This Week's Amateur Photographer

Greetings all... many apologies for radio silence my end... have been mighty busy on a number of fronts recently...

Just a quick post to say that I've written a short article in this week's issue of Amateur Photographer. It's part of a feature on photographers still using DSLRs, and they asked me for my thoughts, particularly wrt Pentax.







Do pick up a copy and have a read if you have a mo...

Hope all well with everyone...

Best

Bill

Welcome back!!

For the first time in many years I might just do so...

Steve

It'd be good to see why many are sticking to DSLR instead of rushing over to mirrorless.

For me, it's because I already have a DSLR that does what I want 😊

I read that article and was pleased to see something positive in the pages of AP for a change.

Best wishes, Kris.

And me, plus the lenses are pretty good as well.

Not taken AP for a number of years now and though this was a good article in the DSLR's defense

I've seen many comments on various forums that state whilst the mirrorless camera's are a little lighter, the lenses currently available don't match what the relevant photographer has been used to or has previously used so uses an adaptor on their current lens collection and the combinations becomes almost as heavy and front heavy at that.

I use kit that's heavy cos its good quality and I can produce the images I want to, fairly regularly I'll lug 8kg - 10kg ( 645 and 3 lenses ) up a hill or on a long walk + a tripod, this weekend will be a K3iii + 2 lenses totaling about 5.5kg and a monopod.

Hi Bill. Just bought it. Read it. Interesting. I must start and buy a Photo Mag again. Haven't had one since PP closed down.
OH AND WELCOME BACK.
CHEERS Vic.

Looking forward to reading it --- but Tesco's shelf is empty! Have you guys bought them all?

None available in Evesham Tesco this morning either!

Pm sent

Cheers all... hope supply problems have been ironed out and you've managed to get your hands on one... 😉... I think single issues can be found here if you haven't had any luck thus far...

It was a really interesting exercise... not something I'd consciously sat down and thought hard about before... and certainly not in category terms ie DSLR vs Mirrorless... as you know, I've used Pentax cameras for over 20 years... I really like the camera I have (Pentax K1ii), the lenses that come with it, and I really enjoy using it... it absolutely does what I'd like it to do... so for me, job very much done...

One of the things I've noticed being discussed as a big positive for mirrorless as a category (particularly wrt Canon), is the arrival of In Camera Shake Reduction (or In Body Image Stabilisation - IBIS)... this isn't a category feature though... Pentax DSLRs have obviously had it for years... and as I mention in the article, I particularly like a real viewfinder (which is a DSLR category feature, the silver bullet for me)... plus weather sealing as standard... all a pretty potent combination... the only caveat I suppose I'd add is were the Mirrorless category feature set to diverge, and advance, markedly for what I primarily use a camera for (landscapes, partic water, and multiple exposures), then I suppose I might have to have a bit more of a think at some point down the line, but frame rates/focussing speed isn't really relevant to what I tend to do, and for me, there's always going to be the issue of the viewfinder... it also depends of course on where the DSLR category (and Pentax) goes next in terms of innovation...

There's definitely some market movement, though... I was helping run a workshop the other day (am running my own these days, and also for Light and Land from December onwards), and of the 6 or so participants, 4 had crossed over to full frame mirrorless, one to micro 4/3... whether it's market fragmentation, or wholesale redefinition, remains to be seen... as ever with photography, very much each to their own I guess...

Thanks again all, and catch up soon...

Best

Well done on landing the Light and Land gig, I did their Northumberland Coast and Castles three years ago and really enjoyed it.

As for people changing to mirrorless I guess they do so to future-proof their system given that for Canon/Nikon a new mount is involved and production of lenses for the older mount is being cut, and of course they are more than happy for customers to replace their old glass with new.

Cheers Rob... yes, am doing a Northumberland seascape tour (with Verity Milligan) in December... my home patch... really looking forward to it...

Yes, agree re your thoughts re Canon/Nikon future proofing due to phasing out of lenses/mounts etc.... I know a pro Canon shooter who has just switched to mirrorless for precisely that reason...

Best

Hi Bill, glad to see you are keeping busy.