Time to replace "Mirrorless"?! (camera description term / wording)

DJL329 said:
Let's not forget: before being called "cars," they were known as:

Horseless Carriages
Motor Carriages
Motorcars

Once the mirror-less cameras replace the dSLR cameras, they'll just lose the "mirror-less" designation, either as just "Cameras" or MILC (since we love acronyms), as others have stated.

That would be:
Mirror-Less
Mir-Les
Les (50 years from now)

Then we will refer it to. LES - Light Editing System.
First coined here at Canon Rumors.
 
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jolyonralph

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Why have a word for it at all? The vast majority of digital cameras are mirrorless and have been so since the 1990s. The DSLR is a niche product compared to cellphone cameras and even compared to compact cameras.

So, a "mirrorless" camera is a normal camera. A DSLR is a camera with a mirror assembly.
 
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stevelee

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jolyonralph said:
Why have a word for it at all? The vast majority of digital cameras are mirrorless and have been so since the 1990s. The DSLR is a niche product compared to cellphone cameras and even compared to compact cameras.

So, a "mirrorless" camera is a normal camera. A DSLR is a camera with a mirror assembly.

Up until ten years ago, all of my cameras have been mirrorless except for the FT-QL. As a kid I used box cameras handed down through the family from the '30s and '40s. None of them had mirrors. While I now have 3 DSLRs, I continue to use my mirrorless cameras when traveling, first S95, then S120, and now G7X II. I take a lot more pictures when I travel, so probably still most of my pictures are made with mirrorless cameras. And if you add in live view on my DSLRs, those pictures and videos do not utilize a mirror anywhere in the process, so I am easily a mostly mirrorless photographer.
 
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YuengLinger

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A very good topic question, and one that marketing departments are up against.

Digital Interchangeable Lens Camera...DILC?

I suppose Digital Swappable Lens Camera is to close to dSLR?

Maybe Swappable Lens Digital Camera? SLDC!


I don't think "sensor" has to be part of the mix, as most consumers by now assume all cameras have sensors. Film is a relic, not a compelling or widely available option.
 
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Apr 23, 2018
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distinction will be needed for some time, as nikon officially insists that they will keep dying mirrorslappers around (for some more time) next to mirrorless cameras, giving its customers "choice between 2 systems".

i will therefore continue to use the descriptive terms "MILC" and "mirrorslappers", until the last pne of the slappers will be made. just a few more years, problem will quickly take care of itself now. :)
 
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fullstop said:
distinction will be needed for some time, as nikon officially insists that they will keep dying mirrorslappers around (for some more time) next to mirrorless cameras, giving its customers "choice between 2 systems".

i will therefore continue to use the descriptive terms "MILC" and "mirrorslappers", until the last pne of the slappers will be made. just a few more years, problem will quickly take care of itself now. :)
Maybe Nikon and Canon treat their customers with more respect than you are able to do and they probably want to offer a range products that their customers will buy. History teaches us that when companies ignore their customer's wishes inevitably they go out of business very quickly. Contrast that with your approach, where everyone must buy the product that you think is best. No doubt severe sanctions would be applied to anyone who did not comply.

Last week I tried a Sony A7 mk3, generally considered to be one of the best mirrorless cameras available at the moment. The camera is awkward and uncomfortable to hold, especially when a large lens such as the 24-70 F2.8 Gmaster is mounted. The sales assistant offered to let me try the 24-105 F4 instead because it is smaller and lighter, but I am comfortable with a Canon 24-70 F2.8 on my 5D mk4 body so why should I be expected to sacrifice a stop just so I can have a mirrorless body? Also, I did not like the electronic viewfinder. It is slow and the image is nowhere near as clear as the optical viewfinder on my 5D mk 4.

Why can't you accept that we all have different needs and preferences? I respect your decision to choose an advanced, high quality mirrorless camera so why can't you understand that some photographers prefer to use a DSLR?
 
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Apr 23, 2018
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i get it that some folks prefer large, mirrorslapping cameras. No problem. All I am saying is: I am convinced, that option will disappear quite soon. Simply, because overwhelming majority of potential customers does NOT want big, clunky mirrorslappers any longer when superior photographic capabilities, functionality and performance can be had in mirrorless cameras.

No disrespect. Mirrorslappers have served me well. Between 1965 and 2015 they were the best option for my type of photography. Now things finally have changed for the better. Film age has ended (notwithstanding some people still enjoying chemistry-photography). Analogue age has ended (notwithstanding some folks preferring Vinyl LP). Mirrorslapping age - along with other remaining 19th century mechanical photo gear shenanigans - has ended. Solid state electronics rule supreme. Next step will be computational photography which will eliminate large ground lumps of glass in front of our cameras. More functionality in smaller, and hopefully less expensive packages [if we, the customers vehemently demand it]. What's not to like?
 
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