Last Updated on 09/23/2019 by Mark Beckenbach
The DSLR is dead and we need to move on from it already.
“HEY GUYS DID YOU KNOW THE DSLR IS DEAD AND MY CLICKBAIT TITLE IS IN ALL CAPS JUST TO GET YOUR ATTENTION?” is what I’ve seen so many YouTube videos and blog posts about in recent times. Yes, it’s true. And a few folks may even argue that traditional cameras are dead because what phones do these days are just as good. Camera manufacturers haven’t reached out and educated people enough about what their cameras do. But the truth today is DSLRs are dinosaurs. Nikon is releasing the D6 sooner or later and I’m not sure why. I’m positive Canon will follow suit and release a new 1D camera. It makes no sense when DSLRs are outdone by mirrorless in pretty much every way except for build quality.
Despite this, our site has decided to not review any more DSLRs. It’s useless at this point and there is a diminishing return after a while. However, that market is an interesting one. At a recent press trip, Canon confirmed what other manufacturers were saying: APS-C is shrinking. But within that APS-C market, DSLRs dominate. So perhaps there is a place for APS-C DSLRs due to their super affordable costs. But even then they still make no sense. The autofocus and overall performance is going to be behind mirrorless cameras.
I can’t even believe I’m writing this. The DSLR really is dead. We’ve said it. Other bloggers and YouTubers have said it. Sure, as a matter of transparency we’ll still link to them in affiliate deals because readers will buy them. But there really is no point anymore. While we can’t control the decisions you make with your hard-earned money, we beg you to not just buy a camera to shoot with in auto all day and just for selfies.