Thom Hogan Reassures Nikon Users: New Camera Coming!

[Clix Pix]

Thom Hogan, who has written about Nikon and other cameras for years, weighs in on the recent Sony A1 announcement and hints at upcoming news which will be pleasing and "satisfying" to "the Nikon faitbful."

For Those With Sony Paranoia | Thom Hogan

What does the Sony A1 mean to Nikon?

www.zsystemuser.com

From the article:

"Will this camera match a Sony A1?

No, not exactly. Nikon's targets are a little different than Sony's. But I'm comfortable in saying I think that the camera as it has been described to me would be entirely satisfying to the Nikon faithful. In one way, it might be seen as better."

This sounds as though these vague hints from Nikon (and Thom) are intended to try and stave off more of the "Nikon faithful" from decamping and rushing off to Sony.

Shrug. I don't think Sony has anything to worry about......

 

[deep diver]

I think the real takeaway from all of the "Nikon is dieing" articles is that they are not going away. Neither is Canon. Neither is Sony. Neither is............

While there have certainly been shifts in the markets because of mobile device capabilities, there is more than enough room in the camera market for everyone.

I don't spend time looking at such things, but I imagine that the point-and-shoot market is the real casualty, not ILCs.

 

[r.harris1]

I think Thom is also suggesting folks not get too wrapped up in Sony announcements and marketing fodder. Are lots of “Nikon faithful” running off to Sony? I’m sure you can point to “famous photographers” on YouTube or wherever. Sony people feel the need to hype their cameras more than I’ve noticed Canon or Nikon folks. Thats good for Sony, of course. I see what Sony delivers. I’ve shot the aiiir - nice enough, some nice lenses, nice IQ. I’m not running to Sony. And to me, I’m the only Nikon photographer that matters . There’s no need to “jump” for any reason I can see. Everyone is making great cameras right now. The only Sony I need is the sensor inside my Nikon.

 

[chscag]

The problem with Nikon is that they do not multi-task. Both Sony and Canon have other markets.

 

[Clix Pix]

The P&S market has already pretty much been killed off and has mostly disappeared, thanks to the rise of smartphones which can do much of what P&S cameras could, plus more.

At this point the battle seems to be between ILC mirrorless cameras, especially full-frame ones, and ILC DSLRs.....and it looks as though mirrorless cameras are getting a stronger and stronger hold on the market as time goes on.

As for who in terms of professional photographers is "running off to Sony," I have no idea. I don't really care, either. All I know is that for me, when I was ready to make a decision about where I wanted to go with my photography, because I had already had some experience with Sony cameras and because the Sony system was offering what I wanted, to me it was a logical choice to move in that direction.

I actually have had very little exposure to Sony's marketing, just had word-of-mouth experiences from people I trust, plus actual hands-on with some of their products. It actually was a good friend, a fellow photographer and long-time Nikon guy who introduced me to the NEX 7 and the world of mirrorless cameras...... I held his NEX-7 in my hands, stared through the strange-looking EVF and played around with with the camera for a few minutes, fascinated by the possibilities. A few days later I had my own NEX-7 in hand.....

 

[OreoCookie]

I agree with Clix Pix. Sony’s best marketing is that they have been at it for much longer than most people think. They have worked hard for their market share, making lots of mistakes in the process. The UI of their early mirrorless cameras as well as the body shape was at least in my mind suboptimal. But now they do offer many models that resemble traditional dslrs with a well-thought out UI. They have the best sensors in-house (although in some cases Nikon still did more with the sensor data it seems), and they sell their sensors also to other manufacturers. They built momentum for their wave and now the wave is breaking on the shore all over their competitors.

Just compare the justified excitement over the Alpha 1 to the lack of excitement over Nikon’s Z6, Z7 and Z50. Nikonians were perhaps nitpicking in some places, but I don’t think there was too much excitement. At best people were thinking “finally, Nikon is starting to catch up”. The Alpha 1 has extremely impressive specs and you have to try a bit hard to criticize it. The most obvious point of criticism is the price, although more in the sense that “I’d like to be able to afford one.” (I have the feeling that Canon cameras are greeted also with some skepticism, although not as much. Plus, Canon has a name in the movie industry.)

 

[r.harris1]

I agree with Clix Pix. Sony’s best marketing is that they have been at it for much longer than most people think. They have worked hard for their market share, making lots of mistakes in the process. The UI of their early mirrorless cameras as well as the body shape was at least in my mind suboptimal. But now they do offer many models that resemble traditional dslrs with a well-thought out UI. They have the best sensors in-house (although in some cases Nikon still did more with the sensor data it seems), and they sell their sensors also to other manufacturers. They built momentum for their wave and now the wave is breaking on the shore all over their competitors.

Just compare the justified excitement over the Alpha 1 to the lack of excitement over Nikon’s Z6, Z7 and Z50. Nikonians were perhaps nitpicking in some places, but I don’t think there was too much excitement. At best people were thinking “finally, Nikon is starting to catch up”. The Alpha 1 has extremely impressive specs and you have to try a bit hard to criticize it. The most obvious point of criticism is the price, although more in the sense that “I’d like to be able to afford one.” (I have the feeling that Canon cameras are greeted also with some skepticism, although not as much. Plus, Canon has a name in the movie industry.)

I totally get it. Sony’s A1 specs are definitely impressive. They’ve done a great job at mirrorless ILC camera evolution with this release, in particular for professional sports and action folks. I’m excited for all of you Sony shooters. If any of you purchase one, I'd love to hear your impressions of it. Maybe the other vendors will have an answer, and they always do, although I often wonder what the question is.

Maybe I’m in a minority, but I don’t need camera releases to be particularly exciting. They’re just boxes . I need to like the ergonomics and build quality. I need to love, love, love the lenses on offer and - in combination with the sensor (usually Sony!), vendor color science and imaging pipeline - the image quality itself. If I had to count exciting releases, I’d count the d90, d3/d300, the d3x, the first in the Fuji X100 line, the Nikon D800, Fuji GFX 100, Phase One IQ 4 150 and several Leica ones. Personal taste, of course! The A1 does have the potential to be exciting - the sensor size + sensor read-out speeds are unheard of. I'd like to wait to see what the trusted reviews say about the reality of working with the camera. I have no doubt that the image quality will be of very high quality. It sounds like the better menu system is making its way into this body too. No particular reason to "jump ship" though. That's usually only good for YouTube clicks. (I know there are real reasons - timing of lens availability, personal preference, etc)

I need a camera to get out of my way and give me flexibility to capture images exactly the way I want with high IQ. Right now the d850 is pretty near perfect for me. I don’t remember the release being particularly exciting. Just an evolution on the d8NN line. A Z-something will work great when I want to add a mirrorless body.

Here's what I "require" from my bodies:

• "Feels good in the hand" - ergonomics. The button/dial placement should "make sense" - I should be able to get to all of my main controls without resorting to a menu dive. The (mostly unrealized) hope is that these characteristics don't change too much from release to release except to iterate "toward better".
• High quality sensor with excellent base ISO performance characteristics and reasonable higher ISO if needed
• Excellent "post sensor" imaging pipeline, including sensor read-out, autofocus performance if I need it, raw file optimization, ability to upgrade features by firmware
• If optical view finder, large/bright, if EVF, high density, fast readout, etc
• Really good live view capabilities if needed
• Connectivity options - USB C tethering, Wireless, etc
• Cards: Prefer CF Express/XQD
• Power options - USB C (I don't get this on the d850 for example)

Most companies can meet all/most of the above. Literally it's personal choice and all of them are evolution in iteration, very little, if any, revolution. I always expect faster readout with camera iterations, I expect better autofocus performance, I expect better base ISO performance and to some degree higher ISO. I am not looking for any camera to do everything for me. I'm not looking for "AI" in the way most people mean it. Photography to me is about taking great optics, combining it with a great sensor and making personal decisions by choosing focus, ISO, shutter speed and aperture on a body that feels good in the hand. At the end of it, hopefully making a pleasing image.

 

[OreoCookie]

@r.harris1
I am less excited than I used to be, because I know I am not going to buy any of these — with the exception of whatever the current version of the X100 is. My X100s's electronics crapped out and my wife also loved that camera. But I just placed an order for a very expensive road bike, my wife would divorce me if I got a new camera as well

I would also add that for most things even my 10-year-old D7000 would work fine. In daylight I get very good IQ and I don't feel like I need higher resolution. Would I want better low-light capabilities? Yes. But not >$1,500 much. I would have love to continue to use my X100s as well.

 

[r.harris1]

@OreoCookie I LOVE my x100f. It's a total joy to use. The prices are decent on those as compared to the latest, but not sure if they are "divorce safe" prices .

 

[Fishrrman]

Clix wrote:
"At this point the battle seems to be between ILC mirrorless cameras, especially full-frame ones, and ILC DSLRs.....and it looks as though mirrorless cameras are getting a stronger and stronger hold on the market as time goes on."

Now that the movable mirror is being relegated to "camera history", the NEXT STEP is going to be removing the "movable" [mechanical] shutter as well.

I sense that Canon is going to be first here.
Possibly with the release of the "R1" later this year or early next year.

The future of ILC's is going to be:
No mirror
and...
No mechanical shutter, either.

 

[whiteonline]

Much of the ”Nikon is dead” hype comes from social media. They operate the same way tabloids have been for ages. Sensationalism that generates the clicks (money). It’ll be the topic until the next headline.
Real professionals don’t get wrapped up in the minutia of specs. They find a tool that serves a purpose and get to work. And they especially don’t hop between systems.
The average consumer buys what is in budget.
The enthusiasts in forums are a very vocal and rabid group that believe their views represent the majority. But they are quite the minority.

Nikon will be fine and will release an amazing camera. As will Sony and Canon. This will continue if we are lucky.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

Clix wrote:
"At this point the battle seems to be between ILC mirrorless cameras, especially full-frame ones, and ILC DSLRs.....and it looks as though mirrorless cameras are getting a stronger and stronger hold on the market as time goes on."

Now that the movable mirror is being relegated to "camera history", the NEXT STEP is going to be removing the "movable" [mechanical] shutter as well.

I sense that Canon is going to be first here.
Possibly with the release of the "R1" later this year or early next year.

The future of ILC's is going to be:
No mirror
and...
No mechanical shutter, either.

I always shoot e-shutter with telephoto lenses in an effort to reduce shutter shock, and the silent operation doesn’t alert wildlife. I used to never use e-shutter, but now “shutter type” is one of my programable buttons.

 

[Clix Pix]

Ergonomics is very important, indeed. I remember many, many years ago when I was choosing my very first SLR. I handled Canons and I handled Minoltas and I handled Nikons...... At that point in time I was just really starting out with using a "real" camera and budget was somewhat constrained so I went with a Minolta, which felt pretty good to me. I didn't care for the Canons I handled and I loved how the Nikon felt but knew I wasn't ready for one, either in terms of photographic experience or finances. Some years later the day came when I was ready to make the big move to a really serious camera, the "gold standard": a Nikon. Holding that Nikon in my hands felt absolutely right, very comfortable, and that was that.

Years later when I was ready to move to a DSLR, I didn't hesitate to say, "I'd like the Nikon D70." and the minute the salesman handed me the demo model, it felt right, like "coming home again" (I'd been through a phase of using Coolpixes -- still Nikons, but definitely not DSLRs!). Loved that D70 and the various Nikons I bought and used after that..... If I had decided to stick with DSLRs instead of switching to mirrorless I would've stayed with Nikon.

I know I'll never go back to DSLRs now. I love mirrorless too much. Silent shutter is great, isn't it? I use that when shooting Alfred and friends, and it does make a difference, especially with the skittish Hooded Mergansers. I would guess that wedding photographers really appreciate silent shutter mode, and those who have to shoot in situations where the noisy clunk-clunk-clunking of a mirror can be a distracting irritation to people around the photographer.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

Clix wrote:
"At this point the battle seems to be between ILC mirrorless cameras, especially full-frame ones, and ILC DSLRs.....and it looks as though mirrorless cameras are getting a stronger and stronger hold on the market as time goes on."

Now that the movable mirror is being relegated to "camera history", the NEXT STEP is going to be removing the "movable" [mechanical] shutter as well.

I sense that Canon is going to be first here.
Possibly with the release of the "R1" later this year or early next year.

The future of ILC's is going to be:
No mirror
and...
No mechanical shutter, either.

Canon is using both mechanical and electronic shutters on the R5 and R6, but I prefer the mechanical shutter at 12 shots per second. 20 fps is just too much. Electronic shutters are almost silent, but the new mechanical shutters are relatively quiet. Better have very largeCF Express cards if you forget the camera on electronic shutter

Well, I digress a little in relation to electronic shutters. Shooting birds that are flying very fast while using Servo AF and eye tracking benefit from electronic shutter past 12 fps.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

I don’t know about canon, but I’ve shot the other major brands over the years, and Olympus mechanical shutter sound is just something to behold. I don’t know what they do differently, but it’s just an entirely different click. It’s not as pitchy.

 

[OreoCookie]

@OreoCookie I LOVE my x100f. It's a total joy to use. The prices are decent on those as compared to the latest, but not sure if they are "divorce safe" prices .

A new camera is on my list and since my wife loves it as well, I am sure I have a high chance of approval. This camera was such a joy to use. The worst thing about it was that my wife loved it so much that when we took trips together, I often did not get to use it. 😅 If money were no object, I might eye an X-Pro 3, but that’s too much money. They are selling off the X100Ts for a discount, too.

But man, this camera is such a joy to use. The controls are self-explanatory, I like the addition of the ISO dial and the pictures it produces. It is simple, yet powerful and elegant. And the viewfinder. I miss it 😢