AP special report explains why DSLR still sells better than Mirrorless system cameras.

Last week we reported how 2013 mirrorless sales fell by 34% in UK. Now Amateur Photographer investigated the reason why DSLR is still more popular than mirrorless cameras. They say:

1) Smaller cameras are fiddly to use compared to DSLR

Well that’s no more truth. With cameras like the GH4 and Fuji X-T1 and E-m1 you get very DSLR alike controls. But for a long time mirrorless system cameras where very compact.

2) Confusing category names

Mirrorless cameras get called all sort of things like “mirrorless system cameras”, “compact system cameras” and sometimes they are also incorrectly referred as “DSRL’s cameras”. And also the the term “compact system camera” gets interpreted as something like a point and shoot “compact camera”, also not necessarily of high image quality.

3) Consumer are still hanging on to the glory days of Canon and Nikon.

Particularly North America and most European countries are very conservative

4) DSLR has wider range of accessories.

5) Low bugdget DSLR compete against system cameras

DSLR became very cheap the last couple of years. That made it even harder for Mirrorless cameras to gain some visibility.

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What should be done to increase the popularity of mirrorless cameras?

Panasonic manager Sykes said that instead of trying to sell a certain volume we should focus on educate the customer

There is also a good news reported by Sykes: “Compact system camera is now returning to a period of growth which is really pleasing“.
 

 

Olympus will likely not make a “rangefinder” designed EVF camera. Focus on f/1.0 lens instead.

Olympus manager Terada made it clear in that video interview that the EVF best position is on the lens axis. And this basically rules out the possibility for Olympus to make a PEN camera with an EVF in the corner just like the Panasonic GX7 or Fuji X-E2 cameras.

Olympus focus will be on the OMD development which basically saved Olympus financial results last year. And after the two next PRO lenses Olympus could focus on super fast primes. A very new patent published on February 20 shows an amazing 12 and 14mm f/1.0 prime lens (Source: Egami).

But what is the long term plan for Olympus? Fuji and Sony are releasing very strong competitors and Olympus needs to create something exciting to gain some market shares!

GoPro Hero 3+ Black Edition tested at Dpreview.

Guess what’s the most sold cameras at Amazon US (ranking here), the GoPro Hero 3+ Black Edition! It sells more than any other compact, DSLR or mirrorless camera!

And it now got tested by the Dpreview team that writes:

It has better battery life, quicker Wi-Fi speeds with longer range, is more compact with the new case, has a significantly improved microphone, and the best image quality I’ve seen from a GoPro to date. I love the addition of SuperView, and the improved wind noise reduction is a substantial fix. Low Light is still up in the air for me, even though the Hero 3+ does exhibit better sensitivity than previous models I’ve used. The still image capture options are almost endless, and very effective.

DSLR and Mirrorless markets may be stagnating but Sports Cameras like the GoPro still sell like hotcakes!

Adobe Camera RAW supports all new Fuji, Sony and Olympus cameras. Adds color profiles for Fuji too.

That’s a big release for mirrorless camera owners! The new Adobe Camera RAW 8.4 Release Candidate supports all new mirrorless cameras like the Fuji X-T1, Sony A6000 and Olympus E-M10. And it also adds color profiles support for Fuji cameras and lens support for a couple of lenses. Here are the download links:

Adobe Photoshop Camera Raw 8.4 for CC (Click here). Adobe Photoshop Camera Raw 8.4 for CS6 Release Candidate (Click here).