Opticallimits

I've read a interesting article by Thom Hogan, saying that he had made a calculated prediction in 2003 that APS-C sensors would top out at around 24 megapixels (source: https://dslrbodies.com/newsviews/whats-up-with-dx.html ). Looking at the cameras of the past, it seems that the industry has mostly been using the Sony 24 mp sensor in APS-C cameras, a sensor which was released 7 years with the A77.

What will it mean for the industry now that the megapixel war seems to be over? Can we expect cameras to continue to be upgraded, year after year, or have we reached a point that cameras released nearly a decade ago are practically as good as the newer models? 

I fear we might be seeing a crunch sooner or latter, with consumers buying previous models instead of the "current" model, and companies leaving the market (looking at Pentax first, while M43 and Fuji question the continuation of their systems).

Quote:a point that cameras released nearly a decade ago are practically as good as the newer models?

Hell... It would be too good to be true!

(08-22-2018, 05:40 PM)stoppingdown Wrote: [ -> ]

Quote:a point that cameras released nearly a decade ago are practically as good as the newer models?

Hell... It would be too good to be true!

Well, the Nikon D7000 with a 16mp sensor was available in 2010, and I'm still using that sensor in my Fuji X-T1 I bought last year (different filter, but it's the same sensor at its core). Yes, that was a clearance sale, but looking at a X-T1 vs X-T2 review, the gain in image quality is subtle at best.

There are things that have improved since then: video quality, screen resolution and responsiveness, auto-focus speed and reliability. But on sensor and image quality for stills, there hasn't been a marked improvement, IMHO.

Perhaps not 10 years but I can name the 2009 model - the Canon 1D Mark 4 - that is, in my opinion, fully relevant now. The 1D(s) Mark 3 were not there yet - no video and lousy screens - and the 5D Mark 2 from the year before that had lousy AF. So perhaps the 2009 is the year when the digital cameras have started really coming of age.

The cameras can go beyond 24mp given enough time but the lenses are becoming a bottleneck.

Good question. I've wondered the same thing. My thinking is each consecutive generation of sensors would have new tricks for an overall IQ gain. Even if lenses are the limiting factor in resolution or the resolution stayed the same. Though, there are reasons for more pixels beyond just increased resolution.

What's there to fear? I think it's great that if you have a niche where your camera works as good an anything new, that's fantastic. It's also great someone else might have the same need and be happy with a used camera.