Hybrids need a harder look

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I’m talking about hybrids again.

Or “mirrorless, interchangeable lens cameras.” Or, “compact system cameras.” Pick your catchphrase.

Whatever you want to call them, they’re here to stay. They cover the waterfront in terms of features and specialties, and while they don’t command the North American market at this time, I can pretty much guarantee you’ll be researching them in the near to medium term if you have any enthusiasm for cameras or photography. And if you choose not to, you’ll be doing yourself a disservice.

A fast evolution rate

The Nikon 1 J1 comes in popular colors and has two multi-lens kits available

From the exuberant, almost toy-like colors of the Nikon 1 J1, to the video-savvy Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GH2, to the streamlined, big-sensor tech of the Sony Alpha NEX-5N and NEX-7, this segment of the market is now experiencing the fastest evolutionary growth spurt in photography today. And what used to be the domain of point-and-shoot step-ups and entry-level enthusiast cameras is now becoming fertile ground for the next generation of hobbyist and professional photographers.

Camera manufacturers are out to prove that this category is not the land of DSLR wannabees. They’ve got their own feel and look, and even a few features their bigger brethren might not have, like full-time live view while shooting video.

The Sony Alpha NEX-5N, showing a light pathway unobstructed by mirrors

Are mirrors necessary?

People are beginning to ask just why cameras need a mirror anymore. They soak up light and take up space, and the primary reason for their existence — to reroute light for optical viewfinders and internal sensors— has been blunted by advances made in electronic viewfinder technology. And if you remove a mirror from a camera’s optical path, your design options increase. That space can now be put to better use — or dispensed with entirely in the interest of a smaller footprint.

This flexibility has led designers to make interesting choices. The Sony NEX camera bodies, for example, are quite slim and compact. But because they feature a large APS-C size sensor, they can look pretty interesting with a zoom lens attached. The bigger sensor forces the lenses to be larger too. Add their adaptor for Sony Alpha lenses into the mix, and the camera is effectively dwarfed by what’s attached on the front end.

The "Cross-over" camera

The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GH2 has become a favorite of video enthusiasts

The Nikon 1 has taken a different tack — smaller sensor, smaller lenses. And Panasonic and Olympus have a huge range of offerings that work with the large family of lenses available for the Micro Four Thirds format. Some of their cameras are more compact-inspired, and some are distinctly DSLR-like. But all of the cameras we’ve mentioned feature more portability than your standard DSLR body plus lens. If these cameras were cars, the DSLR would be your full-size SUV, and the hybrids would be in the “cross-over” class — the “Subaru Outback” of cameras, perhaps.

Who are the players?

I’ve talked about recent action in this market space — the Nikon 1 V1 and J1 — at length in the past few months. The excellent Sony NEX-5N and NEX-7, last summer’s hotness, were delayed on their way to market by the flooding in Southeast Asia and so have not yet had the wide exposure they deserve.

Canon has not chosen to enter the mirrorless fray yet, but stay tuned: if competitors continue to do well with these products, I wouldn’t count on them remaining on the sidelines for a lot longer. The current rumor mill says we might see something in the fall of 2012. Panasonic continues to refine its wide-ranging, but maturing M43 product line. And then, there’s Fujifilm.

Retro captures the buyers' imagination

The Fujifilm X-100 captured imaginations in 2011 with retro looks and modern features

Fuji hit the jackpot with the introduction of their X100 camera last year. While it didn’t feature an interchangeable lens mounting, it had a great, fast fixed 35mm equivalent f/2 lens, married to a classic rangefinder-style mirrorless body. Sporting a large, APS-C sensor and a unique hybrid optical/electronic viewfinder, the combination of retro styling, top quality imaging components, and innovative construction captured the imagination of a great many enthusiasts.

The camera quickly sold out days after it was introduced. They followed up that introduction with the smaller-sensor, zoom-lens X10, another fine camera with the same style pedigree, and shortly thereafter announced that they had an interchangeable-lens camera in the works.

Fujifilm's new interchangeable-lens hybrid, the X-Pro 1, was introduced at the 2012 CES show

A play for the pro user

In early January 2012, the shoe dropped — at CES, Fujifilm announced the X-PRO1 and three wide-aperture prime lenses for its new “X-Mount” standard. Take a clue from this. Very few cameras, DSLR or otherwise, introduce without a “lowest-common denominator” kit zoom lens – a lens that will serve most day-to-day shooting situations while being competent yet inexpensive. Instead, Fuji signaled its intention to pursue a pro-level customer with gorgeous fixed focal-length glass.

Yes, many other lenses, including zooms, will follow shortly. But judging from VERY early reactions, the tea leaves say this product introduction might be the tipping point for a significant number of professionals to seriously consider this category. Its conscious nod to the classic camera designs of a half-century ago is blended with everything they’ve learned from the introduction of the X100. Control interfaces have been tweaked and refined. The new sensor design is reported to have sharply reduced aliasing and moiré. The substantial feel of the camera in hand is an inevitable result of its excellent build quality.

An active year ahead

This is the first salvo, I believe, in a very interesting year for the hybrid class. Certainly, if Fuji does well among professional photographers with the X-PRO1, every manufacturer we’ve mentioned has the skills and the expertise to create competitive challengers.

DSLRs are by no means dead. They're still a vibrant segment of the market with innovations aplenty. They have lots of advantages and the lens families are well-established. But hybrids aren’t just for the curious point-and-shooters wanting to advance a level or two. They’ve put on their big-boy pants and they’re looking for top talent to help strut their stuff.

So when it comes time to research your next camera, do yourself a favor: click on that button that says “Hybrids.” There’s a bunch of goodness waiting for you, and it’s getting better fast.