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05-25-2019, 03:43 PM - 1 Like   #1
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Northrup on DSLRs, Mirrorless and especially Lens Mounts

I was on youtube and this Tony Northrup podcast came up - I watched it. The most interesting was the last 2/3 of the video, but he did have some interesting takes (and he explained his reasoning) on mirrorless bodies - especially in terms of lens support. In his view, the lens support from the companies is very telling in terms of mirrorless' future (visa via Canon and Nikon).

From the outside, he is forecasting the end of Pentax (but what else is new) - however, since Pentax has hunkered down early and is primarily focused on their Japanese market, I do think that he is perhaps wrong on this prediction. I do believe that Pentax's handling of any new lenses going forward will be very telling - along with Ricoh's financial reports, that have been a continuing point of discussion here on the Forum.

Bottom line - DSLRs are not going away, and it just might be the mirrorless doing the disappearing act (Canon and Nikon).




05-25-2019, 03:54 PM - 4 Likes   #2
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He is a very talented photographer, but talks absolute nonsense most of the time

Last edited by Sandy Hancock; 05-26-2019 at 04:52 PM. Reason: Vulgarity
05-25-2019, 04:16 PM - 1 Like   #3
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I watched that video earlier this evening, before you'd posted...

I know Tony & Chelsea are highly criticised by a lot of our members, and I do understand why. But, as I've said before - never one to shy away from ridicule and laughter - I quite like them, and their channel, despite disagreeing with them quite frequently. Once you filter out the nonsense and views-harvesting comments, they have some decent content. This video is decent one, and there are some insightful (as well as some arguable / disputable) opinions presented...
05-25-2019, 04:51 PM - 1 Like   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by interested_observer Quote
this Tony Northrup podcast came up
Thanks for posting.

I watch these Northrup presentations occasionally. I find the videos to be lightly entertaining and have gleaned useful information on photo styles and techniques.

However, while this one speaks about sales data and 'charts and graphs', the video is, IMO, largely an opinion piece. I did appreciate his perspective on lens offerings and the distinction between DSLR lenses being usable on both formats but 'mirrorless' lenses usable on only M/L cameras. Interesting view.

I noted several points:

  • Tony refers to the interview that Imaging Resource held with "one of the head guys at Pentax." Tony says "[the head guy] actually said he 'expects a lot of mirrorless shooters to go back to shooting DSLRs in a couple of years.' " (my emphasis). I don't think that the IR interview revealed that sort of thinking. On the contrary, the Ricoh speaker was moderate in his answers, and was stressing that each system has its respective advantages."Some" users are expected to return to DSLRs.


  • At 25:47, Tony refers to the "Pentax SLR mount" and says that "Pentax (sic) already seems to have dropped it." I find that to be an odd conclusion.

- Craig


Last edited by c.a.m; 05-25-2019 at 05:13 PM.
05-25-2019, 05:16 PM - 1 Like   #5
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Ricoh apparently doesn’t give these bloggers and websites like DPR enough love. Consequently they don’t see any future for Ricoh, reasoning “If they don’t have enough money to send me a free K-1 so I can promote my YouTube site to Pentax shooters they must have abandoned the Pentax mount altogether”.

My guess is if we don’t see some news of a new body and some lenses by the end off August there might be some credence to his thoughts.

I take that back. I think he’s lazy and his wife is banal.

Last edited by monochrome; 05-26-2019 at 01:37 PM.
05-25-2019, 05:19 PM - 1 Like   #6
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I don't take Tony & Chelsea's Pentax-related comments seriously. They're entitled to their opinions, though I don't appreciate the impact they might have on easily-influenced hobbyists / potential buyers... but, beyond that, I don't pay any heed...
05-25-2019, 07:04 PM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by BigMackCam Quote
I don't take Tony & Chelsea's Pentax-related comments seriously. They're entitled to their opinions, though I don't appreciate the impact they might have on easily-influenced hobbyists / potential buyers... but, beyond that, I don't pay any heed...
As I said in a different thread Northrup is a social media influencer par excellence and not much else. What "inside" knowledge does he have that any of us don't have? Full disclosure, I have not nor will I watch the video.

05-25-2019, 07:04 PM   #8
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On 6:1 minutes, Tony says most people he sees in Barcelona using DSLR. It truth for me on my recent trip to Roam too. A very large number of Tourist are still using a DSLR which is very interesting to see.

It goes the other ways for what I see in Tokyo. I am not saying what I see is representing the market direction. It based on what I see going out for photo taking every weekend for years (since back when I see a lot of Pentax user to now almost non-existing.) If you come here you might notice too. A lot of Mirrorless user from young to old (to very old) can be seen right now. If you see forien tourist, you might see DSLR, if you see Japanese with a camera, 9 out of 10 could carry a Mirrorless.

Another point when Tony said he look at Pentax's financial report on 25:49 minutes. Me too just looked at Ricoh's latest financial report 2-3 days ago. It is on the Ricoh website, anyone can check it. Sad but it's truth that I cannot find Pentax name mentioned anywhere.

I check at the latest financial report because I saw someone here mention about Pentax is the only one making money and I read on a camera related website said Ricoh made something like +4% (without providing a link to actural report page). So I was curious if it's true. On one of the PDF, Ricoh said they made like +4.3% (if my memory is right) from Other business section which I assume Pentax is in there. They mention what goes well in that section but nothing indicates that Pentax takes a part in making those profit. I understand everyone (camera makers) are struggling right now. AnywayI must admit, I am disappointed after read the report.

Last edited by tokyoscape; 05-25-2019 at 07:15 PM.
05-25-2019, 07:25 PM - 2 Likes   #9
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Oh great!!! Another round of Gloom and Doom.
05-25-2019, 08:17 PM   #10
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Obviously Pentax is doomed. There was so little interest in the K-1 II upgrade that they didn't know what to do with all the extra kits....
05-25-2019, 09:04 PM - 1 Like   #11
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Pentax is only one of the camera makers losing ground with falling demand for ILC cameras. Within 2 - 3 years time frame, the camera customer base has shifted from general public to die hard hobbyists and professionals. And no camera company has shifted their product lineup to better fit the wants of this "new" market. Canon is the symbol of failure to realign to market change. For decades, the favorite market of Canon was the mass of the consumer , low cost camera sold my the million, but this is precisely this type of customer that is gone (using mobiles), canon customer base is the fastest shrinking, and what they've done is to offer mirrorless versions of the same cameras they used to sell well to the mass consumer, it's a major mistake. Camera customers who remain interested in stand alone / large sensor cameras want something different now, they want larger sensors, truly excellent ergonomics (not just a bunch of software menu) outstanding photographic capability, not just have to pay multiple thousand of USD to get the same 35mm images over again with EVF that offer inferior viewing capability vs OVF. That's why, on top of consumer not using ILC cameras anymore, people still using ILC cameras don't buy anything new.

---------- Post added 26-05-19 at 06:33 ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by clickclick Quote
Obviously Pentax is doomed. There was so little interest in the K-1 II upgrade that they didn't know what to do with all the extra kits....
yeah, the problem is not only the K1 II, the K1 is pretty good, even the K3. People have no reason to buy something new , they keep using what they have.

Last edited by biz-engineer; 05-25-2019 at 09:31 PM.
05-25-2019, 09:59 PM   #12
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Yeah not sure what to think. It is hard to believe that dslrs are going away. I went into the local camera store's today in my area and couldn't help but notice what people were buying. Maybe saw one person buying an Olympus but most others were buying nikon and Canon dslrs. Did not see any other cameras let alone mirrorless on the counter or in people's hands. Yeah I see dslrs being safe for the time being.

05-25-2019, 10:45 PM   #13
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The core market is solid. The signal to noise ratio at the moment is not. The noise looks like signal and is interpreted as such at the moment. The noise lessens and we say the signal isn't as strong. Not all noise is random.
05-25-2019, 11:36 PM - 3 Likes   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by interested_observer Quote
I was on youtube and this Tony Northrup podcast came up - I watched it. The most interesting was the last 2/3 of the video, but he did have some interesting takes (and he explained his reasoning) on mirrorless bodies - especially in terms of lens support. In his view, the lens support from the companies is very telling in terms of mirrorless' future (visa via Canon and Nikon).

From the outside, he is forecasting the end of Pentax (but what else is new) - however, since Pentax has hunkered down early and is primarily focused on their Japanese market, I do think that he is perhaps wrong on this prediction. I do believe that Pentax's handling of any new lenses going forward will be very telling - along with Ricoh's financial reports, that have been a continuing point of discussion here on the Forum.

Bottom line - DSLRs are not going away, and it just might be the mirrorless doing the disappearing act (Canon and Nikon).


I can only speak for myself but I'm one of those that has moved back to DSLR in the form of a KP. I bought this camera for a specific purpose. I travel a lot and I'm often in countries with very bright light. Conversely I also like to photograph street at night. The intention was to use this second system when my primary camera, a Hasselblad X1D, was too challenging because of its general slow-ness, relatively poor EVF and general unsuitability for the aforementioned type of photography.

Now there is no question that the Hasselblad produces some magnificent files with amazing resolution and colour but even after only one week with the KP I've realised again how good an OVF is as a means of viewing and framing a shot. I know that there are now many cameras with EVFs several grades better than that of the X1D but still the OVF seems to suit my eyes and how I can see the image before I take the shot.


Then there are the ergonomics and the haptics. I'd forgotten how important they are and the KP has got all the buttons, of the right size, in the right place and the fingers just fall naturally on where you want and need them to be.

And so, to cut a long story short, I've decided to sell the Hassy (at some loss) and replace it with another DSLR in the form of the K1-II paired with a 15-30/2.8 and a 54/1.4. Impulsive? Perhaps a little but I am willing to forego some of the resolution and file quality of the Hasselblad for a system that just feels better in the hand. As a tool for making photographs the Pentaxes just seems better for me than the Hasselblad.

To now have the two Pentaxes, KP and K1, also means that the menus and buttons are almost identical and this is a huge advantages when switching cameras.

I cannot pretend that my motivation to revert to DSLR will necessarily confirm a trend that would suggest that the future is not in mirrorless, but for me, and perhaps some others, it is not too far fetched to suggest that an individual's taste is sometimes better aligned with a DSLR and that therefore, some, like me, will switch back from mirrorless.
05-25-2019, 11:41 PM - 1 Like   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by biz-engineer Quote
Pentax is only one of the camera makers losing ground with falling demand for ILC cameras. Within 2 - 3 years time frame, the camera customer base has shifted from general public to die hard hobbyists and professionals. And no camera company has shifted their product lineup to better fit the wants of this "new" market. Canon is the symbol of failure to realign to market change. For decades, the favorite market of Canon was the mass of the consumer , low cost camera sold my the million, but this is precisely this type of customer that is gone (using mobiles), canon customer base is the fastest shrinking, and what they've done is to offer mirrorless versions of the same cameras they used to sell well to the mass consumer, it's a major mistake. Camera customers who remain interested in stand alone / large sensor cameras want something different now, they want larger sensors, truly excellent ergonomics (not just a bunch of software menu) outstanding photographic capability, not just have to pay multiple thousand of USD to get the same 35mm images over again with EVF that offer inferior viewing capability vs OVF. That's why, on top of consumer not using ILC cameras anymore, people still using ILC cameras don't buy anything new.

---------- Post added 26-05-19 at 06:33 ----------


yeah, the problem is not only the K1 II, the K1 is pretty good, even the K3. People have no reason to buy something new , they keep using what they have.
I think this puts a finger on the situation exactly. The same goes for the two big makers as well. The picture quality has reached a point that only specialty uses need better or different. So unlike ten years ago when your new camera body was significantly better, this is no longer true, so why spend a fortune on a new one? I think this is the photographer view and then there are the folks who have to have the latest/greatest whether it is really any better or not.
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