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"Death of the DSLR" are the words emblazoned on the 3 Sept issue of Amateur Photographer.
Are they being just a little premature? Have DSLR sales taken a knock because of the Mirrorless Revolution? Is it merely sensationalism - or a prediction of things to come?
Certainly with mirrorless cameras, with up to 24Mp, now being launched (e.g. Sony NEX-7), and other mirrorless cameras (latest Olympus Pens) claiming fastest AF bar none, things seem to be snowballing.
What are your views? 
You don`t need a large hammer to crack a nut.
Evf`s are not perfect but there getting there, give it another two/three years and there will be absolutely no advantages in using optical viewfinders.
As it stands now, Evf`s and rear screen live view are already showing advantages over optical.
With evf`s, any adjustments you make show in the viewfinder or on the rear screen.
I suppose the ultimate test is whether pros will accept the EVF. Mirrorless cameras already have the resolution and the fast AF to compete with high(ish)-end DSLRs and are getting there as regards noise. Some CSCs use an APS-C sensor. Only a matter of time before we see a mirrorless full-framer.... maybe?
But it is the switch from OVF to EVF which will meet with the greatest resistance, I am guessing.
Quote: At the moment I wouldn't be without an optical viewfinder for 'serious' photography - as much as anything else, without reading glasses, I can't really see a screen properly!
ditto and there must be so many of us with the same problem that a really high quality EVF will be essential for this type of camera to wean us from our DSLRs
Having said that, the new PEN3 does look very tempting!
Depends on which end of the market you look at.
The mirror less cameras can't compete with the full frame or the pro machines like Nikon D3 and Canon EOS 1D series.
However in the sub £1200 bracket I think they will have an in road into the DSLR cameras. I think it is interesting to see that there are a number of threads on different forums saying "I am a looking for something light weight and will do what what my DSLR will do as I hate carrying the weight around...." which is where the mirror less cameras start to appeal.
Ok most people dismiss the mirror less cameras because "they don't have an optical view finder" but why should this stop it being a serious photographic tool and when you out and about how many people take pictures using thier phones and compacts? (especially phones).
All these without viewfinders and all capable of making great images.
The death of the DSLR may not happen in the next 6 months but in the next 5 years it may well be a different story.
It's going to take a lot to wean me off my OVF.
If you ae using the rear screen to focus and compose - it does not seem as stable or effecient holding position as holding the camera to the eye (i.e. close to the body).
Imagine doing a wedding all day with a 70-200 F2.8 lens and a flashgun on top - having to hold the camera at arms length to focus with the screen.....
I imagine there will be a lot of converts to the mirrorless cameras - people who scale down there camera equipment, and pros looking for a second/third body.
However the mirrorles cameras will have to prove themselves in the field if they are truly to kill of DSLRs.
Well the magazine in question is AMATEUR Photographer. In that context I suspect that the headline might well be true. In many cases people starting out in photography no longer trade up to SLRs as they get better & more interested, they just buy better compacts, & now probably 4/3s.
I have even seen compacts mounted on tripods used for landscape work recently.
With weight & portability issues becoming more important I think people are beginning to question the need for DSLRs when similar performance can be obtained from compacts/micros. The professionals/serious amateurs may still hang on to their DSLRs but more & more these will become "niche" products & the hobbyist market will be small & light.
What advantages do you get from an optical viewfinder?
It adds considerable weight to the camera (prism) is very small (how often do you get back and think I didn't see that) the image is dark.
Ok at present the screens are far from perfect - probably 5-10 years away from where they need to be. Why get hung up on the viewfinder, it doesn't make one scrap of difference to the final image.
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