Mirrorless Camera Systems

The rumors have spread like wildfire: Nikon chooses to make an announcement of something that should revolutionize professional photography, by designing and mass-producing "something that nobody is making."There was an initial rumor that this announcement would happen today (22 March) for a possible roll-out of some sort (even if it's a pre-production concept camera) in April, but the unfolding horror in Japan from the earthquake and tsunami may have changed this. 

The use of a non-prism camera coupled with an interchangeable lens system has apparently rattled the big powerhouse camera giants, Canon and Nikon, to scramble in order to head off a potential up-and-coming rival system that has threatened their market shares.

Sony and Panasonic already have joined forces to expand the M/43 (Micro four-thirds) system which has gotten generally mixed reviews. But people see the system as a viable alternative to using a live-view camera system that needs several additional accessories attached, in order to effectively shoot both still images and HD footage. All the M/43 cameras need are a flip of a switch or press of a button, to capture HD clips. I don't know about Canon cameras, but the Nikon pro line has a button switch. But you then can't use the live-view prism viewfinder, since the image is then sent via LCD live view screen in back of the camera body.

If the rumor is true, then it makes the effort much easier. No more expensive accessories are necessary to fine-focus and frame a subject. And the user doesn't have to hold the camera out to arm's length to watch what goes on in the EVF screen. Pro cameras may finally get an electronic viewfinder. But will that disappoint the pro shooters who want to see what they're shooting instead of watching through an LCD screen with a minor delay? With regards to shooting based on an image that rocks or sucks at the difference of 1/100th second between whether the ball is coming off the bat, or whether it isn't even in the frame, I think it all amounts to what we should return to, in the first place: professional anticipation of the moment. If you can do that with an 8x10 SpeedGraphic, you can definitely do it with a camera that can capture at 10 frames a second. Just stop relying exclusively on technology, and return to your anticipation of "the moment," to capture it.