Originally posted by angerdan it seems that the only (remaining) high-end APS-C DLSR camera could be the upcoming K-3 III
Originally posted by BigMackCam the rest of its ILCs - including the higher-end models - are APS-C.Then, there's the Sony A6600... just over a year old now, still very current...
The difference in photos taken by APS-C cameras with and without a mirror might not be noticeable, but there is a big difference in buyer perception. Whatever buyer interest is remaining for new ILCs (either with a mirror or not) seems to be predominately for higher-end models, so we can safely limit our discussion to higher-end models. Then the question is what size of sensor are the few remaining ILC buyers interested in; funny how in less than 5 years from when this thread started, m43 has dropped out of the conversation. It is also ironic that the two companies with the capability to launch entirely new high-end MILC product lines in either APS-C or FF chose to put all their efforts into FF MILC cameras. There is a big difference for a camera manufacturer if it decides to keep a format in its catalog (without major changes to its products) or if it decides to compete in established markets with a product that is very different from what it currently offers.
IF you want to look 10 years down the road (or an additional 5 years for this thread) then you have to determine if the number of buyers for new ILCs will grow again to come close to the numbers of 10 years ago and if existing camera manufacturers will invest in truly new products or just maintain what they already offer. If the market doesn't grow dramatically, the second question becomes easy to answer and then the next question is what format of lenses are those remaining ILC buyers interested in adding to their collection, because if they don't spend any money on lenses they aren't going to be spending much money on new cameras either.
It could be that Pentax will be the only manufacturer to offer a high-end APS-C DSLR five or ten years from now, but it costs Canon and Nikon virtually nothing to maintain a presence in this market, so I don't expect either of them to drop out. I could say the same for the company that manufactures Sony ILCs, but will it stick with APS-C if all of the lenses it sells are FF? The gap between APS-C buyers and MF buyers is even bigger than between APS-C and FF, so if no one is interested in buying new X-mount lenses, it is hard to see Fujifilm maintaining its APS-C lineup for another five to ten years. As small as the Pentax brand is, the release of new lenses designed for APS-C will have as much to do with there being new Pentax APS-C ILC cameras for purchase five or ten years down the road as anything else.