The rise in stock of mirrorless cameras has been significant in the last decade, but there are a lot of misconceptions about the difference between them and DSLRs.
I have shot on film cameras, on DSLRs, and on mirrorless bodies, and there are certainly pros and cons to each. While film cameras have almost uniformly been replaced in every capacity one might use a camera for, there are psychological benefits I found in using them over my digital bodies. I would take more time over each photo, I couldn't chimp, and I enjoyed the tactile feel of the process. This may not seem relevant to the topic at hand, but there are parallels to be drawn; namely, different camera systems often have their differences exaggerated.
The mirrorless versus DSLR debate is without question the best example of this. There are crowds of photographers acting as heralds of the apocalypse, professing DSLRs to be dead and mirrorless to be the only path. This patently untrue and DSLRs haven't got worse simply because mirrorless cameras exist. I say this from somebody who made the transition to mirrorless and who shoots with mirrorless every single time. Mirrorless is a great format and has many perks, but great DSLRs are still great. There are many myths about mirrorless cameras, and in this video, Tony and Chelsea Northrup go over some of the most common offenders.
What is a common myth you have heard about mirrorless cameras or the difference between them and DSLRs?
Well, as someone who went from mirrorless (Micro Four Thirds) to DSLR (full frame) and just recently to mirrorless (full frame) I can say that mirrorless cameras are still slow to start up, still have dire battery life and still have laggy viewfinders (when they have viewfinders).
They can be more compact than a DSLR but there’s not much in it, in practical terms. Their lenses aren’t though. It is handy being able to see the effects of exposure adjustments, etc in the viewfinder. I’ve yet to see one with good continuous autofocus.
I think most future developments will be mirrorless-centric though, which means that DSLRs will simply become outdated as their technology lags behind.
Personally, I believe that the Nikon D850 is still the best all round camera for most people. It’s a shame there’s no room, budget or perhaps market for a Z-mount DSLR
I think that the physical dimensions of the DSLR mirror box has been the biggest hindrance in lens design. I'm not sure that a DSLR Z-mount is physically possible. That's why there's such a lens revolution afoot with the mirrorless paradigm.
Boy, this was a non-starter........I've taken a permanent pass on anything Northrup............
I just come under his articles for the comments :-)
Why do you think there is so much hype?
No one ever mentions that the camera manufacturer doesn't have the expense of the mirror mechanism. After all most modern DSLRs have a live view mode.
So with a mirrorless camera the manufacturer saves on production costs. Yet the mirrorless camera can still sell for top dollar. So the manufacturers can make a better margin or profit on a mirrorless camera.
The performance differences are negligible. The profit difference is the only one that counts for the manufacturers.
So manufacturers are switching to mirrorless.
"No one ever mentions that the camera manufacturer doesn't have the expense of the mirror mechanism." Maybe so, but then, Canon added IBIS to the R5 and R6. I don't know if it's a one to one trade in manufacturing cost, but adding IBIS isn't free.
As far as Tony&Chelsea go...they're just fine.