2018 will be the year of mirrorless cameras, but before ditching your current system and switching to a mirrorless system, you should think twice.
Mirrorless cameras might seem perfect, but they still have some major flaws. Previewing your exposure in the EVF might be a great feature or a lighter body and silent shutter might be the ticket, but these are not enough for selling all your gear at a loss and making the switch.
1. It’s the Lens, Not the Body
There is no recipe for taking great photos, but if you want high quality images, then you should invest in glass, not the camera body. High quality lenses can be expensive, but rather than buying a “good” mirrorless camera body, do yourself a favor and get a good lens for your existing DSLR camera.
2. DSLRs Are Still Cameras
It’s hard to believe, but DSLRs are still digital cameras and you can take photos with them, just like you can do with the new, fancy mirrorless cameras. And before making the switch, remember that the camera bodies are just recording devices with different features.
3. Full-Frame Mirrorless Systems Are Not Compact and Lightweight
Full-frame mirrorless cameras have been advertised as more compact and lighter alternatives to DSLRs. However, due to physics rules, lenses cannot be much smaller than a DSLR version, and in some cases, they can even be larger and heavier. Adapters may provide advantages for using various lenses with a mirrorless camera, but keep in mind that adapters are heavy, they drain battery, and they always focus more slowly than the native lenses. Full-frame mirrorless cameras may also look perfect in terms of size, but there are many users complaining about the lack of support for their little fingers when using a Sony a7 series camera. Buying a battery grip might be the solution, but that means more weight and more cost.
4. Native Lens Options Are Limited With Mirrorless Cameras
Sony is expanding its lens lineup and Nikon revealed their road map for their upcoming lenses, but it will take a long time and probably cost more. Sigma recently started to adapt some of its Art series lenses to Sony E-mount, but they are heavy lenses, and if weight is your concern, then you should probably stick with Zeiss lenses, which are more expensive. So, if you don’t want to spend your time and energy on this, just stick with your DSLR.
It even took five generations for Metabones to make a "better" adapter.
5. Mirrorless Might Be the Future, but We Are in Present
Sony started the hype, Nikon followed, and Canon is next. Full-frame mirrorless cameras might be the future, but they are not perfect yet. For Sony, it took three generations making the a7 and a7R usable for pros. Fixing small problems with firmware updates is something good; however, it takes way too long for companies to understand what photographers need and want. Sony added a small joystick on the third generation of the a7 series, fixed the battery issue on the a7R III, and many other features have been improved after producing six or seven models. Now, Nikon is doing the same. Due to keeping the camera small, they only put one memory card slot in the new Nikon Z7, and probably, they will add the second slot in the second generation. Companies are using photographers as beta testers and raising funds for their next “slightly better” models. So, let Nikon, Canon, and Sony compete to make the ultimate mirrorless full-frame camera. Until then, focus on your photography and use your existing gear until they die.
What do you think about the mirrorless hype? Is it worth switching from a DSLR and losing lots of money? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.
but then you have the camp that says " BUT MUH FULL FRAMES! D:"
No need to jump into mirrorless if you are doing good with the system you already bought. However to keep investing into a DSLR system would not be a good investment. Marked will be flooded with second hand DSLR cameras and lenses.
On the other side there should be quite a few bargains on second hand.
2017 was the year of mirrorless. Sony A9 made a huge impression due to the fact the proved mirrorless can go beyond a mechanical camera. suddenly mirrorless was not toys anymore.
2018 is the year of catching up. Nikon is and hopefully Canon to.
Is it time to switch? I don't know but I find my A7r3 far from perfect. Nikon is not yet there, and will need a few firmware updates to catch up. If your DSLR works fine and no urgent need then maybe wait. Prices hopefully will go down and products more mature.
Looking back on the old Android or Windows phones I wounder how anyone could by that crap. I did. It was terrible but I could swipe:)
My 2 cent:)
"old Android or Windows phones"?? There's nothing wrong with my Android phone.
I think there is a greater point of discussion. And the point is this.
Would you put a 4k tv on a wall instead of a window to a real world?
EVF is just a monitor... it will never compare to a real "window" into the world; and looking at the monitor, no matter how good is the monitor is, will never compare to actual looking into the world.
Maybe its a little bit romantic... but I wonder why its not discussed? All we care is result? What about actual process of shooting? The mystery of it. The real joy of peeping through a whole into a world.
Yesm eye-af is great, I use it also sometimes - it can give slightly more usable pictures when wide open, but I can nail the eye with dslr, not much big of a deal.
the process of shooting the world or people through a monitor will never be as romantic and inspiring as shooting through real view-finder. and this is the main reason I dont think EVF and mirrorless is the "future" of photography. I think its it downfall....
I mostly shoot natural light and seeing the exposure as it's hiting the sensor in my viewfinder just makes everything smoother. Yeah it totally puts the guesswork out of exposure but the keeper rate is way higher. If I want the romantic mystery, I'll just load some film in the Hasselblad 500.
Hasselblad is amazing. I rarely guess with my exposure, dslrs view-finder has enough info to make a right exposure without checking the monitor. And high-end dslrs has enough AF points (though I hope there were more) to do basically all the same things that eye-af does automatically for you...
except maybe few size differences (though sony prime lenses are too big most of the time),evf is the only main reason i will never move to mirrorless as main camera. but it seems my opinion is not popular.
as for the "keeper" rate... my keeper rate became better with experience and learning the craft. exposing the picture rightly or nailing the focus was never a big factor in creating a great picture. i will say that on the contrary, making mistakes open a lot of freedom of expression and freed me from labeling a lot of stuff as "right" and "wrong" in photography. working few days with evf... and i caught myself caring about the result more than the actual shooting process. again, its just my exp.
If you are that passionate about just seeing with your eyes that has no real optical impact for the camera then isn’t it more reason to go mirrorless?? Since between the lens and the sensor, the dslr mirror is not only a dust magnet but is an unnecessary element that is in the way of how your camera sees ?? Is like you wearing a pair of glasses to look through the vf when you don’t really need glasses.
Sorry I`ve lost you with the "how camera sees", as my point was about how I see... and putting a small monitor to my eye will never compare to me actually seeing through the view-finder. thats all.
For some, photography is about results. For others, it's about the process and the results. This isn't carved in stone but the mood set by your process can influence, to one degree or another, the results.
There is no mystery? Is like saying there is no art or values that are not seen to human eyes. Or because it sells its a good art :). Some things get value with time. Look at contax t3 or old leicas, jeez...
And sorry, I am not sure how "time" and its consuming connects with the process of seeing through view-finder or evf.
Also I understand the idea of "number" vs "value", but I dont think that evf has anything to do with producing more "good" images. more properly exposed? maybe, but than... even if I make a slight mistake in exposing a picture in modern dslr... i still get enough range to correct it. And most people shoot under or over... depending on their post production workflow. So again... we back to the process and whats important in it.
I'm with you but it depends on why you shoot. For some people, it's all about the resulting photo and they don't really care. For others, like you and me, it's about the process and for us, no EVF will ever be good enough because it's not about quality.
That what scares me. Its overly-obsession with the result and how to achieve it. EVF I think was created to make things easier... but its like with everything, getting something easier not always makes it better.
And what scares me them most is the lack of discussion of the actual process... I remember when f-stoppers were more about "making" and "behind-the-scenes". Now its a click-bait for pixel-peepers. I know its just complaining. I better get back to my own work :)
Your number one reason to NOT go mirrorless is the number one reason TO go mirrorless. Lenses are expensive and there's no sense in spending all that money and then having to frequently AFMA the lenses and yet STILL miss focus when you KNOW you should have nailed it.
Plus, Eye AF and AF points all over the frame means no more a) focus and recompose so you don't have to risk focus being slightly off and/or b) cropping in post for composition and wasting the MP's and resolution of the lens.
I'm not saying people should put their DSLR in the recycle bin, but articles like this belong there.
I manage to nail focus all the time (with strobes) so switching for eye af is money I don't need to spend. With video getting more and more popular, wasting money on more cameras is money that could go on lighting, audio equipment, more lens, etc. I need all the tools in my box, not just the fancy do everything for me one.
In my own opinion, if I get a mirrorless now my pictures won't be that any much different.. Lol. I shoot with my D810 and I never felt the need to upgrade for my style of shooting. My D810 paired with my 28 1.4 D is my compact carry setup and no image quality compromised going light. I do want to expand with video, had the Z cameras or even the A7 series cameras had a flipout screen I'd already have pre-ordered or already own one right now. I'd gladly spend money if to me it checks out everything I want in a camera (min requirements: Full-frame 4K60, in-body stabilization, fast accurate live view AF and a flipout screen).
Indeed! D810 still rocks.
It's not the mirrorless that keeps me from switching, it's the body that is the deal breaker. Sony cameras feel like toys in hand. Subjective, but there it is. Now, if the money were in the photo piggy bank, I'd be shooting mirrorless, but it would be Fuji's GFX50. Its in had feel is quite nice and when you add their excellent grip, it's a very comfortable piece of hardware.
There are great lenses already available for mirrorless, some might argue they are better than the DSLR equivalent because they are newer ? Batis, GM, Fujicrons... ??
And who is going to buy these increment upgrade bodies if you're telling us not to lol
For example, I swapped my nikon d810 and d750 combo with an 85 1.4 and 24 1.4 for a Sony a73 and a7r3 with batis 85 and batis 25 because I've had an OG a7r since day one... I perfectly changed systems and have better equivalent lenses than I had before and have slightly smaller, yet moderately lighter kits however with a huge many upgraded features ....
It's totally possible... You can upgrade from your DSLR kit, get smaller, faster, lighter if you choose, and just about break even in doing so if you shop and take advantage of sales and deals to be had... 👍👍👍
Mirrorless is also bring new life to reissuing of old design and new lens maker to join in the lens making game, too. There are so many makers that were (or almost) unheard of before the popularity of the mirrorless boom.
Good post, I have seen many reviews since the launch of the Nikon Z. The Nikon ambassadors are giving a big thumbs up on this new camera. Hard to know their honest views, as ambassadors for Nikon. I won’t be changing soon, but I have a Nikon D610 and I like, except get some small oil spots like the defunct D600. So would like to get a new body. Taking a hard look at Sony. Good reviews, and all the gizmos to boot. At 72, like to have a smaller gear....lot of hype on Nikon. Hope FStoopers gets a unit. I think they will give a honest review.
That’s the bottom line right there....people tend to forget what you said in that last sentence:)))
Why is this website so anti mirrorless cameras. most of this article is just garbage and not true I moved from Canon to Sony and I'm never going back goodbye heavyweight hello featherweight.
Hi Philip, it's not being anti-mirrorless, it's about the peer pressure we're exposed every day. No one is blaming you or others who switched systems, good luck with your new camera. The "garbage" states some reasons to keep current DSLR systems.
Probably cause every time someone switches to Sony, they announce it like they just got Megan Fox's phone number. The results are all that matter as clients don't care what you use.
Weight was your only reason for switching?
Well all the reasons you point to, are not nearly as compelling for newcomers. If you have not already built up an inventory of Canon or Nikon lenses and are just getting started, there is no real reason to go with a DSLR over a mirrorless. And that's not even to begin to touch on the advantages a mirrorless system has for video, which is a huge deal to those (like me) who are cinematographers first and photographers second.
Difficult to take this article seriously. Not even mentioning Fujifilm who took the mirrorless systems to a completely new level sounds completely ameateurish and biased. “Sony started the hype”? Well, I would say it has been Fujifilm and of you are talking about FF mirrorless cameras only, it should be clearly stated in the title of your article.
Limited lens options? Again, let’s have a look at the Fujifilm lens arsenal: it’s one of the most professional, fully blown up lens set up of utmost optical quality.
Unfortunately, this article is very misleading and it’s a pity to see such pieces on this renowned and respected platform.
So if I got six top of the line camera bodies. Three DSLRs and three mirrorless and handed to a skilled photographer. Gave them the same third party lens to shoot with each camera. Had them process the images an make 16x20 prints from each camera. Could anyone tell which prints came from which camera?
Joke alert!
Your scenario is flawed. The folks actually buying mirrorless cameras are lazy, weak amateurs so in real life, the actual photos taken with ML cameras suck!
This was a joke. It was only a joke. Had it been a serious comment, you would have been bored to tears. Well... maybe you were still bored to tears. ;-)
It depends on the subject matter. Shooting sports with the subject on the edge of the frame would be captured best by the Sony a9. DSLRs shooting the symphony would have no images because they make too much noise and would not be allowed. So, the mirrorless cameras would be best at the symphony. Shooting a moving subject in the middle of the frame or a static subject would have similar looking results when comparing similar DSLR and mirrorless cameras.
I will keep my Canon 1D Mark lll & my 1Ds Mark lll, until they die. And if they do, I will replace them with the same model. I like the size,the weight, of them . The new cameras feel like toys. You can,t beat pro bodies. Plus they take outstanding pictures. Please buy these mirror less cameras. Flood the market with L lenses. I will buy them for pennies on the dollar.
There is only one mirror less camera that even remotely interests me..... The hassablad X1D... With real features (medium format, 16bit color... On and on) None of these mirror less cameras have anything worth offering over a dslr. Now if they jump into the medium format then there might be something to talk about.
I feel the X1D is good when shooting slowly and thoughtfully. Since I shoot a lot of photos with people moving, the poor autofocus keeps me away.
This article to my surprise is dated in 2018... It feels like it was written in 2015.. Most of these concerns are already addressed and lens selection is pretty solid...
Only reason I want a mirrorless is so I don't have to calibrate my lenses and for the EVF.
Unsure what the craze is all about. Photos from my D750 are just great.
And in the end it is the person behind all that technology that creates the image, regardless if it is taken on a mirrorless smartphone or an analog SLR.
I'll wait til late next year if it's gonna be Nikon or Sony for me...
Amen.
"Sony started the hype, Nikon followed, and Canon is next."
You must be joking, right? Sony didn't start anything, Canon is in the game for years and Nikon made mirrorless cameras even before Canon, many many moons ago.
The article sounds like mirrorless cameras didn't exist before Sony and there are only Sonys on the market. I'm not anti-anything but you seem to be living in a Sony world to the exclusion of the real world.
Perhaps you intended to write an article about 35mm format mirrorless cameras but that's not mentioned until point 3. halfway through the article. Even then it appears to be rather limiting not even mentioning other formats but 35mm (both smaller and larger).
These current two headlining articles - The "Why the Nikon mirrorless already sucks" and this one are kindergarten level and unprofessional.
Most of these comments remind me of when digital came to SLR and nobody wanted to change because film was an "experience". Then when video came to DSLR, nobody said it would take off. When you have a hobby or passion, change is tough to swallow, but the future is now the present and most will be saying the same thing in 10 years about the next iteration and they dont want to give up their mirrorless.
good thing about a new mirrorless system is that your old cheap no VR lenses get in body stabilization.
switching, replacing? how about adding to the camera bag
I agree for the most part, but eventually mirrorless will takeover. I appreciate the people trying the mirrorless bodies and giving input into the next generation. I'll be sticking with my DSLR and probably purchasing another DSLR body in the near future. One of these days though...