Hi!  This is my first post in this forum.

I decided to spend my "fun" budget on camera gear this year.  My best camera was a Canon EOS Rebel T2i, which has served well for several years both for terrestrial photography and astronomy.  I also have a Powershot G5 that I bought almost 20 years ago, which still works perfectly.

I already had a few EF mount Canon lenses, and decided to splurge on a full-frame body.  I looked on eBay and found a 5D mark iii body from a vendor in Japan, slightly over $700 including shipping via FedEx.  The body arrived four days after I ordered it.  It included the battery charger, cables, and strap, all basically unused with less than 4,000 shots on the body.

I went on to buy near mint, 300 mm f/4 IS USM prime and 24-105 L class lenses from Japan, for way less than they cost new.  Also a 240 EX flash.

So, for a little over $1,500 I now have what would have been a respectable professional setup 20 years ago, and it's all in near-new condition.  I'm expecting delivery today of a 1.4x teleconverter from Hiroshima.

Japanese people like their toys and take good care of them but generally don't use them much.  There is a valid stereotype of affluent Japanese men that they must have the latest and greatest of everything no matter the cost.

A friend of mine bought 20 lightly used long guns when he was stationed there in the '80s.  He did proper Form 6s on them, Navy transported them for free, then he sold most of them for a handsome profit.  I've been very pleased with the used gear that I've bought from Japanese vendors.

I guess my message is that DSLR is far from dead, and there is a lot of good used gear out there.  I have no plan to ditch any of my equipment and start all over with a mirrorless body.  ETA also, buy stuff from Japan.

dSLR is now where film was in the mid 2000s.

I have a Sony A6600 and Nikon D7500, for my purposes the D7500 in low-light outperforms the A6600 by a substantial margin. I use the A6600 when camera noise is a concern, otherwise it is the D7500. For the only practical thing about the Sony A6600 is that it is way ligther than my D7500.

And film is making a serious come back.  I'm sorry but people that think DSLR's are dead are clueless.  

Pentax is about to release at least one new manufacture film camera and rumor has it there may be a few more companies following suit.

They are. Sony, Canon and Nikon (I think) have stopped the development of them.

Leica just released their 'new' M6.

Nope. dSLRs are dead dead. And the film comeback is analogous to the resurgence of vinyl records. Just another cool trend. Kind of like all of the 90's throwback trends going on right now.

Yeah okay.  All the companies that are dropping them are just steering some customers away to companies that are continuing to produce them.  Not everyone likes the mirrorless.  With that being said, they do have their place, just as DSLR does.  As for the film, no, it's not really just a cool trend, there is a reason for it.  I've been getting a significant number of requests for film photography for various reasons.  Right now, I'm doing a series for a client with my Hasselblad 500CM.  

If it were just a cool trend, then there wouldn't be an effort by film manufacturers to put as much R&D into new film concepts as there is.  Never say it's dead...

It’s dead.

You know what else is trending? People wanting their photos to look like they were taken with a disposable camera.

It’s the popular thing right now. Just like the cassette tape “resurgence” a few years ago and the VHS craze.

It’s going to have its own little niche. dSLRs may carve out their own tiny little niche. Objectively, there isn’t anything a dSLR will do better than mirrorless.

I have 6 Canon DSLRs, two of which are converted to IR, 9 EF lenses, 1 EFS lens.  My expertise (?) does not meet the capabilities of those cameras.  There will never be a sufficient reason for me to move to a mirrorless format, and I have plenty of P&S cameras if I need a smaller system.  I even still have my first digital, an Epson, which used this......

I agree that the DSLR is dead. I doubt I'll buy another one, nor anyone else unless it's used. The new Canon R50 and R8 look like incredible values for the features offered, and both Nikon and Sony have been doing very well with their mirrorless cameras for years now.

You can create some great film footage with a 5D Mark III.

I remember really wanting one when they were $3500.

I had to settle with crop sensor models and did what I could with them.

Crazy how low the prices have come down.  I'd still use one of I had it.

LOL... ok.  

Here's why you're wrong.  Many people don't like the mirrorless for a few reasons.  For instance, I can't use one due to the digital view finder.  It messes with my vision and I end up with a horrific headache.  Until that is resolved, I'm not messing with them.  There are quite a few people out there that have similar and other issues with the mirrorless cameras.  Now, with that said, yes, mirrorless has it's place.  It's a great advancement in camera tech.  But, it's not for all of us.  Like I've said in the past, I'll stick to my DSLR's until they stop working.  Then I'll have to find another solution.  But, given that some companies such as Pentax are coming out with new DSLR packages (I'm really interested in the next version of the Pentax 645 medium format digital) I'm not that worried.  Canon and other companies will just have to settle with alienating part of their customer base.

The only thing you can come up with is the EVF? Let me guess, you're a die-hard hold the camera up to your face superiority.

"Other issues" and don't mention any of them? When you take a picture the only difference is that a moving mirror moves out of the way on a dSLR. When you use the "live view" feature on a dSLR, guess what? It turns into a mirrorless camera.

Pentax is your benchmark of dSLR popularity? That's like saying rangefinder cameras aren't dead because Leica is still around. Like it or not, if major companies quit making it, it is dead. If Pentax restores dSLR market share (cameras shipped per year) that surpasses mirrorless, I'll eat my words.

I shoot Canon, Hasselblad, Nikon, Pentax, etc.  By far, the best medium format camera I've shot is the Pentax 645z.  Yep, it's a DSLR.  I mean, if mirrorless is your thing, hey great.  Not for me thanks.  

Pentax will most likely control the DSLR market.  I'm good with that.  I'll stick to what works best for me that gives me the results my clients want and like.  

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I have three cameras: a Canon EOS 60D DLSR, a Canon EOS RP mirrorless, and a Canon EOS R6 mirrorless (plus my BlackMagic Pocket Cinema 4k). I've been shooting on the RP or the R6 for the last almost 3 years now. I went to see if my 60D would actually work and it just felt heavy and old to me. It still takes fine pictures. But the trend now is lighter and more capable mirrorless cameras. The new lenses that are being developed for the mirrorless cameras have better optics and better ergonomics these days too.

Sure I have a couple manual lenses for artsy stuff, a Helios 44-2 58mm f/2 and a Sirui full frame 50mm T2.9 1.6x anamorphic. But the native RF lenses are just so much lighter and have better optics than the older EF lenses, are quieter and have better image stabilization.

Canon, Nikon, and Sony probably won't release another DSLR camera and are putting all their newest and best features in their mirrorless cameras.