No one can deny the wealth of exciting cameras unveiled at this year’s Photokina show, from action cameras and compacts through to high-end compact system cameras and, arguably the biggest highlight, Fujifilm’s GFX 50S.
But if you were hoping to see lots of new glass, you may have come away somewhat disheartened.
Between the major players in compact system camera and DSLR markets, there were just six optics announced: three from Sigma and three from Olympus. There were also two further optics from Phase One, together with confirmation of the previously promised XCD 30mm f/3. 5 from Hasselblad, but even with these you can tally it up on two hands.
Admittedly, these were preceded by a handful of others in the weeks running up to Photokina, but even with these we only barely make it into double-figure territory. With so much discussion and focus on compact system camera lines, and so many lens ranges to populate, one would expect an event like Photokina to be the ideal opportunity to reinforce a commitment to developing these new systems and to assure people that they’ve either already made the right decision or would do so were they to jump in.
The Catch-22 situation of needing to develop enough glass to make a system enticing, but not being able to fully furnish a line until it’s clear there is enough demand to warrant any significant investment, is something that every manufacturer has to deal with. This should make the advantage of the Micro Four Thirds line obvious; not only was this first to the compact system party, but with a wide choice of lenses from its principal players compounded by the support of third-parties, risk is minimized and choice is plentiful. Of course, the short flange back of the system has also allowed for a weird and wonderful array of further objectives to be used than on certain other systems, and this has also ensured appeal to seasoned users from the off.
Still, just because you can use older lenses with newer mirrorless systems, it doesn't mean that people ideally want to do so. One reason is that you won't benefit from more modern designs – optical and otherwise – that make the best of the technology on board. Take Canon’s EOS M system, for example. While the handful of cameras that the company has released so far have been largely derided for slow autofocus speeds and conservative feature sets, the main complaint has been that there just aren't enough lenses to encourage people to invest in the system to begin with.
As a means of enticing exiting EOS users, Canon has made a habit of bundling these models with the EF-EOS M lens adapter, but if you have to use SLR glass with such bodies, the advantages of size and weight are lost. Those just wanting to stick to the standard E-FM kit options for everyday shooting probably won't be too bothered by this, but once you start to look for a fast glass, perhaps a nice wide-aperture prime or a fast zoom lens, you wonder whether you’d be better served elsewhere.
Adapters are one solution, though not exactly an ideal one
As these systems are still in their relative infancy, manufacturers would do well to provide some kind of assurance to their customers as to where their systems are heading, particularly in the absence of any actual, physical releases. Fujifilm, for example, which has enjoyed huge success with its X series for a number of reasons, has made a point of differentiating itself from its contemporaries by reaching out further to existing – and potential – customers.
It’s regularly provided (and updated) road maps for its forthcoming lenses. It’s gone out of its way to furnish existing X-series users with firmware updates to bring new technology to their older bodies, even if this approach takes the shine off newer models that would clearly be more profitable for the company. And the remarkable thing is that it's achieved its successes having only launched its first interchangeable lens X-series model four years ago.
Even at this week’s announcement of the company’s forthcoming GFX 50S medium-format system, it cited six lenses currently being developed for the system, with three set to arrive in the first half of 2017 and the other triplet to materialize before the year’s end. These cover wide, standard and telephoto options, across both prime and zoom categories, and are even set to include a macro option. There’s no mystery, no guessing required, just a company that evidently sees the value in transparency and tells you exactly where it's going.
The Fuji GF23mm F4 R LM WR, one of six new lenses promised for release in 2017
Fujifilm is not the only company to show their hand in this way. Leica also released its own lens road map for its SL system this week, while Hassleblad and Ricoh Imaging also both gave us a glimpse into their respective optical futures in recent months. It's quite possible others are discouraged from doing the same for commercial reasons, or in case they end up not being able to deliver on a promise.
But investing in a relatively young system is a risk for the consumer, and a handful of mirrorless lines have already either been discontinued or, amounting to much the same thing, seemingly been abandoned. Losing trust is not in any manufacturer’s best interest – so perhaps, if their systems are to succeed, more of them should examine if they're giving enough of it themselves to begin with.
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. digitalrev.com2016-10-7 03:00