[vector]

For all the hype of new MILC cameras and their automation I see very few of them in the world around me. Mainly I still see Canon and Nikon DSLRs and that includes amateurs and pros that I observe whether it's wedding shoots, family portraits, wildlife, etc. Whatever is going on in the industry with gear is barely relevant to the majority of real photos being taken. Most people don't have the budget to keep up with the gear trends. The photos I share in my personal circle are well received and complimented and no one cares what I shot them with. There is lots of room for artistic endeavour and recognition, maybe just within a reasonable scope and expectations. I have recently been invited to put prints in local shops and sold my first prints last week to a friend for her office. I don't think the state of photography is all that bad.

[3by2]

If you're not enjoying what you're doing then change it. If you're attempting to persuade other people to your view, you might want to consider we've already thought about it and resolved the conflict...or not. There's a duality in everything we do, including photography. Often that duality is not resolvable, it's simply to be acknowledged: In short, as robgski says, 'less yapping, more snapping' cuts to the core of it.

[JoelA]

If I may draw a comparison to another hobby.

I am a dedicated cyclist.

The fleet ranges from a single gear brakeless 1926 Olympic training bike (almost 100 years old) to 2021 Euro team issue carbon bike with all the electronics. And quite a few more in between.

I try to ride 6 days of 7 every week. At least 25 or 30 miles.

Each day it may be a different bike, from a different era, with a different set up.

Why not the newest and greatest? Why use the semi-old, old and down right super old equipment? Other riders are dumbfounded...

Each of them provides a different experience. Sure, they all have to be pedaled. Sure, they all have to be turned. Sure, they all have to have the tires pumped up.

But once on them, each is a work of art by some frame builder who measured, cut, brazed tubing to build a machine that is meant to provide enjoyment excellence in a craft.

And it is that enjoyment that keeps me from ever saying "goodbye".

[MarkJerling]

Instead of reading DPReview (which I haven't read in ages) just go out and take pictures.

I'm having a blast with my K200D. With good lenses you can print quite large.

Why worry about keeping up with the Joneses?

I could not agree with you more if I tried.

[MarkJerling]

If I may draw a comparison to another hobby.

I am a dedicated cyclist.

The fleet ranges from a single gear brakeless 1926 Olympic training bike (almost 100 years old) to 2021 Euro team issue carbon bike with all the electronics. And quite a few more in between.

I try to ride 6 days of 7 every week. At least 25 or 30 miles.

Each day it may be a different bike, from a different era, with a different set up.

Why not the newest and greatest? Why use the semi-old, old and down right super old equipment? Other riders are dumbfounded...

Each of them provides a different experience. Sure, they all have to be pedaled. Sure, they all have to be turned. Sure, they all have to have the tires pumped up.

But once on them, each is a work of art by some frame builder who measured, cut, brazed tubing to build a machine that is meant to provide enjoyment excellence in a craft.

And it is that enjoyment that keeps me from ever saying "goodbye".

I'd love to see a "show your bike" thread!

[c.a.m]

So yeah, it's possible that it's going to be the end of the road for my digital photography.

Perhaps this older thread would be of interest: How to be a Happy Photographer - PentaxForums.com

It features thoughts and ideas from many PF members.

- Craig

[AfterPentax Mark II]

I really don't like the idea of ILC cameras getting more and more automati

Ah, but I do. It is just a question of how you use that automation. It gives me more room to concentrate on the picture I am going to take. Still, the settings on my camera are dictated by me and so I have a manual camera with a fully automated "dark room" if I wish so.

---

Last edited by AfterPentax Mark II; 05-28-2022 at 12:50 PM. Reason: it was a bit overdone.

[yucatanPentax]

I'm not sure the content or front page or DPReview would have any impact on my use of photodevices, whether DSLRs, smartphone cameras, etc.

I used to check them for info 10-15 years ago (really, it's that long ago), but in those days their constant and obvious Canon bias really turned me off. Once I bought a Samsung bridge camera. It was 10x better than the review on DPReview. It was also better than the similar Canon model which the website drooled over and praised.

Another experience or two like that and I just began to ignore their "opinions" which began to seem more and more to be advertiser hyping.

[PJ1]

Why say 'goodbye' just when the (our) camera industry is becoming more 'focussed'? Forget about the phone snappers and (even worse) those wielding tablets. Forget about DPR - it is now chasing a different market. There are plenty of real photographic enthusiasts around, and not just on these Forums. Have you seen the price of used photographic equipment dropping through the floor? No - because it isn't. Have you seen camera manufacturers ceasing to support the field? No - because they still have a market. Have you seen them changing their ways to suit a more targeted market? Yes - look at what Pentax/Ricoh is doing. I haven't heard the lament that Pentax is finished for a while now, and that is because it is clearly not finished. I have heard that Nikon may not survive much longer. But maybe it has decided to reshape itself to stay in the business (https://www.popphoto.com/news/nikon-discontinues-14-dslr-lenses/). And Canon? Well, that reminds me of a bank that is too big to fail - and we al know what can happen there. There are other manufacturers but that will do for now. The bottom line is that photographers who buy cameras (or bodies) and lenses keep the industry going. Manufacturers will stay in the business as long as we keep buying and using - which is as long as we decide we want to be photographers. We shoot for a different purpose than the phone snapper who looks once, puts the image on social media and moves on. If you are like me, you appreciate the images posted here (and on some other sites) but you don't spend much time on social media anyway. I am in there for the long haul with more lenses than I can sensibly use. And I have a DA HD 55-300 ED PLM WR RE on back order right now - which demonstrates my commitment.

[jimr-pdx]

The increased automation has increased my appreciation for dumb primes with limited body communication. No preset correction of lens flaws, just light on sensor and I'm in control. That applies even more to the micro43 stuff ..but my K-s2 also has all its corrections set to OFF. And a "bad" solenoid to ensure it's on me

Well ok I do have a 55-300plm now, still some automation in play

[JohnMc]

We should all have to go back to the good old days when the lens cap doubled as the shutter. Good times... one one thousand, two chimpanzee, three hippopotamus... that's about right.

[CarlosU]

When DPR reviewed the Sony A1 on April they put in the "don't like" list the following:

"Users must manually select between human, animal or birds for Eye AF"

and I commented:

"The time will come when they don't like that the camera doesn't shot automatically when there is a good photo opportunity in front of it."

I have had eight Pentax cameras, from an ME Super in 1980 to a K3 II, my newest one. Not that I not welcomed every improvement on each new model but I always remember with special joy the days with my MX. I learned photography the most with that camera, and enjoyed a lot using it. I think it had much to do with the fact that I had to be involved in every step of the process, and since I always have done photography as a hobby, much of the fun came from the process itself.
It's commendable what todays technologies can do but, at least for the ones who enjoy the craft, how much are we losing from all this automation?

[UncleVanya]

When DPR reviewed the Sony A1 on April they put in the "don't like" list the following:

"Users must manually select between human, animal or birds for Eye AF"

and I commented:

"The time will come when they don't like that the camera doesn't shot automatically when there is a good photo opportunity in front of it."

I have had eight Pentax cameras, from an ME Super in 1980 to a K3 II, my newest one. Not that I not welcomed every improvement on each new model but I always remember with special joy the days with my MX. I learned photography the most with that camera, and enjoyed a lot using it. I think it had much to do with the fact that I had to be involved in every step of the process, and since I always have done photography as a hobby, much of the fun came from the process itself.
It's commendable what todays technologies can do but, at least for the ones who enjoy the craft, how much are we losing from all this automation?

It is funny how spoiled we are. But it is also a weird thing to have to select - as the shapes are quite different for the main creatures. In a mixed eye environment I see the point but in a single type of subject environment I would expect the level of smarts of that $$$$ expensive camera to include determination of fowl vs. beast vs. biped.

I do shoot a Sony, as well as a Pentax. I have shot Panasonic and Olympus and Samsung mirrorless gear as well. My Sony is my only FF and it is an older A7R III which doesn't have the level of smarts of that A1 even. But I don't find it or my KP too automated in general.

[KiloHotelphoto]

Most of all the new features in cameras can also be turned off, except for the EVF in a mirrorless and noise reduction that some models do.

One of the things I enjoyed most about the 645Z was taking my time and shooting in complete manual mode down to the white balance and focusing.

[Digitalis]

instead of reading dpreview (which i haven't read in ages) just go out and take pictures.

^this^