Reef Bass
colors and textures
Many consumers are opting for the convenient form factor of mirrorless cameras. I think mirrorless will be the future for most who want something beyond their fixed lens cell phone cam. Many mirrorless backs also allow interchangeable lenses, so the creative possibilities are much larger than a standard point and shoots. However, because consumers usually opt for convenience over quality, many manufacturers are toying with reduced sensor sizes, even smaller than ASP-C.
That said, I just picked up the Canon 6D, a full frame sensor dslr and am super happy with the visual quality of the images and unparalleled low light / high iso handling.
At the moment only Sony offers an interchangable lens mirrorless back with a full frame sensor. When Canon offers one with an EF mount, I could go mirrorless.
For those who don't know, in a slr camera, the mirror allows the photographer to see the image through the viewfinder that would hit film during the exposure. That was very different from cameras whose viewfinders didn't allow a "through the lens" viewing.
When the shutter release is pressed, the mirror moves up out of the way, the light through the lens then strikes the film (or image sensor with dslrs), and the exposure is made. That mechanical mechanism caused the classic camera sound on shutter release.
IMHO, with digital sensors having mostly replaced film, mirrors are no longer necessary to get a "through the lens" view of what the camera sees. Removing the mirror mechanism simplifies camera design and manufacture and reduces size. Some even now offer touch screen interfaces for controlling settings, etc.
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