The lens mount wars ... it's going to get messy

[Phil V]

I can sort of see your point Phil but the thread seems to be about the multitude of mounts and the chance that some may not make it into the future.

It's ok to use old kit, I do and I have FD lenses but that's hardly the point of the thread IMO.

It’d be clear if you had read what I was responding to*
Your post reads like I’d made some random statement; which of course is the danger if you follow me around looking for an argument.

BTW I don’t believe there is a point to the thread, we’re in a period of massive change, and the market is more diverse than ever, I understand Stewart’s frustration though, he’s trying to decide what lenses to stock in an increasingly complex and varied marketplace. His decision making talent might be the difference between success and failure.

*Raymonds response to the point that people do use older kit was ‘it’s not the future’. (save you having to look it up)

 

[Phil V]

Not sure why you read one thing and thought of something else. I thought my post was quite clear.

I read this...

You can do that, some people are still shooting FD mount still, it doesn't mean that is the future though....

In response to...

Or stick with the kit you've got and cut your losses until it finally breaks.

Plenty of people are happy using their kit to take photos, they’re not interested in your view of the future.

 

[Stephen L]

As long as their is a competitive market there will be very many different mounts. It’s not in a manufacturers interest to encourage other makers lenses to fit their bodies. The only people, apart from the consumer, to benefit from a universal mount would be the third-party lens manufacturers, ie, the Sigmas and Tamrons of this world.

 

[Raymond Lin]

I read this...



In response to...


Plenty of people are happy using their kit to take photos, they’re not interested in your view of the future.

I’m not talking about people. Like I said in the section of the post you left out in your quote.

This thread is about camera mounts, specifically about the future of the mounts. I don’t care if people don’t want to know what I think of their (person - I added this ((person)) in in case you get mixed up again) future because I haven’t commented on it nor do I care. They can shoot whatever out of production mount they want.

For clarifation Phil, if this goes down the rabbit hole...you started it...

 

[LongLensPhotography]

• Canon EF - (Deadman walking)
• Canon EF-S - (Deadman walking)
• Canon EF-M - (Deadman walking)
• Canon RF
• Fujifilm X
• Leica M - (niche)
• Leica TL - (niche)
• Leica SL
• Nikon F-FX - (Deadman walking)
• Nikon F-DX - (Deadman walking)
• Nikon Z
• m4/3
• Pentax K - (Deadman walking)
• Pentax Q - (Deadman walking)
• Sigma SA - (Deadman walking)
• Sony A - (Deadman walking)
• Sony E - (you can use lenses from the FE on it)
• Sony FE

That only leaves 6.

I fear you are correct. Canon EF will cling to life the longest particularly as it is a very common mount for pro video cameras and there are more Canon lenses than any other. The rest will be decided by our voting with our wallets for either EF or RF bodies and lenses. It will be a drop in demand that will actually kill it. We probably have 4-5 more years of it. Glass like 28-70/2 but at more affordable price would trigger massive switchover. The pricing has a very inhibitory effect right now.

 

[Chipper]

Here's an interesting observation by Thom Hogan the other day.

At the end of the film era (around the turn of the millennium), interchangeable lens cameras - ignoring medium format - basically came with a very small number of mount options:

• Canon EF
• Leica M
• Nikon F
• Minolta A
• Pentax K

But now, if you were to go into a hypothetical fully-stocked camera shop, you would have the choice - again ignoring medium format - of all these:

• Canon EF
• Canon EF-S
• Canon EF-M
• Canon RF
• Fujifilm X
• Leica M
• Leica TL
• Leica SL
• Nikon F-FX
• Nikon F-DX
• Nikon Z
• m4/3
• Pentax K
• Pentax Q
• Sigma SA
• Sony A
• Sony E
• Sony FE

Something's got to give.

Well, I would ask, what is the current spread amongst the different brands and types that you hire out? I think that would be really interesting.

 

[Unlocker]

Pentax Q can come off that list too as it’s been discontinued.

 

[Gaz J]

To kill off a mount you have to kill off the cameras that use it. Canon produce around 12 DSLR bodies across a large price range. Will they introduce a mirrorless equivalent to replace all those bodies or will they consolidate their range into say 6 bodies across the price range in APSC and FF or will they continue to make DSLR bodies at the lower end of the range. Then they have to produce the wide range of lenses in R fit to suit all budgets. It’s not going to be a quick process.

 

[woof woof]

From what I've read photography has a manly male and aging following and if that's true some will have resistance to new tech and may want to see the good old DSLR design they're used for many years continue forever. I grey up with film but I'm not one hanging on to DSLR's as I never really liked the bulk and weight of them and their more modern larger lenses, so much bigger and heavier than the SLR's I had.

New people just getting into all this may be more accepting of new tech and of video too and of course new tech and video suit the mirrorless deigns and the convergence of stills and video may be factors that'll push away from DSLR's and towards mirrorless. I don't know how big this convergent market is and I don't know how many youngsters are getting into either stills or video photography. I certainly wouldn't recommend any youngster go for a DSLR for any other reason than price as some of them are bargain basement prices now. Not that any youngsters are going to ask me for advice as no one I know under 30 has a dedicated camera or camcorder type device, they all seem to take a lot of pictures and video clips but of course they use their phones.

We may see mounts and even brands disappear but in the larger scheme of things I think just about everything is up for change.