Que reste-t-il de nos amours?

Que reste-t-il de nos amours

Que reste-t-il de ces beaux jours
Une photo, vieille photo
De ma jeunesse
Que reste-t-il des billets doux
Des mois d'avril, des rendez-vous
Un souvenir qui me poursuit
Sans cesse

- Chanson de Charles Trenet composée par Léo Chauliac

J'entends cet air indémodable repris par plusieurs artistes à différentes époques depuis sa première sortie en 1942-43. Car en ces jours bouleversants où plusieurs manufacturiers d'équipement photographique non seulement ne flirtent plus avec le format numérique 24 X 36mm dans la catégorie des appareils dite 'sans mirroir" mais s'y engagent carrément, tous les passionnés d'appareils plus compact (dont je suis) se désolent de cette apparente trahison au profit du profit!

Bien sûr à court et moyen terme, i.e. de cinq à dix ans, il y a une certaine continuité à prévoir pour les tenants des formats APS-C, M4/3 et même 1" mais serait-ce suffisant si l'effort des fabricants se consacrent surtout ailleurs? Heureusement les nouvelles et le passé récent nous rassurent tout de même. 

Pour un et Panasonic et Olympus continuent de présenter des nouveaux produits, appareils et objectifs, dans le format MFT. Idem pour Fujifilm dans le format APS-C. Mieux encore Nikon et Canon promettent de faire de même dans ce dernier format (APS-C). Et donc il y a lieu d'espérer car les appareils photo numériques compacts ou plus compacts recueillent toujours la préférence de beaucoup de photographes. Leurs principes de base sont connus: légèreté, faible encombrement, prix modéré, allure discrète et bonne qualité de fichier de l'image enregistrée. Et pour le moment les appareils et les objectifs de format 24 X 36mm peinent toujours à offrir cette combinaison de critères incontournables.

Alors il faut (absolument!) garder la foi envers cette philosophie du plus compact numérique de qualité supérieure surtout vis-à-vis les "phone-photo" qui sont aujourd'hui les "instamatics" numériques de notre société mais dont la finesse d'image reste inférieure à un véritable appareil numérique dédié à la photographie.

Que reste-t-il de nos amours? disait la rengaine, encore beaucoup de beaux jours pour nous les passionnés de la photo portable, discrète et universelle.

When compactness is no more the flavor of the month (year, decade...) ?

I must confess that I was not thrill at all with the advanced announcement of the Nikon and Canon mirrorless 35mm digital cameras-lenses systems. I had a strong concern about the will of these manufacturers to offer real compact mirrorless system. And I was not the only one with that fear of incomprehension from them to the very basis concept regarding mirrorless design.

Now that we are looking at Nikon and Canon answers to an anticipated decline of their customer bases it is not surprising that they simply import the D-SLR bias into theirs new model proposals. Big, somewhat already outdated and by far expensive photo devices couple with with very traditional bazooka lenses. Is this innovation? Certainly not. Is this photo equipment interesting alternative for passionate photographers who like now to travel and shoot lightly and be less intimidating for their subjects? For sure not!

So it is a profound disappointment for many of us who like photography as a visual expression of the everyday life. And so I must salute the courage of those other manufacturers who seem to be maintain the stand of compactness of mirrorless system like Olympus, Panasonic and Fujifilm. For Nikon and Canon all hopes seem to vanish in their D-SLR profit reassignment...

Can bravery save the APS-C and MFT formats from 24X36 digital sensor format standardization?

Source: Wikipedia

Some recent announcements less spectacular may be more significant that we think, One of those is the forecasted new Panasonic GH camera that will be offered in 35mm sensor format. That future sight is not really pleasant for the APS-C and MFT perspectives on a long term. Actually only higher price point can prevent a strong (and fatal) migration to what it seems the new (!) digital sensor size standard of 24X36mm but already Nikon have clearly stated its intention to extend their camera line-up to less expensive models as it is also intended for their lenses.

So in my view it is a turning point for the traditional photo industry. The manufacturers can produce now bigger image sensors like the 24X36mm ones with virtually unbeatable characteristics especially   for low light sensibility and reduction in noise. Versatility is another important element in a sense that you need only one type of sensor to fulfill all different tasks. Adaptability is another factor but less revenant that many thinks in fact.

In reality the development of mirrorless cameras is just beginning in that future new standard. Many advancement in terms of design and feature will appear during the next 5 or 10 years to go. Obviously development ressources will be allowed mainly in that direction. For APS-C and MFT sensor format we may now see the last efforts to raffine theirs products for players like Panasonic, Olympus or Fujifilm.

With the introduction of 24X36mm mirrorless models from Nikon, Panasonic and Canon, Olympus is becoming the last player of smaller system size and we can understand that they will inevitably move in the upper direction if they want to survive and not be too marginalized, The APS-C and MFT format recent story was (and still is for a moment) an exciting time that many of us have participeted with enthusiasm and commitment but I can see now that we will one day or another adopt the (re)new 35mm standard.