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Will Mirrorless Cameras Really Be Useless in Two Years?

Chris Gampat
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06/09/2022
3 Mins read
Chris Gampat The Phoblographer sony 24-70mm f2.8 G Master II review product images 41-80s400 1

There have been reports going around the web discussing how Sony says smartphone imaging will supersede what ILC cameras do by 2024. I think photographers and the tech world are focusing too much on the image quality part of this. They’re majorly ignoring the human element of photography and all that’s possible. So, will mirrorless cameras really be rendered useless by 2024?

That’s sort of what a report from TechRader states (which I honestly think is just fearmongering). However, Sony’s slides indeed seem to hint at it. More importantly, I think it could usher in the age of killing the pixel peeper. And, to me, that would be amazing.

Will a smartphone be able to outdo a mirrorless camera when it comes to image quality? Honestly, who the hell cares? Professional photographers make up an incredibly tiny segment of the market of camera users. Besides, camera manufacturers listen to maybe 1% of professionals anyway.

The bigger thing to note is that all camera sensors are more or less made by four companies: Samsung, Sony, Canon, and Tower Jazz. Most camera manufacturers only use Sony sensors, so they’re kind of hurting themselves that way. 

Now, here’s the more important factor: there are lots of reasons to buy and use a camera besides the image quality:

  • There’s something to be said about the ergonomics a camera can have.
  • Those ergonomics translate into a feeling you can’t get from a smartphone.
  • Some cameras are truly beautiful creations to look at, hold, and use. But Japanese camera makers have been sucking the soul out of cameras for a long time now.
  • The sound of a physical camera shutter can be really appealing.
  • Mirrorless Cameras can find a way to become luxury items that people just like owning. Don’t believe me? Look at the revitalization of the vintage market.
  • The autofocus of dedicated cameras will continue to outdo what a phone can do for many applications.
  • A professional photographer will still have a lot more knowledge of how to deal with people than someone with a phone.

That’s not to say that people want to be luddites the way they are in the watch world. People just want a different experience. I think people will continue to use cameras if they just enjoy the picture taking experience. We all don’t need to be content creators and we don’t even need to be professional photographers. Further, the industry underestimates how good older mirrorless cameras are. If you take an old camera, put a new lens on it, and give the photographer a flash, the sensor output shines.

Again though, there are a lot more reasons to buy a camera besides the image quality. The Japanese manufacturers have sort of understood that. But I think the folks who run things will also be the ones to hold things back. 

If this happens, I think a theory that I heard a long time ago would make sense. The theory is that Leica, Canon, Sony, and Fujifilm will possibly be the last camera companies left. For sure, things haven’t looked good for Nikon for a while. But I’d be shocked to see what happens and if any of this truly happens.

Cameras canon mirrorless cameras sensor smartphones sony
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Chris Gampat is the Editor in Chief, Founder, and Publisher of the Phoblographer. He provides oversight to all of the daily tasks, including editorial, administrative, and advertising work. Chris's editorial work includes not only editing and scheduling articles but also writing them himself. He's the author of various product guides, educational pieces, product reviews, and interviews with photographers. He's fascinated by how photographers create, considering the fact that he's legally blind./ HIGHLIGHTS: Chris used to work in Men's lifestyle and tech. He's a veteran technology writer, editor, and reviewer with more than 15 years experience. He's also a Photographer that has had his share of bylines and viral projects like "Secret Order of the Slice." PAST BYLINES: Gear Patrol, PC Mag, Geek.com, Digital Photo Pro, Resource Magazine, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, IGN, PDN, and others. EXPERIENCE: Chris Gampat began working in tech and art journalism both in 2008. He started at PCMag, Magnum Photos, and Geek.com. He founded the Phoblographer in 2009 after working at places like PDN and Photography Bay. He left his day job as the Social Media Content Developer at B&H Photo in the early 2010s. Since then, he's evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry. His background and work has spread to non-profits like American Photographic Arts where he's done work to get photographers various benefits. His skills are in SEO, app development, content planning, ethics management, photography, Wordpress, and other things. EDUCATION: Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Adelphi University with a degree in Communications in Journalism in 2009. Since then, he's learned and adapted to various things in the fields of social media, SEO, app development, e-commerce development, HTML, etc. FAVORITE SUBJECT TO PHOTOGRAPH: Chris enjoys creating conceptual work that makes people stare at his photos. But he doesn't get to do much of this because of the high demand of photography content. / BEST PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Don't do it in post-production when you can do it in-camera.
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