[stevebrot]

If they follow that path, they will have to make sure that their KAF3/KAF4 lens catalog is "adequate"

You lost me there.

The question would be whether the offerings for the new mount will be adequate. I, for one, would have little interest in purchasing D FA lenses with the idea of using them on a mirrorless camera as well as a FF Pentax dSLR. Which brings us back around to the key question that may well be answered when the new Nikon and Canon FF MILC offerings hit the market. Unless they offer tangible benefits over the Sony product in terms of usability, utility, and durability, there is little reason to move away from the excellent high-end dSLRs offered by both makers. The so-called mirrorless advantage has been and continues to be a hard sell for FF if the intent is usage with current product glass.


Steve

(...was very close to purchase of an A7 over a K-3 Spring of 2014 based mostly on the low price point (24Mpx FF at the same price point as the Pentax)...FEV caused immediate headache and vertigo...)

[Wheatfield]

The problem I see with Canon & Nikon changing mounts is, adapter or not, the user base will see it a the beginning of the end for support for the EF & F mount. This alone will most likely keep people with significant investment in lenses out of the customer base for a new system. Also, exactly what advantage will a new system have for existing users?
Full frame? They can already get that.
EVF? That can be a really hard sell. I don’t know if Nikon or Canon’s user base is clamouring for an EVF, and even if they are, the present system can surely accommodate it.
Size advantage? Not really if they have to mount their 45mm registration depth lenses via an adapter.
Creating a full system around a new mount will be rather expensive, and the amortization period might be infinitely long. They would do better to put an EVF onto one of their present DSLR bodies and see how that flies.

[monochrome]

Pentax can continue selling mirrored cameras exclusively and profitably for longer than most of us will live, but only because they are small enough to avoid bankruptcy when MILC’s achieve critical mass. Canon and Nikon have too much capital at risk to ignore the trend.

[surfar]

The problem I see with Canon & Nikon changing mounts is, adapter or not, the user base will see it a the beginning of the end for support for the EF & F mount. This alone will most likely keep people with significant investment in lenses out of the customer base for a new system. Also, exactly what advantage will a new system have for existing users?

Yes,thats one way of looking at it.However,the way CaNik look at it is from a $$$$$$ point of view,the bottom line.

$$$$ony have forced the big 2 into FF M/L by taking some of their client base.The sales figures of 2012 Sony FFs were tiny but now its an in demand FF system.Many $$$$ony users are adapting CaNik glass,so its logical for the BIG 2 to endeavour to retain their clients.

$$$$ony are in 3rd generation development and their product now is reasonably refined,4th generation will/should be amazing.CaNik have a major challenge to retain clients and win some back.

Will they try it from a price point OR a quality/feature point???...Photokina should reveal something.

[Wheatfield]

Yes,thats one way of looking at it.However,the way CaNik look at it is from a $$$$$$ point of view,the bottom line.

From a bottom line perspective, going to the expense of producing a brand new mount with the risk of alienating the present user base to enter a market that is in free fall really doesn't make a lot of sense.
From a bottom line perspective, putting an EVF into an existing chassis indicates to the user base that they are still solidly behind them, and doesn't require a bunch of R&D to produce a new mount. There really is nothing to be gained for them to introduce new mounts at this point in the game.
I'm not saying it won't happen, I just can't see it being well accepted.

$$$$ony have forced the big 2 into FF M/L by taking some of their client base.The sales figures of 2012 Sony FFs were tiny but now its an in demand FF system.Many $$$$ony users are adapting CaNik glass,so its logical for the BIG 2 to endeavour to retain their clients.

$$$$ony are in 3rd generation development and their product now is reasonably refined,4th generation will/should be amazing.CaNik have a major challenge to retain clients and win some back.

Will they try it from a price point OR a quality/feature point???...Photokina should reveal something.

If they try, I'm guessing it will be by showing their user base that they are going the distance for them, not by putting something on the market that might very well tell the present customer base that the present system is going the same way as the FD mount system did back in the 1980s.

[surfar]

to enter a market that is in free fall really doesn't make a lot of sense.

Of course not,however thats not what they are doing.The market for M/L is holding its own,the market for FF M/L is expanding.CaNik arent dumb,they can see $$$onys sales and they can tell where plenty of $$$ony adopters have defected from.The adapter market has expanded in proportion to the $$$ony rise in market share.

As i stated, CaNik were forced into catering for FF M/L demand....$$$$$ony did that and $$$$ony expected competitors to come.

[Wheatfield]

Of course not,however thats not what they are doing.The market for M/L is holding its own,the market for FF M/L is expanding.CaNik arent dumb,they can see $$$onys sales and they can tell where plenty of $$$ony adopters have defected from.The adapter market has expanded in proportion to the $$$ony rise in market share.

As i stated, CaNik were forced into catering for FF M/L demand....$$$$$ony did that and $$$$ony expected competitors to come.

Out of curiosity, what is a $$$$$ony?

[surfar]

what is a $$$$$ony?

My definition would be...overpriced,poorly sealed,complicated menud camera body thats capable of excellent video and stills photography!

5x$ for a A9..4x for a A7r3 and only $$$ for the lowly A7iii...ha ha ha.

When it comes to glass,the 400f2.8 goes off the richter!

[BigMackCam]

When it comes to glass,the 400f2.8 goes off the richter!

To be clear, I believe Sony's 400/2.8 pricing is measured on the sphincter scale...