iiiNelson
Well-known member
If I'm being 100% honest here I believe Sony is head and shoulders the best mirrorless brand for FF Hybrid cameras and will be for the foreseeable future. I know some like Leica but they will likely not let the SL surpass the M for long, the lens lineup is good but extremely limited, the prices are comparable to Medium Format Mirrorless, and those are reasons it will likely never sell to anyone but the most hardcore Leica fan.
Canon and Nikon have given half-hearted innovation efforts with their high-end DSLR's for two different reasons. Canon wants video shooters to move to their Cinema Series (which are truly Pro-level digital cine-cameras) and develop mirrorless technology internally first. Nikon treats video as an afterthought, gave us the 1 as a test product/novelty for amateur photography, all while periodically taking shots at mirrorless cameras from Sony and Fujifilm as they are likely cutting most into Nikon's sales more than Canon's.
I don't see how Nikon will build out a completely new system in a completely new mount in a relatively short time with their financial woes without relying heavily on F-mount and 3rd party adapted glass as a stop gap like Sony did for a while before dedicating efforts to the FF mirrorless cameras. The only other potential benefit is that some 3rd party lens makers are releasing Sony FE glass like Sigma, Voigtlander, Zeiss, Rokinon, etc. and they can potentially make Nikon versions in time as well. Unless this happens, you will see hardcore Nikon fans "flip-flop" on their opinions regarding the importance of fully fleshed out systems that they had about Sony for the last 5 years.
Now I had a thought yesterday that Canon MIGHT just go Medium Format Mirrorless to compete in a different segment that doesn't cannibalize EOS sales and development. This would actually make a lot of sense to target the fashion and wedding world with high-end stills and video and not alienate those that may fear having to dump their gear in time at firesale prices. Again Canon will need to adapt and implement EOS EF glass as a strategy no matter what.
It took a company like Sony the better part of 3-5 years to create an entire native premium all-around kit with aggressive development cycles. We've seen rumored Nikon 50/0.95 and 35/1.2 patents... I just don't see Nikon and maybe even Canon putting out 6-10 self-branded lenses a year across the next 2 or 3 years to play catch up. Maybe they will but then there are many options to compare now in the mirrorless world that don't have Canon or Nikon in white across the top plate.
In reality, it's worth seeing what either brand comes out with but if I was dead set on FF Mirrorless I'd choose Sony for the same reason that if I was deadset on a pro level DSLR I'd choose Canon or Nikon despite other options technically being available. The top lenses are outstanding and I'd put them up against the best from anyone to compare favorably or in the same league. Yes some are larger but a lot of that has to do with the motors being used and the resolving power. They are comparable to premium lenses of the same class in size from Zeiss, Canon, Nikon, Leica, Tamron, and Sigma.
