Medium Format Wildlife in 2024

[fcotterill]

The higher intrinsic costs of MF include the larger sensors. Smaller turnovers push up unit costs, so do the lower yields/silicon platter. So it's likely it's hard to sell a Medium format ILC at less than the cost of a flagship FX at $5000 and more.

The Z8 exemplify the future for these advantages of FX.... it costs significantly less, with cutting edge technology, which attracts wildlife photographers.

Economies of scale also make MF optics expensive. Wider diameter lens elements and smaller production runs.

 

[O]

ABSTRACT VIEW ...................

I feel technology is not the barrier nor is the cost to manufacture affordable MF bodies or lenses, margins are pumped to unrealistic levels with 35mm, example Nikon is making record profits to day on far less unit volume, significantly reduced costs and increased prices = margin = profits.

On the other scale MF will reduce costs as volume grows plus their getting smaller, they will carve out a market that the big three have left the window open to.

So much camera gear or component manufacturing is done in China directly or indirectly, why not with MF if not already.

The MF market demand will grow as the bridge gets closer to 35mm pricing though MF can get a fraction more in price, today's buyers don't care so much about the price they mostly just want what they want and often just pay what ever the price is asked.

I feel possibly Nikon Sony Canon will phase in a form of MF as a layer above 35mm, premium product and price.

Here is a head spin, could it be that DX as we know it will be dropped longer term, 35mm FF relegated to the former DX position and MF will be the new FF position............LOl.

Nikon has invested into acquiring RED for a lot of reasons we don't fully know about, Video, cinema, MF, are all on the white board, as is growth and opportunity, Nikon has the larger diameter lens mounts, i think Canon has something like that's as well, i could be wrong.

The only thing Nikon needs to do is phase in a larger sensor body, so easy to do, Fuji is an example of how to do it.
i think its all very possible and very likely in the very near future, technology allows for it and the market needs it.

We now have Smart phones becoming super sophisticated, they destroyed the lucrative compact camera market, their chewing into the DX market slightly and for non action or non long distance frankly their eating into the 35mm market.

Phones are competitive in stills and especially video, we have DGI killing surfing sports action especially for myself and other areas with Drones, the optics will only get better and better. Go Pro is getting better and better. Drones using Smart Phones shapes up top be closed loop, shoot, record transmit all in real time is the pathway.

The internet is growing in video, 35mm needs to get serious as PaK Man is on the heels already.

Sony took the bit between the teeth and seized the opportunity jumping through the window where Nikon was sleeping and gave us mirror less, Bravo.

Fuji is ahead in the lower cost smaller MF game so far.................watch them swing from the yard arm, so ships ahoy LOL.

2025 will be interesting.

Only an opinion

 

[Calson]

The benefits in the past with MF film cameras was mostly in the higher quality lenses. Lenses for the 35mm market were seldom as sharp and when I was shooting 35mm film and my wife 220 chrome the only lens that could compete was the Nikon 15mm underwater lens that was corrected for refraction when shooting marine subjects. The Nikon PC-E lens changed this as well as the Nikon f-mount 14-24mm f/2.8 lens.

 

[Nimi]

ABSTRACT VIEW ...................

I feel technology is not the barrier nor is the cost to manufacture affordable MF bodies or lenses, margins are pumped to unrealistic levels with 35mm, example Nikon is making record profits to day on far less unit volume, significantly reduced costs and increased prices = margin = profits.

On the other scale MF will reduce costs as volume grows plus their getting smaller, they will carve out a market that the big three have left the window open to.

So much camera gear or component manufacturing is done in China directly or indirectly, why not with MF if not already.

The MF market demand will grow as the bridge gets closer to 35mm pricing though MF can get a fraction more in price, today's buyers don't care so much about the price they mostly just want what they want and often just pay what ever the price is asked.

I feel possibly Nikon Sony Canon will phase in a form of MF as a layer above 35mm, premium product and price.

Here is a head spin, could it be that DX as we know it will be dropped longer term, 35mm FF relegated to the former DX position and MF will be the new FF position............LOl.

Nikon has invested into acquiring RED for a lot of reasons we don't fully know about, Video, cinema, MF, are all on the white board, as is growth and opportunity, Nikon has the larger diameter lens mounts, i think Canon has something like that's as well, i could be wrong.

The only thing Nikon needs to do is phase in a larger sensor body, so easy to do, Fuji is an example of how to do it.
i think its all very possible and very likely in the very near future, technology allows for it and the market needs it.

We now have Smart phones becoming super sophisticated, they destroyed the lucrative compact camera market, their chewing into the DX market slightly and for non action or non long distance frankly their eating into the 35mm market.

Phones are competitive in stills and especially video, we have DGI killing surfing sports action especially for myself and other areas with Drones, the optics will only get better and better. Go Pro is getting better and better. Drones using Smart Phones shapes up top be closed loop, shoot, record transmit all in real time is the pathway.

The internet is growing in video, 35mm needs to get serious as PaK Man is on the heels already.

Sony took the bit between the teeth and seized the opportunity jumping through the window where Nikon was sleeping and gave us mirror less, Bravo.

Fuji is ahead in the lower cost smaller MF game so far.................watch them swing from the yard arm, so ships ahoy LOL.

2025 will be interesting.

Only an opinion

Video will not drive MF. As a matter of fact, after steady rise and acceptance of FF, many DPs are going back to S35. Cannes is a good bellweather and S35 dominated. Fuji doesn't have a cinema camera, and the new GFX100ii is bewildering to those of us shooting both stills and video. For that price, you're much better off with an FX6. And the Fuji is not a true MF, it's somewhere between FF and MF.

If anyone would attempt it, it's DJI which owns Hasselblad.

 

[O]

Video will not drive MF. As a matter of fact, after steady rise and acceptance of FF, many DPs are going back to S35. Cannes is a good bellweather and S35 dominated. Fuji doesn't have a cinema camera, and the new GFX100ii is bewildering to those of us shooting both stills and video. For that price, you're much better off with an FX6. And the Fuji is not a true MF, it's somewhere between FF and MF.

If anyone would attempt it, it's DJI which owns Hasselblad.

I bow to your knowledge, thank you.

DGI defiantly seems on point, while i am no expert on the detail of video my entrepreneurial mind smells a window of opportunity is there to do something like Sony did with moving DSLRS out and mirror less in.

 

[StefanSC]

Here is a head spin, could it be that DX as we know it will be dropped longer term, 35mm FF relegated to the former DX position and MF will be the new FF position............LOl.

The problem with that would be that 1 sensor size up or down there is little image quality advantage that can't be overcomed with the adequate lens...

You really need 2 sensor sizes apart to really see benefits in image quality or lightness/compactness.

The smart move would have been to have Fuji X and G as one lens mount and share some lenses between the mounts (Telephotos mostly) while keeping some lenses sensor size specific (wides mostly and fast primes).

This way a buyer could have a light/fast kit for certain things and a more "heavy-duty" kit for others with some lens sharing.

 

[Nimi]

I bow to your knowledge, thank you.

DGI defiantly seems on point, while i am no expert on the detail of video my entrepreneurial mind smells a window of opportunity is there to do something like Sony did with moving DSLRS out and mirror less in.

DJI is slowly but quietly infiltrating the video world. Except that they are controlled by the Chinese government, so there is a good chance that everything shot on their cams and drones ends up on Chinese computers. The US military stopped using them, and police departments are also phasing them out.

I picked up a DJI Osmo Pocket 3 as a crash-cam for an upcoming shoot. Playing around with it, and I'm floored by the quality of the files (video) coming out of it. Dlog, 4k, 10 bit, from a 1" sensor. 20mm equivalent lens.

 

[O]

The problem with that would be that 1 sensor size up or down there is little image quality advantage that can't be overcomed with the adequate lens...

You really need 2 sensor sizes apart to really see benefits in image quality or lightness/compactness.

The smart move would have been to have Fuji X and G as one lens mount and share some lenses between the mounts (Telephotos mostly) while keeping some lenses sensor size specific (wides mostly and fast primes).

This way a buyer could have a light/fast kit for certain things and a more "heavy-duty" kit for others with some lens sharing.

Excellent, i see your point.

I do think there is a player working on all this, who i don't know, to be new, brave different, why, because its needed.
I feel we will see things coming along from more innovative generic type brand names and companies, if its affordable its popular, the 3 Japanese major brands we know are all moving into more expensive niche areas to distance them selves through price quality (Ha) margin as waves of new budget end technology emerges.

Only an opinion

 

[O]

DJI is slowly but quietly infiltrating the video world. Except that they are controlled by the Chinese government, so there is a good chance that everything shot on their cams and drones ends up on Chinese computers. The US military stopped using them, and police departments are also phasing them out.

I picked up a DJI Osmo Pocket 3 as a crash-cam for an upcoming shoot. Playing around with it, and I'm floored by the quality of the files (video) coming out of it. Dlog, 4k, 10 bit, from a 1" sensor. 20mm equivalent lens.

Flying Pixels on Instagram is emerging as a local watch.

World surfing events, Others with Drones are just making myself with a 600 or 800 mm set up and a Z9 on the beach obsolete unless its really exceptionally good video, you just cant compete with the drone, there even getting with in meters of the riders deep into the zone.

Wedding last week on the headland beach a popular spot, yep wonderful drone footage to complement the full event, the bulk of the event is taken at ground level using video on a Z9.

I used to have 2 or 3 shooters on a big weddings, so i am out of it, now there are three videographers for big events, they deliver the outcomes on a complementary I pad with 2 back ups, oh for stills the videographers can take them easily. Its 95% video sound emotion, 5% record stills.

Sports action has a overhead camera on wires, less photographers on the side line.

Even some mammal wild life photographers have gone with Drones.

Its interesting how new technology is changing the world we live in.

Only an opinion