Number Ten: Everything Else is Obsolete
DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) vs. mirrorless camera. Did you think this would be one of those articles? One of those “which is better” blogs? On one hand, I suppose it is. This topic is timely and relevant. I'll discuss it here because it’s also occurring on a larger scale in the photography community. This discussion comes from a larger topic. It will look at the issue from a philosophical angle but won’t dive into the specific debate.
The photography community has faced rapid technology changes for many years. A friend once said that camera bodies go out of style after five years. This happens because camera companies keep improving their technology. Nikon released the flagship D1 DSLR in 1999 and replaced it with the D1H and D1X two years later in 2001. Since then, Nikon has released a new professional camera every two years. The latest DSLR is the D6. The Nikon Z8 and Z9 are the newest flagship mirrorless cameras. The Z8 came out in 2023, while the Z9 was released in 2021. In the Canon professional camera world, the EOS 1D debuted in 2001. Canon released digital cameras at a rapid pace, typically every two to four years, though not as frequently as Nikon.
The name of the photography tech game is "what have you done for me lately," or so it appears. It is with this in mind that this discussion begins. Some say mirrorless cameras have a clear edge over traditional DSLRs. They believe that DSLRs may soon be, or already are, obsolete for professional photographers. DSLRs would soon go the way of the film camera in the wake of the digital camera. Or, would it?
Obsolete. By definition, no longer produced or used; out of date. Technology seems to always be racing against the inevitable: obsolescence. Photographers are artists who need special tools to engage with their craft. In this world of social forums and communities, photographers are oftentimes bound by—and this is extremely important to this discussion—the perception that they can fulfill the obligations of their craft.
The craft that we speak of is photography; taking pictures with a camera. Photographers rely on their cameras. They need to ensure their camera is usable so they can capture the images they want. Camera companies know this. They spend billions on R&D each year. Their goal is to improve products and create the latest cameras for professionals.
Secondly, photography is a social craft. Image-focused sites like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok connect millions of photographers. These include both professionals and amateurs, skilled and unskilled, from different backgrounds. All you need to do is log in to a photography forum and you will see what cameras other photographers are using. YouTube and online reviews make camera specs easy to find. They also let us peek into the latest tech trends. Gear discussions are now nearly as vital as talks about the process making images. This leads to the belief that a photographer's skills depend on their equipment. This view sparks a big debate about the top camera brands. Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fuji, Hasselblad, and Phase One are often mentioned, among others. Camera companies know this. They spend billions on marketing to recover their R&D costs and earn a profit.
As art and perception meet, we must now more than ever examine the need to escape obsolescence in our craft. Can we, as photographers and humans, avoid becoming obsolete? Can we prevent our desire to escape obsolescence? Does it matter? Whether mirrorless, mirrored, Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fuji, Hasselblad, Phase One, Pentax, Kodak, large format, medium format, full frame, crop sensor, micro four-thirds, digital, film, or toy camera. Updated or outdated. Let's create while we can. If we can't later, let our legacy be the images we made. These works will outlast us, not the size of our sensor.