Sony A100, Samsung GX10 and Pentax K10D as Canon XTi and Nikon D80’s bad dream

In my previous post: "Today: Nikon D2Xs vs Canon EOS-1D Mark III. Tomorrow: Sony A1 vs The Great Wall!?" I tried to analyze some tendencies of modern digital camera market not to make a brilliant display of my erudition. Simply, the trends do not make me happy. They make me pay for the things that are not in order. And the main thing: it takes away our rights for choice from our hands!
There are two great mfrs.: Canon and Nikon with such many DSLR cameras which are specialized only in their bayonet types. They give birth to more and more excellent cams. And there are great many mfrs around them which make lenses, flashes, batteries etc. only for brand masters. Not for photographers. Since you buy a body you must unite it with a lot of gadgets and it’s much more expensive than the cam itself. Then when the next level of shooting with Digital SLR is coming, you have to buy a new camera for your many-thousand dollars lenses and flashes etc., not for youself. As if you are interested in another mfrs. of SLR cameras, if its abilities seem more attractive to you, you are obliged to purchase only your own Canon or Nikon (right now: Sony or Samsung). You become a slave of your brand. Are you sure this is what you are dreaming about?
It would not be a trouble: Canon and Nikon are really good digital cam mfrs. But they have so great confidence in their superiority which is based on hundreds of lenses form and Tamron and Sigma etc. and the rest gadgets that you can relax. Indeed now we have Fugifilm DSLR S5Pro coming with Super CCD HR with 12.34 megapixels 23 x 15.5 mm sensor, definitely for Nikon F mount lens. But in the latest “classified intelligence” Fugifilm already has Nikon.
As a result: Sony Alpha guide is born, Pentax is awaking, Panasonic gets active, Korean “elephant” – Samsung, which can give birth to everything from computers to freezers, is willing to DSLR market.
The choice of SLR cameras is really great! How not to get lost? May be we should “be hatching” in the Net in special sites or analyze how long Panasonic or Canon promoter-girls’ legs are. I have already written about that in my previous post: there are many nice girls and no ideas about cams in this situation. But I’m not only a photographer and a web writer. I’m an engineer. However, it was hard to look around the SLR camera market for me, too. And my own choice, Sony A100 as the first SLR camera, I made after a long walk in this digital “forest”!
Even in my case I have not stopped at Sony A100 as the Sony cam brand. It’s interesting for me as A100 which is a cool first step to the new market made by a strong consumer electronic mfr.
I have some reasons for buying this SLR. Firstly here was Konica-Minolta as a precursor. I think it’s not bad as papa-mamma for the birth of new SLR kids. Secondly, there is Carl Zeiss as godfather of Sony lenses. Besides we should not forget about Konica-Minolta’ lenses experience. Thirdly Sony has great experience in preparing a lot of electronic devices, processors and, what is especially important, the sensors for SLR cams such as Nikon D200 or Nikon D80! And the main thing is that producing the Sony A100 Sony guys have made their first (and important) step to Digital SLR market. And they are obliged to make this cam as a high-grade and inexpensive device. And I was right because now I have pleasure using $720 kit with $230 Tele and I am willing to buy an excellent DT18-200 for $400. And there are a lot of lenses to dream about in Sony guy’s bag. Look at my other post about their great choise.
A propos, I have the same pleasure when I borrow Canon EOS 350D from my friend. He likes other lenses and we can exchange our cams (but not our lenses, unluckily). But he has to pay more money for the same.
Canon Digital Rebel XT is his first SLR and he did not have any lenses instock before.
What about Nikon? I think that prices for D80 and D200 ($1000 and $1700) are unjustifiably high which is thanks to their imaginary superiority. But now there are a lot of new “dancers” on the digital dance floor. They are beginner amateur photographers without old lenses and old idols in their bags. And a quantity of beginners and amateurs is much bigger than a number of professionals.
Which SLR camera will be looking at the world: Canon, Samsung or any new Chinese SLR device?
What about quantities of Chinese mfrs., which I mentioned in my previous post? Their scopes are really great, owning to the refusal to pay for promotional “dances”. They make marketing without marketing slaves. What can I say: it’s wise! But I don’t know if it’s good or bad for us as users. The fact that we can see a lot of new gamers in our favorite Digital market suggests optimism to consumers. But it’s rueful that old grants of photo camera as Konika-Minolta, Leica, Pentax and may be Nikon can dissolve in new Eastern Dragons. After all the whole age, when mfrs. specialized in cams only, can disappear. It may be followed by a day when all consumer goods will be labeled “Samsung” or “Great Wall”, who cares, on the lavatory pan, on the cam, on the car… It is f…ing globalization, men!