Full-frame Single-lens Mirrorless Camera Triumvirate: Who will win the Tokyo Olympics?

2018.10.16 06:00

In 2018, Nikon and Canon, both of which enjoy tremendous support from professional photographers, hit the full-size mirrorless SLR market, which used to be Sony's monopoly. The camera industry today resembles the dawn of the "auto-focusing" of SLR cameras (circa 1987).

In 1985, Minolta (which later merged with Konica and sold its camera division to Sony) introduced the world's first full-fledged auto-focus SLR camera, the Minolta α7000. Minolta, which had been the third largest manufacturer for many years, was the first to introduce a full-fledged auto-focus SLR camera system, and this was a major shift in the power structure of the company. Minolta quickly became the leader in the auto-focus SLR market.

It is said that Canon originally planned to release a completely new auto-focus SLR camera "EOS" around 1990, but after seeing the "Minolta α7000" released in 1985 quickly take the market by storm, the sense of crisis grew stronger, and the company moved up its schedule and released its first full-fledged auto-focus SLR camera "EOS650" in 1987. The first full-fledged auto-focus SLR camera, the "EOS650," was released in 1987, ahead of schedule.

In fact, the first professional model, the Canon EOS-1 (first generation), was launched in 1989. Canon adopted a new "EF mount" for the "EOS," which was completely incompatible with the "FD mount" of the manual-focus SLR era, and from the outset, it was a "fully electronic mount" (no mechanical contacts). The camera body did not have a motor to drive the lens. The miniaturization of motors made it possible to put motors on the lens side. Nikon, on the other hand, retained the "Nikon F mount" that had been in use since 1959 and maintained compatibility with manual-focus lenses.

In the beginning, both Minolta and Nikon put the lens drive motor in the camera body and mechanically focused the lens via a shaft. Interchangeable lenses for SLR cameras cover a wide range of applications. Therefore, the specifications of the motors required varied widely. Later, camera manufacturers that had initially used in-body motors switched to in-lens motors. Canon had foresight.

Canon's first full-frame single-lens mirrorless camera, the EOS R, reminded me of the EOS 650, the first full-fledged auto-focus single-lens reflex camera released in 1987. Like the EOS650, the EOS R is not a professional model aimed at the high-end of the market. Strictly speaking, it is not, but in terms of specifications, it is a mirrorless version of the "EOS5D Mk4.

Perhaps before the 2020 Olympics, Canon will come out with the company's first professional full-frame single-lens mirrorless camera with specs that will defeat the Sony Alpha 9, which boasts an incredible continuous shooting capability of 20 fps.

The full-frame single-lens mirrorless camera market has entered a warring age, and the colors of the super-telephoto lenses held by the cannon-like sports photographers who will be stationed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics give a rough idea of the three companies' market shares in the world of professional equipment.

White + red bowl Canon
Black Nikon
White + black + orange "G" mark Sony

I will continue to pay close attention to trends in the full-frame single-lens mirrorless camera market.

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