Smart Photography

INDIA'S NUMBER 1 IMAGING MAGAZINE!

Are D-SLRs really dead? Not so long ago, all experts were unanimous in their opinion that D-SLRs were a dying breed. However, sales statistics for the past year indicate that while the industry was indeed very badly affected by Covid, the major impact was on mirrorless cameras, whose sales slumped to 71% of the previous year. D-SLRs were steadier at 80.5%. In the US, D-SLRs actually witnessed an increase in sales to 138% whereas mirrorless camera sales declined by 57%.

Are D-SLRs likely to make a comeback? Unlikely. The real reason is that D-SLR stocks were still widely available whereas mirrorless stocks were heavily depleted due to the component crisis. One other factor playing a part is that there are no cheap mirrorless cameras for beginners. This reinforces our opinion in SP that manufacturers have to look at manufacturing cheaper mirrorless cameras for beginners.

H. S. Billimoria