Predictions: Pentax will blow it up with the 645D2 at their home show in Japan. Pentax may in fact become the dominant player in the MFD industry if they can add better tethering and keep prices at a reasonable level. Another prediction: I will have a Leica M by March, and maybe an M-E if the shutter is silent like an M6, or close to it.
If your a professional that uses equipment to it's fullest forget about announcekina just look at what's really offered today.
This seems to be the year (or decade) where the camera companies said, to heck with the pros, let's go after the consumers, you know like those guys at Apple.
The Leica's M and S probably are the best bets regardless of price, because they can be cameras you use for a long time. The issue with Leica is reliability and service and if you own and don't rent, it's a risk to go out without exact backups, in everything so the S system with two bodies and a handful of lenses is right up there with a good S-class Mercedes.
Like TM I sent a lens into Leica for repair, months later it came back in exactly the same condition. Mind boggling, considered they charged me for it.
I'm sure there is a better dealer than who I used but burn me once . . .
Everything else is close to a yawn. Canon makes another 20 something megapixel black dslr. OK, thanks, I thought that was covered.
Nikon started shipping D800's months ago so I guess had nothing to really talk about, but since they covered three territories, seasoned pros, advanced amateurs, beginning pros, with one camera, I don't think they really needed to say much.
Personally, for still cameras, I just want one or two systems that covers more than what's offered.
We do a lot of traveling to Europe and Asia. Obviously I don't take everything I use on a plane but as of today we have 52 case of cameras, lenses and lights so even if I take a third of that, every camera case with the airlines overage is getting very expensive, not to mention what it takes to maintain multiple systems. Now a good part of these 52 cases is from adding motion imagery with the RED's so there's not much I can do about that, but as far as stills I would think at this point in time there is a better way.
My Nikons shoot fast and focus like a laser but I don't like the color and when tethered I don't like that the lcd that blanks out. My Canons are ok, getting a little long in the tooth, but they really don't get my heart racing.
I rented a 5d3 for a project a month ago and it shot everything well, had better focus than my 1ds3's and my 5d2, but the file was too smooth. I can't explain what too smooth is but it looked way too digital for me.*
The new Phase backs, I'm sure are great because my backs seem to run and run and never have a glitch, but it's the age old question of what do you put them on? I know they offer one in a Contax mount but I'm sure the first time I walk into a dealer I'll be told it takes 3 months to get a mount other than a DF and if people like the DF that's great but everytime I've tried that camera in it's many forms, I just shake my head.
Like TM I also agree Pentax could own the medium format world, for price and for use, but they're so Japanese market centric does anybody know if it tethers and when they're going to fill the holes in the lens line?
Sony also could be a world beater and seems to innovate with multiple focus systems and a fixed mirror, but once again the Zeiss lenses (which are amazing) are rather scarce and does it tether, does it tether fast can you get CPS type of repair?
Sony just doesn't seem to get traction in the professional still world and I'm a little surprised by that, considering they have the ability to make any sensor, their quality is usually legendary and there must be a billion dealers around the world.
IMO
BC
*Speaking of too smooth, we just picked up a project and the AD, singled out images she liked from our website. Every image she selected, from fashion, to sports to lifestyle was shot with a non AA filter, CCD camera, from the older DCS 760, to the M8 Leica and my Phase backs.
I've seen client's fixate on different things, but never have someone look at a body of work and spot what was a CCD and what was a cmos. One comment was she thought those images were from film and I said no, just older cameras. She said great, they look special, less digital.