Many many years ago, a friend of mine encountered a significant technological change in photography. When I first started to do some photography for pay, I was using Canon equipment, but most sports photographers of that time were using Nikon equipment. Very few Big Whites in view at major events.
This friend was an owner of a company that engaged in sports photography all over the world and indeed, were the official photographers of the Olympic Games. He used Nikon equipment.
When Canon changed its lens mount system to allow for electronic contacts for autofocus, Nikon didn’t follow. Instead they reiterated their position to maintain lens compatibility with all bodies.
While photographing the World Championships of Track and Field, my friend, being an owner of the company, had field access. His employees in attendance only had access to the perimeter of the field.
Although on more than one occasion he had been named World Sports Photographer of the Year, he freely observed that his employees were obtaining better images than he, even though he had better access to events. All such employees were using Canon equipment. Subsequently he approached Canon and they generously agreed to swap out all his Nikon equipment for comparable Canon equipment. No charge. And now we see that the Big Whites dominate numerically at such events.
The moral of the story is that if a system change results in improved photos, then it is good and should be successful. It is not clear to me that the Canon “R” system will result in better images. Fewer moving parts should result in improved durability. (It is disconcerting to have a mechanical failure such as I did while on a paid shoot when my EOS-1D’s shutter failed (after only 40k images). Luckily I had a backup. My current workhorse, a 7D II has at least 200k exposures and clearly is much more durable than the older model.) Silent electronic “shutter” will help me obtain photos more easily for some subjects. Don’t care about flash any more. The main issue for me is lens evolution and lens compatibility. Most of my photography investment is in lenses, not bodies. I wish to make wise investments and to do so, need Canon (et al) to divulge its expected evolution. The lenses mentioned in this thread don’t tickle my fancy enough for a move to the “R” system.
(And, as an aside, I recall watching not many years ago, a photographer with a film Hasslebad on a tripod and a lens about 3-feet-long attached to it aiming at a Northern Hawk Owl. Nice to know it's still possible to take images while focusing manually, exposing manually, stabilizing with a tripod and using film. Easy to become spoiled with tech.)
This friend was an owner of a company that engaged in sports photography all over the world and indeed, were the official photographers of the Olympic Games. He used Nikon equipment.
When Canon changed its lens mount system to allow for electronic contacts for autofocus, Nikon didn’t follow. Instead they reiterated their position to maintain lens compatibility with all bodies.
While photographing the World Championships of Track and Field, my friend, being an owner of the company, had field access. His employees in attendance only had access to the perimeter of the field.
Although on more than one occasion he had been named World Sports Photographer of the Year, he freely observed that his employees were obtaining better images than he, even though he had better access to events. All such employees were using Canon equipment. Subsequently he approached Canon and they generously agreed to swap out all his Nikon equipment for comparable Canon equipment. No charge. And now we see that the Big Whites dominate numerically at such events.
The moral of the story is that if a system change results in improved photos, then it is good and should be successful. It is not clear to me that the Canon “R” system will result in better images. Fewer moving parts should result in improved durability. (It is disconcerting to have a mechanical failure such as I did while on a paid shoot when my EOS-1D’s shutter failed (after only 40k images). Luckily I had a backup. My current workhorse, a 7D II has at least 200k exposures and clearly is much more durable than the older model.) Silent electronic “shutter” will help me obtain photos more easily for some subjects. Don’t care about flash any more. The main issue for me is lens evolution and lens compatibility. Most of my photography investment is in lenses, not bodies. I wish to make wise investments and to do so, need Canon (et al) to divulge its expected evolution. The lenses mentioned in this thread don’t tickle my fancy enough for a move to the “R” system.
(And, as an aside, I recall watching not many years ago, a photographer with a film Hasslebad on a tripod and a lens about 3-feet-long attached to it aiming at a Northern Hawk Owl. Nice to know it's still possible to take images while focusing manually, exposing manually, stabilizing with a tripod and using film. Easy to become spoiled with tech.)
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