have (capable of using TTL optical VF, capable of substantially lower power consumption, capable of using purpose designed AF sensors etc. rather than using a color-filtered imaging sensor) or those mirrorless cameras have (no mirror and associated “dead space”).
 
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That will never happen. What’s more important is whether consumers care more about the unique advantages SLRs have (capable of using TTL optical VF, capable of substantially lower power consumption, capable of using purpose designed AF sensors etc. rather than using a color-filtered imaging sensor) or those mirrorless cameras have (no mirror and associated “dead space”).
Yes, of course you are correct. There will always be compromises and the great unknown is whether or not one format will advance to the point where consumers will find the advantages consistently outweigh any disadvantage.
 
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well I am going to get shelled but while its a turbulent time for the camera industry.

if you really think about it what format truly has stopped being produced ?

rangefinders slrs mirrorless point and shoot? digital film?

the only thing that will be a sticking point is the forward movement of lens " FD vers Eos " but even that is not a issue as adapters are made for the movement forward.
 
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I was there when we went from rangefinders to DSLR's. The really big driver was being able to see your composition and not having to deal with parallax. It opened the door for camera owners to have multiple lenses and still get great compositions. Rangefinders were very quickly moved to the back burner.

I see mirrorless the same way. Being able to see even more accurately exactly what you are photographing is a big driver, and the fast and accurate autofocus is equally or even bigger.

The change will not be as fast because its not such a huge difference, but it will happen for sure. The technology is difficult, but expect to see some of the issues solved soon. Canon already has a patent that should eliminate the freezing of the viewfinder as a image is saved, we may even see that in the pro level cameras coming up.
 
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Was that a question for me? Its not clear what you are asking about.
I am asking about your assumption that having a mirror is a hindrance when it comes to autofocus and viewfinder. For me, it's a benefit (at least as long as you can cope with the cost and weight of the mirrorbox and the hybrid viewfinder). The drawback is the shorter flange distance.

Then again, I don't believe in "WYSIWYG" of the EVF, at least as long as I cannot apply my own curves to it before taking a shot. It also loses the information of the dynamic range (in particular, whether the highlights are worth saving).

Using another eye to estimate the scene is not always an option. Not for left-eyed people and not with telephoto lenses (trying to match a picture through 100-400 with an image in another eye for longer than just a moment leaves me nauseated).
 
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Not for left-eyed people and not with telephoto lenses (trying to match a picture through 100-400 with an image in another eye for longer than just a moment leaves me nauseated).

I am left eye dominant and shoot with my right eye open. I just have to tilt my head slightly. I do t even think about it, it’s automatic.

Using HDMI to drive a one-eyed VR goggle would be interesting. Forget flipping screens, just put the camera where you want it.
 
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I am asking about your assumption that having a mirror is a hindrance when it comes to autofocus and viewfinder. For me, it's a benefit (at least as long as you can cope with the cost and weight of the mirrorbox and the hybrid viewfinder). The drawback is the shorter flange distance.

Then again, I don't believe in "WYSIWYG" of the EVF, at least as long as I cannot apply my own curves to it before taking a shot. It also loses the information of the dynamic range (in particular, whether the highlights are worth saving).

Using another eye to estimate the scene is not always an option. Not for left-eyed people and not with telephoto lenses (trying to match a picture through 100-400 with an image in another eye for longer than just a moment leaves me nauseated).
Its not a assumption, a DSLR has a built in error with autofocus. It can be adjusted to autofocus accurately at specific distances or with specific lenses, but a ordinary consumer DSLR like a SL-3 can't be adjusted to match lenses at all. A mirrorless focuses with consistent accuracy at all distances with virtually all brands of lenses. This is a huge advantage for most DSLR users who do not have the minimal adjustments in a high end model.

If you don't believe in WYSIWYG, you are denying the basic reason why SLR's pushed rangefinders out of the market in the late 1950's. Nothing wrong with rangefinders if you learn to compensate for attached lens and the distance, it just makes using the camera easier to have TTL viewing.
 
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Its not a assumption, a DSLR has a built in error with autofocus. It can be adjusted to autofocus accurately at specific distances or with specific lenses, but a ordinary consumer DSLR like a SL-3 can't be adjusted to match lenses at all. A mirrorless focuses with consistent accuracy at all distances with virtually all brands of lenses. This is a huge advantage for most DSLR users who do not have the minimal adjustments in a high end model.

If you don't believe in WYSIWYG, you are denying the basic reason why SLR's pushed rangefinders out of the market in the late 1950's. Nothing wrong with rangefinders if you learn to compensate for attached lens and the distance, it just makes using the camera easier to have TTL viewing.

WSYIWG is largely mythical in both SLRs and MILCs. SLR doesn’t show exposure or DOF properly. MILC doesn’t show exposure properly (nearly every shot I took with my A7Rii was darker than the EVF suggested since it was compressing the scene to the display’s contrast ratio). Both however are better than rangefinder, which shows not exposure nor DOF nor framing TTL.
 
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Its not a assumption, a DSLR has a built in error with autofocus.
Not really. Even my 10 years old 5D2 already has semi-usable autofocus in Live View mode. And of course it also works with external HDMI monitors.

Also, I never felt the need to use AFMA for my lenses, and while the lenses I routinely use are not particularly fast, they are not particularly cheap either.

If you don't believe in WYSIWYG,
I don't believe in "WYSIWYG" of a camera EVF. Because it's not.

you are denying the basic reason why SLR's pushed rangefinders out of the market in the late 1950's.
No, I'm not denying interchangeable telephoto lenses.

Parallax by itself was not a big problem; P&S were vastly outselling SLRs in 1980s-1990s.

Nothing wrong with rangefinders if you learn to compensate for attached lens and the distance, it just makes using the camera easier to have TTL viewing.
Film rangefinders could not focus through the main lens. DSLRs can focus in Live View.
 
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Film rangefinders could not focus through the main lens. DSLRs can focus in Live View.
A good Film rangefinder WILL focus much better than film DSLR for focal length shorter than 50mm , especially for slower lenses or in darker environment. Also a good film rangefinder has parallax compensation built-in.
 
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A good Film rangefinder WILL focus much better than film DSLR for focal length shorter than 50mm , especially for slower lenses or in darker environment. Also a good film rangefinder has parallax compensation built-in.
...film SLR?

For slower lenses with focal length shorter than 50mm, one could focus well enough using a lens distance scale when shooting 35mm film.
 
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