Very Interesting!!!!
The joy of Acros on the Fuji X PRO 2
One of my favorite shooters of all time and fellow Nikon Tech Rep was, and is, Sam Garcia. Sam has a great eye, impeccable technical skills and vast knowledge of the photo industry. When Sam speaks, I listen. I got this from Sam today and I wanted to share it and make my own additional comments. Sam’s original post is in blue my comments in red!
I simply love shooting mirrorless cameras. They’ve made photography a genuine delight again. Me too!
For those who have asked, no, I don’t consider using another company’s gear as disloyal to Nikon. Me either.
When and if they get a professional mirrorless on the market I will be the first to get on board if it measures up to their (currently) significant competition.
Nikon’s seeming inability to recognize the sea-change aspect of this technology is especially frustrating since my personal involvement with mirrorless goes back over ten years to the Coolpix cameras. Shooting such ‘pocket’ cameras seriously when most photographers considered them to be essentially toys taught me there was another way.
Nikon assignments allowed me to start shooting–and liking–mirrorless cameras.
The Nikon 1 showed me where might go. (The “1” series should have been APS sized sensor driven, at the least. That it was not doomed it before the first box was opened in the US. He is one of the best Coolpix shooters you will ever see!!!!
The company should have shot the whole series in the head by year two in the US, and moved along. The series was more successful in other parts of the World. It goes like that sometimes.)
Cell phones showed the industry that customers were willing to accept ‘cameras’ in any number of different enclosures. So true!
Nikon CAN make a competitive answer to both Sony and Fuji. But they got scared, and fear has cost them a good five year lag getting into the game.
Yes, their current models are good and sell well.
But…
Eastman Kodak, back in the 90’s: ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah…digital is interesting. But have you looked at the sales numbers?! You know, my friend, we sell one HELL of a lot of film…!
And believe me, that market’s not going anywhere anytime soon.’
Just my personal opinion: the failure in the US market of the Nikon 1 system (sales nowhere near what was originally desired) made the company gun-shy about introducing yet again, another system which would require years of support, and an entirely reconfigured lens line. The financial ‘bet’ would have been enormous. I think that is an excellent analysis!
Or rather, will be, since, reluctant or not, everything I know about the industry says the company must get on this track if it wishes to generate future success comparable to past success.
Conventional dslr cameras aren’t going away in the immediate future, but their days are clearly numbered. Most people do not want to hear this, but it’s true!!!
All quibbles about this or that being different on a mirrorless are simply distractions from a larger certainty:
Conventional dslr cameras are the, “dead man walking”, of photography.
A one eyed blind guy with a bag over his head can see that.
The Sony and Fuji cameras I have been using have changed the way I shoot. And the cameras have been delightful to use.
(Well, with the exception of the Sony menu system which was clearly laid out by a Sony engineer who suffers from dyslexia, and was coming down from an LSD high when he laid them out.
Unquestionably all Sony A7 menu series meeting were held under the influence of hallucinogens & saki.) Both hilarious and true!!!!
[Oh, and what moron put the on-off switch on the Leica SL on the back, left hand side…? Idiot.]
But I digress.
All I really meant to say when getting this shot set up to go out was: mirrorless makes black and white fun again. Amen!!!
It makes experimenting fun again. Amen!!!
I’m guessing nobody at Nikon is having a great deal of fun lately and that saddens me more than you would believe. Me too Sam!
Now, I think that answers almost all the questions from the last 4 years.
Actually I still have a few, but this was a wonderful article!
Sam
Excellent food for thought Sam!
Blessings,
the pilgrim
This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 16th, 2017 at 1:39 am
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I concur as well. I have a bevy of Canon gear that I won’t part with because, well, the 500mm f/4L still has its place, but it seldom gets used. I seldom do people shots and photojournalism stuff but I did a bit with my X-T2 and a Nissan i40 flash yesterday. Killer combination.
I agree!
Further observations…the Nikon 1 was a great concept. It has AF that i wish Fuji had at times. But it was a niche camera that should have had a short shelf-life but the Hello Kitty crowd in Japan adored it. That said, the late Sam Walton described that situation well when he wrote about the utter failure Wal-Mart had trying to sell Moon Pies in Wisconsin. They learned a few lessons that Nikon and Canon haven’t. At least Canon’s latest mirrorless offering is kinda sorta a Rebel in mirrorless clothing but even then it’s far behind.
yup… so true… there have been soooo many examples of failing to move ahead that results in complete collapse… like Kodak… at least Fujifilm was able to become Fujidigital… and now a world leader…
Fujifilm certainly did a masterful job of coming out of the switch in better shape.