Over the years, DSLRs have become important companions of photographers all over the world.

It does not matter if one was an amateur trying to learn the ropes, a hobbyist taking pictures of flowers or a professional photographer capturing the wildlife. Once considered by many as a luxury, it has become quite a necessity for those who are into photography.

As technology continues to roll one development after another, DSLR users have had to adapt to changes – most of them convenient ones.

With the entry of smartphones (specifically the high-end ones such as the new models of iPhone, Galaxy and Lumia) capable of taking relatively good quality photos, many are saying that the end of the DSLR reign may soon come to an end.

Photographers are quick to dismiss this, however, saying that smartphones will never be able to duplicate the quality and technology of DSLRs.

photo by Jase Curtis

This controversy has resulted to something relevant, though: more manufacturers and developers are coming out with better features for their cameras.

It also made people wander what else to expect from DSLRs in the coming years.

The Future of DSLRs

Here are some things that I think we can expect from DSLRs in the coming years.

• One of the aspects that some people do not like in DSLRs is their size. Many find them too heavy and bulky. So the DSLRs of the future will be smaller and more compact. In fact, some manufacturers have now started designing their own versions. Canon, for example, has a line of high quality but compact and lightweight DSLRs. The Canon EOS Rebel SL1 has been touted as the world’s smallest and lightest DSLR camera.
  
  Of course there are ways for dealing with the weight and bulkiness of DSLRs (like tripods), but a lot of photographers, especially those who need to bring a variety of lenses, will want some comfort and convenience when traveling to shoots with their cameras in tow.
  
  There are some mirrorless cameras now, but because they are small, they cannot compete with the DSLR in terms of quality, especially when you talk about sensor size. In order to be great for serious photographers, these mirrorless cameras will have to be manufactured with full frames, but this will diminish their compact and lightweight qualities. Manufacturers can make mirrorless cameras their inspiration for coming up with lightweight designs that retain the qualities photographers love about their DSLRs. Maybe some form of technology will even allow the mirrorless and the DSLR to coexist without too much problem.
• Better technical image quality and more advanced sensor design. For example, manufacturers can now roll out a DSLR with 60+ megapixel sensors. In addition to this, lenses can come with higher pixel quality. Can you imagine a DSLR with a megapixel count of over 60? There are some Zeiss lenses that can already deliver this kind of specification, but the industry will definitely do better if more manufacturers take the bait. Photographers will have a field day taking photos that deliver their messages in the best way possible!
• A more advanced sensor technology will also mean higher ISO settings. This means photographers will be able to work more efficiently even when lighting is low or not that good. The photos won’t come out grainy even when they’re taken at high speeds. Of course manufacturers will need to figure out how to keep that great quality even at higher ISO (more megapixels usually means more grain at high ISO).
• Future DSLRs will have better frame rates so that taking consecutive shots will feel like a natural everyday thing for photographers. Since sports photography is continuously gaining in popularity, this will really be helpful. If this happens, photographers won’t have to worry about blurry action photos, and capturing successive poses and backgrounds will be a lot easier. If today’s fastest frame rate is doubled or tripled in the near future, photography will never be the same again.
• The future DSLRs will make capturing stills from video an easy thing. A lot of people agree that taking still photos from videos is not a good idea. The image will not look good – it will be out-of-focus and the quality will be totally off-key. But there already is a DSLR that allows users to capture stills from videos, and the stills come out quite good even if not all professional photographers agree. Canon (again!) has the EOS-1DC, which can be used for this purpose.
  
  Future DSLRs, however, can improve on a few things, like:
  • Remove motion blur, or reduce it at the least. To do this would mean to improve low shutter speeds.
  • Allow photographers to shoot videos vertically.
  • Eliminate over exposure and improve white balance during post processing. This will only be possible if videos can be saved in RAW format.
• The ability to instantly share photos taken in DSLRs is another possible development. Some point-and-shoot digital cameras can already do this, but it will be more fun if all DSLRs are able to do this. Imagine taking a high quality photo of your son or daughter’s first birthday and then immediately posting it on your Facebook or Instagram account (or even better, 500px or Flickr), allowing relatives and friends unable to attend the event to be updated. Isn’t that simply cool?
  
  Bluetooth and NFC-capable cameras are also great for sharing.
• I believe more DSLRs should have an electronic viewfinder, which will allow photographers to enjoy precision focusing, remove the need for focussing screens, offer 100% field of view, and allow extremely accurate depth of field representation – something traditional DSLRs cannot do very easily. A high resolution EVF is good for those who want to zoom in without sacrificing the shot. Likewise, an EVF provides better eyesight limitations support. This technology is used mainly by mirrorless cameras at the moment.

DSLRs are here to stay, no matter what some people say. That’s something to look forward to, right? As mentioned earlier, there are some aspects of the DSLR that a mirrorless camera can never duplicate. So, even with the increasing popularity of mirrorless cameras, DSLRs will continue to serve photographers well.

To keep photographers and the public interested, DSLR manufacturers should constantly think of ways to improve their offerings, be it in physical features or in technology. Pushing DSLR technology to the limit may sound like overdoing things, but maybe it can help bring about the developments needed to keep its place in the photography industry firm and safe. After all, if camera manufacturers don’t innovate and listen to customers more (looking at you Canon and Nikon), mirrorless cameras may very well take over more and more market share. Not that it would be a bad thing, though.