Renowned Photojournalist David Burnett Announces Move to Sony Gear After 50 Years of Using Canon

Famed Photojournalist David Burnett has today released a video both announcing and explaining his decision to move to Sony equipment after more than 50 years working with Canon gear.

Despite his lengthy career, including co-founding Contact Press Images, Burnett is very much still an influential photographer in the industry. He’s noted for being published repeatedly in the likes of Time Magazine, has worked at the White House, and has won a plethora of awards, not least of which was the World Press Photo of the Year award.

In the above video, he declares: “I’ve decided to swap […] It’s the new technology, the cameras have a lot of things going for them that cameras never did before.”

Listing his reasons for the move, Burnett said he had been trying out Sony cameras for the last month, citing that the a9 and a7R III both shoot very quickly (the a9 up to 20 fps), which he says can be a real advantage, particularly in sports photography.

Secondly, he rates the large resolution of Sony cameras. Speaking to PetaPixel, he describes the files as “big and beautiful,” and heaps praise on the weight of the cameras, adding that the Sony equipment is lighter than what he’s used to.

He’s also intrigued to adapt his old Canon lenses onto his new Sony bodies: “Since the Sony cameras are mirrorless, the bodies are thinner, enabling a huge variety of legacy lenses to be used with them.”

Naturally it’s a big change, and one that isn’t with consequence. Burnett did admit the biggest struggle was having to learn from scratch how to operate a different menu layout, but remains optimistic that in time, the experience will feel normal.

“I have to say, I kind of feel like I’m finally stepping into the 21st century with these cameras,” said Burnett.

[via PetaPixel]