Fuji { The DSLR Is Dead } | Things.That.Make.You.Go.Hmmm.Again.

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hcreatives

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"The DSLR is Dead," so declares Zack Arias. I'm sure many of you may have seen the video published in collaboration with Gulf Photo Plus...it's Zack's take on the X100S on the streets of Istanbul:

[video=youtube;SlbaWP3mVVA]

Personally for me, my DLRs are taking up more and more downtime these days in favor of my X-gears - so in some ways I could agree with Zack. But...maybe not dead quite yet as I still prefer the reliability of my D3/D700 for shooting events. I must say, though, my back tends to agree more with Zack than my brain. One thing is for sure, I'm not investing anymore lenses or bodies in the DSLR format. ;)

What do you think? Is the DSLR really dead?
 
I think it really depends on who's asking and who's answering the question, Is the DSLR really dead?

For Zack, the way he shoots and the type of images that he takes (which is really beautiful by the way) then yes, the DSLR is dead, but for people who take macro shots, sports shots that requires gazillions of FPS, astrophotography etc.. they'll probably argue that no, the DSLR is not dead.

I'm thinking that the people from Canon or Nikon (as well as their fanboys and fangirls) would probably say the same.

I wouldn't say it's going to live forever though, I think we live in very interesting times where long standing dogmas are being challenged by the advances in technology e.g. why buy a compact camera when my phone has a camera? what was right 10 years ago might not be necessarily be right tomorrow e.g. the technology available at the time prevented manufacturers putting a big sensor in small camera bodies, then the Sony NEX was developed, followed by the RX1.

Personally, I am not a DSLR user and cannot see any situation where I will require one for the way I shoot and with what I want to shoot, however I believe that there are still people who will require a DSLR with the way they shoot.
 
Great photographer. Waaaaay over the top product endorser, paid or not.

"This is the greatest camera ever made", whether he's willing to fight anyone in the street or not, really just means 'this is the best camera I've ever used for this form of photography I've just recently discovered through this very camera (seemingly having tried no others for this discipline)'. I'm glad he loves his camera, and it's a damn good one, and I hope he keeps making great photographs with it. But he's so far over the top that I find him thoroughly ridiculous.

It's the best camera for HIM for this discipline, of those he's tried for this discipline (evidently just this one) and from this he concludes its the "greatest camera ever made" and "it's all YOU need". Hell of a leap.

Hell of a photographer, terrible shill, whether Fuji is paying him or not.

-Ray
 
Ray Sachs said:
Great photographer. Waaaaay over the top product endorser, paid or not.

"This is the greatest camera ever made", whether he's willing to fight anyone in the street or not, really just means 'this is the best camera I've ever used for this form of photography I've just recently discovered through this very camera (seemingly having tried no others for this discipline)'. I'm glad he loves his camera, and it's a damn good one, and I hope he keeps making great photographs with it. But he's so far over the top that I find him thoroughly ridiculous.

It's the best camera for HIM for this discipline, of those he's tried for this discipline (evidently just this one) and from this he concludes its the "greatest camera ever made" and "it's all YOU need". Hell of a leap.

Hell of a photographer, terrible shill, whether Fuji is paying him or not.

-Ray
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What an interesting response. I hadn't thought of it that way at all. I watched the video again, and read some of his posts, and watched other videos too. My take remains very different from yours.

I do agree that some of his statements appear over the top, but I believe context is important. He is light-hearted by nature, and deliberately goads the pixel peeping gadget reviewers - especially in his bar scene post. I see this as his style, his sense of fun.

Taken in this vein, these statements do nothing to make me want to set aside the more practical elements of his commentary and reviews. He is an accomplished photographer, not an armchair expert who plays with cameras in his spare time. To my mind this gives significant validity to his views. I certainly can't see how his general points are even remotely over the top. I find him thoughtful and practical. I have found some of his other videos, especially about lighting, very effective for teaching and sparking new ideas. He is also respected among his peers. In addition, just because he doesn't partake in public 'X camera vs Y' camera does not mean he doesn't try other cameras. He is a photographer for goodness sake! Of course he has tried others.

Sure, he has exciting headlines. Who doesn't do that online. I read with interest the thread you started about Fuji and their ISO - just look at that headline. Evidence in there that convinces you. I suspect a fair view might be that there is lots of evidence for his views within his videos and posts too.

After 30 years depending on photography, I've come to pay a lot of attention to identifying real value in opinions. Naturally, these are just my views :D
 
DSLR is alive and well in most of the world. Just not as much in this forum, for obvious reasons. Still lots of exciting DSLRs in the market that I'd love to have -- D4, D800, D7100, K5iis, 7D. Oly needs to put the 16 mp sensor in the body of the E5, and shave a few oz off.
 
These are tabloid-style statements. They are meant to be controversial, in order to be frequently mentioned, linked to and discussed (like in this thread), as this increases a blog's click count and general reach, thus increasing the blogger's influence and earnings. It's a business model.

Maybe I should follow this path, too. It appears to work for Zack and his colleagues. And honestly, it's much easier (and financially more rewarding) to write hilarious columns like "Fuji is the new Leica", "The DSLR is dead" or maybe "Fuji will kill Sony NEX within a year" than doing months of research about the inner workings of EXR technology and eventually writing a boring (and, lacking controversial catch phrases, widely ignored) article explaining it in simple terms.
 
John B said:
What an interesting response. I hadn't thought of it that way at all. I watched the video again, and read some of his posts, and watched other videos too. My take remains very different from yours.

I do agree that some of his statements appear over the top, but I believe context is important. He is light-hearted by nature, and deliberately goads the pixel peeping gadget reviewers - especially in his bar scene post. I see this as his style, his sense of fun.
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So, he's joking? OK, but he sounds like he means it to me. And while the X100s is a damn fine camera, he seems to actually believe its the best camera ever made, which is ludicrous. As if that could be said of ANY camera. It's also a fine street camera, a discipline he seems to have discovered through the X100 specifically. But there are others that are as good or better depending on the photographers shooting style. If Fuji isn't paying him to say these things, as he claims, I'd bet they're paying him on the back end to use his well produced video as part of their marketing program.

Look, I don't doubt he loves the camera and that it's just the perfect camera for him for his current pursuits. But to step over that line into "it's the best camera ever made" and "it's all YOU need", its a pure endorsement for anyone for any use. Again, ludicrous.

If he's joking, he ought to put a huge disclaimer on it, because that's not how this is being used.

-Ray
 
flysurfer said:
These are tabloid-style statements. They are meant to be controversial, in order to be frequently mentioned, linked to and discussed (like in this thread), as this increases a blog's click count and general reach, thus increasing the blogger's influence and earnings. It's a business model.

Maybe I should follow this path, too. It appears to work for Zack and his colleagues. And honestly, it's much easier (and financially more rewarding) to write hilarious columns like "Fuji is the new Leica", "The DSLR is dead" or maybe "Fuji will kill Sony NEX within a year" than doing months of research about the inner workings of EXR technology and eventually writing a boring (and, lacking controversial catch phrases, widely ignored) article explaining it in simple terms.
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Right, if YOU'D said it Rico, I'd almost believe it. :cool:

This video is just pure hucksterism whether for Fuji, or as Rico suggests, jut to increase hits to Zack's own blog and drive his ad revenues. It's because he's such a good and well respected working photographer that he ought to be sort of careful about how he says this stuff. Maybe he should hold his hands up and make air quotes when be says things like "the best camera ever made".

-Ray
 
Armanius said:
DSLR is alive and well in most of the world. Just not as much in this forum, for obvious reasons. Still lots of exciting DSLRs in the market that I'd love to have -- D4, D800, D7100, K5iis, 7D. Oly needs to put the 16 mp sensor in the body of the E5, and shave a few oz off.
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Right. I forgot to mention that. I don't think they are dead either. Partly because of sheer market presence, and partly because they do some jobs very well.

That said, a big chunk of the DSLR market will I think be increasingly pressured by what we call SCs.

flysurfer
These are tabloid-style statements. They are meant to be controversial, in order to be frequently mentioned, linked to and discussed (like in this thread), as this increases a blog's click count and general reach, thus increasing the blogger's influence and earnings. It's a business model.

Maybe I should follow this path, too. It appears to work for Zack and his colleagues. And honestly, it's much easier (and financially more rewarding) to write hilarious columns like "Fuji is the new Leica", "The DSLR is dead" or maybe "Fuji will kill Sony NEX within a year" than doing months of research about the inner workings of EXR technology and eventually writing a boring (and, lacking controversial catch phrases, widely ignored) article explaining it in simple terms.
Today, 09:12 AM
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I agree - statements designed to drive traffic. In Arias's case, they are also part of his fun branding. So go for it - people do it in this forum too. In his case though, I find it easy to set aside the headlines and gain value from his comments: they are real-use comments, and highly relevant to someone who uses a camera in the same way. All underscored by photographic skill and achievement.

I don't feel it's an either / or with the type of in-depth information that you provide. For me, they compliment each other. Arias might get some page views from me, as do you and the places you haunt. You also gained by the sale of a book (very, very useful book), though I bet not much: authors don't score much.

I simply feel that to dismiss the views of an accomplished photographer because some of his remarks are not amusing to some, or are obviously set up to drive traffic, misses an opportunity to learn.
 
Ray Sachs said:
Right, if YOU'D said it Rico, I'd almost believe it. :cool:

This video is just pure hucksterism whether for Fuji, or as Rico suggests, jut to increase hits to Zack's own blog and drive his ad revenues. It's because he's such a good and well respected working photographer that he ought to be sort of careful about how he says this stuff. Maybe he should hold his hands up and make air quotes when be says things like "the best camera ever made".

-Ray
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Sounds like a preference for the DPR style X vs Y camera style arguments - geeker vs photographer?? ;)
 
John B said:
Sounds like a preference for the DPR style X vs Y camera style arguments - geeker vs photographer?? ;)
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Not even slightly. I leave the technical to other people. ALL of the stuff I think about (and sometimes write and talk about) is about the usability of various cameras - what sorts of shooting they lend themselves to and which they don't. And how specific features affect that. I'm way into how the camera works in a shooting environment over pixel peeping the final images...

-Ray
 
Ray Sachs said:
Not even slightly. I leave the technical to other people. ALL of the stuff I think about (and sometimes write and talk about) is about the usability of various cameras - what sorts of shooting they lend themselves to and which they don't. And how specific features affect that. I'm way into how the camera works in a shooting environment over pixel peeping the final images...

-Ray
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Well good to know.

The ISO stuff looked otherwise to me, but of course we all interpret things differently.

I'm more focused on the final output (jpeg at sRGB for web, and RAW to print - especially to print) and usability. Which is why I am able to see past Arias's tongue-in-cheek statements / promotion and gain great value from his actual use of the gear. I don't need him to do a comparison. I have yet to read one anywhere that is of any real value to me. Partly because they are shallow, mostly because they simply support preconceived ideas. No matter how well written, it's easy to detect bias. I'd rather have an intensely focused review all about one camera. Especially from a guy like Arias. He really knows how to use a camera.
 
I haven't seen the video, but I have read Zack's blog in which he mentions that his work horse is his MF SLR. So much for the dSLR being dead:)
 
John B said:
Well good to know.

The ISO stuff looked otherwise to me, but of course we all interpret things differently.

I'm more focused on the final output (jpeg at sRGB for web, and RAW to print - especially to print) and usability. Which is why I am able to see past Arias's tongue-in-cheek statements / promotion and gain great value from his actual use of the gear. I don't need him to do a comparison. I have yet to read one anywhere that is of any real value to me. Partly because they are shallow, mostly because they simply support preconceived ideas. No matter how well written, it's easy to detect bias. I'd rather have an intensely focused review all about one camera. Especially from a guy like Arias. He really knows how to use a camera.
Click to expand...

Well, how a camera handles high ISO is important to me, not so much for the very lowest light, but for how far I can push my ability to zone focus into fairly low light. So I do look at that, but just sort of at the level of "is it good enough" at a given ISO level. In that context, the question of ISO inflation (which I brought up and I'm guessing you're referring to?) matters to me because IF 3200 on one camera was the same as 6400 on another, that's germain to how I use the camera. But once I'm at that level of good enough, which generally means good enough for a somewhat grainy B&W image, that's as far as I take the pixel peeping. Whether I can make pristine 20x30 prints of landscapes at base ISO with skies that are grain-free under a microscope is not something I ever think about. So I guess I have my technical nits, but its all about how well I can apply the camera to a particular task.

And I'm not doubting that Zack truly loves the X100s. I think for street shooting with a viewfinder, only the Leica is potentially better, and for plenty of people the X100s' AF trumps the Leica's rangefinder and IQ mojo. But there are a LOT of ways to do street photography that the X100 isn't any better than a lot of cameras for and is arguably not as good than some, not to mention the vast world of photography out there that require all sorts of other focal lengths and tracking AF and other stuff that the X100s simply doesn't do. So, its arguably only one of a few cameras you could call the "best STREET camera in the world", let alone all of the other photographic disciplines it wouldn't even be capable of, let alone best at. So, I guess I HOPE he's being tongue in cheek, but its not obvious enough to me that he is... Which is my problem I guess. I love his work but I find his testimonials, whether written or video, just a wee bit more than a tad too much...

-Ray
 
I think there is a difference between conveying useful information in an entertaining way and tabloid-style hyperbole. That this kind of hyperbole is seriously discussed in threads like this ("the DSLR is dead" — yeah, right!) also proves that at least some people take this seriously, and they try to argue for or against it. For me, it is just the same BS as "the X100S is the best camera in the world". Seriously discussing such statements would be like seriously discussing alien abduction headlines from the National Enquirer. Nope, I won't be part of that. ;)
 
flysurfer said:
I think there is a difference between conveying useful information in an entertaining way and tabloid-style hyperbole. That this kind of hyperbole is seriously discussed in threads like this ("the DSLR is dead" — yeah, right!) also proves that at least some people take this seriously, and they try to argue for or against it. For me, it is just the same BS as "the X100S is the best camera in the world". Seriously discussing such statements would be like seriously discussing alien abduction headlines from the National Enquirer. Nope, I won't be part of that. ;)
Click to expand...

Fair enough, although with respect I haven't given any credence to the hyperbole. I also think he has simply chosen a different way than you to market his view and his work.

Set aside the hyperbole, which in fact is a tiny, tiny portion of Arias's posts and videos, and I sense that most people who are concerned with how a camera actually performs, will find some very pertinent and useful information.

You appear to be choosing to see just the hyperbole.
 

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